GB2396675A - A method for sealing an electrofusion joint - Google Patents

A method for sealing an electrofusion joint Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2396675A
GB2396675A GB0325118A GB0325118A GB2396675A GB 2396675 A GB2396675 A GB 2396675A GB 0325118 A GB0325118 A GB 0325118A GB 0325118 A GB0325118 A GB 0325118A GB 2396675 A GB2396675 A GB 2396675A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
sealant
sleeve
pipes
nipple
injection
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
GB0325118A
Other versions
GB0325118D0 (en
GB2396675B (en
Inventor
Anthony Douglas
Peter Michael Wardle
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.)
Chemence Ltd
Original Assignee
Chemence 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 Chemence Ltd filed Critical Chemence Ltd
Publication of GB0325118D0 publication Critical patent/GB0325118D0/en
Publication of GB2396675A publication Critical patent/GB2396675A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2396675B publication Critical patent/GB2396675B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • 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
    • F16L47/00—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics
    • F16L47/02—Welded joints; Adhesive joints
    • F16L47/03—Welded joints with an electrical resistance incorporated in the joint
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C73/00—Repairing of articles made from plastics or substances in a plastic state, e.g. of articles shaped or produced by using techniques covered by this subclass or subclass B29D
    • B29C73/02—Repairing of articles made from plastics or substances in a plastic state, e.g. of articles shaped or produced by using techniques covered by this subclass or subclass B29D using liquid or paste-like material
    • B29C73/025—Repairing of articles made from plastics or substances in a plastic state, e.g. of articles shaped or produced by using techniques covered by this subclass or subclass B29D using liquid or paste-like material fed under pressure
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
    • B29C65/34—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement"
    • B29C65/3404—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement" characterised by the type of heated elements which remain in the joint
    • B29C65/342—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement" characterised by the type of heated elements which remain in the joint comprising at least a single wire, e.g. in the form of a winding
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
    • B29C65/34—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement"
    • B29C65/3472—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement" characterised by the composition of the heated elements which remain in the joint
    • B29C65/3476—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement" characterised by the composition of the heated elements which remain in the joint being metallic
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
    • B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
    • B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
    • B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
    • B29C66/11—Joint cross-sections comprising a single joint-segment, i.e. one of the parts to be joined comprising a single joint-segment in the joint cross-section
    • B29C66/112—Single lapped joints
    • B29C66/1122—Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
    • B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
    • B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
    • B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
    • B29C66/11—Joint cross-sections comprising a single joint-segment, i.e. one of the parts to be joined comprising a single joint-segment in the joint cross-section
    • B29C66/114—Single butt joints
    • B29C66/1142—Single butt to butt joints
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
    • B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
    • B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
    • B29C66/52—Joining tubular articles, bars or profiled elements
    • B29C66/522—Joining tubular articles
    • B29C66/5221—Joining tubular articles for forming coaxial connections, i.e. the tubular articles to be joined forming a zero angle relative to each other
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
    • B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
    • B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
    • B29C66/52—Joining tubular articles, bars or profiled elements
    • B29C66/522—Joining tubular articles
    • B29C66/5229—Joining tubular articles involving the use of a socket
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
    • B29C66/70—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material
    • B29C66/71—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined

Abstract

A method for sealing an electrofusion joint formed by two pipes 1,2 and an electrofusion sleeve 3 comprises injecting a settable sealant between the pipes 1,2 or one of the pipes 1,2 and the sleeve 3 and allowing the sealant to settle. The pipes 1,2 and sleeve 3 are preferably made of a plastics material such as polyethylene. The sealant is preferably a liquid settable, anaerobic sealant with a low viscosity in the range of 2cps to 200cps. The windings 4 of the electrofusion sleeve 3 may be a metal such as copper, which is suitable to act as an activator for accelerating the rate of curing of the sealant. An activator such as organo-copper or organo-cobalt may also be added to the sealant prior to its injection into the joint. The sealant is preferably injected into the joint through a drilled injection port in the sleeve 3 which may be fitted with a nipple 7 which is releasably attachable to an injecting gun.

