Pipeline Valve Riser Assembly for Surface-Level Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Subterranean and overland valves require frequent maintenance and monitoring, which is time-consuming and costly due to the need for excavation and access challenges, especially when the valves are located deep underground or in hard-to-reach locations.
Innovation Solution
A pipeline apparatus with a housing, riser, and seal pack assembly that allows for the extraction and servicing of valve components from ground level, featuring a shaft with seals and locking mechanisms that enable the valve assembly to be locked and unlocked for maintenance without excavating the surrounding area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If valves are located deep underground to minimize surface disruption, then surface area occupied is reduced, but maintenance access becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is divided into separable components: the valve body remains embedded in the pipeline while the bonnet and closing mechanism can be independently removed through the riser. This segmentation allows maintenance of internal components without excavating the surrounding area, resolving the contradiction between minimal surface occupation and ease of maintenance access.
Solution Approach 2:
A vertical riser structure is introduced to provide an access dimension perpendicular to the horizontal pipeline. This allows service engineers to access and remove valve components from above ground level through the riser opening, eliminating the need for lateral excavation and maintaining minimal surface disruption while enabling easy maintenance access.
2Ease of operation
If excavation is performed to access subterranean valves for maintenance, then maintenance access is improved, but time consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The riser structure is pre-installed during valve installation, creating a permanent access pathway. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming excavation during maintenance operations, as engineers can directly access valve components through the pre-prepared riser opening, significantly reducing maintenance time and cost.
3Area of stationary object
If cover plates are made small to minimize surface occupation, then surface area is reduced, but robustness to withstand traffic load decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is transferred from the horizontal cover plate to the vertical riser structure. The riser, being a vertical element, can efficiently withstand traffic loads through its structural design while maintaining a small surface footprint. This dimensional change allows the cover plate to be minimized for surface occupation while the riser provides the necessary structural strength.
4Ease of repair
If bonnets are made removable for maintenance access, then ease of repair is improved, but sealing reliability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
A seal pack assembly is introduced as an intermediary component between the bonnet and valve body. This seal pack includes sealing elements that maintain fluid tightness during bonnet removal and installation operations. The intermediary seal mechanism ensures that while the bonnet remains removable for ease of repair, the sealing integrity is preserved through dedicated sealing components designed to withstand repeated assembly and disassembly cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
Pipeline apparatus comprising a housing including a riser and a pipeline connector and a device configured to interact with fluid flowing through the pipeline connector, a mounting structure for releasably mounting the device in the riser and seal situated between an inner surface of the riser and an outer surface of the mounting structure, the seal configured to seal against egress of fluid from the apparatus, the mounting structure and the riser each including a part of a locking structure for releasably locking the device in the riser, the device situated in the pipeline connector.