Swellable Pipeline Isolation Tool for Flow-Through Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipeline maintenance and repair methods are time-consuming and expensive due to the need to discontinue operations, drain or blow down fluids, and cut into the pipeline, and existing isolation tools do not provide a permanent solution or allow for product flow.
Innovation Solution
A pipeline sealing and isolation tool using a swellable component that expands to form a seal within the pipeline, allowing for maintenance, leak repair, and installation of permanent devices without removing the tool, utilizing a temporary internal seal to control fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pipeline maintenance methods are used (discontinuing operations, draining fluids, cutting pipeline), then pipeline repair can be performed, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A piggy-backed isolation tool is introduced as an intermediary device that travels with the repair tool through the pipeline. This isolation tool creates a sealed workspace allowing repairs to be performed without draining the entire pipeline or discontinuing operations, thus resolving the contradiction between repair effectiveness and maintenance time
Solution Approach 2:
The isolation tool is deployed in advance and positioned at the repair location before the actual repair work begins. This preliminary positioning creates the isolated workspace beforehand, enabling immediate repair operations without time-consuming drainage or shutdown procedures
2Loss of substance
If pipeline isolation pig is used to isolate section for maintenance, then product loss is minimized, but the seal cannot be removed without removing the entire pig
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented from the propulsion function. The isolation tool consists of a separable seal component that can be independently removed from the piggy-backed propulsion device, allowing the seal to be discarded while the propulsion device remains in the pipeline for continued use
Solution Approach 2:
The seal portion of the isolation tool is designed as a disposable, low-cost component that is discarded after a single use. This allows easy removal of the sealing function without the need to retrieve or reuse the entire isolation device, resolving the contradiction between minimizing product loss and ease of seal removal
3Reliability
If pipeline isolation pig seals the pipeline completely, then isolation is achieved, but product flow through the pipeline is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation is applied locally at the specific repair location rather than blocking the entire pipeline. The piggy-backed isolation tool creates a sealed workspace only at the needed location while leaving other sections of the pipeline open for continued product flow, resolving the contradiction between isolation effectiveness and productivity
4Reliability
If permanent repair devices are installed in pipeline, then permanent repair is achieved, but pipeline operations must be discontinued and pipeline cut into
Solution Approach 1:
The piggy-backed isolation tool serves as a mobile intermediary that creates a controlled workspace within the flowing pipeline. This allows permanent repair devices to be installed without discontinuing operations or cutting into the pipeline, as the isolation tool provides the necessary sealed environment while the pipeline remains intact and operational
Solution Approach 2:
The isolation system transitions from static (requiring pipeline shutdown) to dynamic (mobile piggy-backed tool that travels with flow). The isolation tool can be positioned, deployed, and removed while the pipeline continues to operate, reducing installation complexity and eliminating the need for discontinuous operations
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
Enables efficient and cost-effective pipeline maintenance and repair by allowing operations to resume without removing the tool, minimizing fluid loss, and enabling permanent sealing and device installation within the pipeline.
Implementation Method 1
exposing the swellable component to a swelling agent within the pipeline, expanding the swellable component into sealing engagement with the pipeline
Data Source
AI summary
A method of performing a servicing operation within a pipeline comprises positioning a swellable component about at a desired location within a pipeline, exposing the swellable component to a swelling agent within the pipeline, expanding the swellable component into sealing engagement with the pipeline, thereby forming a seal across the pipeline, and opening a fluid pathway through the pipeline without removing the swellable component. Another method of performing a servicing operation within a pipeline comprises inserting into the pipeline a pipeline tool comprising an externally mounted swellable component, propelling the pipeline tool through the pipeline to about a desired location via a flow of fluid, expanding the swellable component into sealing engagement with the pipeline at about the desired location, and opening a flow path through the pipeline tool.