GB2237352A - Apparatus for coating the interior walls of pipes - Google Patents

Apparatus for coating the interior walls of pipes Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2237352A
GB2237352A GB9021534A GB9021534A GB2237352A GB 2237352 A GB2237352 A GB 2237352A GB 9021534 A GB9021534 A GB 9021534A GB 9021534 A GB9021534 A GB 9021534A GB 2237352 A GB2237352 A GB 2237352A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
pipes
engine
tanks
water
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB9021534A
Other versions
GB2237352B (en
GB9021534D0 (en
Inventor
William George Bradley
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
MERCOL DESCALING CO Ltd
Original Assignee
MERCOL DESCALING CO Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by MERCOL DESCALING CO Ltd filed Critical MERCOL DESCALING CO Ltd
Publication of GB9021534D0 publication Critical patent/GB9021534D0/en
Publication of GB2237352A publication Critical patent/GB2237352A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2237352B publication Critical patent/GB2237352B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B7/00—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas
    • B05B7/16—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas incorporating means for heating or cooling the material to be sprayed
    • B05B7/1673—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas incorporating means for heating or cooling the material to be sprayed heat being transferred to the material to be sprayed by a heat transfer conductive fluid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B13/00—Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00
    • B05B13/06—Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00 specially designed for treating the inside of hollow bodies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B7/00—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas
    • B05B7/16—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas incorporating means for heating or cooling the material to be sprayed
    • B05B7/166—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas incorporating means for heating or cooling the material to be sprayed the material to be sprayed being heated in a container
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16L55/00—Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems
    • F16L55/16—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders
    • F16L55/162—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders from inside the pipe
    • F16L55/1645—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders from inside the pipe a sealing material being introduced inside the pipe by means of a tool moving in the pipe
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16L55/00—Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems
    • F16L55/26—Pigs or moles, i.e. devices movable in a pipe or conduit with or without self-contained propulsion means

Abstract

So that a supply of the material for coating the interior walls of pipes can to at least some extent be maintained in a flowable condition, the apparatus is provided with means whereby the material is heated by waste heat from a water cooled engine (52) for powering the apparatus. The material eg. epoxy precursors may be heated by passing cooling water from the engine (52) through hollow walls of tanks (48, 50) or a storage cabinet (58). <IMAGE>

