WO2000057099A1

WO2000057099A1 - Apparatus and method for repairing a leak

Info

Publication number: WO2000057099A1
Application number: PCT/AU2000/000231
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nick John Venardis
Original assignee: Nick John Venardis
Priority date: 1999-03-23
Filing date: 2000-03-23
Publication date: 2000-09-28
Also published as: AUPP936199A0

Abstract

A member (10) is positioned over the leak (32) and is sealingly attached to the pipe (26) wherein the member (10) has a sealable aperture (16) so that any fluid flowing through the leak (32) is redirected through the aperture (16) allowing the member (10) to be completely sealed against the pipe (26) such that, when the seal has been effected, the aperture (16) can be closed thereby repairing the leak (32) without requiring the flow of fluid through the pipe (26) to be shut off.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING A LEAK

The present invention relates to a member and a method for repairing pipes and in particular is applicable for repairing of which pipes when the pipes are under an internal pressure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pipes designed to carry various fluids or gases have to be maintained and repaired and over time, due to corrosion of damage are known to spring leaks. The cost of replacing pipes and at times whole pipe networks is prohibitively expensive and thus it is preferable to continually repair any breeches or leaks rather than replace pipes no matter how old.

The easiest way to repair pipes is to shut down any flow. However, the time required to shut a pipe network may be hours and even days. Furthermore a large number of pipes are located underground, and to repair a leak one may need extensive earthworks, greatly adding to the time that a pipe network needs to be shut down. It is easy to see that current methods of repairing leaking pipes are quite unsatisfactory.

The present invention relates to a member and a method of repairing leaking pipes whilst the pipe is still operating, that is, whilst fluid is still passing through the pipe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, in one form of the invention, although this need not be the only or indeed the broadest form there is proposed a repair means for repairing a breach on a wall including a member to be positioned over the breach in the wall said member having a surface so shaped to allow at least a part of said member to engage the surface of said wall, said member further having an aperture whereby in use said member is positioned over the breach so that any fluid escaping from the breach is caused to flow through said aperture.

In preference said outer edges of said member sealingly engage the surface of the wall. In preference said wall is a pipe.

In a further form of the invention there is proposed a pipe repair means for stopping the flow of fluid through a hole in a pipe including: a member being of a substantially sheet-like configuration so shaped to extend over said hole to thereby define a cavity over said hole; said member having a closable aperture in communication with said cavity allowing fluid to flow through said member; whereby in use said member is placed over said hole and is sealingly attached to said pipe causing fluid to flow through said aperture whereupon when the member has been fully attached to said pipe the aperture is closed so as to stop any further flow of fluid thereby effectively repairing said leak.

In a still further form of the invention there is proposed a pipe repair means including; a member adapted to seal a hole in a fluid carrying pipe and having a sealable aperture, said member adapted to be sealingly positioned over the hole to thereby cause fluid to flow through said aperture, whereby sealing of said aperture prevents any further fluid flow through said hole and repairs the leak.

In preference said member includes at least one groove on an inner surface which assists in redirecting the flow of fluid to said aperture.

In preference said member is made up of several parts, said parts adapted to sealingly engage each other.

Preferably said aperture includes an internal thread which allows for the engagement of a threaded bolt to provide the sealing therein.

Preferably the member is of a different aspect ratio to accommodate joints in the main pipes.

Preferably the member is welded to said pipe.

In a still further form of the invention there is proposed a method for repairing a hole in a pipe carrying fluid including the steps of; positioning over said hole a repair member having a closable aperture so that the edges of said member surround said hole and are adjacent to the surface of said pipe; sealingly attaching the member to said pipe to prevent any flow of fluid between the pipe and the edges of said member thereby redirecting any fluid leaking from said hole to pass through the aperture of the member, and sealing the aperture to stop the flow of fluid through the aperture and thereby through said hole.

In preference the member is welded to said pipe to effect a sealing.

In a still further form of the invention there is proposed an assembly including; a pipe; a sealing member located over a breach in a pipe to thereby define a closed cavity, and sealing member having a closable aperture enabling fluid to flow from said cavity through said member.

