Pipeline Tapping Fitting With Mandrel Plug Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tapping saddle technologies for connecting branches to pipelines face issues such as chip formation, increased flow resistance, and complex disconnection processes, which can lead to blockages, contamination, and inefficiencies in installation.
Innovation Solution
A method and fitting using a slidably mounted punch sleeve and mandrel, where the mandrel pierces the pipeline first, followed by the punch sleeve, ensuring the plug is securely attached to the mandrel and can be removed from the fluid flow path, reducing flow resistance by expanding the plug against an inner projection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a drill bit is used to penetrate the pipeline, then the pipeline can be tapped to create a new connection, but chips are produced which can be carried along with the fluid and cause blockages or contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the drilling mechanism with a punching mechanism. Instead of using a rotating drill bit that removes material in the form of chips, a punch element is used to forcibly penetrate the pipe wall and extract the plug as a solid piece. This mechanical substitution eliminates chip formation while achieving the same goal of creating a passage through the pipeline.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters from rotational cutting (drilling) to linear impact and compression (punching). The punch element applies high localized pressure to penetrate the pipe wall and then extracts the plug intact, changing the physical state of material removal from chip formation to solid plug extraction.
2Reliability
If the punched sleeve remains in the drilled pipe, then the connection is maintained, but flow resistance to the connecting pipe increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the punched sleeve from the flow path after the punching operation is complete. The sleeve is designed to be removable from the connecting pipe, allowing it to be taken out once the plug has been successfully extracted and the connection established. This eliminates the flow resistance that would otherwise be caused by the sleeve remaining in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The punched sleeve is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be moved from an initial position during punching to a final removed position after punching. This dynamic arrangement enables the system to maintain connection stability during the punching operation while eliminating flow resistance in the final operational state.
3Reliability
If the drill bit remains in the drilled pipe, then the connection is maintained, but the connection between the drive element and cutting element must be disconnected which is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The punch element is designed as a disposable component that is used once for the punching operation and then discarded. Unlike a drill bit that requires complex disconnection of drive and cutting elements, the punch element is simply removed after use. This eliminates the time-consuming disconnection process while maintaining connection stability during the punching operation.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the punched sleeve is forced through the pipe wall by high pressure, then chip formation is reduced, but the saddle must be flushed before connecting a branch line which is difficult when the branch line is laid first
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the plug with the mandrel before connecting the branch line, eliminating the need for flushing operations. By removing the punched material (plug) together with the mandrel, the system ensures that no chips or debris remain in the pipeline that would require flushing. This extraction approach solves the operational difficulty of flushing when the branch line is already in place.
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 effectively prevents chip formation and reduces flow resistance by securely removing the plug from the fluid path, ensuring a quick, efficient, and cost-effective connection without interrupting the pipeline's operation.
Implementation Method 1
Moving the mandrel towards the pipeline until the mandrel pierces the pipeline
Implementation Method 2
Moving the punch sleeve towards the pipeline until the punch sleeve pierces the pipeline, so that a plug is punched out of the pipeline
Implementation Method 3
The mandrel passes through this plug. Consequently, the mandrel has pierced the pipe wall at a point corresponding to the plug
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for connecting a tapping fitting to a pipeline (4), wherein the tapping fitting has a slidably mounted punch sleeve (6) and a slidably mounted mandrel (10), the method comprising the following steps: a. Positioning the tapping fitting on the pipeline (4), b. Moving the mandrel (10) towards the pipeline (4) until the mandrel (10) penetrates the pipeline (4), c. Moving the punch sleeve (6) towards the pipeline (4) until the punch sleeve (6) penetrates the pipeline (4) so that a plug (24) is punched out of the pipeline (4), the mandrel (10) passing through the plug (24), d. Moving the mandrel (10) away from the pipeline (4) so that the plug (24) is moved with the mandrel (10).