Description

Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes.
The invention relates to the coating of the interior walls of pipes with liquid cold setting resin materials mixed with a liquid curing agent or initiator and to apparatus for performing the operation.
Underground pipes, for example water pipes, can be coated with a suitable plastics coating medium to be proofed against leakage and can thereby also be protected against deterioration, or against further deterioration. An existing pipe may first require to be scoured free of rust or other deposits before the coating is applied. However, the invention is not only applicable to the coating of pipes underground but may be used for coating pipes at or above ground level, for example pipes forming part of chemical plant of various kinds, and of course in this case the pipes concerned are unlikely to require any prior scouring treatment.
Numerous cold setting resin materials have been used for coating the interior walls of pipes, notably the epoxy cold setting resins, but one disadvantage of using these materials is that the proportions in which they must be mixed with a liquid curing agent or initiator is critical. This is particularly so when using an epoxy cold setting resin where the proportion in which it is mixed with a curing agent or initiator must be very closely maintained, preferably within 1% and certainly within 5% of the correct proportion.The proportions are not easy to control since the epoxy resin and curing agent cannot be mixed in, for example, a tank for subsequent application in the correct proportions to the interior walls of pipes because, if the mixture was passed through a single delivery tube to the member which applies it to the pipe wall, premature curing or setting would occur and any resin still remaining in the tube after the process had been completed would also set. It has therefore been proposed to deliver the resin and curing agent or initiator through separate delivery pipes to a distributing device within the pipe to be coated, the materials being intimately mixed together within said device and then applied to the interior wall of the pipe concerned.It is also necessary to be able to vary the quantities of the materials flowing through the two delivery pipes, whilst still maintaining the proper quantitative relation between the two, so that the thickness of the applied coating can be varied and so that an appropriate adjustment can be made when a different size of pipe is to be coated.
It has been found that in order to control the proportions in which the two materials are mixed together, and in order to carry out the operation of lining the interior walls of a pipe in the shortest possible time, the epoxy cold setting resin material and the liquid curing agent or initiator, need to be pre-heated to some extent, particularly when the ambient temperature is low.
If the run of the pipe to be coated is fairly long, the tanks in which the materials are contained will generally need to be replenished from time to time whilst the coating operation is being carried out, the materials being poured into said tanks from respective tubs in which they are supplied from the manufacturer. This can be difficult if the ambient temperature is low because the viscosity of the materials concerned increases markedly at low temperatures. It is therefore advantageous if the supply of the material can be pre-heated to at least some extent to maintain it in a flowable condition.
The invention has for its object to at least alleviate the difficulties associated with the need to pre-heat the materials as described above.
According to the invention, there is provided apparatus for use in coating the interior walls of pipes, the apparatus including a rotatable drum upon which at least two flexible pipes are to be coiled to traverse said pipes through a pipe the interior walls of which are to be coated; a first pump for feeding a liquid or plastics coating medium from a first storage tank through a first one of said flexible pipes and a second pump for feeding a liquid curing agent or initiator from a second storage tank through a second one of said flexible pipes; a distributing device connected to the ends of said flexible pipes for mixing together the liquid or plastics coating medium and the liquid curing agent or initiator and for distributing the mixed substance upon the walls of the pipe to be coated; respective control means for controlling the operation of the two pumps and the rate of rotation of the rotatable drum, and thus for controlling the proportions in which the coating medium and of the liquid curing agent or initiator are mixed together and for controlling the delivery of the mixed substances directly in accordance with the rate at which the flexible pipes are traversed through the pipe to be coated; a water cooled internal combustion engine for powering the apparatus; and means for circulating the cooling water from the engine through heat exchange means contained within and/or surrounding the first and second storage tanks whereby the contents of said tanks can be pre-heated by waste heat from the engine.Preferably, the storage tanks will be of double skin construction whereby the engine cooling water can be circulated through the spaces within the double walls of said tanks.
In addition, the apparatus will preferably be provided with a storage cabinet for tubs of material forming a reserve supply of the liquid or plastics coating medium and of the liquid curing agent or initiator, said storage cabinet being heated by waste heat from the engine, conveniently by the cabinet being of double skin construction and the engine cooling water being circulated through the spaces within the double walls of said cabinet. A thermostatic valve may be provided to shut off the flow of water which heats the storage cabinet when the water flowing from said cabinet exceeds a predetermined temperature.The engine will preferably be provided with a radiator with an electrically driven fan, the arrangement being such that the fan can be caused to operate to cool the water in the radiator if sufficient heat has not been extracted from the water during its passage through or around the storage tanks.
In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus embodying the invention in use for coating the interior walls of an underground pipe, Figure 2 is a partly schematic perspective view of part of the apparatus, Figure 3 is a perspective view on one side of the apparatus, Figure 4 is a perspective view from the front of the apparatus, and Figure 5 is an engine cooling water circuit which will be referred to.
Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, the apparatus there illustrated includes a mobile unit, generally indicated 10, which is mounted on wheels 12 and provided with a drawbar 14. At the rear of the unit is a rotatable drum 16 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis between mounting brackets 18.
Flexible pipes 20 and 22 are coiled upon the drum 16 and are provided for conveying, respectively, a liquid or plastics coating medium and a liquid curing agent or initiator to a spraying or distributing device 24 being traversed along an underground pipe 26 by a pull applied to said flexible pipes.
Referring now in particular to Figure 2, the ends of the flexible pipes remote from said spraying or distributing device are connected to a shaft 28 at the axis of the drum, the connection being shown diagrammatically in the drawing. The liquid or plastics coating medium, and the liquid curing agent or initiator, are conveyed to the respective pipes 20 and 22 along passageways extending through the shaft 28, connectors 30 and 32 being provided at one end of said shaft for the connection thereto of non-rotatable conduits 34 and 36 for conveying the coating medium and liquid curing agent or initiator under pressure from respective pumps 38 and 40 (see Figure 3) via respective meters (not shown).
A further flexible pipe 42 is also coiled upon the drum 16 and is provided for conveying air under pressure from an air compressor 43 to a compressed air motor (not shown) forming part of the device 24, the latter being a device for intimately mixing together the liquid or plastics coating medium and the liquid curing agent or initiator and for distributing the mixed substance upon the wall of the pipe to be coated. The end of the flexible pipe 42 remote from the spraying or distributing device is also connected to the shaft 28 and air under pressure is delivered thereto along the axis of the shaft from the end remote from the connectors 30 and 32. A connector (not shown) is provided for the connection of a non-rotatable conduit 44 to said shaft, the conduit communicating with the air compressor.
