Apparatus for providing a tubular material within a pipeline

An apparatus for introducing a lining material into a pipe, comprising:

• a hollow, elongated carrier member having two opposite ends, a first of said two ends including an endcap closing off said first end, the endcap having means for introducing a fluid under pressure into said carrier member, a second of said two ends including a collar portion and a plurality of flaps extending from said carrier member and which form a protective enclosure around said carrier member second end when closed together around said carrier member second end during introduction and a placement of said lining material into said pipeline;
• liner support means for supporting said lining material in place within said carrier member and within said pipeline, said liner support means including an elongated, hollow flexible bladder having two opposing ends, one end being engaged to said carrier member collar portion and the other end being sealed, said bladder having a liner support surface defined thereon which receives and supports a tubular pipe lining material, the bladder further including means for anchoring said tubular lining material to said bladder at a specific location proximate to said carrier member second end, said anchoring means including a frangible connection between said tubular lining material and said bladder, whereby said tubular lining material is anchored to said liner support means during installation of said liner into said pipeline and said tubular lining material separates from said liner support means during removal of said carrier member from said pipeline;
• and,
• means for releasably transporting said carrier element through said pipeline and for permitting said protective enclosure to open at said carrier member second end such that when one force is applied to said releasable transport means, said releasable transport means engages said carrier member flaps and maintains said protective enclosure in a closed condition while said carrier member is pulled through said pipeline, and when a second force is applied to said releasable transport means, said flaps are released from said closed condition.

An apparatus for introducing a lining material into a pipe, comprising:

• a hollow, elongated carrier member having two opposite ends, a first of said two ends including an endcap closing off said first end, the endcap having means for introducing a fluid under pressure into said carrier member, a second of said two ends including a collar portion and a plurality of flaps extending from said carrier member and which form a protective enclosure around said carrier member second end when closed together around said carrier member second end during introduction and a placement of said lining material into said pipeline;
• liner support means for supporting said lining material in place within said carrier member and within said pipeline, said liner support means including an elongated, hollow flexible bladder having two opposing ends, one end being engaged to said carrier member collar portion and the other end being sealed, said bladder having a liner support surface defined thereon which receives and supports a tubular pipe lining material, the bladder further including means for anchoring said tubular lining material to said bladder at a specific location proximate to said carrier member second end, said anchoring means including a frangible connection between said tubular lining material and said bladder, whereby said tubular lining material is anchored to said liner support means during installation of said liner into said pipeline and said tubular lining material separates from said liner support means during removal of said carrier member from said pipeline;
• and,
• means for releasably transporting said carrier element through said pipeline and for permitting said protective enclosure to open at said carrier member second end such that when a force is applied to said releasable transport means in one direction, said releasable transport means engages said carrier member flaps and maintains said protective enclosure in a closed condition while said carrier member is pulled through said pipeline, and when a force is applied to said releasable transport means in an opposite direction to said one direction, said flaps are released from said closed condition.

An apparatus for introducing a lining material into a pipeline, comprising:

• a hollow, elongated carrier member having two opposite ends, a first of said two ends including an endcap closing off said first end, the endcap having means for introducing a fluid under pressure into said carrier member, a second of said two ends including a collar portion and a plurality of flaps for covering said collar portion and protecting said collar portion during introduction of said lining material into said pipeline;
• liner support means for supporting said lining material in place within said carrier member and within said pipeline, said liner support means including an elongated, hollow flexible bladder having two opposing ends, one end being engaged to said carrier member collar portion and the other end being sealed, said bladder having a liner support surface defined thereon which receives and supports a tubular pipe lining material, said bladder further including means for anchoring said tubular lining material to said bladder at a specific location proximate to said carrier member second end, said anchoring means including a frangible connection between said tubular lining material and said bladder, whereby said tubular lining material is anchored to said liner support means during installation of said liner into said pipeline and said tubular lining material separates from said liner support means during removal of said carrier member from said pipeline, said anchoring means frangible connection including a plurality of stitches circumferentially disposed at an end of said tubular lining material toward said bladder one end and interconnecting said tubular lining material with said bladder.

An apparatus for use in installing a lining material to the interior surface of a pipeline, the apparatus comprising:

• a hollow, elongated carrier element having a body portion extending between two opposing first and second ends, the body portion defining an interior elongated enclosure, the carrier element first end being generally open and the carrier element second end being generally closed by an endcap member, the endcap member having at least one port adapted to receive a connection to a fluid injection member, said endcap member further having a control aperture defining a passage through said endcap member;
• a hollow elongated lining material support member formed from a flexible material which is capable of radial expansion under pressure from a fluid supplied to an interior portion thereof, the lining material support member having opposed first and second ends, the lining material support member first end being connected to said carrier element near said first end thereof, and said lining material second end being sealed such that said lining material support member forms a tubular extension of said carrier element when said apparatus is inserted into a pipeline and said lining material support member is in a position where it is displaced out of said carrier element and inflated by fluid pressure, said lining material support member forming an elongated cylindrical support surface for a pipe lining material when so displaced and inflated;
• a lining material support member insertion and displacement control member extending from said lining material support member sealed second end, through said carrier element interior enclosure and through said carrier element endcap member control aperture passage, said insertion and displacement control member further having a stop member disposed thereon outside of said endcap member control aperture passage, said stop member providing an engagement surface which engages said endcap member control aperture passage to limit displacement of said lining material support member out of said carrier element interior enclosure, said insertion and displacement control member further providing a means by which said lining material support member can be drawn into said carrier element as well as a means by which a regulating force may be applied to said lining material support member to regulate said displacement thereof out of said carrier element;
• and,
• said lining material support member further including an anchor collar member attached to an exterior surface of said lining material support member when said lining material support member is displaced out of said carrier element, said collar member including an annular flap portion, the annular flap portion providing a surface for forming a frangible connection between said lining material support member and an extent of lining material supported thereon, thereby permitting said lining material support means to fully evert out of said carrier element, said frangible connection including a plurality of stitches circumferentially disposed at said annular flap portion and frangibly interconnecting said lining material to said lining material support member.