GB2534988A

GB2534988A - Pressure relief insert

Info

Publication number: GB2534988A
Application number: GB1521757.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Macaree Scott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-12-11
Filing date: 2015-12-10
Publication date: 2016-08-10
Also published as: GB201521757D0; GB2533144A

Abstract

An insert 10 for diverting the flow of fluid from a pressure relief mechanism. The insert 10 comprises an elongate body 11 having an open connection end 12 and a closed free end 13. A flow path extends from the connection end 12 towards the free end 13. At least one aperture 29 is formed in the body 11 towards the free end 13 and the at least one aperture 29 is in fluid communication with the flow path. The connection end 12 of the insert is configured to be received internally within the end section 15 of a tubular pipe 16 and the width 24 of the elongate body 11 is not substantially larger than the width 26 of the pipe 16. The elongate body 11 can comprise a section 19 that is received within the pipe 16 and a section 20 that extends outwardly therefrom, with the external sections width substantially corresponding to, or being equal to, the width 26 of the pipe 16. The apertures 29 can be inclined relative to the flow path and to the elongate body to direct fluid towards the connection end 12.

Description

Pressure Relief Insert This invention relates to an insert for diverting the flow of fluid from an overflow or a vent of a pressurised system, such as a boiler.

This invention is described with a particular emphasis on boiler systems but it will be appreciated that it may be used with all manner of pressurised 5 systems.

Pressure relief pipes of boiler systems are arranged to extend through holes formed in the external walls of the buildings, in which the boilers are housed. This allows water to pass out of the building to relieve the pressure in the boiler. The configuration of the pipe out of the wall and the pressure of the water typically results in the water projecting outwardly away from the building, directly out and over the surroundings. Often this water flows out of the pipe and over members of the general public who are unfortunate enough to be passing near the building. Not only is this highly inconvenient but it can also be dangerous if the water being pumped out of the boiler is extremely hot.

Conventionally, to address this problem, an extension having a 90° bend is typically soldered onto the end of the pressure relief pipe. This bend serves to divert the water from the pipe vertically towards the ground. This may seem like a suitable solution but there are further difficulties and safety implications in achieving this. In particular when pressurised systems are installed at height (for example if a boiler is being installed on the 8th or 9th floor of a building) scaffolding or a gantry is required to enable an engineer to gain access to solder the extension to the end of the pipe. This is not only time consuming and inconvenient but can be very expensive. Additionally, while the 90° bend reduces the flow of water away from the building it does not obviate the issue and the water still has a tendency to project in undesirable directions.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a product which 5 addresses the safety issues of pressure relief pipes and which can be connected from inside a building.

In addition the pressure relief pipes extending from buildings are usually made of copper which is high in value. As such, thieves have been known to cut off the projecting pipes simple to steal the copper. This requires costly repair. It is a different aim of the present invention to reduce the use of expensive materials to discourage theft.

According to this invention, there is provided an insert for diverting the flow of fluid from a pressure relief mechanism, the insert comprising: an elongate body having an open connection end and a closed free end; a flow path extending from the connection end towards the free end; and at least one aperture formed in the body towards the free end, the at least one aperture being in fluid communication with the flow path, wherein the connection end of the insert is configured to be received internally within the end section of a tubular pipe and wherein the width of the elongate body is not substantially larger than the width of the pipe.

The insert of the present invention is designed to be connected to the end of a tubular pipe of a pressurised system and inserted into a hole formed in an external wall. The important factor is the accommodation of the insert through the wall hole as this enables the insert to be fitted from the inside of the -3 -building and thus enhances safety and ease of connection. The insert may be slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe as long as it is not larger than the hole in the wall. Generally it will be about the same size as the pipe but could also be smaller.

The elongate body may comprise an inner section configured to be received within the pipe and an outer section extending outwardly therefrom. The inner and outer sections may have different widths. Preferably, the width of the external section substantially corresponds to the width of the pipe. More preferably, the width of the inner section of the elongate body substantially corresponds to the internal width of the pipe so as to be frictionally engagable therein.

The elongate body is preferably substantially circular in cross section. In this way, the width of the outer section of the elongate body may be equal to the external diameter of the pipe.

Preferably the insert is configured to direct the flow of fluid towards the wall from which the insert is configured to extend. To achieve this, the at least one aperture may be inclined. Preferably the at least one aperture is inclined relative to the width of the elongate body so as to direct fluid towards the connection end, and hence the wall, when the insert and pipe are fully assembled. The angle of incline may vary depending on the size of the insert. The at least one aperture may be angled at 45° relative to the width of the elongate body as this has been found to produce effective results. Even more preferably the insert comprises more than one aperture to facilitate the swift flow of fluid out of the insert from a connected pressurised system. There may be two said apertures formed in the body, as this has been found to produce a reasonable flow rate.

The insert of the present invention can be inserted into the end of a length of pipe and simply pushed through a hole drilled in an external wall. The other end of the length of pipe can then be connected to the pressure relief on the pressurised system by a competent engineer with no need to have access to the exterior of the building.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of insert of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the 10 accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a cross sectional side view of an insert according to the present invention; Figure 2 is the insert of Figure 1 received within the end section of a tubular pipe; and Figure 3 is the insert and pipe of Figure 2 inserted through a hole in a wall.

