RU225556U1 - CONTROL POINT FOR PRODUCT TRANSPORTATION THROUGH UNDERGROUND PIPELINE - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to control systems for the transportation of various products through pipelines, in particular to process control systems at gas, water and heat supply facilities, which must operate primarily under conditions of autonomous power supply and in moderately cold or cold climates. The device consists of a well with a lid, shut-off and control valves, for example a ball valve or gate valve, a gearbox, a control electric drive, drive control equipment and a battery, which is installed in a casing, the lower base of which is made heat-conducting, and the rest of the surface is heat-insulating. The casing is mounted on a heat-conducting structural element connected to the surface of the gearbox housing. To warm up the battery, the heat generated by the product pumped through the pipeline is used. The technical result of the utility model is the possibility of using the most efficient types of rechargeable batteries, for example lithium-ion or lithium-polymer, at the control point as a source of electricity, which, due to the operating principle, do not meet the requirements of operating low ambient temperatures. As a result, the number of operating cycles for controlling shut-off and control valves increases, the battery life and ease of use of the equipment increases.

Description

Field of technology

The utility model relates to control systems for the transportation of various products through pipelines, in particular, to process control systems at gas, water and heat supply facilities, which must operate primarily in conditions of autonomous power supply.

State of the art

In a number of cases, at the facilities for managing pipelines of gas supply systems, water and heat supply systems, there is no power supply from electrical networks. In conditions where connecting the electrical network to the control point is impossible or economically infeasible, it is possible to use various technical solutions.

One solution for this case is the use of pneumatic-hydraulic actuators to control shut-off valves. An example of such an approach is, for example, the ASDUK-PGP telemechanics system (https://axitech.ru/catalog/sistemy/sistema-telemekhaniki-asduk-pgp/). In this system, the energy to control the shut-off valve drive is stored in gas cylinders, and relatively low-capacity batteries are used to power the equipment. The disadvantages of this approach are the large mass and dimensions of the devices, the high cost of the device, and the complexity of maintenance due to the need to recharge gas cylinders.

An alternative approach is to autonomously supply control point equipment entirely using rechargeable batteries. An example of this approach is, for example, the family of remote controlled actuators from 3S Actuators GmbH (https://www.3s-antriebe.de/en/produkte-loesungen/). This equipment uses energy-efficient and relatively cheap lithium-ion batteries, which significantly reduces the cost of the equipment and simplifies maintenance.

The disadvantage of this solution is that the temperature range of use of the device is significantly limited by the properties of the batteries used and, as a consequence, the impossibility of use in cold or moderately cold climates. For example, for the most efficient types of batteries - lithium-ion or lithium-polymer - the typical value of the reduced operating temperature is about minus 20°C. And the equipment of technological process control systems in cold or moderately cold climates is subject to performance requirements at ambient temperatures from minus 40 to +60°C (GOST 15150-69).

To ensure the thermal operating conditions of electronic or electrical equipment units, methods of forced heating of the equipment are traditionally used using special electric heating devices or elements. Self-heating mode is also possible for batteries. However, in conditions of autonomous power supply, these methods have the disadvantage that electricity for heating is consumed from the same battery of limited energy capacity, which, as a result, sharply reduces the battery life of the equipment. In addition, power supply from most types of batteries in conditions of extremely low temperatures becomes ineffective due to the very electrochemical principles of battery operation.

One solution may be to use more expensive types of batteries that have significantly lower energy intensity, but are recharged from an additional source. For example, in the remote control system for shut-off valves ASDUZA-A-EP (https://gaz.ssoft24.com/product/sistemy-telemetrii-i-telemekhaniki/asduza/asduza-a-ep-za-2-v-n/) additional solar battery. The disadvantage of this solution is the high cost and complexity of servicing the solar battery, the low efficiency of the solar battery in winter and in northern regions, as well as the need for additional space to place the solar battery outside underground structures.

The closest technical solution, adopted as a prototype for the proposed utility model, is the MAK-E telemechanics complex with an underground electric drive (http://intertech-i.ru/).

This telemechanics complex is located in an underground well and includes a control drive, drive control equipment and a battery. The control electric drive, through a gearbox, controls shut-off and control valves installed in the pipeline. The electric drive is installed on the gearbox using a flange, which is brought to the bottom of the well. The gearbox and the rest of the space between the gearbox and the control equipment, including the battery, are covered with soil during installation for thermal insulation purposes.

