Repair Plug With Resilient Seal For Sifting Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plugs for repairing sifting or filtering screens in the oil drilling industry fail to provide a reliable seal and secure attachment, allowing particles to pass through and often falling out of the damaged cell.
Innovation Solution
A plug with a rigid body and a compressible seal made from a more resilient material, combined with self-tapping screws for secure attachment, ensures a durable and effective seal against the screen, preventing particle passage and allowing for easy removal and re-use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plastics plug is snap-fitted into the cell to repair the screen, then the damaged area is blocked, but the plug does not always seal adequately against the screen material
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is constructed as a composite structure combining a rigid plastics body with a resilient sealing element. The body provides structural strength and durability, while the separate resilient element (made of elastomer or rubber) provides the necessary sealing action against the screen material. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties that neither alone could achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid body portion for structural support and a separate resilient sealing element for sealing action. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the body for strength and the sealing element for flexibility and seal formation - thereby achieving reliable sealing without compromising manufacturing feasibility.
2Reliability
If a plastics plug is snap-fitted into the cell, then the damaged area is blocked, but the plug does not always snap properly into the desired location and can fall out
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is segmented into a body and a separate resilient sealing element, where the body incorporates attachment features (such as ribs or engagement structures) that provide reliable anchoring in the cell. This segmentation allows the attachment function to be independently optimized within the body while the sealing function is handled by the resilient element, improving overall attachment reliability without complicating installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The body of the plug incorporates localized structural features (such as ribs, engagement protrusions, or friction-fit surfaces) at specific locations to enhance attachment reliability. These local quality enhancements provide secure anchoring in the cell while maintaining overall simplicity of the plug structure and ease of installation through snap-fitting.
3Reliability
If a resilient seal is added to the plug, then particle passage is prevented, but the plug structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The plug uses a composite construction with a rigid body and a separate resilient sealing element. This approach achieves effective sealing through the resilient material's elasticity and ability to conform to the screen surface, while the modular composite structure keeps the overall design relatively simple and manufacturable, avoiding excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is segmented into distinct functional parts: the body providing structural support and the separate resilient element providing sealing. This segmentation allows the sealing function to be achieved through a simple, flexible element rather than a complex integrated structure, maintaining sealing effectiveness while minimizing overall device complexity.
4Reliability
If securing members like screws are used to attach the plug, then the attachment becomes firm and reliable, but the plug can no longer be readily removed
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism transitions from a static permanent fixation to a dynamic removable connection. The plug body incorporates attachment features (such as ribs or engagement structures) that provide firm anchoring during operation, while the overall design maintains removability through controlled detachment mechanisms, allowing the plug to be securely attached during use and easily removed for replacement when needed.
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 plug effectively seals the damaged area, preventing particle passage and providing a secure, durable attachment that can be readily removed and re-used, enhancing the reliability of screen repairs in the oil drilling industry.
Implementation Method 1
the more resilient and compressible seal acts to prevent the passage of particles through the plug/screen interface
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a plug for repairing a sifting or filtering screen, the plug comprising a body (1) of a first material supporting an area of a second material which is more resilient than the first material, in use the area of a second material serving as a seal (2) to engage and seal against the screen in order to plug a cell aligned with a damaged area of the screen. A second plug has a body (101) formed with holes (108) to receive securing members such as screws, the holes being positioned to enable the securing members (109) to pass into the material of the sifting or filtering screen in order releasably to secure the plug in a cell aligned with a damaged area of the sifting screen.