Description

Title: Sealing of a Leak in an Electrofusion Joint The present invention
relates to the sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint.
An electrofusion joint comprises two pipes, the ends of which abut each other and are coupled together by a so-called electrofusion sleeve or fitting into which the ends of the pipes fit, the sleeve in use being fused to the pipes.
The sleeve is provided internally with low resistance electrical windings held within a layer of the inner surface of the sleeve so as in use to lie adjacent to the external surface of the pipes. When the pipes are initially inserted into the sleeve to be joined thereto, the windings are electrically energised to heat up to a temperature sufficient to melt both an external surface layer of the pipes and also the surrounding layer of the sleeve. When the layers have been allowed to solidify the pipes will be found to have fused to the sleeve to form the joint.
In use, the pipes carry a fluid such as gas or water and it has been found that in some cases the seal between the or one of the pipes and the sleeve is imperfect in an otherwise mechanically sound joint leaving a passage or passages between the pipe or pipes and the sleeve through which the fluid can leak to the external surrounding environment. It is therefore an object of the present invention to eradicate or at least reduce the severity of such leakage.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for sealing a leak in an electrofusion joint formed between two pipes and an electrofusion sleeve, the method
comprising injecting a gettable sealant between the pipes or one of the pipes and the sleeve and allowing the gettable sealant to set.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pipes and sleeve are made of a plastics Lateral.
Suitably the plastics material is polyethylene.
Conveniently the gettable sealant is an anaerobic sealant.
Preferably the sealant is a lower viscosity sealant with a viscosity in the range 2cps to 200cps to assist sealant penetration of the leak paths.
Suitably the sealant is a liquid gettable sealant.
Conveniently the windings ofthe sleeve are of a metal suitable to act as an activator for accelerating the rate of curing of the sealant.
The metal may be copper.
A catalyst for accelerating the rate of cunog may be added to the sealant prior to .. Injection. A suitable catalyst could be an organo-copper or cobalt compound.
The sealant may be injected through an injection port with which the sleeve is provided. The injection port may incorporate an injection nipple.
The nipple may taper towards its end Preferably the sleeve is drilled to form the injection port whereby to permit the sealant to gain access to the leak path, the nipple is fitted into the port and the liquid sealant is injected into the leak path via the nipple which is releasably attached to a gun for injecting the sealant into the sleeve.
An embodiment of the invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows an axial section through an electrofusion joint. Referring to the drawing the joint comprises two pipes 1 and 2, the ends of which abut each other, and an electrofusion sleeve 3 of polyethylene into which the ends of the pipes 1 and 2 have been fitted, the sleeve 3 having been fused to the pipes I and 2 via energised sleeve windings 4 in the manner described above. The windings 4 terminate in conventional spaced apart terminals 5 and 6. In this case the pipes 1 and 2 are transporting natural gas and a leak will have been detected, in this case between pipe I and the sleeved.
In order to seal the leak the sleeve 3 is suitably drilled and tapped adjacent the piper at an angle to the pipe 1 so as to be provided with an irigection port and a screw-in type injection nipple 7 or similar arrangement is fitted into the port which sealant in liquid form is to be injected into the leak. The forward end ofthe nipple 7 terrunates between the sleeve 3 and the pipe I so that the sealant can be injected into the passage or the passages (not shown) through which the gas is leaking and then allowed to set to stop the leak. An injection gun (not shown) is releasably screw-fitted to the nipple 7 whereby the sealant can be injected into the leak path The sealant must not induce stress cracking or other deterioration of the plastics material of the pipes or sleeve.
Where the gas is also leaking from the pipe 2 side ofthe sleeve 3 it may be necessary to inject sealant from a further injection point or port or a nipple of the type already described disposed at this side of the sleeve 3 in order to stop the lealc.
A suitable anaerobic sealant is of the methacrylate/acrylate type for instance any of the "ANACUR12" (Trade Mbrlc3 and Rite-Lok (Trade Mark) range of sealants provided by Chemence Ltd. of Corby' Northants, F,ngland including lower viscosity penetrating grade sealants which are particularly suitable for this purpose. This may be injected into the nipple via an applicator and pump the subject of a UK Patent No. 2186544 where full details of it and its operation will be found.
The sealant will have a viscosity in the range 2cps to 200cps to assist penetration into the joint.
In order to accelerate the rate of curing ofthe sealant an activator such as an organo-
copper or cobalt compound or other transitional metal can be added to the sealant prior to injection.
On the other harm we have surprisingly found that by arranging for the liquid sealant to come into contact with the windings of the sleeve after injection of the sealant, the windings, if eontairung a suitable metal such as copper, serve as an activator to accelerate the rate of curing of the sealant. In this ease an activator such as one deserved above could also be added to the sealant prior to injection

