Trap Door Cap Canister for Temporary Pipeline Leak Containment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Pipeline traps in the oil and gas industry often experience leaks at the trap door, posing environmental and safety hazards due to the leakage of flammable fluids, necessitating a temporary solution to contain the leak until permanent remediation can be implemented.

Innovation Solution

A temporary trap door cap device comprising a canister with an annular rim and optional clamshell clamp that seals around the trap door, forming a pressure-tight enclosure to contain leaks, and includes valves for controlled fluid drainage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a trap door is used to close the trap, then the trap can be sealed to contain pressure, but the trap door may leak fluid creating environmental and safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing reliabilityVSAvoidfluid leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A canister is introduced as an intermediary component between the trap door and the external environment. The canister fits over the trap door and seals around the body of the trap, creating a secondary containment barrier that prevents leaked fluid from escaping into the environment while allowing the trap door to remain in its original position.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The canister serves as a pre-prepared containment solution that is installed before permanent remediation measures are implemented. It provides immediate protection against fluid leakage, cushioning the environmental and safety risks until the trap door can be properly repaired or replaced.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Ease of operation

If the trap door is opened to insert a pig, then the pig can be introduced into the pipeline, but fluid may leak from the open trap door

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepig insertionVSAvoidfluid leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The canister acts as a protective intermediary that remains in place during pig insertion operations. When the trap door is opened to insert the pig, the canister stays sealed around the trap door, preventing fluid leakage while allowing the pig to pass through. After pig insertion, the canister continues to seal the area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If a permanent repair solution is implemented, then the leak can be permanently fixed, but time and resources are required for planning, scheduling, and execution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveleak preventionVSAvoidtime for permanent remediation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The canister provides immediate temporary containment action while permanent remediation is being planned and scheduled. This preliminary protective measure is installed quickly to address the leak hazard, allowing time to be taken for proper permanent repair planning without immediate environmental or safety risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The canister serves as a beforehand protective measure that cushions the time delay associated with permanent remediation. It provides immediate protection against fluid leakage, allowing the organization to take the necessary time to plan and execute permanent repairs without exposing the environment or personnel to hazards during the delay.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Reliability

If the canister is designed to fit over the trap door, then it can seal around the trap door, but the canister must be large enough to accommodate the trap door dimensions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseal effectivenessVSAvoidcanister size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The canister is designed with localized sealing features at critical areas where it contacts the trap door and body of the trap. Rather than requiring the entire canister to be oversized, sealing elements are concentrated at the interface zones, allowing the canister to be compact while maintaining effective sealing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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

Effectively prevents fluid leakage from pipeline traps, minimizing environmental and safety risks by creating a sealed containment until permanent repairs can be executed.

Implementation Method 1

the inner diameter of the annular rim is compressible against a body of the trap terminating the pipeline so as to seal an inner volume of the canister pressure-tight

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Data Source

PatentUS12492775B2Temporary trap door cap

Publication Date: 2025.12.09 SAUDI ARABIAN OIL CO

AI summary

A temporary trap door cap device for sealing around a pressure-leaking trap door at an end of a pipeline terminating in a trap includes a canister formed from a longitudinally extending pipe having an open end and a closed end; and an annular rim connected to the open end, with an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the canister. The annular rim is configured such that the inner diameter of the annular rim fits over the trap door of the trap terminating the pipeline. After the annular rim has passed over the trap door, the inner diameter of the annular rim is compressible against a body of the trap terminating the pipeline so as to seal an inner volume of the canister pressure-tight thereby containing the trap door within the pressure-tight volume.