Pipeline Joint Internal Insulation Using Vacuum-Filled Annular Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for internal insulation of welded pipeline joints are inefficient due to issues like air bubble formation, inadequate adhesion, and inability to create a vacuum-tight seal, leading to reduced insulation quality and potential penetration of aggressive media.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a cylindrical elastic working member with a coaxially arranged anti-adhesive casing, capable of radial expansion under pressure, which forms an annular cavity and creates a vacuum for filling with a compound, ensuring tight sealing and easy separation from the hardened compound.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high pressure is applied to eliminate air spaces under the bandage, then air elimination improves, but polymer binder is eliminated from the bandage and adhesion becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vacuum before bandage application to remove air spaces and welding defects from the surface. This preliminary vacuum treatment prepares the surface by eliminating air pockets that would later cause adhesion problems when pressure is applied, allowing subsequent pressure application without binder loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a sequence of vacuum and pressure applications in periodic cycles. First vacuum removes air and defects, then pressure applies the bandage, followed by another vacuum to eliminate remaining air spaces. This periodic alternation allows achieving both tightness and adhesion without permanent binder loss.
2Strength
If elastic casing is made rigid to withstand high pressure, then pressure resistance improves, but contact tightness with pipeline surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible elastic casing that can deform to conform to the pipeline surface, ensuring vacuum tightness. The elasticity allows the casing to maintain intimate contact with the curved surface while still withstanding the applied pressure through its material properties rather than rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the casing material to achieve both flexibility and strength. By selecting materials with specific elastic moduli and tensile strengths, the casing can deform sufficiently to seal against the pipeline surface while resisting the high pressures required for air elimination.
3Reliability
If pressure is increased to improve vacuum tightness, then sealing improves, but polymer binder is lost from bandage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs vacuum treatment before bandage application to pre-remove air spaces and surface defects. This preliminary action eliminates the need for high pressure application that would otherwise be required to remove air after bandage placement, thereby preventing binder loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic vacuum and pressure cycles where vacuum is applied at critical stages (before and after bandage application) to remove air spaces without requiring sustained high pressure that would eliminate the polymer binder from the bandage material.
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 effectively eliminates welding defects, provides absolute tightness, and allows for efficient vacuum impregnation, improving insulation quality and preventing media penetration.
Implementation Method 1
cylindrical elastic working member adapted for radial expansion when an excess pressure is created inside the cavity thereof
Implementation Method 2
The polymer binder is heated by an inductor to provide polymerization
Implementation Method 3
the only highly efficient way to prevent formation of air bubbles or interlayers in the insulated area of the welded joint
Data Source
AI summary
A device internally insulating a welded pipeline joint between pipes having an internal protective coating, in a first variant, includes a power actuator having a cylindrical elastic working member for radial expansion when excess pressure occurs inside its cavity. A cylindrical casing of elastic anti-adhesive material arranged coaxially on the member exterior can have channels for exhausting air and supplying a compound. In a second variant, the device sleevelessly insulates an annular space. A casing made of an anti-adhesive material is centrally reinforced by an elastic cord. Using a cylindrical elastic anti-adhesive casing coaxially arranged on the exterior of a power actuator elastic working member forms an annular space in the weld zone either using a protective sleeve, or by a reinforced casing portion. A vacuum in the space is filled by a compound. The elastic anti-adhesive material allows easy removal of the casing from the hardened compound surface.