In preference said aperture is closable to thereby stop fluid escaping from the breach.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several embodiments of the invention are described hereunder in some detail with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a member according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an underside perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention as in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the first embodiment of the invention being used to repair a leaking pipe;

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 is an underside perspective view of the second embodiment of the invention as in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the second embodiment of the invention in use;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a pipe leak sealing member according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is an underside view of the third embodiment of the invention as in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention in use;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the invention in use; and

Figure 11 is a partial perspective view of a pipe showing how the various embodiments are used to seal particular leaks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to the drawings in detail, it is to be understood that like numerals are used to indicate like elements in the various figures.

Accordingly, there is shown a pipe sealing member 10 comprising of a plate 12 having a perimeter 14 and aperture 16 from which extends a boss 18 having internal threads 20, the internal threads are adapted to be engaged by a bolt 22 there extending longitudinally across the plate a groove 24 and intersecting aperture 16.

Shown in Figure 3 is a pipe 26 having a wall 28, fluid 30 flowing through the pipe 26. The walls of the pipe, which are usually manufactured from steel or the like, are susceptible to leaks, such as a hole 32. To seal the leak, the plate 12 is placed so as to cover the hole 32 and wherein the leaking water or fluid is then directed through groove 24 to escape through the aperture 16 and boss 18. With the water being directed out the boss 18, the perimeter of the plate 14 can then be sealed against the pipe wall 28. This is usually accomplished in the case of steel pipes by welding and whereby the weld 36 extending around the perimeter of the plate ensures that the fluid only escapes through the aperture and boss 16 and 18 respectively. When the weld has thus been completed, to simply stop the flow, bolt 22 is simply screwed into the boss 18 to thereby effectively plug the leak.

Shown in Figures 4-6 is a second embodiment of the invention where the pipe sealing member comprises of a first plate 36 and a second plate 38 and wherein one side of each of those two plates is so shaped to accommodate a vertically extending pipe 40. Thus this embodiment is used wherein the leak may occur at the junction 42 of the pipe 40 and the main pipe 26. To enable a weld to be constructed, the adjoining sides of the first and second plates include a flange 44 which allows a weld 46 first and second plates 36 and 38 to be constructed apart from said leaking junction 42. Thus in use, first and second plates are positioned around said pipe and then the perimeter 14 of the first and second plates are welded to the pipe wall 28 as well as the adjoining sides 48 of the first and second plates and the perimeter of the flange 50. During the weld and once it has been completed, any leaking fluid is directed through groove 52 to the aperture 16 and out through the boss 18 and thereby to be sealed by bolt 32. It is to be understood though that the groove 52 may not need to be specifically present for the plate 12 may be of such a construction so as to allow a cavity or internal channel from any leak to the aperture 16.

With reference now to Figures 7 - 9, there is shown a third embodiment of the present invention where the plate is shaped so as to accommodate a joint in a pipe. This is necessary in the circumstances where pipes have been manufactured of two semi-cylindrical halves and welded to each other. In those circumstances, the plate 12 has to be shaped so as to include a hump 54 that accommodates the major weld 56 joining the two halves of the pipe wall 28. The perimeter of the plate 14 is so shaped that it still enables a weld to be constructed all around the plate 12 and thereby to redirect any flow of leaking fluids into aperture 16 and thus boss 18. This particular embodiment may be quite useful for it is not uncommon for a majority of the leaks to spring along existing welds and by providing a cavity that accommodates the existing weld, the problem of leaks can be solved.

An example of how the different welds can be used on pipes can be seen in Figure 11 wherein plate 56 is a plate accordingly to the embodiment of Figures 1 , 2 and 3 and wherein the groove 24 accommodates weld 58. Similarly, plate 60 again accommodates fixing a leak along weld 52 but wherein the aperture is positioned on the lower side of the plate 12 rather than on the bottom according to its longitudinal axis. The reason for that is that is it preferential for the aperture through which any escaping fluid is to flow to be as low as possible as that natural gravitational forces redirect the flow towards the aperture. Otherwise, if the aperture was higher than the leak, then there would have to be internal pressure underneath the plate to force the water out of the aperture. This is obviously undesirable.

