Rigid Entry Fitting With Replaceable Seals for Sump Pipe Penetrations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional penetration fittings for underground storage tank (UST) fueling sites have components with low chemical resistance that degrade quickly in harsh environments, requiring excavation for replacement and are not suitable for double-walled sumps that enable pressure testing and monitoring of seal integrity.
Innovation Solution
A rigid entry fitting with a tapered design, including a fitting body, insert, shell, and nut, that forms multiple fluid-tight seals around a pipe segment passing through a sump wall, allowing for easy replacement of gaskets without excavation and enabling pressure testing and monitoring through radial openings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional penetration fittings with gaskets and boots are used, then sealing between sump and pipeline is achieved, but the components degrade quickly due to low chemical resistance in harsh environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters of the sealing components by using chemically resistant materials such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or other fluoropolymers for the gaskets and boots, which maintain their sealing properties in harsh chemical environments. This material parameter change directly addresses the degradation issue by selecting materials with high chemical resistance to fuel and environmental contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The penetration fitting employs composite construction combining multiple materials with complementary properties: chemically resistant polymers for sealing surfaces, rigid materials for structural support, and flexible materials for adaptation. This composite approach creates a fitting that simultaneously achieves chemical resistance, mechanical strength, and sealing capability, resolving the contradiction between durability and service life.
2Reliability
If conventional penetration fittings are used, then sealing is achieved, but excavation of backfill area is required to replace worn components
Solution Approach 1:
The penetration fitting is divided into separable components including removable gaskets, boots, and sealing elements that can be independently replaced. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and replace worn sealing components without removing the entire fitting or excavating backfill, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing components (gaskets, boots, O-rings) are designed as extractable elements that can be removed from the fitting body through accessible openings or by detaching the fitting from the pipe. This extraction capability enables replacement of worn seals without excavation, addressing the maintenance accessibility problem while preserving the sealing function.
3Reliability
If conventional penetration fittings are used, then basic sealing is achieved, but they are not configured for use with double-walled sumps that enable pressure testing and monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The penetration fitting is designed with multi-functionality to serve both sealing and monitoring purposes. It includes integrated pressure test ports, sensor mounting capabilities, and configurations compatible with both single-walled and double-walled sumps. This universality allows the same fitting to maintain seal containment while enabling pressure testing and integrity monitoring in double-walled sump systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The fitting incorporates intermediary elements such as pressure equalization chambers, test fluid pathways, and sensor interfaces that mediate between the seal and the monitoring system. These intermediary components enable pressure testing and integrity monitoring without compromising the primary sealing function, allowing compatibility with double-walled sump monitoring requirements.
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 rigid entry fitting provides durable, long-lasting seals that prevent fuel leakage and allow for the monitoring of seal integrity without the need for excavation, ensuring environmental containment and facilitating maintenance of worn components.
Implementation Method 1
the nut is configured to press the shell and the insert into the tapered opening of the fitting body, and press the first pair of gaskets against the inner surface of the fitting body and the second pair of gaskets against the outer surface of the pipe segment
Implementation Method 2
a nut configured to engage the fitting body. When the rigid entry fitting is assembled around the pipe segment, the nut is configured to press the shell and the insert into the tapered opening of the fitting body
Data Source
AI summary
A rigid entry fitting configured to form a seal between a flexible pipe segment and a sump wall includes a fitting body having an inner surface defining a tapered opening, an insert received in the tapered opening, a shell received in an opening of the insert, a first pair of gaskets between an outer surface of the insert and the inner surface of the fitting body, a second pair of gaskets contacting an inner surface of the shell and opposite ends of the insert, and a nut configured to engage threads on an outer surface of the fitting body. When the nut is threaded onto the threads, the nut presses the shell and the insert into the tapered opening and presses the first pair of gaskets against the inner surface of the fitting body and the second pair of gaskets against the outer surface of the flexible pipe segment.