Pressurized bladder canister for installation of cured in place pipe

A bladder supply and eversion apparatus for use in the installation of a flexible cured in place liner in an existing pipeline, comprising:

• a pressurized bladder canister having a bladder outlet;
• a tubular member having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet coupled to the bladder outlet of the canister;
• a selectively actuable valve capable of allowing an inflation bladder to pass therethrough and capable of forming a seal to isolate the canister fom the interior of the everting bladder, the valve mounted at the outlet opening of the tubular member;
• an eversion elbow having an inlet coupled to the valve and an outlet adapted to secure the bladder thereto, and a fluid inlet port;
• whereby the assembled bladder supply and eversion apparatus can be positioned at one end of the liner for eversion of the bladder by induction of pressurized fluid to inflate the liner.

A method for trenchless rehabilitation of an existing pipeline by pulling a flexible resin impregnated liner into the existing pipeline from a first access opening to a second access opening and everting a flexible inflation bladder from an eversion access into the pulled in liner to a receiving access to conform the liner to the existing pipeline and curing the resin in the liner, comprising:

• providing a supply of flexible resin impregnated liner and pulling the leading end of the flexible liner into the pipeline from one of the access openings to the other access opening with the ends of the liner extending beyond the ends of the pipeline into the access openings;
• providing a supply of flexible inflation bladder stored in a pressure bladder canister and feeding the inflation bladder into the proximal end of the liner in the eversion access;
• introducing eversion fluid into the canister to force the bladder into the interior of the flexible liner;
• controlling the speed of eversion of the bladder into the liner by the rate of introduction of eversion fluid into the canister and tension maintained on the bladder until the everting bladder extends to the opposite end of the liner;
• clamping the bladder in the receiving access while maintaining pressure in the interior of the bladder;
• cutting the distal end of the everted bladder and allowing eversion fluid to flow-through the bladder and exit the receiving access;
• forming a sealbetween the bladder chamber and the interior of the inflation bladder in the eversion access to isolate the interior of the inflation bladder;
• introducing steam into the interior of the bladder downstream from the seal on the bladder and allowing the curing fluid to flow through the bladder and exit through the bladder opening;
• and
• allowing the resin in the liner to cure.

In a method for trenchless rehabilitation of an existing pipeline with a resin impregnated liner from a first access opening to a second access opening by everting a flexible tubular member from one access into the existing pipeline and curing the resin, the improvement which comprises:

• providing a supply of flexible tubular member stored in a pressure canister and introducing air into the canister to evert the tubular member from one of the access openings;
• clamping the distal end of the tubular member and forming an opening thereon while maintaining pressure in the interior and allowing air to flow-through the tubular member;
• clamping the proximal end of the tubular member and introducing steam into the interior of the tubular member downstream from the clamp on the tubular member and allowing the steam to flow-through the tubular member and exit through the opening in distil end of the tubular member;
• and
• allowing the resin to cure.