US 2013/0263443 A1Published application

Air inversion and steam cure of cured in place liners apparatus

AssigneeINA Acquisition Corp.

InventorsCharles Delaney, Steve J. Hirtz, Jeffrey S. Collier, Kurt Schlake, Joseph M. Coyne, Richard C. Polivka, Franklin T. Driver

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Abstract

An air inversion and steam cure apparatus for installing a flexible resin impregnated cured in place liner in an existing conduit is provided. The apparatus has a low friction seal between a moving liner and the stationary apparatus gland. The gland is operated and adjusted by displaceable members that move substantially perpendicular to the liner being inverted to engage the moving liner as it passes through the gland. No part of the gland extends into the chamber so that once a pre-shaped gland is adjusted, the pressure on the moving liner is not increased. As the liner reaches the distal end, it enters a sample and porting pipe with an exhaust pipe gland and exhaust pipe and is pierced by a rigid porting tool. Steam is then introduced into the liner to cure the resin and is exhausted through an exhaust hose connected to the porting tool. After cure, steam is replaced with air to cool the liner and the ends are cut to restore service through the existing conduit.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An air inversion apparatus for installing a resin impregnated cured in place pipe liner, comprising:

a substantially rigid container having an inlet surface and an outlet surface, the container being dimensioned to allow an impregnated cured in place liner to pass therethrough;
the container having an elongate inlet slot opening on the inlet surface and an inversion chamber and outlet on the outlet surface;
an air inlet on the inversion chamber for pressurizing the container;
compressible material portions disposed on opposite sides of the inlet slot opening in generally opposing relationship with each other, the compressible material portions each extending from said inlet surface of the container away from and outside of the container for forming a seal with the liner at a location outside the container, the compressible material portions defining a gap across the inlet slot opening;
and
an adjustment mechanism, the compressible material portions being selectively adjustable by the adjustment mechanism from outside the gap toward and away from each other at a location outside the container to more than two positions for changing a size of the gap therebetween independently of a size of the liner;
the adjustment mechanism comprising a plurality of displaceable fingers positioned to urge the compressible material portions against a liner passing through the inlet slot opening, the fingers being positioned at different locations along the length of the inlet slot opening, outside the container, and in generally side-by-side relation to one another on one side of the inlet slot opening.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/693,972Filed 4 Dec 2012
Priority: 24 Apr 2006
Published: 10 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F16L 9/14
Rigid pipes: compound tubes, i.e. made of materials not wholly covered by any one of the preceding groups
B29C 63/36
Using tubular layers or sheathings: being turned inside out
F16L 55/1651
A pipe or flexible liner being inserted in the damaged section: the flexible liner being everted
F16L 55/18
Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems: appliances for use in repairing pipes

Family

Application11/411,213Continuation · filed 24 Apr 2006
Application13/693,972Continuation
US 2007/0029688 A1Published application
US 9,453,597 B2Related patent
US 2013/0263443 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.