US 6,176,022 B1Granted

Removing moisture from hollow guiding members such as cable ducts

AssigneeKoninklijke PTT Nederland N.V.

InventorGriffioen Willem

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Abstract

With the object of removing moisture from a system of N≳2 elongated hollow guiding members (20) for cable-like elements (27), in the system a gas flow (G) is maintained. The gas flow is supplied to the system by way of a gas-supply opening (29) of a coupling-in number (23) coupled to first ends (21) of a number of K hollow guiding members (20) and discharged from the system by way of a gas-discharge opening (30) of a coupling-out member (23) coupled to first ends (21) of the L=N−K remaining hollow guiding members. A coupling-through member (26) coupled to second ends (24) of the N hollow guiding members (20) provides a gastight coupling-through between the second ends (24) of the K hollow guiding members and the L second ends of the L remaining hollow guiding members. Preferably K=N−1, and the N−1 hollow guiding members are located within the Nth hollow guiding member.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for removing moisture from a plurality of cable ducts for guiding and protecting cables, each cable duct of the plurality of cable ducts being provided with a first opening and a second opening, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a coupling-in member for supplying a gas flow to a first number of cable ducts of said plurality of cable ducts by way of the first openings thereof, the coupling-in member being coupled gastight to the first openings of said first number of cable ducts, and being provided with a gastight feed-through opening for each cable included or to be included in at least one of the first number of cable ducts and with a gas-supply opening;
providing a coupling-out member for discharging gas flowing out by way of first openings of said second number of cable ducts, and being provided with a gastight feed-through opening for each cable included in at least one of the second number of cable ducts and with a gas-discharge opening;
providing a coupling-through member for a gastight coupling-through between the second openings of the first number of cable ducts and the second openings of the second number of cable ducts, the coupling-through member being provided with a gastight feed-through opening for each cable included or to be included in at least one of the first and the second number of cable ducts;
continuously supplying a gas to the gas-supply opening of said coupling-in member;
and
maintaining a continuous flow of the supplied gas through the first number of cable ducts and via the coupling-through member through the second number of cable ducts by maintaining a pressure difference between the gas-supply opening of the coupling-in member and the gas-discharge opening of the coupling-out member.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/568,103Filed 10 May 2000 · division
Priority: NL 950057024 Mar 1995
Granted: 23 Jan 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H02G 9/06
Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water: in underground tubes or conduits; Tubes or conduits therefor
G02B 6/446
Ducts; Conduits; Hollow tubes for air blown fibres: comprising desiccating means
H02G 1/14
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines: for joining or terminating…
H02G 15/26
Cable fittings for cables filled with or surrounded by gas or oil: expansion vessels; Locking heads; Auxiliary pipe-lines