A sheet of material is crumpled and flattened so that it is longitudinally compressed while remaining substantially uncompressed in the lateral direction. Once so formed, the sheet may be stretched to conform to complex three-dimensional shapes. When applied to thermally insulated piping, for example, such sheets may serve as barriers to the movement of water in the insulation system.

A sheet of material is crumpled and flattened so that it is longitudinally compressed while remaining substantially uncompressed in the lateral direction. Once so formed, the sheet may be stretched to conform to complex three-dimensional shapes. When applied to thermally insulated piping, for example, such sheets may serve as barriers to the movement of water in the insulation system.

Exhaust insulation systems and methods are described that include multiple layers. In one example, a system includes a base insulation layer covering a portion of an exhaust pipe and a hard outer cover formed from a spirally wrapped knit tape and having a length coextensive with the length of the underlying base insulation layer. The wrapped knit tape outer cover can include successive turns of tape overlapping by 25% to 75%. The knit tape can be impregnated with a thermosetting phenolic resin prior to being wrapped about the pipe.

Techniques for determining a thermal condition of a pipeline include identifying a pipeline that carries a fluid at a steady-state temperature, where the pipeline includes a tubular conduit that includes a bore that carries the fluid, and a layer of insulation installed over an exterior surface of the tubular conduit; changing the steady-state temperature of the fluid by applying a thermal contrast to the pipeline; based on changing the steady-state temperature, detecting a thermal gradient between the fluid carried in the bore and at least one of the tubular conduit or the layer of insulation at a particular location of the pipeline; and based on the detected thermal gradient, determining a presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline.

Techniques for determining a thermal condition of a pipeline include identifying a pipeline that carries a fluid at a steady-state temperature, where the pipeline includes a tubular conduit that includes a bore that carries the fluid, and a layer of insulation installed over an exterior surface of the tubular conduit; changing the steady-state temperature of the fluid by applying a thermal contrast to the pipeline; based on changing the steady-state temperature, detecting a thermal gradient between the fluid carried in the bore and at least one of the tubular conduit or the layer of insulation at a particular location of the pipeline; and based on the detected thermal gradient, determining a presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the exterior surface of the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline.

Techniques for determining a thermal condition of a pipeline include identifying a pipeline that carries a first fluid at a first temperature that includes a tubular conduit that includes a bore that carries the first fluid, and a layer of insulation installed over the tubular conduit; circulating a second fluid at a second temperature from a bypass conduit that is fluidly coupled to the tubular conduit through the layer of insulation into the bore; based on circulating the second fluid into the bore, detecting a thermal gradient between the first fluid carried in the bore and the tubular conduit or the layer of insulation at a particular location of the pipeline; and based on the detected thermal gradient, determining a presence of at least one of water or water vapor between the tubular conduit and the layer of insulation at the particular location of the pipeline.

A plug-in coupling for connecting a first double-walled vacuum-insulated cryogenic line to a second. The plug-in coupling has a coupling plug and a coupling socket. The coupling plug can be plugged into the coupling socket, these being retained in a plugged-together state by fixing means. A guide column is arranged on the coupling plug or the coupling socket. The guide column has arranged on it elastic means which, in the assembled state of the plug-in coupling, are subjected to stressing and which subject the coupling plug and/or coupling socket to an elastic force which strives to release the coupling plug and coupling socket from one another as soon as the fixing means no longer hold the coupling plug and coupling socket together. The elastic energy stored in the elastic means ensures that, in the event of an emergency, the coupling plug and coupling socket are quickly released from one another.

A through-air apparatus for drying or bonding paper, tissue, or nonwoven webs is provided. The apparatus includes a web-carrying structure configured to move and a first component having at least one sealing element adjacent the web-carrying structure, where the sealing element is configured to reduce the infiltration of ambient air into the through-air apparatus. The apparatus also includes at least one channel configured to direct air to the sealing element to reduce the infiltration of ambient air into the through-air apparatus. A method of operating a through-air apparatus for drying or bonding paper, tissue, or nonwoven webs is also provided. The method includes directing air to a sealing element to reduce the infiltration of ambient air into the through-air apparatus.

A method of fabricating a conduit comprises steps of attaching a first tubular-outboard-ply end of a tubular outboard ply to a first inner collar portion of a first collar with a third weld and attaching a second tubular-outboard-ply end to a second inner collar portion of a second collar with a fifth weld. The method additionally comprises steps of interconnecting the first inner collar portion and a first outer collar portion of the first collar with a first weld and interconnecting the second inner collar portion and a second outer collar portion of the second collar with a sixth weld. The method also comprises attaching a trimmed first corrugated-inboard-ply end to the first outer collar portion with a second weld, attaching a trimmed second corrugated-inboard-ply end to the second outer collar portion with a fourth weld, and communicatively coupling a first sensor with an interstitial space.

The invention relates to pipelines and equipment useful in nuclear power plants, heat power engineering, manufacturing engineering, petrochemistry, water supply, chemical and aerospace industries, and other fields. The invention relates to a pipe heat insulation casing consisted of metal elements and assembly method ensuring reliable electrical insulation of all elements. The connection of the metal elements is with lapping, the elements are with openings in the lapping area where the electrically-insulating spacers are set made of resilient, elastic-plastic, plastic, fully viscous or partially solidified material ensuring electrical insulation between the adjacent elements. The electrically-insulating spacers are applied to the lapping areas of the metal elements to fill the openings of the lapping areas thus arranging reliable pin connections between the spacer and adjacent casing elements. Multiple pin connections ensure fixation of the adjacent metal elements without any failure to electrical insulation of each other.