Pipe Insert Clamping Layer for Uniform Field Joint Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Field joints in offshore pipeline systems face issues such as delamination, local cavities, poor adhesion, and structural integrity due to uneven cooling and premature loading during the curing process, leading to unsatisfactory insulation and potential collapse under external pressure.
Innovation Solution
A device using a length-stable layer with flexible tubes that applies radial pressure to insulation inserts, allowing controlled expansion and curing, ensuring adhesion and structural integrity while maintaining a constant distance between pipes and reducing vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If insulation inserts are attached to pipes in field joints, then insulation efficiency is improved, but delamination and poor adhesion occur due to uneven cooling and premature loading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching the clamping device to the pipe before the insulation inserts are installed. The clamping device is positioned and secured in advance, creating a predetermined clamping force structure that will maintain adhesion during subsequent cooling and loading processes. This preliminary positioning ensures that the insulation inserts remain properly adhered throughout the curing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying the clamping force applied by the clamping device during different stages of the curing process. The clamping force is adjusted to optimize adhesion during cooling while maintaining structural integrity during loading. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between achieving strong adhesion and maintaining overall structural strength.
2Productivity
If curing process is accelerated to reduce time, then productivity is improved, but uneven cooling and premature loading cause delamination and cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring the curing process and adjusting cooling and loading parameters in real-time. Sensors detect temperature distribution and structural stress, providing feedback to control systems that adjust the curing rate accordingly. This ensures uniform cooling throughout the insulation layer while maintaining productivity through optimized process control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the curing process adaptive rather than static. The curing rate, cooling rate, and loading timing are dynamically adjusted based on real-time conditions within the field joint. This dynamic control allows for accelerated curing when conditions permit while preventing delamination and cavities when uniformity is at risk.
3Reliability
If external pressure is applied to test structural integrity, then reliability is improved, but collapse occurs due to premature loading during curing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing the clamping device and establishing the clamping force structure before external pressure testing is performed. This preliminary setup ensures that the insulation inserts are already secured and resistant to collapse when external pressure is applied, allowing for earlier testing without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses beforehand cushioning by applying a preliminary clamping force that cushions the insulation inserts against the effects of premature external loading. This pre-applied force creates a protective effect that allows the structure to withstand external pressure testing even before the curing process is fully complete, thereby improving reliability without requiring extended curing duration.
4Reliability
If clamping force is increased to prevent delamination, then adhesion is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible shells and thin films by using a clamping device that incorporates flexible elements to apply and distribute clamping force uniformly across the insulation inserts. This flexible design achieves high adhesion reliability through effective force distribution while maintaining relatively simple device structure, avoiding the need for complex rigid mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatics and hydraulics by employing a pressurizable structure within the clamping device that uses fluid pressure to generate and control clamping force. This approach achieves high and uniform adhesion forces through simple pressure control mechanisms, avoiding complex mechanical force application systems and reducing overall device complexity.
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 device enhances the quality and durability of field joints by ensuring uniform adhesion, reducing time for curing, and maintaining structural integrity under external forces, thus minimizing the need for costly repairs and improving insulation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible tube is supplied with a medium which be pressurized and/or cured/solidified in an expanded state between the length-stable layer and the inserts
Implementation Method 2
Pressurization leads to a directionally controlled volumetric expansion of the structures
Implementation Method 3
a medium that solidifies, water or air. Pressurization leads to a directionally controlled volumetric expansion of the structures
Implementation Method 4
Individual structural elements are connected to external units for circulation of a refrigerant medium and controlling the casting solidification/transition of the medium from liquid to solid form
Implementation Method 5
Individual structural elements are connected to external units for circulation of a refrigerant medium and controlling the casting solidification/transition of the medium from liquid to solid form
Implementation Method 6
a controlled applied clamping force from the length-stable layer to underlying structures occurs
Implementation Method 7
maintain a constant distance between the pipe walls in a pipe-in-pipe system and/or to reduce the internal and external flow-induced vibrations in such a pipe system
Data Source
AI summary
A device is for clamping one or more inserts arranged outside pipes during the assembly of pipes for pipelines serving to transport oil, gas or water. The device has a clamping device which at least partially encloses the inserts with a slot with a length-stable layer arranged against a flexible tube on a side of the layer such that a flexible tube arranged in the layer follows the slot. The layer is coupled to the flexible tube and ends of the length-stable layer have end pieces of a length configured in or around the inserts and/or the slot such that the end pieces of the length-stable layer are prevented from displacement relative to the inserts. The flexible tube is supplied with a medium that can be pressurized and/or cured in an expanded state between the length-stable layer and the inserts without increasing a nominal diameter of length-stable layer.