WO2011046310A2

WO2011046310A2 - Pipe separation preventing apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2011046310A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/006742
Authority: WO
Inventors: Myung Sub Song; Ki Ho Song
Original assignee: Gyemyeong Engineering Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2009-10-13
Filing date: 2010-10-04
Publication date: 2011-04-21
Also published as: KR20110039999A; KR101059955B1; WO2011046310A3

Abstract

Provided is a pipe separation preventing device including a pair of pipe fixing means that is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid block device, includes arms formed at both sides and an inside contacting and surrounding an outer circumferential surface of a pipe, and are installed to face each other, vertical supports that are installed at both ends of the arms and vertically support the pipe fixing means, and a pair of horizontal supports that couple the pair of the pipe fixing means positioned to face each other and are installed at both ends of the arms in a manner facing each other. The pipe separation preventing device is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid block device and has an effect of preventing a previously installed pipe from being separated due to pressure of a fluid when replacing a timeworn or broken pipe.

Description

PIPE SEPARATION PREVENTING APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a separation preventing apparatus, and more particularly, to a pipe separation preventing apparatus that prevents a previously installed pipe from being separated due to a high-pressure fluid inside a pipe when transferring a fluid pipe that is previously installed and currently in use in a state in which a fluid is not blocked in the middle.

Fluids essential for life of human beings such as such as water, oil, and gas are mechanically transferred through a pipeline from a producing district to its destination. For example, a variety of water or sewer pipelines are installed under a residential place.

If such pipelines crack due to aging or an external shock and so the pipeline needs to be replaced, transferred, or maintained, water supply should be first suspended in a broad region.

For example, if a waterworks pipe in a certain spot is timeworn, a main valve through which water is supplied to a district in which the spot is located is blocked, and thus the whole district connected with the main valve undergoes inconvenience of water supply suspension, leading to a problem in that the opportunity cost of residents in the district is too large.

In order to solve the problem, US Patent nos. 4,458,721 (Yie, et al) and 5,462,077 (Cohen, et al) disclose devices for temporarily blocking a fluid which flows in a pipeline by using an expendable means like an airbag.

However, the airbags of the devices disclosed in US Patent Nos. 4,458,721 and 5,462,077 are low in durability and so may burst, and so there is a restriction to blocking a high pressure fluid. Therefore, such devices are used restrictedly, for example, in a small-bore pipeline in which pressure of a fluid is low.

In order to overcome the above problem, the applicant of the present invention has previously proposed, in Korean Patent Publication No. 2007-34919 and Korean Patent No. 728,766, devices and methods which radially expend an unfolding plate made of an iron material to block a fluid flow inside a pipeline.

However, when shutting off a pipeline installed in a low-lying district or a large-diameter pipeline, high pressure of about 3㎏/㎠ to about 20㎏/㎠ is applied to the unfolding plate.

In this case, if the unfolding plate is momentarily expanded by the high pressure and impacts the inside of the pipeline, the pipeline may burst.

Also, when the pipeline is momentarily shut off by the unfolding plate, a strong vortex occurs inside the pipeline, and thus the inside of the pipeline may get damaged.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe separation preventing apparatus that is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid blocking device and prevents a previously installed pipe from being separated due to pressure of a fluid when replacing a timeworn or broken pipe.

The present invention provides a pipe separation preventing device, including, a pair of pipe fixing means that is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid block device, includes arms formed at both sides and an inside contacting and surrounding an outer circumferential surface of a pipe, and are installed to face each other, vertical supports that are installed at both ends of the arms and vertically support the pipe fixing means, and a pair of horizontal supports that couple the pair of the pipe fixing means positioned to face each other and are installed at both ends of the arms in a manner facing each other.

The pipe fixing means may include a pipe fixing section that comes in contact with and surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the pipe to pressurize and fix the pipe, a hinge section that is formed at an upper end of the pipe fixing section and allows the pipe fixing section to be opened or shrink in a both side direction so that the pipe is accommodated inside the pipe fixing section, and a coupling section that couples the pipe fixing section opened in the both side direction by the hinge section.

A screw thread may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the horizontal support, the horizontal support may be screw-coupled to both ends of the arms, and the length of the horizontal support may be varied by screw rotation.

The horizontal support may include a first horizontal support and a second horizontal support greater than the first horizontal support, and the length of the horizontal support may be varied such that the first horizontal support slidingly moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator.

The horizontal support may include a first horizontal support that has a plurality of first bolt inserting holes formed on a one side of an outer circumferential surface at a regular interval, and a second horizontal support that has a diameter greater than the first horizontal support, receives the first horizontal support inserted into the inside thereof, and has a plurality of second bolt inserting holes formed at a one side of an outer circumferential surface corresponding to the first bolt inserting holes.

