WO1991006801A1

WO1991006801A1 - Method and device to enable sealed fitting of devices to a pressurized tube

Info

Publication number: WO1991006801A1
Application number: PCT/SE1990/000662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kai Heed; Anne WIKENGÅRD-HEED
Original assignee: Kai Heed; Wikengaard Heed Anne
Priority date: 1989-10-25
Filing date: 1990-10-17
Publication date: 1991-05-16
Also published as: AU6632090A; SE464727B; SE8903544D0; SE8903544A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for arranging a body (21, 32) through a hole (47) in a pressurized tube (4). To be able to implant this body in an inventive way a mounting unit (1) known per se is used. The invention offers a method by which it is possible to de-mount the mounting unit (1) after finished use of the hole (47) in the tube (4) without occurrence of leakage due to use of an expandable element (70).

Description

Title:

Method and device to enable sealed fitting of devices to a pressurized tube.

Technical area: The present invention relates to a method to be able to arrange an object in a pressurized tube and means for carrying out the method according to the preamble of the following claims.

Prior art and problem:

From SE-B-8605208 a method for arranging a body in a tube containing fluid is earlier known, which method comprises the following steps; arranging a mounting unit on a tube at a location where the arrangement of said body is wanted in such a way that a first sealing means brings about a sealing between the tube and the mounting unit with relation to the surroundings and an area where a hole shall be made in said tube; inserting a drill in .said mounting unit through a channel comprising a second sealing means, that shall seal said channel against the surroundings when the drill or the like has been inserted in the channel; inserting the drill through said channel whereby a flap is opened in a closable valve arrangement that is arranged between the inner end of said channel and a space; making the hole by means of said drill; after having made the hole taking out the drill, whereby after the drill has reached completely into the channel the closeable flap returns to its closed position either by means of its own elasticity or the pressure in the tube; inserting said body into said channel and arranging it in the hole. A device for carrying out the above said method is also known from this document.

A disadvantage with such a method is that the mounting unit cannot be de-mounted without occurrence of leakage.

Solution and advantages:

The object with the present invention is to attain a method which eliminates the above said disadvantage so that the mounting unit can be de-mounted without occurrence of any leakage. Said object is obtained by means of a method i.e. characterized in that said body is taken out of the hole and out of the mounting unit and that an expandable sealing body by means of a tool sealingly is mounted in said hole, whereupon the mounting unit can be de-mounted without risk for leakage.

Besides that said objects are obtained by means of the devices which are defined in the claims 4 and 5.

A further object of the invention is to obtain a method by which it is possible to simply arrange a desired body in pressurized tubes provided with holes, in which holes expandable sealing elements are arranged.

Description of the figures:

The invention shall be described more in detail in the following by means of some embodiment examples with reference to the attached drawings, on which fig. 1 partly in section shows a mounting unit comprised in a blocking arrangement according to the invention, figs. 2-5 show parts, which are contained in the blocking arrangement according to the invention, fig. 6 shows an end-view of the mounting unit according to the invention corresponding to the embodiment in fig. 1, fig. 7 shows a longitudinal section through the mounting unit in a stage at hole making of a tube, fig. 8 shows a preferred expandable element according to the invention, fig. 9 shows said expandable element mounted in a hole in a tube, fig. 10 partly in sections shows a mounting unit and one there above arranged expandable sealing arrangement and a preferred mounting tool, and fig. 11 shows said expandable element at a stage when this is mounted by means of the mounting tool.

