Spoolable Pipe Heating and Re-rounding for Coil Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for loading and unloading coils of flexible pipe are inefficient and require excessive manual labor and equipment, especially due to the large and heavy nature of the coils, which complicates transportation and deployment in various environments.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a pipe heater and a pipe re-rounder, controlled by a processor, that heats the spoolable pipe to reduce its memory effect and re-shapes it into a circular cross-section, facilitating easier unspooling and deployment, using induction heating, resistive heating, or fluid heating, and rollers to re-round the pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If flexible pipe is coiled into large coils for transportation, then transportation efficiency is improved, but the coils become heavy and require excessive manual labor and equipment for loading and unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies thermal energy to change the physical state of the pipe material, transitioning it from a rigid memory state to a pliable state that can be easily deformed. By heating the pipe to a temperature above its transition point, the material's mechanical properties change, allowing it to be bent and coiled without excessive force requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a phase transition or state change in the pipe material through thermal heating. The pipe material transitions from a cold, rigid state with strong memory effect to a heated, pliable state that can be easily formed into coils, thereby reducing the force needed for coiling operations.
2Ease of operation
If flexible pipe is heated to reduce memory effect, then ease of coiling is improved, but additional heating equipment and energy are required
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is integrated directly into the coiling apparatus, allowing the pipe to be heated in-situ at the point of coiling. This self-contained approach eliminates the need for separate heating equipment and allows the coiling machine to perform both heating and coiling functions in one integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the heating function with the coiling function in a single integrated apparatus. The heating elements are incorporated into the coiling machine structure, merging two previously separate processes (heating and coiling) into one unified operation, thereby reducing overall equipment complexity.
3Loss of time
If flexible pipe is coiled in cold weather, then deployment is delayed, but heating the pipe requires additional time and energy
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe is heated and formed into coils at the manufacturing or preparation stage while in a controlled environment, rather than waiting until cold weather deployment is needed. This preliminary action ensures the pipe is already in its desired coiled configuration before being transported to the deployment site, eliminating delays caused by cold weather heating requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the pipe into manageable coil sections that can be pre-formed and stored. By segmenting the pipe into pre-coiled sections, the system avoids the need to heat and coil the entire length of pipe at the deployment site in cold weather, thereby reducing both time and energy requirements during actual deployment.
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 system significantly reduces the need for manual labor and equipment, enhances the unspooling process, especially in cold weather, by heating and reshaping the pipe to a circular form, thereby easing transportation and deployment of large and heavy coils of flexible pipe.
Implementation Method 1
heating, using induction heating, resistive heating, or fluid heating
Implementation Method 2
heating, using induction heating, resistive heating, or fluid heating
Implementation Method 3
heating the spoolable pipe to provide a heated spoolable pipe and re-rounding the heated spoolable pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a pipe heater configured to heat spoolable pipe to provide a heated spoolable pipe and a pipe re-rounder configured to re-round the heated spoolable pipe to provide a rounded spoolable pipe. The system may also include a controller configured to control the pipe heater and the pipe re-rounder.