The horizontal support may have a variable length such that the first horizontal support slidingly moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support, and the length of the horizontal support may be fixed such that a fixing bolt is inserted into and fastened into the first bolt inserting hole and the corresponding second bolt inserting hole.

A screw thread may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the vertical support, the vertical support may be screw-coupled to both ends of the arms, and the length of the vertical support may be varied by screw rotation.

The length of the vertical support may be vertically varied by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator.

A swing section may be formed at an upper end of the vertical support and allow the vertical support to swing inward or outward at a predetermined angle using a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the horizontal support as an axial direction.

A pipe separation preventing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid blocking device and has an effect of preventing a previously installed pipe from being separated due to pressure of a fluid when replacing a timeworn or broken pipe.

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a method of pressurizing and fixing a pipe through a pipe fixing means in a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a state in which a pipe is fixed in a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a horizontal support having a variable length in a pipe separation preventing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a vertical support that forwardly or reversely swings in a pipe separation preventing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of Major Symbol in the above Figures

100 : Pipe fixing unit

110 : Arm

120 : Pipe fixing section

130 : Hinge section

140 : Coupling section

200 : Vertical support

210 : Swing section

300 : Horizontal support

310 : First horizontal support

311 : First bolt inserting hole

320 : Second horizontal support

321 : Second bolt inserting hole

400 : Fixing bolt

P : Pipe

P’ : Pipe

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a method of pressurizing and fixing a pipe through a pipe fixing means in a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a state in which a pipe is fixed in a pipe separation preventing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGs. 1 to 4, a pipe separation preventing apparatus includes a pipe fixing means 100, a vertical support 200, and a horizontal support 300, which will be described in detail below.

If a fluid pipe is transferred using a hot tapping technique, a fluid pipe that is previously installed and currently being used can be transferred while continuously supplying a fluid without blocking a fluid in the middle, thereby reducing damages of other users.

That is, since a pipe such as a city gas pipe or a waterworks pipe is used by many houses, if a fluid is blocked in the middle to transfer a pipe for a new house, many houses undergo inconvenience. However, the houses that undergo inconvenience can be reduced by transferring a pipe while continuously supplying a fluid in the middle using the hot tapping technique.

Further, when a pipe buried under the ground is broken during a work such as road construction, a broken portion can be cut and replaced with a new pipe without blocking a fluid in the middle by using the hot tapping technique.

The pipe fixing means 100 is applied to the hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid blocking device (not shown). The pipe fixing means 100 has a structure in which arms 110 are formed at both ends, and the inside comes in contact with and surrounds an outer circumferential surface of a pipe P.

The two pipe fixing units 100 are preferably positioned to face each other.

In further detail, as in “PIPE FLUID BLOCKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF TRANSFERRING FLUID PIPE USING HOT TAPPING TECHNIQUE USING THE SAME” disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0034919, published on March 29, 2007, a fluid flowing inside a pipe is blocked by a pipe fluid blocking device at both ends of the pipe which desires to be transferred, and both ends of the pipe that desires to be transferred are cut. At this time, the pipe separation preventing device of the present invention is installed at both ends of the cut pipe.

That is, when the pipe P is cut, the pipe P is likely to be separated due to a high-pressure fluid inside the pipe P at a joint section between the connected pipes P. Therefore, the pipe separation preventing device according to the present invention prevents the connected pipes P from being separated.

The vertical support 200 is installed at both ends of the arm 110 in a direction vertical to the bottom surface to support the pipe fixing means 100. The height of the vertical support 200 can be varied depending on the installation height of the pipe fixing means 100.

The horizontal support 300 is fixedly installed to both ends of the arms 110 and connects a pair of pipe fixing means 100 positioned to face each other.

Further, similarly to the vertical support 200, the horizontal supports 300 are preferably positioned to face each other.

The pipe fixing means 100 includes a pipe fixing section 120, a hinge section 130, and a coupling section 140, which will be described in detail below.

The pipe fixing section 120 comes in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the pipe P in a manner surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the pie P to pressurize and fix the pipe P.

The hinge section 130 is installed at an upper end of the pipe fixing section 120 and allows the pipe fixing section 120 to be opened or shrink in a both side direction so that the pipe P can be accommodated inside the pipe fixing section 120.

The coupling section 140 couples the pipe fixing section 120 opened in the both side direction by the hinge section 130.

The coupling section 140 includes a pair of bolts, nuts to be coupled to the blots, and a hook. The bolts are inserted into the hook and then fastened by the nuts to be fixed to the hook, whereby the pipe P comes in close contact with the pipe fixing section 120.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a horizontal support having a variable length in a pipe separation preventing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the horizontal support 300 includes a first horizontal support 310 and a second horizontal support 320.

First bolt inserting holes 311 are formed at a one side of the outer circumferential surface of the first horizontal support 310 at a regular interval.

