Pipeline Coating System with Real-Time Condition Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing underground pipelines are costly, inefficient, and fail to effectively evaluate the pipeline's condition before applying a lining, often resulting in inadequate material application and structural weaknesses at joints, particularly due to the delicacy of inversion processes and difficulty in navigating corners.
Innovation Solution
A system that simultaneously evaluates the interior surface and structural condition of a pipeline using scanning modules and applies a dynamically controlled epoxy coating as it is drawn through the pipeline, ensuring the right amount of material is used to seal cracks and faults, while being flexible enough to navigate bends and corners without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional digging and replacement methods are used to repair pipelines, then pipeline reliability is improved, but construction cost and loss of time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a flexible coating system that is drawn through the existing pipeline like a hose, allowing the pipeline to be repaired internally without excavation. The coating material forms a protective layer on the interior surface, sealing cracks and faults while maintaining pipeline functionality during the repair process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical digging and replacement system with a drawn-coating system that can be pulled through the existing pipeline. This substitution eliminates the need for excavation and heavy machinery, significantly reducing repair time and disruption while restoring pipeline reliability.
2Reliability
If lining hose and calibration hose methods are used, then pipeline reliability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase due to inversion processes and corner navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic inversion and calibration hose components from the repair system. Instead of using a complex two-hose system that requires inversion and careful navigation, the invention uses a simpler single-coating system that is drawn through the pipeline, eliminating the operational difficulties while maintaining repair effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than inverting a lining hose from the outside in, the patent draws the coating system through the pipeline in the conventional forward direction. This inversion of the application approach simplifies the operation by eliminating the delicate inversion process and making corner navigation straightforward.
3Manufacturing precision
If uniform coating thickness is applied throughout the pipeline, then manufacturing precision is improved, but material waste increases and structural weaknesses remain at joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies coating material with locally varied thickness based on the specific condition of the pipeline at each location. The system adds material where cracks and faults are detected, while using less material in sound sections, thereby achieving the necessary repair precision without unnecessary material waste and properly addressing joint areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying a uniform excessive coating throughout the entire pipeline, the invention applies partial coating only where needed based on real-time evaluation of pipeline conditions. This targeted approach reduces material waste while ensuring adequate coverage at critical locations such as cracks, faults, and joints.
4Measurement precision
If evaluation and coating application are performed separately, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to multiple passes through the pipeline
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the evaluation and coating application functions into a single integrated system that performs both tasks simultaneously during one pass through the pipeline. The evaluation module detects pipeline conditions while the coating module applies material as needed, merging measurement and repair functions to improve productivity without sacrificing evaluation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention maintains continuous useful action by evaluating and coating the pipeline in a single continuous operation. Rather than stopping for separate evaluation and application passes, the system continuously moves through the pipeline performing both functions, eliminating idle time and improving overall repair efficiency while maintaining precise condition assessment.
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
This approach reduces repair time and costs by applying only the necessary material in real-time, effectively sealing leaks and reinforcing the pipeline while maintaining structural integrity, and allows for identification of further reinforcement needs.
Implementation Method 1
apply a curable resin system to coat the interior of the pipeline
Implementation Method 2
the resins harden so that the lining hose becomes attached to contact surfaces of the calibration hose
Implementation Method 3
The resins harden so that the lining hose becomes attached to contact surfaces of the calibration hose
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for evaluating the interior surface and exterior wall conditions of a pipeline while also dynamically installing a repair coating in a pipeline, such as an underground water pipeline. The system is towed into the pipeline and drawn back therethrough. As the system is drawn back, one module in the system evaluates the surface condition of the interior of the pipe and another module evaluates the structural condition of the wall of the pipe. Based on the evaluation data obtained from the two modules an epoxy material is applied to the interior surface of the pipe using a spin cast machine that is drawn behind the two modules. Preferably, a layer of epoxy is applied to the interior surface of the host pipe to the appropriate thickness based on the pipe condition as determined by the two modules.