Apparatus and method for puncturing a pipe
AssigneeSpecialty Earth Sciences, LLC
InventorsJason Swearingen, Lindsay Swearingen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for puncturing a pipe in-situ is presently disclosed. The apparatus has an actuator in communication with a remote controller. A firing assembly has a firing chamber and a firing pin, wherein the firing pin is in communication with the actuator. The firing chamber is configured to hold and fire a bullet radially toward the pipe, upon the firing pin being actuated with the actuator. The method includes the steps of inserting a pipe puncturing apparatus into a pipe, activating an actuator, communicating the activation of the actuator to a hammer and moving a firing pin in the hammer to impinge a cartridge and fire a bullet.
Claims16
A pneumatically activated apparatus for puncturing a pipe in-situ comprising:
- a pneumatic actuator;
- a firing assembly having a firing pin in pneumatic communication with the actuator;
- a firing chamber configured and disposed to hold a cartridge and fire a bullet radially toward the pipe, upon the firing pin pneumatically moving and impinging upon the cartridge;
- the actuator, the firing assembly, and the firing chamber each being secured to form the pneumatically activated apparatus;
- the pneumatically activated apparatus having a width at least as great as a length of the firing chamber and less than an inner diameter of the pipe to be punctured and a length greater than the inner diameter of the pipe to be punctured;
- a support assembly, the support assembly holds and secures the actuator, the firing assembly, and the firing chamber;
- and
- wherein the actuator comprises a valve configured to open upon the activation of the actuator and an air container configured to hold pressurized air and to release the pressurized air upon the opening of the valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.