Pipeline Sheathing Reel Layout for Faster Low-Pollution Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for protecting buried pipes are inefficient in reducing handling times and often result in increased environmental pollution due to on-site cladding and excavation processes.
Innovation Solution
An installation for unwinding, protecting, and rewinding elongated objects like pipes or cables using a dual-reel system with tangential drive mechanisms and a sheathing equipment, allowing for simultaneous unrolling, protection, and re-wrapping in a workshop setting, thereby reducing site handling times and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional on-site sheathing techniques are used, then the pipeline can be protected during burial, but handling times are significantly increased and environmental pollution occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The pipeline is sheathed with protective material before being transported to the burial site. The installation includes a reel for the pipeline, a reel for the protective material, and sheathing equipment that applies the protection in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site sheathing and reducing environmental pollution from excavation and backfilling operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate processing stage where the pipeline is sheathed in a controlled environment before final installation. The sheathing equipment acts as an intermediary system that prepares the pipeline off-site, allowing it to be directly buried without additional handling at the burial location
2Ease of manufacture
If on-site sheathing is performed, then the pipeline receives protection, but the installation and removal processes become lengthy and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pipeline is pre-sheathed with protective material using the installation's sheathing equipment before transport to the burial site. This preliminary action simplifies the final installation process to merely unrolling and burying, dramatically reducing on-site installation time and complexity
3Productivity
If the pipeline is sheathed on-site during excavation, then protection is provided, but handling times are up to three times longer than necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The installation combines the sheathing operation with the winding operation in a single integrated process. The pipeline is unwound from one reel, sheathed with protective material, and wound onto another reel simultaneously, eliminating separate handling steps and achieving high productivity without time loss
Solution Approach 2:
The installation maintains continuous operation by coordinating the unwinding of the pipeline, the application of protective material, and the winding onto the output reel. This continuous process eliminates idle time and maximizes sheathing speed, reducing total handling time by avoiding repeated start-stop operations
Data Source
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Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Technique for unwinding, protecting and rewinding an elongated object (100) such as a pipe or cable, using an installation (1) comprising two reel holders (2, 3) arranged head-to-tail, on either side of a sheathing device (4).