The second horizontal support 320 has a diameter, preferably slightly, greater than the first horizontal support 310. The first horizontal support 310 is inserted into the second horizontal support. Second bolt inserting holes 321 corresponding to the first bolt inserting holes 311 are formed at a one side of the circumferential surface of the second horizontal support 320.

The horizontal support 300 has a variable length such that the first horizontal support 310 slidably moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support 320. The length of the horizontal support 300 is fixed such that a fixing bolt 400 is inserted into and fastened into the first bolt inserting hole 311 and the corresponding second bolt inserting hole 321.

That is, the length of the horizontal support 300 can be varied depending on the width of the cut pipe P.

In order to vary the length of the horizontal support 300, the first horizontal support 310 having the first bolt inserting holes 311 first slides into and is inserted into the second horizontal support 320, and thereafter the first horizontal support 310 moves back and forth by a desired length. The first bolt inserting hole 311 is positioned corresponding to the second bolt inserting hole 321 formed in the second horizontal support 320, and the fixing bolt is inserted into and fastened into the first and second

bolt inserting holes

311 and 321 to thereby fix the length of the horizontal support 300.

Next, other methods of varying the length of the horizontal support 300 in a pipe separation preventing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

A screw thread may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the horizontal support 300 and screw-coupled to both ends of the arm 110. In this case, the length of the horizontal support 300 can be varied by screw rotation.

Further, the horizontal support 300 may include the first horizontal support 310 and the second horizontal support 320 having a diameter, preferably slightly, greater than the first horizontal support 310. The length of the horizontal support 300 may be varied such that the first horizontal support 310 slidably moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support 320 by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator (now shown).

Furthermore, a screw thread may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the vertical support 200, and the vertical support 200 is screw-coupled to both ends of the arm 110. In this case, the length of the vertical support 200 can be varied by screw rotation. Further, the length of the vertical support 200 may be varied by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator (not shown).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a vertical support that forwardly or reversely swings in a pipe separation preventing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, a swing section 210 is formed at an upper end of the vertical support 200 and allows the vertical support 200 to swing inward or outward at a predetermined angle using a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the horizontal support 300 as an axial direction.

That is, if the vertical support 200 is vertically fixed to the arm 110, when the vertical support 200 encounters a pipe P’ buried under the ground, it cannot be vertically stably installed on the flat bottom surface.

For this reason, in order not to fixedly mount the vertical support 200 to the arm 110, the swing section 210 is formed at the upper section of the vertical support 200. The swing section 210 allows the vertical support 200 to swing inward or outward at a predetermined angle using a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the horizontal support 300 as an axial direction, whereby the vertical support 200 can be vertically stably installed on the flat bottom surface.

While the example embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

A pipe separation preventing device, comprising:

a pair of pipe fixing means that is applied to a hot tapping technique using a pipe fluid block device, includes arms formed at both sides and an inside contacting and surrounding an outer circumferential surface of a pipe, and are installed to face each other;

vertical supports that are installed at both ends of the arms and vertically support the pipe fixing means; and

a pair of horizontal supports that couple the pair of the pipe fixing means positioned to face each other and are installed at both ends of the arms in a manner facing each other.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein the pipe fixing means comprises:

a pipe fixing section that comes in contact with and surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the pipe to pressurize and fix the pipe;

a hinge section that is formed at an upper end of the pipe fixing section and allows the pipe fixing section to be opened or shrink in a both side direction so that the pipe is accommodated inside the pipe fixing section; and

a coupling section that couples the pipe fixing section opened in the both side direction by the hinge section.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein a screw thread is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the horizontal support, the horizontal support is screw-coupled to both ends of the arms, and the length of the horizontal support is varied by screw rotation.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal support comprises a first horizontal support and a second horizontal support greater than the first horizontal support, and the length of the horizontal support is varied such that the first horizontal support slidingly moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal support comprises:

a first horizontal support that has a plurality of first bolt inserting holes formed on a one side of an outer circumferential surface at a regular interval; and

a second horizontal support that has a diameter greater than the first horizontal support, receives the first horizontal support inserted into the inside thereof, and has a plurality of second bolt inserting holes formed at a one side of an outer circumferential surface corresponding to the first bolt inserting holes.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 5, wherein the horizontal support has a variable length such that the first horizontal support slidingly moves back and forth inside the second horizontal support, and the length of the horizontal support is fixed such that a fixing bolt is inserted into and fastened into the first bolt inserting hole and the corresponding second bolt inserting hole.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein a screw thread is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the vertical support, the vertical support is screw-coupled to both ends of the arms, and the length of the vertical support is varied by screw rotation.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the vertical support is vertically varied by driving of a fluid pressure or air pressure actuator.
The pipe separation preventing device according to claim 1, wherein a swing section is formed at an upper end of the vertical support and allows the vertical support to swing inward or outward at a predetermined angle using a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the horizontal support as an axial direction.