A hydraulic motor 46 and a reduction gear unit 47 are provided for rotating the drum 16 at an appropriate and substantially constant speed during a pipe coating operation, the motor being fed with oil under pressure from a hydraulic pump (not shown). The pumps 38 and 40 which force the liquid or plastics coating medium and the liquid curing agent or initiator through the respective flexible pipes 20 and 22 are driven by respective double acting hydraulic rams (not shown) which are fed with oil under pressure from respective hydraulic pumps (not shown). The pumps 38 and 40 draw the substances concerned from respective storage tanks 48 and 50 which are mounted back to back on the unit 10.
A water cooled internal combustion engine 52 is provided for powering the apparatus, that is to say for driving the pumps which provide oil under pressure for powering the hydraulic motor 46 and other ancillaries and for powering the respective hydraulic rams which drive the pumps 38 and 40. As shown diagrammatically in Figure 5, the cooling water which is circulated through the engine to keep it cool (and which of course emerges from the engine in near boiling condition when the engine is running) is piped to the tanks 48 and 50 by way of respective flow control valves 54 and 56. Said tanks are of double skin construction and the engine cooling water is circulated through the spaces within the double walls of said tanks to maintain the materials in the tanks at appropriate temperatures.As shown diagrammatically in Figure 5, the flow control valves 54 and 56 are under the control of temperature sensing means associated with the respective tanks so that the heat from the engine can be shared between the two tanks in accordance with the need to hold the different materials at roughly the same viscosity despite varying ambient temperature.
At the front of the unit 10 there is provided a storage cabinet, generally indicated 58, with hinged doors 60. The side walls, roof and floor of said cabinet are of double skin construction and pipework is provided whereby engine cooling water can flow through the spaces within the walls of the cabinet before being ducted back to the engine block.Also as shown diagrammatically in Figure 5, the flow of water from the engine to the storage cabinet is independent of that flowing through the spaces surrounding the tanks 48 and 50, but a thermostatic valve 62 is provided to shut off the flow of water from the water jacket of the cabinet when the water flowing therefrom exceeds about 600C. A relatively small radiator 64 with an electrically driven fan 66 is provided for cooling the water being returned to the engine block if sufficient heat has not been extracted from it during its passage around the tanks 48 and 50 and storage cabinet 58.
The arrangement is such that immediately before and during a pipe coating operation, waste heat from the engine is used to pre-heat the contents of the tanks 48 and 50. The viscosity of the substances within the tanks is therefore reduced so that problems associated with the smooth flow of the substances into the respective pumps are avoided and the operation of coating the pipe concerned can proceed at an optimum rate. In addition, tubs of the substances concerned, forming a reserve supply of the liquid or plastics coating medium and of the liquid curing agent or initiator, can be stored in the storage cabinet 58 so that they also can be pre-heated to some extent by waste heat from the engine.Consequently, when the ambient temperature is low, problems of replenishment of the materials in the tanks 48 and 50 are avoided and the coating operation can proceed without interruption caused by the materials in the tanks running low. However, as already mentioned, so that the materials in the tubs are not raised to too high a temperature, the valve 60 is arranged to close when the temperature of the water flowing from the water jacket of the cabinet (and thus of the storage cabinet) reaches about 600C so that water from the engine no longer circulates around the cabinet.
Thus there is provided apparatus whereby the substances being used to coat a pipe by the method described can be pre-heated in a very convenient and effective manner. However, various modifications may be made, particularly in the manner in which the substances concerned are metered, pumped and applied. For example, the distributing device connected to the ends of the flexible pipes for mixing together the liquid or plastics coating medium and the liquid curing agent or initiator and for distributing the mixed substance upon the walls of the pipes to be coated could be very different from that described and illustrated. In particular, the illustrated device 24 is shown to be provided with a plurality of flails which are driven by the compressed air motor so as to make repeated impacts or rapid wiping actions upon the coated wall of the pipe in the wake of a distributing member also driven by the compressed air motor. However, such a device may be replaced by means of a device which mixes the materials together and then flings the mixed substance against the walls of the pipes to be coated in the form of a fine mist or spray.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS:
1. Apparatus for use in coating the interior walls of pipes, the apparatus including a rotatable drum upon which at least two flexible pipes are to be coiled to traverse said pipes through a pipe the interior walls of which are to be coated; a first pump for feeding a liquid or plastics coating medium from a first storage tank through a first one of said flexible pipes and a second pump for feeding a liquid curing agent or initiator from a second storage tank through a second one of said flexible pipes; a distributing device connected to the ends of said flexible pipes for mixing together the liquid or plastics coating medium and the liquid curing agent or initiator and for distributing the mixed substance upon the walls of the pipe to be coated; respective control means for controlling the operation of the two pumps and the rate of rotation of the rotatable drum, and thus for controlling the proportions in which the coating medium and of the liquid curing agent or initiator are mixed together and for controlling the delivery of the mixed substances directly in accordance with the rate at which the flexible pipes are traversed through the pipe to be coated; a water cooled internal combustion engine for powering the apparatus; and means for circulating the cooling water from the engine through heat exchange means contained within and/or surrounding the first and second storage tanks whereby the contents of said tanks can be pre-heated by waste heat from the engine.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the storage tanks are of double skin construction whereby the engine cooling water can be circulated through the spaces within the double walls of said tanks.
3. Apparatus according to either one of the preceding claims, the apparatus being provided with a storage cabinet for tubs of material forming a reserve supply of the liquid or plastics coating medium and of the liquid curing agent or initiator, said storage cabinet being heated by waste heat from the engine.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which the storage cabinet is of double skin construction and the engine cooling water is circulated through the spaces within the double walls of said cabinet.
5. Apparatus according to either one of claims 3 and 4, in which a thermostatic valve is provided to shut off the flow of water which heats the storage cabinet when the water flowing from said cabinet exceeds a predetermined temperature.
6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the engine is provided with a radiator with an electrically driven fan, the arrangement being such that the fan can be caused to operate to cool the water in the radiator if sufficient heat has not been extracted from the water during its passage through or around the storage tanks.
7. Apparatus for use in coating the interior walls of pipes, the apparatus being constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
GB9021534A 1989-10-26 1990-10-03 Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes Expired - Fee Related GB2237352B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB898924097A GB8924097D0 (en) 1989-10-26 1989-10-26 Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9021534D0 GB9021534D0 (en) 1990-11-14
GB2237352A true GB2237352A (en) 1991-05-01
GB2237352B GB2237352B (en) 1993-02-24