To ensure operability requirements at ambient temperatures down to minus 40°C (GOST 15150-69), a lead-acid battery is used, which, according to its characteristics, ensures operation up to temperatures of minus 40°C. This solution has the following disadvantages: the large mass of the battery, the resulting inconvenience of operation, exceeding the ergonomic capabilities of one person, a small number of operating cycles for controlling shut-off and control valves and a significant limitation of the battery life of the equipment associated with the disadvantages of the battery, namely: low energy intensity batteries compared, for example, with lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries of the same mass, the battery's high self-discharge rate.

Disclosure of the essence of the utility model

The technical problem solved in this utility model is to warm up the battery, and possibly other electronic equipment, in the conditions of an underground well at a control point for product transportation through an underground pipeline. This problem is solved without spending the stored energy of the battery in the absence of external power supply.

The technical result of the utility model is the possibility of using the most efficient types of rechargeable batteries at the control point as a source of electricity, which, due to the principle of operation, do not meet the requirements of operating low ambient temperatures, and the associated increase in the number of operating cycles for controlling shut-off and control valves, increasing the time autonomous operation of the equipment, increasing the ease of use of the equipment.

The problem is solved by using the heat generated by the product pumped through the pipeline.

The design of the proposed device is shown in the figure.

A well with a cover (1) is installed directly above the pipeline. Shut-off and control valves (2), for example a ball valve or gate valve, are installed in the pipeline. A reducer (3) is installed on the shut-off and control valves. A control electric drive (4) is installed on the gearbox flange. The drive control equipment (5) can be located in the same housing with the drive or be a separate unit connected to the drive with electrical cables. The battery (6) is installed in a casing (7), the lower base of which is made heat-conducting, for example, metal, and the rest of the surface is heat-insulating. The casing (7) is installed on a heat-conducting, for example, metal, structural element (8) connected to the surface of the gearbox housing (3).

At ambient temperatures below 0°C, the liquid product pumped through the pipeline, for example, water, is a coolant. Gas in gas pipelines is also a coolant. For example, according to SNiP 2.04.08-87 (Gas supply), the temperature of the gas leaving gas distribution stations must be at least minus 10°C when gas is supplied to underground gas pipelines

The housings of shut-off and control valves and gearboxes are made of metal (steel or cast iron) and represent a good heat-conducting design. Under stationary conditions, their temperature approaches the temperature of the pumped product.

Thus, in conditions of extreme cold in the atmosphere, the upper surface of the gearbox housing is a heated surface. Heat from this surface is removed through a heat-conducting, for example, metal, structural element (8) and through the lower base of the casing (7) is transferred to the battery (6), which is heated throughout the entire volume due to its own thermal conductivity.

Heat loss from the battery is reduced whenever possible by the thermal insulation of the casing (7) and, to some extent, by the design of the closed well (1).

In the absence of severe cold, the proposed thermal design works as a thermal stabilizer and radiator for the battery.

In itself, the proposed design of a heat-conducting structural element, which is the simplest heat exchanger, is not new.

However, in the analyzed sources it was not possible to find devices that use the associated heat of the pumped product to warm up process control equipment and, in particular, batteries. Therefore, the proposed solution as a hardware-constructive complex is new.

Brief description of the figures

The proposed utility model is illustrated by a figure representing a schematic section of the device, which shows:

1 - underground well with cover

2 - shut-off and control valves

3 - gearbox

4 - control electric drive

5 - drive control equipment

6 - battery

7 - casing

8 - heat-conducting structural element.

Claims (6)

1. A control point for the transportation of a product through an underground pipeline, consisting of shut-off and control valves, for example a tap or valve, installed in the pipeline, a gearbox connected to it, a control electric drive, drive control equipment and a battery, characterized in that the battery is installed into a casing, the lower base of which is made of heat-conducting material, for example metal, and is connected to the surface of the gearbox housing through a heat-conducting structural element. 2. A control point for the transportation of the product through an underground pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer surface of the casing, with the exception of the lower base, is made heat-insulating. 3. A control point for the transportation of the product through an underground pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that a lithium-ion or lithium-polymer type battery is used. 4. A control point for the transportation of a product through an underground pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that a communication unit is introduced into the drive control equipment that controls the device and monitors the state of the device via a radio channel. 5. A control point for product transportation through an underground pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive control equipment is installed in a casing consisting of heat-insulating and heat-conducting parts, and the heat-conducting part of the casing is connected through a heat-conducting element to the gearbox housing. 6. A control point for the transportation of a product through an underground pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains pressure sensors and temperature sensors of the transported product.

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