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US 2003/0150285 A1Published application
Method of inspecting district heating pipes
AssigneeCegelec
InventorJean-Pierre Tasca
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCegelec
InventorJean-Pierre Tasca
Estimating the term…
A method of inspecting district heating pipes consists in introducing into the pipe a vehicle including an uninflated balloon and a pulley in which a cable is inserted. The vehicle is immobilized in the pipe by inflating the balloon. A sensor is moved in the pipe by fixing it to one end of the cable and pulling on the other end of the cable to move the sensor toward the immobilized vehicle in order to inspect the pipe. The vehicle includes a parachute and is propelled in the pipe by introducing into the pipe a fluid under pressure that acts on the parachute. The balloon is deflated when the sensor reaches the vehicle immobilized in the pipe. The vehicle and the sensor are withdrawn from the pipe by pulling on the end of the cable so that the inspection is carried out during the return travel of the vehicle and the sensor. With this method, the inspection can be carried out with access from only one end of the pipe.
A method of inspecting district heating pipes using a sensor, which method consists in:
A vehicle for inspecting a district heating pipe using a sensor, which vehicle includes a parachute adapted to be moved in said pipe by a pressurized fluid, an inflatable balloon adapted to be inflated to immobilize said vehicle in said pipe, and a pulley adapted to receive a cable to which said sensor is fixed in order to move said sensor in said pipe by pulling on said cable when said vehicle is immobilized in said pipe, and a valve for deflating said balloon including a mechanical actuator which initiates deflation of said balloon when the sensor comes into contact with said vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.