Mechanical Seal Assembly for Remote Pipe Opening Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for sealing openings in tubular objects within nuclear power plants, such as feedwater spargers, are inadequate for providing a reliable and accessible solution, especially in inaccessible regions where foreign material needs to be removed and the opening must be sealed afterwards.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical seal assembly is used, comprising a stopper with a surface matching the inner circumferential surface of the tubular object and a fastener that can be actuated from outside to force the stopper against the inner surface, allowing for remote installation and a secure seal, even in curved pipes, using a strongback and bolts with crimp cups for a 100% leak-proof or adjustable seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stopper is inserted through the opening and a fastener is actuated from outside to force the stopper radially outward, then the opening is sealed effectively, but the device complexity increases due to the need for both stopper and fastener components
Solution Approach 1:
The seal assembly is divided into two functional segments: a stopper component that plugs the opening and a fastener component that secures the stopper in place. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with the stopper providing the sealing surface and the fastener providing the securing mechanism, thereby achieving reliable sealing while maintaining manageable complexity through functional division.
2Ease of operation
If the fastener is actuated from outside the tubular object, then remote installation is enabled, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase to ensure proper sealing contact
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is pre-configured with a surface that matches the inner circumferential surface of the tubular object before installation. This preliminary preparation of the sealing surface ensures that when the stopper is inserted and the fastener is actuated from outside, the sealing contact is already optimized, reducing the precision requirements during the remote installation process while maintaining effective sealing.
3Reliability
If the stopper surface is configured to match the inner circumferential surface, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than requiring the entire stopper to be manufactured with high precision, only the specific surface that contacts the inner circumferential surface of the tubular object is configured with matching geometry. This local quality approach concentrates manufacturing precision requirements on the critical sealing interface while allowing the rest of the stopper to be manufactured more simply, thereby improving seal effectiveness without excessively increasing overall manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for sealing an opening extending radially from an outer circumferential surface to an inner circumferential surface of a tubular object in a nuclear power plant includes inserting a stopper from outside of the outer circumferential surface through the opening into the tubular object; and actuating a fastener from the outside of the circumferential surface to force the stopper radially outward to seal the opening. A mechanical seal assembly for plugging an opening in a tubular object by contacting an inner circumferential surface of the tubular object includes a stopper configured for insertion into an interior of the tubular object for plugging the opening. The stopper includes a surface configured for matching the inner circumferential surface of the tubular object. The mechanical seal assembly also includes a fastener passing through a hole in the stopper such that the fastener is actuatable from outside of the tubular object to force the surface of the stopper against the inner circumferential surface of the tubular object.