Finally, as shown in Figure 10, a plate 12 is used to seal pipe-wall 28 where there is no additional joint.

Similarly, as shown in Figure 11 , the second embodiment of the invention as per Figures 4 to 6 is shown used in plate 64 whereby a leak around pipe 40 is plugged using the present invention. Plate 66 is simply used to seal a hole 32 which is found in the pipe-wall 38.

Thereby, one can see that the present invention teaches both a plate sealing member and method of sealing plates which does not require the main flow through a pipe to be turned off. This is achieved by providing an aperture within the plate sealing member that enables a weld of the plate to the pipe to be accomplished whilst redirecting the flow from the leaking pipe through the aperture. Once the weld has been completed, then the aperture is sealed by an appropriate means such as a bolt that engages internal threads in the wall. It is of course understood that the present invention is not limited to sealing by means of a weld and other appropriate sealing means may be employed. This may include different glues or even crimping on appropriate pipes. It is also to be understood that sealing of the aperture may be accomplished by other means besides a screwable bolt, such as a twistable cap or even a rubber plug.

Whilst the foregoing description has set forth the preferred embodiments of the present invention in some detail, it is to be understood that numerous modifications, obvious to a person skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the ensuing Claims. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as herein described.

Claims

1. A repair means for repairing a breach on a wall including a member to be positioned over the breach in the wall said member having a surface so shaped to allow at least a part of said member to engage the surface of said wall, said member further having an aperture whereby in use said member is positioned over the breach so that any fluid escaping from the breach is caused to flow through said aperture.

2. A repair means as in claim 1 wherein said outer edges of said member sealingly engage the surface of the wall.

3. A repair means as in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said wall is a pipe.

4. A pipe repair means for stopping the flow of fluid through a hole in a pipe including: a member being of a substantially sheet-like configuration so shaped to extend over said hole to thereby define a cavity over said hole; said member having a closable aperture in communication with said cavity allowing fluid to flow through said member; whereby in use said member is placed over said hole and is sealingly attached to said pipe causing fluid to flow through said aperture whereupon when the member has been fully attached to said pipe the aperture is closed so as to stop any further flow of fluid thereby effectively repairing said leak.

5. A pipe repair means including; a member adapted to seal a hole in a fluid carrying pipe and having a sealable aperture, said member adapted to be sealingly positioned over the hole to thereby cause fluid to flow through said aperture, whereby sealing of said aperture prevents any further fluid flow through said hole and repairs the leak.

6. A pipe repair means as in any one of the above claims wherein said member includes at least one groove on an inner surface which assists in redirecting the flow of fluid to said aperture.

7. A pipe repair means as in any one of the above claims wherein said member is made up of several parts, said parts adapted to sealingly engage each other.

8. A pipe repair means as in any one of the above claims wherein said aperture includes an internal thread which allows for the engagement of a threaded bolt to provide the sealing therein.

9. A pipe repair means as in any one of the above claims wherein the member is of a different aspect ratio to accommodate joints in the main pipes.

10. A pipe repair means as in any one of the above claims wherein the member is welded to said pipe.

11. A method for repairing a hole in a pipe carrying fluid including the steps of; positioning over said hole a repair member having a closable aperture so that the edges of said member surround said hole and are adjacent to the surface of said pipe; sealingly attaching the member to said pipe to prevent any flow of fluid between the pipe and the edges of said member thereby redirecting any fluid leaking from said hole to pass through the aperture of the member, and sealing the aperture to stop the flow of fluid through the aperture and thereby through said hole.

12. A method for repairing a hole as in claim 10 wherein the member is welded to said pipe to effect a sealing.

13. An assembly including; a pipe; a sealing member located over a breach in a pipe to thereby define a closed cavity, and sealing member having a closable aperture enabling fluid to flow from said cavity through said member.

14. An assembly as in claim 13 wherein said aperture is closable to thereby stop fluid escaping from the breach.