Figs. 1-6 describe the construction of and the parts of a blocking arrangement according to the invention. The blocking arrangement consists of a mounting unit 1, which consists of two mounting halves 2, 3 which together are intended to enclose a tube 4, that contains a fluid under pressure, for example water or some other fluid, gas or the like. The two mounting halves 2, 3 form a substantially cylindrical unit, where the two mounting halves have flanges 4, 5, 6, 7 for connecting element in the shape of screws, i.e. in the example shown four screws 8, which are intended to be inserted through holes in one flange 4 and to be screwed in threaded holes in the other flange 6. The two mounting halves are intended to sealingly abut against the cylindrical surface 9 of the tube and is therefore provided with inner cylindrical concave inner surfaces 10 intended to delimit a substantially cylindrical space and to sealingly abut against the tube. The space extends through the hole mounting unit 1 and includes two circular openings, through which the pipe 4 can extend through the cavity. To obtain a satisfactory sealing a seal 11 has been arranged which is applied between a part of the cylinder shaped inner surface 10 and one of the mounting halves 2 and the tube 4. Straight opposite the seal 11 a pipe socket 12 is located, the appearance of which appears best from fig. 1. This shows a for example perpendicular to the tube 4 directed straight channel 13, which in an opening 14 ends in the cylinder shaped surface 10 of one of the mounting halves 2. The channel 13 has a circular section and shows an outer end having an opening 15, which is adapted to normally be closed by means of a plug, sealing cover 16 or the like, which is intended to be threaded around the outer end of the pipe socket 12. The mounting unit is advantageously in its one end shaped with connecting devices for direct connecting to a pipe coupling, valve or the like, as is shown in fig. 1. In this example the mounting halves 2, 3 have together an attaching flange 17 having inner threads for connection to a valve 18 having an outer threaded part 19 in at least one of its ends.

Further parts of the arrangement are shown in figs. 2-5. Fig. 2 shows a protection sleeve 20 in the shape of a cone of for example plastics or steel, the object of which shall be described more in detail below. Fig. 3 shows a bellow 21 made in a highly elastic material, for example rubber and due to that it is easily changeable as to the shape. The bladder 21 is longitudinal and has preferably a circular section with one in the neutral position shown in fig. 3 substantially cylindrical surface 22 and also one substantially cylindrical cavity 23. The bladder 21 is closed in its one end 24 and has an opening 25 in its opposite end, around which opening an edge flange 26 has been arranged. The bladder 21 is intended to be connected by means of its opening 25 to a source for pressurized air or a source for a pressurized liquid to expand to a body for blocking the tube 4 in a way which shall be described further below. Fig. 4 shows a special drill 27 having a drill edge 28 and a cutting edge 29, the length of which is adapted to the thickness of the material that is to be penetrated. The drill 27 has further a stop flange 30, which stops the drill when the material has been penetrated. The upper end 31 of the drill is an attachment end which is intended to be attached to a chuck of a conventional electric drilling machine. Fig. 5 shows a valve 32 having a nut 33, by means of which the valve is intended to be screwed to the threaded part of the upper end of the pipe socket 12. The valve has an inner through going channel 34, which in the upper end of the valve via an opening 60 is intended to be connected to a pressurized fluid conduit. The channel 34 ends downwardly in at least one opening 35 in a part 36, on which the bellow 21 is intended to be put.

The valve has further a seat 37 in the shape of a neck which makes the fastening organ for the bellow by forming a support for its edge flange 26. The valve 32 has further advantageously one clack valve not shown for maintaining an overpressure in the bladder, when this has been put under pressure and the connecting pressurized tube has been removed.

Further necessary parts for the use of the invention is one in the channel 13, see fig. 1, in the pipe socket 12 arranged membrane 38 or a seal, suitably shaped with a cracking groove in U-form to form a through the insertion of the bore downwardly swingable tongue (see fig. 4), that can resiliently swing back for closing the formed opening when the drill has been removed. As a variant to the latter it is shown in fig. 11 that this returnable tongue 40 can be a separate part which accordingly is not a part of a membrane, which separate part 40 consists of a sealing element having a diameter that exceeds the diameter of the channel 13 and that via an elastic attaching part is arranged in the cavity 14. Further at the upper end of the pipe socket 12 a shaft seal 39 is arranged to form a sealing around the drill 27 when it is working. The shaft sealing has accordingly a central hole adapted by its diameter for sealingly abutting against for example the walls of the drill. Mounting of a body 21, 32 in a tube for pressurized fluids by means of the arrangement according to the invention occurs in the following way. The mounting unit 1 is mounted around the tube 4 at such a place where it is wanted. For this purpose a mounting unit is chosen having a diameter which is adapted for the outer diameter of the actual tube. At the beginning the two mounting halves 2, 3 of the mounting unit are separated and are put on the tube from two opposite sides thereof turned against each other and are fastened to each other by means of the screws 8 which are tightened relatively strongly so that the seal 11 is clamped and seals an area between the mounting unit 2 and the surface 4 of the pipe. At this starting stage a sealing cap is screwed on. When the mounting unit 1 has been completely mounted the sealing cap 16 is removed by screwing this off so that the opening 15 to the channel 13 is free.

