Overmoulded Pipe End Protector for Reusable Thread Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe end protectors for hydrocarbon well exploration and production have high production costs and reduced sealing capacity upon reuse due to manual placement of seals, which can lead to premature failure and damage during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A pipe end protector with a main body made from a first polymeric material and an annular flexible axial lip seal made from a second polymeric material with a lower elastic modulus, attached by overmoulding, ensuring efficient production and secure sealing for both female and male pipe ends by positioning the lip seal effectively during rotational make-up.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If seals are manually placed in grooves of pipe end protectors, then production costs are reduced through simpler manufacturing, but sealing reliability deteriorates due to potential seal displacement during reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is integrated directly into the protector body through overmoulding, merging two previously separate components (seal and protector body) into a single unified structure. This eliminates the need for manual seal placement while ensuring the seal remains permanently positioned, resolving both the manufacturing simplicity and sealing reliability requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is pre-positioned and fixed to the protector body during the overmoulding manufacturing process, rather than being installed manually at a later stage. This preliminary action ensures proper seal positioning is achieved during production, maintaining both manufacturing efficiency and sealing reliability during subsequent reuse.
2Loss of time
If pipe end protectors are designed for reuse, then loss of time due to repeated transportation protection is reduced, but sealing capacity deteriorates as seals move out of grooves during reuse cycles
Solution Approach 1:
By overmoulding the seal directly onto the protector body, the seal and protector become a single integrated component. This merging ensures the seal cannot displace during reuse cycles, maintaining sealing capacity while allowing repeated use of the protector, thus reducing time loss without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The overmoulded seal creates a localized permanent bond between the seal and protector body at the seal groove interface. This local quality enhancement ensures the seal remains firmly positioned during multiple reuse cycles, maintaining sealing capacity while enabling repeated transportation protection.
3Productivity
If overmoulding is used to attach the axial lip seal, then productivity increases through automated production, but device complexity increases due to multi-material manufacturing process
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical process of placing seals in grooves is replaced with an automated overmoulding process. This substitution eliminates manual labor steps, significantly increasing productivity, while the added manufacturing process complexity is offset by the elimination of separate seal installation operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces production costs and maintains sealing effectiveness even after multiple uses, providing enhanced protection for pipe threads during transportation by ensuring the axial lip seal remains in position and maintains sealing integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the axial lip seal comprises an annular lip base portion which extends radially along at least part of the seal support surface and is attached to the seal support surface by overmoulding
Implementation Method 2
the lip is configured to be bent towards the longitudinal axis by a female nose surface of the female pipe end when the support portion and the female pipe end are moved axially towards each other during rotational make-up
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe end protector for protecting pipe threads provided on a female pipe end of a pipe component for exploration and production of a hydrocarbon well, said pipe end protector comprising a main body and an annular flexible axial lip seal, wherein the main body is made from a first polymeric material having a first elastic modulus, and the lip seal is made from a second polymeric material having a second elastic modulus which is lower than the first elastic modulus.