SEALING COUPLING BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO PIPES OF AN ELECTROLYSIS SYSTEM THAT CAN BE MOUNTED ON ONE ANOTHER, AND USE THEREOF

Abstract

A sealed coupling between at least two pipes may be mountable on one another in an electrolysis facility. The sealed coupling may be formed on at least one overlapping pipe pair by lateral surfaces abutting one another. The pipes may be mounted/mountable one inside the other in a floating manner relative to one another in an axial direction. A deformation point may be formed at a circumferential position having an axial length on a free end of the outer pipe in the overlap region. The deformation point may define a region for deformation of the outer pipe. A lateral surface of an inner lateral surface of the outer pipe and an outer lateral surface of the inner pipe may define a sealing surface that overlaps the deformation point in the axial direction. In addition to high operational reliability, this also enables a simplification of the installation procedure.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A sealed coupling that is positionable between at least two pipes of an electrolysis facility that are either mounted or mountable to one another, wherein the sealed coupling is formed on the at least two pipes in an overlap region of the at least two pipes by lateral surfaces abutting one another, wherein an inner pipe of the at least two pipes is either mounted or mountable inside an outer pipe of the at least two pipes in a floating manner to form a seal between the at least two pipes in an axial direction, wherein a deformation point is disposed at a predefined circumferential position having an axial length on a free end of the outer pipe in the overlap region.

17. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein the at least two pipes comprise a discharge pipe connected to a cell of the electrolysis facility and a collecting pipe.

18. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein the deformation point is one of a plurality of deformation points disposed circumferentially or wherein the deformation point is one of a pair of deformation points that are disposed opposite one another.

19. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein at least one of: a lateral surface of an inner lateral surface of the outer pipe and an outer lateral surface of the inner pipe define a sealing surface that overlaps the deformation point in the axial direction; both the inner lateral surface of the outer pipe and the outer lateral surface of the inner pipe define a sealing surface that overlaps the deformation point axially in an inward direction; or the inner lateral surface of the outer pipe defines a sealing surface that is disposed farther inward than the deformation point and the outer lateral surface of the inner pipe defines a sealing surface that extends up to a free end of the inner pipe.

20. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein the deformation point comprises a compensation region or is configured for a conical widening of a free end of the outer pipe.

21. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein at least one of: a wall, an inner lateral surface, or an outer lateral surface of the inner pipe has a conicity on which a sealing surface is formed; or a sealing surface defined by a conicity of a wall or a lateral surface of the inner pipe has a slope in a range of 10° to 20°.

22. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein the axial length of the deformation point is in a range of 10% to 30% of a diameter of the outer pipe.

23. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein at least one of the deformation point in a circumferential direction is larger than 0.3 mm or greater than 1% of a diameter of the outer pipe; or the deformation point in a circumferential direction is smaller than 1 mm or less than 5% of the diameter of the outer pipe.

24. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein at least one of: the deformation point is overlapped in the axial direction by the inner pipe by at least 5% of a diameter of the outer pipe or at least 3 mm; or a sealing surface overlaps the deformation point inward in the axial direction by at least 3 mm or at least 5% of the diameter of the outer pipe.

25. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein the deformation point is formed as a compensation slot having a hole as a compensation region.

26. The sealed coupling of claim 16 formed by a friction-locked, axially-tolerant pipe-in-pipe arrangement configured to seal upon friction lock by elastic deformation.

27. The sealed coupling of claim 16 wherein a first of the at least two pipes comprises metal and a second of the at least two pipes comprises plastic.

28. The sealed coupling of claim 16 configured for axial relative movements of the at least two pipes relative to one another in a range of 5 to 15 mm or 20% to 40% of a diameter of the inner pipe.

29. A sealed coupling between at least two pipes of an electrolysis facility that are mounted on one another, the sealed coupling comprising two pipes that are coupled at free ends thereof on lateral surfaces abutting one another, wherein the two pipes are mounted in a floating manner relative to one another by way of the sealed coupling, wherein the sealed coupling is in an overlap region of the two pipes, wherein a deformation point is disposed on at least one predefined circumferential position having a predefined axial length in the overlap region, by way of which the deformation point abutting of the lateral surfaces on one another to form a seal is ensured with approximately uniform axial pre-tension force on the overlap region in an event of axial displacement of the two pipes relative to one another.

30. The sealed coupling of claim 29 configured as a self-locking coupling, the sealed coupling being mounted in a floating manner axially and being tolerant of thermal expansion.

31. The sealed coupling of claim 29 wherein a coefficient of thermal expansion of the outer pipe is greater than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the inner pipe.

32. A pipe-in-pipe arrangement configured as a sealed coupling, which is tolerant of thermal expansion, between a first pipe comprised of metal and a second pipe comprised of plastic in an electrolysis facility, wherein the first pipe is an interior overlapping collecting pipe and the second pipe is an exterior overlapping discharge pipe, wherein the second pipe has slotted deformation points, is axially mounted in a floating manner on a conical sealing surface of the first pipe in an overlap region, and is sealed by surface pressure.

Description

[0048] Further features and advantages of the invention result from the description of at least one exemplary embodiment on the basis of drawings, and from the drawings themselves.

[0049] Reference is made to the other figures in the case of reference signs which are not described explicitly with respect to an individual figure. In this case, the respective schematic figures

[0050] FIGS. 1A, 1B each show a side view of a previously known, conical pipe-in-pipe arrangement according to the prior art,

[0051] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D each show a side view of a sealed coupling according to one exemplary embodiment, and

[0052] FIGS. 3A, 3B show, in a side view and in a sectional view according to the dotted line of section, a part of an electrolysis facility having a cell having a sealed coupling installed therein according to one exemplary embodiment.

