Method and apparatus for preventing foam disbondment
AssigneeThermacor Process, LP
InventorThomas Joseph Keyes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for preventing disbondment in an insulated piping system that is used for conveying high temperature fluids. More specifically, an external slip wrap is shown, capable of surrounding the outer protective jacket of the insulated piping system at a location along the piping before an elbow shaped or angular change in direction. The slip wrap comprises a loosely received outer sleeve which surrounds the outer protective jacket of the piping without being bonded thereto, thereby allowing the insulated and jacketed pipe to move axially relative to the slip wrap for a selected distance once the pipe is buried in the ground.
Claims13
An insulated piping system for conveying high temperature fluids, comprising:
- a first and second length of insulated and jacketed pipe, each having a joining end to be joined to an end of the other length, each pipe length comprising an inner carrier pipe having an interior surface and an exterior surface, an envelope of foamed insulation surrounding the inner pipe exterior surface, and an outer protective jacket surrounding the envelope of insulation, the joining ends of adjacent pipe lengths being welded together to form fixed joints, whereby the adjacent pipe lengths provide a continuous length of fluid conduit for conveying high temperature fluids;
- a discrete length of an external slip wrap located at a selected location along the length of the piping system at which location the piping encounters an angular shaped change in direction, the slip wrap comprising a loosely received outer sleeve for the piping which surrounds the outer protective jacket without being bonded thereto, whereby the insulated and jacketed pipe can move axially relative to the slip wrap for a selected distance once the pipe is buried in the ground, the location of the external slip wrap along the length of piping being selected in order to prevent disbondment of the foam insulation from the inner carrier pipe.
A method of coupling lengths of insulated piping used to form a high temperature fluid conveyance system, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first and second length of insulated and jacketed pipe, each having a joining end to be joined to an end of the other length, each of the first and second lengths of pipe comprising an inner pipe, an envelope of foamed insulation surrounding the inner pipe and an outer protective jacket surrounding the envelope of insulation;
- the joining ends of adjacent pipe lengths being welded together to form fixed joints, whereby the adjacent pipe lengths provide a continuous length of fluid conduit for conveying high temperature fluids;
- wrapping selected locations along the piping system with a discrete length of an external slip wrap, the location which is selected being a point in the piping at which the piping encounters an elbow shaped change in direction, the slip wrap comprising a loosely received outer sleeve for the piping which surrounds the outer protective jacket without being bonded thereto, whereby the insulated and jacketed pipe can move axially relative to the slip wrap for a selected distance once the pipe is buried in the ground, the location of the external slip wrap along the length of piping being selected in order to prevent disbondment of the foam insulation from the inner carrier pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.