The stage when making the hole is commenced by attaching the drill 27 at its attaching end 31 in the chuck of a drilling machine and put down in the channel 13 and pressed against the membrane 38 (fig. 4) or the sealing organ 40 (fig. 11), so that the tongue 40 is swung down and makes an opening 41, see fig. 7. The diameter of the drill with relation to its outer diameter corresponds mainly to the inner diameter of the channel 13 so that the drill thereby gets a good guidance in the channel at the same time as the drill sealingly abuts against the shaft seal 39. Then the drill 27 is rotated while its drilling edge 28 is pressed against the surface of the tube 4 to drill a hole in the pipe. The stopping flange 30 will, when the drill has penetrated the wall of the tube, abut against the upper end of the pipe socket and prevent further penetration of the drill or the drilling chuck comes into contact with the shaft seal 39. Thereafter the drill 27 is removed and the lip 40 returns to its sealing position by its elasticity and by support of the overpressure in the interior of the tube. The cracking grooves (fig. 7) is so obliquely made that the surfaces seal against each other at the same time as the lip 40 gets support against an abutting surface 58 at the transition between an enlarged part 42 of the hole 13 to a more narrowed part which corresponds to the diameter of the drill.

After having made the hole by means of the drill 27 a period follows when a desired body can be applied in the hole 47, for example a bladder 21 for blocking of the flow in the tube or a thermometer.

After having arranged a desired body in the tube it is many times desirable to after a certain time take away this body. Under such circumstances there is usually no reason to let the mounting unit 1 remain. Besides that the mounting unit 1 can also be a hinderance. If one then instead applies a sealing arrangement 70 as shown in fig. 8 in the hole 47, the mounting unit thereafter can be de¬ mounted. Such a sealing arrangement consists of an expandable part 71. This expandable part is suitably an elastomer. At its one end which is thought to be applied at the outer side of the tube 4 is a supporting surface 73. This supporting surface 73 consists of a relatively rigid material and has preferably a completely plane shape, but it can also be arced as shown in fig. 8. Through this supporting body 73 a screw 72 is inserted through a hole. This screw 72 co-operates with a threaded element 74 which is arranged suitably moulded in the expandable body 71. As appears from fig. 8 the threaded element 74 is completely included in the expandable part 71. This is a measure which in combination with a blunt tip of the screw 72 assures absolutely sealing function of the element 70. The diameter of the lower part 71 of the seal 70 is smaller in its non- expanded shape than the diameter of the drill edge 29 and also the hole 47. The outer diameter of the supporting body 73, however, exceeds the diameter of the hole 47.

In fig. 9 a sealing element 70 is shown arranged at a tube 4 sealingly in a hole 47. One can see how the screw 72 has been screwed in into the threaded element 74 and how then the expandable part 71 of the body has expanded and therethrough been arranged sealingly in the hole 47. Due to the fact that the material is an elastomer the material is expanded at the blunt tip of the screw so that no hole is made, which assures the sealing function of the arrangemen .

In figs. 10 and 11 it is shown with greater clarity how this sealing arrangement 70 in a simple way can be arranged on a tube 4. A mounting tool 80, preferably a screw driver, is used for applying the seal 70. This screw driver 80 has a handle 83 at which there is a shaft 81 the diameter of which to a substantial extent is adapted to sealingly co¬ operate with the sealing element 39 in the channel 13. Thus, the diameter of the shaft 81 is somewhat greater than the smallest diameter of the seal 39. At the end of the shaft there is in this case a blade shaped organ 82 which shall co-operate with a groove in the screw 72. To make it easier to perform insertion and removing of the sealing element 70 the screw driver and screw 72 are suitably made in ferro-magnetic material. The sealing element 70 is thereafter mounted by simply pushing it in by means of the mounting tool 80 and thereafter letting it expand by means of a turn in for example in veer direction if it is a right-threaded screw. In the same way as when drilling or introduction of other bodies in the channel 13 the sealing element 39 and the flap element 40 seal against the surrounding. After complete expansion, i.e. sealingly arranging of the expandable element 70, the mounting unit 1 can be demounted. The method results in a saving as a mounting unit can be used for a number of holes. By application of the mounting unit 1 on a tube 4 where an expandable element 70 already has been arranged it is required that the channel 13 is mounted co-axially with the sealing element 70. By means of for example a magnetically working mounting tool one can in connection with centering of this on the screw 72 therewith first apply one of the mounting halves comprising the channel 13 co-axially and centering with the expanding element 70. Thereafter the second half of the mounting element 1 can be arranged at the tube 4 when continued centering by means of the tool 80.