Claims (14)

  1. Claims
    I. A method for sealing an electrofision joint formed by two pees and an electrofusion sleeve, the method comprising injecting a gettable sealant between the pipes or one of the pipes and the sleeve and allowing the sealant to set.
  2. 2. A method as chimed in claim 1 in which the pipes and sleeve are made of a plastics matenaL
  3. 3. A method as claimed in claim or claim 2 in which the plastics material is polyethylene.
  4. 4. A method as claimed in any of clahns 1 to 3 in which the sealant is an anaerobic sealant.
  5. 5. A metW as clawed in claim 4 in which the sealant is a lower viscosity sealant with a viscosity in the range of 2cps to 200cps to assist sealant penetration of the leak paths.
  6. 6. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in which the sealant is a liquid gettable sealant.
  7. 7. A method as clawed in any of the preceding chims in which the windings of the sleeve are of a metal suitable to act as an activator for accelerating the rate of curing of the sealant.
  8. 8. A method as claimed in claim 7 in which the metal is of copper.
  9. 9. A method as claimed in any of the preceding clabns in which a catalyst provided for accelerating the rate of curing is added to the sealant prior to injection.
  10. 10. A method as clanned in claim 9 m which the catalyst is an organocopper or organo-cobalt compound.
  11. 1 1. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the sealant is injected through an injection port with which the sleeve is provided.
  12. 12. A method as claimed in claim I I in which the injection port is an injection nipple.
  13. 13. A method as claimed in 12 in which the sleeve is drilled to form the injection port whereby to permit the sealant to gain access to the leak path, the nipple is fitted into the port and the liquid sealant is injected into the lealc path via the nipple which is releasably attached to a gun for injecting the sealant into the sleeve.
  14. 14. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB0325118A 2002-12-24 2003-10-28 Sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint Expired - Fee Related GB2396675B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0230122.4A GB0230122D0 (en) 2002-12-24 2002-12-24 Sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0325118D0 GB0325118D0 (en) 2003-12-03
GB2396675A true GB2396675A (en) 2004-06-30
GB2396675B GB2396675B (en) 2005-02-02

Family

ID=9950403

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GBGB0230122.4A Ceased GB0230122D0 (en) 2002-12-24 2002-12-24 Sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint
GB0325118A Expired - Fee Related GB2396675B (en) 2002-12-24 2003-10-28 Sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GBGB0230122.4A Ceased GB0230122D0 (en) 2002-12-24 2002-12-24 Sealing of a leak in an electrofusion joint

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (2) GB0230122D0 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102007040451A1 (en) * 2007-08-24 2009-02-26 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. Apparatus and method for repairing a pipeline

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2159906A (en) * 1984-06-07 1985-12-11 British Gas Corp Sealing pipe joints
EP1079167A1 (en) * 1999-08-27 2001-02-28 Uponor Innovation Ab Electrofusion fitting
GB2361273A (en) * 2000-04-15 2001-10-17 Chemence Ltd A method of sealing a pipe joint

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2159906A (en) * 1984-06-07 1985-12-11 British Gas Corp Sealing pipe joints
EP1079167A1 (en) * 1999-08-27 2001-02-28 Uponor Innovation Ab Electrofusion fitting
GB2361273A (en) * 2000-04-15 2001-10-17 Chemence Ltd A method of sealing a pipe joint

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102007040451A1 (en) * 2007-08-24 2009-02-26 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. Apparatus and method for repairing a pipeline
US7950418B2 (en) 2007-08-24 2011-05-31 Fraunhofer—Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. Device and method for repairing a pipeline

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0325118D0 (en) 2003-12-03
GB0230122D0 (en) 2003-01-29
GB2396675B (en) 2005-02-02

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20081028