Referring to all of the figures there is shown an insert 10 which consists of an elongate body 11, having an open end 12 and a closed end 13. The elongate body 11 is tubular and generally circular in cross section. The open end 12 is arranged to be inserted into the end section 15 of a piece of copper tubular pipe 16, as shown in Figure 2. A hole 18 extends from the open end 12 of the elongate body 11 towards the closed end 13 and this forms a flow path for fluid entering the insert 10 from the pipe 16.

The elongate body 11 has an inner section 19, adjacent the open end 12, which is configured to be inserted into the end section 15 of the pipe 16 and an outer section 20 which, when inserted into the pipe 16, extends outwardly, away from the end section 15.

The inner section 19 of the elongate body 11 has an external diameter 22 which generally corresponds to the internal diameter 23 of the pipe 16 so that the inner section 19 can be frictionally engaged within the inside of the pipe 16. The outer section 20 has a larger external diameter 24 than the inner section 19 and a shoulder 25 is defined between the inner and outer sections 19, 20, against which the end section 15 of the pipe 16 may locate. The external diameter 24 of the outer section 20 generally corresponds to the external diameter 26 of the pipe 16.

Two apertures 29 are formed through the side 30 of the outer section 20 and these are spaced from each other to form two paths for the flow of fluid from out of the insert 10. The apertures 29 are formed at 45° angles relative to the width 31 of the elongate body 11. The direction of incline of the apertures 29 allows fluid to flow out of the insert 10 away from the direction of the closed end 13 and towards the general direction of open end 12 of the elongate body 11. This ensures liquid strikes the wall and runs down rather than landing on people below. The size and length of the apertures may be configured such that the spray direction is properly controlled. The figures are schematic and larger narrower apertures may be used. Internal baffles or like structures might also be employed to ensure appropriate flow directions.

The insert 10 may be formed differently depending on whether it is to be inserted into the end 15 of either 15mm or 22mm pipe 16. For fitting to a 15mm pipe 16 the insert 10 may be formed from a section of nylon plastic material 70mm long and 16mm wide by machine drilling an 8mm hole 18 from one end (thereby defining the open end 12) towards to other end but stopping approximately 5mm from that other end, to form the closed end 13. The hole 18 forms the flow path into the insert 10. The elongate body 11 may be formed by lathing 12mm off the external length of the material, from the open end 12, to 20mm there along. This forms the inner section 19 of the elongate body 11 and defines the shoulder 25 separating the inner section 19 from the outer section 20. The open end 12 is arranged to be inserted into the end section 15 of the 15mm pipe 16. The two 95° apertures 29 are then machine drilled into the side 30 of the outer section 20 of the elongate member 11 and into to the hole 18 to define exits for the flow path. The insert could also be moulded.

In use the insert 10 is designed to divert fluid, flowing out of the end of piping 16 within a pressurised system (not shown), to a different location. In such an arrangement a hole 33 is formed through the wall 34 of a building (not shown) in which the pressure system is housed and the piping 16 is directed out of that hole 33 so that the fluid can be released outside. To fix the insert 10, the end 15 of the pipe 16 may first need to be cut using roller pipe cutters in order to create a bevelled edge (not shown) which should allow the pipe 16 essentially to clamp over the insert 10.

The open end 12 of the elongate body 11 is initially inserted into the end 15 of the pipe 16 so that the inner section 19 is in a tight-fitting, snug, arrangement within the pipe 16. The pipe 16 is then passed into the hole 33 formed in the wall 34 so that part 35 of the pipe 16 and the outer section 20 of the elongate body 11 extends out of that hole 33. The other end (not shown) of the pipe 16 may then be connected to the pressure relief (not shown) on the pressurised system by a competent engineer.

To reduce pressure within the system, fluid passes at high pressure from the system through the pipe 16 located within the wall hole 33. The fluid is directed into the hole 18 of the elongate body 11 and is caused to pass through the flow path and out of the insert 10 through the two apertures 29. The angle of the apertures 29 results in the fluid desirably being directed towards the wall 34.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An insert for diverting the flow of fluid from a pressure relief mechanism, the insert comprising: -an elongate body having an open connection end and a closed free end; -a flow path extending from the connection end towards the free end; and -at least one aperture formed in the body towards the free end, the at least one aperture being in fluid communication with the flow path, wherein the connection end of the insert is configured to be received internally within the end section of a tubular pipe and wherein the width of the elongate body is not substantially larger than the width of the pipe.
2. An insert as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongate body comprises an internal section configured to be received within the pipe and an external section extending outwardly therefrom.
3. An insert as claimed in claim 2, wherein the width of the external section substantially corresponds to the width of the pipe.
4. An insert as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the elongate body is substantially circular in cross section.
5. An insert as claimed in claim 4, wherein the width of the external section of the elongate body is equal to the external diameter of the pipe.
6. An insert as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the width of the internal section of the elongate body substantially corresponds to the internal width of the pipe so as to be frictionally engagable therein.
7. An insert as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the at least one aperture is inclined relative to the flow path.
8. An insert as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one aperture is inclined relative to the width of the elongate body so as to direct fluid towards the connection end.
9. An insert as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one aperture is angled at 45 degrees relative to the width of the elongate body.
10. An insert as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there are two said apertures formed in the body.
11. An insert as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.