In many cases it may be preferable to pre-mount tube parts having a plurality of expandable elements 70. A pre- mounting occurs then before the tube has been put under pressure suitably already in connection with the production of the tube. In this way one can prepare a tube having a plurality of possibilities for later inspection and control.

The invention is not limited to the above described and to the embodiment examples shown in the drawings, but can be varied within the scope of following claims. It is for example thinkable as is shown in fig. 11 that the socket 12 of the mounting unit 1 is divided in two sections. Further it is of course possible to use that form of known co¬ operation per se between the screw 72 and the mounting element 1 which is judged to be most suitable, for example a socket head cap screw or a cross-slotted screw.

Claims

1. Method for arranging a body (21, 32) in a tube (4) containing a fluid comprising the following steps: arrang¬ ing a mounting unit (1) on a tube (4) at a location where the arrangement of said body is wanted in such a way that a first sealing means brings about a sealing between the tube and the mounting unit (1) with relation to the surroundings and an area where a hole (47) shall be made in said conduit (4); inserting a drill (27) in said mounting unit (1) through a channel (13) comprising a second sealing means (39) that shall seal said channel against the surroundings when the drill (27) or the like is inserted in the channel; inserting the drill through said channel (13) so that it opens a flap (40) of a closeable valve arrangement (38) which is arranged between the inner end of said channel (13) and a cavity (14); making the hole by means of said drill (27); after having made the hole taking out the drill (27) whereby after the drill has reached completely into the channel (13) the closeable flap (41) returns to its closed position either by means of its own elasticity and/or the pressure in the tube; inserting said body (21, 32) into said channel (13) and arranging it in the hole (47) in the tube (4); c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said body (21, 32) is taken out of the hole (47) and out of the mounting unit (1), and that an expandable sealing arrangement (70) by means of a tool (80) sealingly is arranged in said hole (47), whereupon the mounting unit (1) can be de-mounted without risk for leakage.

2. Method for arranging a body (21, 32) in a tube (4) containing a fluid, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a mounting unit (1) is mounted sealingly on the tube (4) so that a channel (13) running through the mounting unit (1) is arranged co-axially with a hole (47) in which an expandable and relaxable sealing arrangement (70) is arranged, that a mounting tool (80) is inserted through said channel (13) and passes a valve element (38), that the mounting tool (80) by turning the expandable element (70) makes this to relax, that the expandable element (70), suitably by means of magnetism by means of the tool (80) is taken out of said hole and channel (47 respective 13) that the desired body (21, 32) is inserted in through the channel (13) further into the opened hole (47) in the tube (4).

3. Method according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d i n that said body (21, 32) is taken out of the hole (47) in the tube (4) and the mounting unit (1) and that thereafter an expandable sealing arrangement (70) is arranged in the hole (47) by said tool (80) in a sealing way whereupon the mounting unit (1) can be de-mounted.

4. Device for performing the method according to claims 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the sealing arrangement (70) comprises an expandable part (71) preferably made in an elastomer, a supporting body (73) provided with a hole, one screw (72) having a blunt end and a nut-like element (74) which element (74) is arranged within said expandable body (21), said expandable body (71} encasing completely said nut-like element (74) and the screw (72) co-operating with said element (74) for expansion of the arrangement (70).

5. Device for performing the method according to claims 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said tool (80) is a screw driver one end of which (82) is intended to co-operate with an outwardly directed part (72) of the expandable seal (70) and that said screw driver has an extended shaft (81) the diameter of which substantially corresponds to or is somewhat greater than the diameter of said one sealing element (39).