Tapping Tee and Traceable Rodder for Non-Excavation Pipe Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Locating and tracing the path of underground pipes is challenging and often requires stopping fluid flow and excavating large portions of the pipe, which is costly and time-consuming, necessitating a method to do so without disrupting the pipe's operation or the surrounding environment.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a tapping-tee, a traceable rodder, and a stuffing box that allows for pressure-tight access to the pipe, enabling tracing without excavating, with a lubrication port and o-ring for sealing, and a signal transmitter for locating specific points along the pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional excavation methods are used to locate pipes, then the pipe path can be determined, but fluid flow must be stopped and large portions of the pipe must be excavated, which is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical excavation and flow interruption with an electromagnetic field-based tracing system. A signal transmitter attached to a rodder inserted into the pipe generates electromagnetic signals that are detected by a receiver, allowing pipe location to be determined without physical excavation or flow interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a signal transmitter and receiver as intermediary devices. The transmitter, placed inside the pipe via the rodder, serves as a mediator that emits detectable signals to reveal the pipe's path without requiring direct physical access through excavation or flow cessation.
2Measurement precision
If traditional excavation methods are used to locate pipes, then the pipe path can be determined, but large portions of the pipe and surrounding environment must be excavated, which has significant environmental impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical excavation with electromagnetic field-based detection. The signal transmitter and receiver system allows for non-invasive pipe tracing, eliminating the need to dig up large portions of the surrounding environment and thus preventing environmental disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe itself serves as the conduit for inserting the rodder with the signal transmitter. The existing pipe structure is utilized to deliver the tracing device to the target location without requiring external excavation, making the system self-sufficient and environmentally friendly.
3Productivity
If the pipe is tapped to insert a tracing device, then the pipe can be traced while online, but the tapping connection must maintain pressurization and prevent leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible rodder that can be inserted into the pipe through the tapping connection. The rodder's flexible nature allows it to navigate the pipe while maintaining the pressure seal, and the signal transmitter attached to it can be retrieved after tracing, ensuring the tapping connection remains intact and pressurized.
Solution Approach 2:
The signal transmitter provides continuous feedback signals as it moves through the pipe, allowing real-time tracking of the pipe's path. This feedback mechanism enables the tracing operation to be completed efficiently while the pipe remains pressurized and operational, as the system can monitor its own progress without requiring pressure release.
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 tracing of pipe pathways without stopping fluid flow or excavating, maintaining pipe pressurization and minimizing environmental impact, while allowing for precise location of blockages or junctions within the conduit.
Implementation Method 1
a stuffing box with an o-ring for pressure-tight sealing
Implementation Method 2
The stuffing box includes a lubrication port for applying a lubricant to the traceable rodder
Implementation Method 3
a signal transmitter for locating specific points along the pipe
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and a device for tapping and tracing a conduit that is obstructed from view such as a subterranean pipe. The invention allows the conduit to be traced while the conduit continues to function. The device includes a tapping tee for tapping into a conduit with an entry port at an acute angle to the conduit, a flexible fiberglass rodder that includes a conductor, a stuffing box removably attached to the tapping tee for inserting the rodder into the tapping tee, a signal transmitter operably attached to the rodder, and a signal receiver that receives the signals transmitted by the transmitter through the rodder and through the obstruction.