[0053] FIGS. 1A, 1B show a pipe-in-pipe arrangement 5 having an inner pipe 11 and an outer pipe 13, which overlap one another in an overlap region 5.1. In this case, sealing takes place on a respective conical lateral surface of the pipes, on which an (inner) sealing surface and an (outer) sealing surface is respectively formed. With increasing overlap, the sealing surface becomes larger, in particular proportionally. Because of the conicity of the inner pipe 11, the tensions in the pipes increase strongly in this case, possibly also disproportionately. It can also be unfavorable or disadvantageous in this case that the leak-tightness becomes worse and worse at the bottom of the interface at the free end of the inner pipe the larger the overlap becomes. The sealing point is displaced away from the actual interface between inner and outer pipe. This can have technically disadvantageous effects, in particular if the outer pipe loses elasticity over time. It has also been shown that in arrangements in which the pipes tilt relative to one another or are aligned at least in a small angle range relative to one another, sealing cannot be ensured with good reliability. In this case, high bending tensions can also be induced, which reduces the operational reliability.

[0054] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D show a sealed coupling 10 having a pipe-in-pipe arrangement 15 extending along a center longitudinal axis M having an inner (first) pipe 11, in particular a collecting pipe in a cell of an electrolysis facility, and an outer (second) pipe 13, in particular a discharge pipe, which pipes together form the pipe-in-pipe arrangement 15 having an overlap region 15.1.

[0055] A sealing surface 11.31, 13.11 is formed on the two pipes 11, 13, respectively having the axial extension z11, z13. The inner pipe 11 is formed conically at a free end 11.5. The conicity 11.7 also extends in this case up to tabs 11.51 at the free end. The sealing occurs on an outer lateral surface 11.3 of the inner pipe 11 and on an inner lateral surface 13.1 of the outer pipe 13. No contact takes place on an outer lateral surface 13.3 of the outer pipe 13 and on an inner lateral surface 11.1 of the inner pipe 11.

[0056] Two intended deformation points 13.7 extending in the axial z direction are formed on the outer pipe 13, respectively at a circumferential position u1, u2, in particular diametrically opposing, i.e., offset by 180° in the circumferential direction u. In the circumferential direction u, the respective intended deformation point 13.7 has a uniform width u7, except for a rounded, in particular circular compensation region 13.71, which is formed on a base or bottom of the intended deformation point 13.7.

[0057] The intended deformation point 13.7 overlaps the sealing surface 13.11 in the axial direction. The sealing surface 13.11 extends farther in the axial direction than the intended deformation point 13.7. The intended deformation point 13.7 is formed as a slot in the axial direction at a free end of the pipe 13. The axial extension or length z7 of the intended deformation point 13.7 is in the range of 10 to 30% of the diameter of the outer pipe.

[0058] In this sealed coupling 10, an elastic deformation is possible in the region of the intended deformation point 13.7 in the event of axial relative movement of the pipes 11, 13. A surface pressure, which is advantageous for the sealing effect, on the sections of the lateral surfaces abutting one another can be ensured by the pre-tension of the outer pipe 13.

[0059] FIGS. 3A, 3B schematically show an electrolysis facility 1 having one cell or multiple cells 3, in each of which at least one sealed coupling 10 can be provided. In this application of the sealed coupling 10, the outer discharge pipe 13 can be formed from plastic in particular, and the inner collecting pipe 11 can be a comparatively short pipe connecting piece, in particular made of metal. Thermally-related location changes then take place above all in the discharge pipe 13 according to experience.

[0060] The following is also to be noted with respect to the functionality of the electrolysis facility 1: The cell 3 consists of two halves, of which only one half is shown in FIG. 3B. The two halves are laid one on top of another and screwed together to form a seal. An outlet connecting piece or outlet out of the cell is located on the bottom (FIG. 3B) or on the bottom left (FIG. 3A). The so-called discharge pipe 13 is inserted into the outlet connecting piece and connected or coupled at its upper end to the metallic collecting pipe or connecting piece 11. In operation, the cell 3 fills up with liquid, up to the top. The connecting piece 11 then assumes the function of an overflow, in the manner of a pipe draining out of the cell or electrolysis facility, and the liquid can reach the outlet via the discharge pipe 13. It is thus important that leak-tightness can be ensured at this coupling between connecting piece 11 and discharge pipe 13, even in the event of comparatively large location changes and/or tension variations.

List of reference signs:

[0061] 1 electrolysis facility

[0062] 3 cell

[0063] 5 pipe-in-pipe arrangement

[0064] 5.1 overlap region

[0065] 10 sealed coupling

[0066] 11 inner (first) pipe, in particular collecting pipe

[0067] 11.1 inner lateral surface

[0068] 11.3 outer lateral surface

[0069] 11.31 sealing surface

[0070] 11.5 free end

[0071] 11.51 tab

[0072] 11.7 conicity

[0073] 13 outer (second) pipe, in particular discharge pipe

[0074] 13.1 inner lateral surface

[0075] 13.11 sealing surface

[0076] 13.3 outer lateral surface

[0077] 13.5 free end

[0078] 13.7 intended deformation point

[0079] 13.71 compensation region

[0080] 15 pipe-in-pipe arrangement

[0081] 15.1 overlap region

[0082] M center longitudinal axis

[0083] u1, u2 circumferential position

[0084] u7 extension of the intended deformation point in the circumferential direction

[0085] z7 axial extension of the intended deformation point

[0086] z11 axial extension of the (inner) sealing surface

[0087] z13 axial extension of the (outer) sealing surface

[0088] r, y radial direction

[0089] u circumferential direction

[0090] z axial direction