Repurposing Oil and Gas Pipelines for Electrical Cable Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high costs and impracticality of traditional trenching and burying methods for underground electrical cable installation have limited the feasibility of underground power transmission, with overhead lines being the preferred option due to prohibitive excavation costs.
Innovation Solution
Repurposing existing oil and gas pipelines by cleaning, inspecting, cutting, and installing conduits and electrical cables within them, along with the use of thixotropic non-cementitious thermal grout to enhance heat dissipation and ampacity, allowing for efficient underground power transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional trenching and burying methods are used for underground electrical cable installation, then reliable underground power transmission is achieved, but installation costs become prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repurposes existing oil and gas pipelines for a new function - electrical cable installation. The pipeline infrastructure, already in place and proven reliable, is converted to serve dual purposes: original fluid transport and new electrical power transmission, eliminating the need for separate trenching operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent installs conduits and electrical cables inside the existing pipeline structure. The cable system is nested within the pipeline, utilizing the pipeline's internal space rather than requiring external excavation. This nested approach allows underground cable installation without traditional trenching
2Ease of manufacture
If overhead transmission lines are used instead of underground cables, then installation costs are reduced, but the system becomes vulnerable to extreme weather damage
Solution Approach 1:
The existing pipeline provides protective enclosure for the electrical cables, shielding them from extreme weather conditions while maintaining the cost advantages of avoiding new trenching. The pipeline wall acts as a protective barrier against environmental hazards
3Device complexity
If electrical cables are installed in existing pipelines without thermal management, then installation complexity is reduced, but heat dissipation becomes ineffective leading to hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal grout as an intermediary material between the electrical cable and the pipeline wall. This grout facilitates heat transfer from the cable to the pipeline structure, which then dissipates heat to the surrounding environment, preventing hot spot formation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the thermal properties of the pipeline-cable interface by applying thermal grout with specific thermal conductivity characteristics. This changes the heat transfer parameters, enabling effective heat dissipation while maintaining installation simplicity
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
This method reduces installation costs, minimizes maintenance needs, and increases the ampacity of electrical cables by up to 20%, providing a flexible and efficient solution for underground power transmission while reducing the impact of extreme weather.
Implementation Method 1
the use of thixotropic non-cementitious thermal grout to enhance heat dissipation and ampacity
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to the field of electric power infrastructure and repurposing existing oil and gas pipeline, or other pipelines which are no longer in use for their original purpose, for installation of conduits and electrical cables/conduits, typically underground, for electric power transmission.