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Family Applications (2)

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GB898924097A Pending GB8924097D0 (en) 1989-10-26 1989-10-26 Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes
GB9021534A Expired - Fee Related GB2237352B (en) 1989-10-26 1990-10-03 Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB898924097A Pending GB8924097D0 (en) 1989-10-26 1989-10-26 Apparatus for coating interior walls of pipes

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1996007850A1 (en) * 1994-09-02 1996-03-14 Gerhard Eisinger Device for renovating impassable pipes
EP2983835A4 (en) * 2013-04-08 2016-11-23 3M Innovative Properties Co Coating system and method

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1034971A (en) * 1964-06-17 1966-07-06 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to devices for use in coating the internal walls of pipes
GB1186678A (en) * 1966-11-18 1970-04-02 Mercol Products Ltd Improvements in or relating to the Method of and Means for Coating the Interior of Pipes
GB1187590A (en) * 1966-11-18 1970-04-08 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to apparatus for Coating the Interior Walls of Pipes with Liquid Cold Setting Resin Materials Mixed with a Liquid Curing Agent or Initiator
GB1201491A (en) * 1967-01-04 1970-08-05 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to a method of and apparatus for coating the interior walls of pipes

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1034971A (en) * 1964-06-17 1966-07-06 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to devices for use in coating the internal walls of pipes
GB1186678A (en) * 1966-11-18 1970-04-02 Mercol Products Ltd Improvements in or relating to the Method of and Means for Coating the Interior of Pipes
GB1187590A (en) * 1966-11-18 1970-04-08 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to apparatus for Coating the Interior Walls of Pipes with Liquid Cold Setting Resin Materials Mixed with a Liquid Curing Agent or Initiator
GB1201491A (en) * 1967-01-04 1970-08-05 Mercol Products Ltd An improvement in or relating to a method of and apparatus for coating the interior walls of pipes

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1996007850A1 (en) * 1994-09-02 1996-03-14 Gerhard Eisinger Device for renovating impassable pipes
EP2983835A4 (en) * 2013-04-08 2016-11-23 3M Innovative Properties Co Coating system and method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8924097D0 (en) 1989-12-13
GB2237352B (en) 1993-02-24
GB9021534D0 (en) 1990-11-14

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PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20031003