Method and apparatus for high pressure water treatment of the inside of a pipe section

Abstract

Material lining the inside surface of a section of pipe is removed by a hydrodemolition nozzle assembly mounted on a working end of an elongated boom. The opposed end of the boom is supported outside the pipe on a movable support for inserting and retracting the boom from the inside of the pipe. The nozzles remove the liner while the working end of the boom is supported by a wheel resting on the liner that has not yet been removed and that rolls along the inside liner as the pipe is made to revolve around the boom. The nozzles are oriented to eject the liner and water downstream and away from the boom.

Claims

1. A hydrodemolition apparatus for removing a liner material from the inside surface of a cylindrical structure, comprising a support for supporting the cylindrical structure in a horizontal orientation, a rotation mechanism cooperating with the support to enable the cylindrical structure to be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the structure and an elongated boom partially insertable into the structure, a first end of said boom comprising one or more nozzles oriented to deliver a pressurized jet of water to the liner to disintegrate the liner by hydrodemolition, a boom support for a portion of said boom that is distal from said first end of said boom, said boom support being located outside of said cylindrical structure, and a displacement mechanism for displacing said boom in a longitudinal direction, characterized in that: said apparatus further comprises at least one boom end support adjacent said first end of said boom, said at least one boom end support being adapted to roll circumferentially along the inside of said cylindrical structure; and wherein said one or more nozzles comprises: a first set of nozzles connected to a first source of pressurized water to impinge on the inside of the cylindrical structure at a first location; a second set of nozzles connected to a second source of pressurized water at a higher pressure than said first source; said second set of nozzles being spaced downstream from said first set of nozzles along a longitudinal direction of said boom to impinge on the inside of the cylindrical structure at a second location downstream from said first location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one boom end support comprises at least one support roller having an axis of rotation that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of said boom.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least two bracing rollers radially spaced in relation to said first end of said boom, the axis of rotation of said bracing rollers being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boom.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said at least one support roller is spaced longitudinally away from said first end of said boom in relation to the location of said nozzles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be described by reference to the detailed description of the preferred and alternative embodiments thereof and to the drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a pipe section having two layers of liner on the inside surface of the pipe;

(3) FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the boom-mounted hydrodemolition system and its external support structure and further showing the working end of the boom in a cut away of the pipe and the support wheels or rollers for the working end of the boom;

(4) FIG. 3 is side elevation of the boom-mounted nozzle assembly within a pipe, with a cut-away showing the working end of the boom;

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the view of a pipe looking into the working end of the boom, showing support, bracing and a retractable wheels and layers of liner;

(6) FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the boom mounted nozzle assembly and an exit platform as the boom-mounted nozzle assembly exits the pipe;

(7) FIG. 6 is a side view of the displacement drive mechanism and chain for the support structure;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the working end of the boom and the exit platform;

(9) FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the working end of the boom-mounted assembly according to an embodiment of the invention that includes an ultra-high pressure nozzle assembly, within a cut-away of a pipe;

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ultra-high nozzle assembly mounted on the working end of the boom;

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the ultra-high nozzle assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS

(12) Referring to FIG. 1, a section of pipe 10 comprises an inside wall 12 having a layer of rubber 14 adhered to the interior surface of the wall 12 and a layer of urethane 16 adhered to the rubber layer 14. In FIG. 1, the wall 12, the rubber layer 14 and the urethane layer 16 appear as concentric rings about a central pipe axis 18. Pipe segments of the kind illustrated are used in pipelines for conveying diluted bitumen after it has been extracted from oil sands to a storage/shipping facility or refinery. Typically, the pipe segments are about 50 feet long. As well, depending on the application of the pipeline, the pipe segments may comprise only one layer of lining material, or they may have a plurality of layers or lining material. Two layers are disclosed in relation to the preferred embodiment but aspects of the invention may be practiced with a single layer or more than two layers of various materials. While the present invention is described and illustrated in application to pipe used in pipelines for moving diluted bitumen, the scope of the invention goes beyond those pipelines.

(13) FIG. 2 illustrates an elongated rigid boom 19 according to a preferred embodiment. A nozzle assembly 20 is mounted at one end 22 (referred to herein as the working end) of the boom 19. A support structure 24 maintains a proximal end 26 of the boom 19 at a suitable height to enable it to be introduced longitudinally into a section of pipe 10. In the preferred embodiment, the support structure 24 comprises a frame 28.

(14) The support structure 24 preferably supports the end 30 of the boom that is opposed to the working end 22. However, support may be provided at a location other than at the very end 30, for example at a point closer to the pipe 10, provided that a sufficiently long section of the boom remains unobstructed by the support structure so as to allow the introduction of the boom into the pipe at the desired distance.

(15) Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the working end 22 of the boom 19 is supported by support wheels 32 that extend downward from the boom along its vertical axis to rest on the inside of the pipe 10. The axes of rotation of the wheels 32 are parallel to the longitudinal axis 18 of the pipe and to the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom. Support wheels 32 are spaced longitudinally inward along the boom compared to the location of the one or more nozzles 42, 44, 46. That location ensures that the support wheels 32 will ride on liner that has not yet been removed by the nozzles as the boom is retracted from the pipe. This minimizes obstructions to the wheels 32 from uneven joints, welds or defects that might be present on the base structure of the pipe.

(16) Additional bracing wheels or rollers 36, 38, 40 have axes of rotation that are also parallel to the longitudinal axis 18 of the pipe and to the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom 19. Wheels 36, 38, 40 are preferably arranged so as to be equally angularly spaced from one another around the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom 19. Such spacing allows bracing of the boom 19 against the inside liner 16 of the pipe 10 and to maintain the boom substantially centered in the pipe while the pipe revolves around the boom. In the preferred embodiment, the bracing wheels 36, 38, 40 are recessed from the positions that would cause the wheels to constantly engage the liners, such that there is not necessarily continuous contact of the additional wheels with the liners but they can accommodate continuous or intermittent contact. This enables the insertion of the boom into pipes of slightly varying diameters. The bracing wheels 36, 38, 40 nonetheless ensure that the working end 22 of the boom remains reasonably centered in relation to the pipe as the working end of the boom reacts to the pressure of the water being ejected from the nozzle assembly 20.

(17) The boom 19 may comprise any suitable straight elongated member that is capable of supporting the nozzle assembly 20, the hoses (discussed below) and the water they carry to supply the nozzles. The boom 19 preferably comprises an elongated, rigid, hollow steel casing of rectangular cross-section to provide the rigidity and stability needed to withstand the torques and dynamic stresses of high pressure and ultra-high pressure water being ejected from the nozzle assembly 20.

(18) The nozzle assembly 20 comprises at least one nozzle 42 mounted in a fixed orientation on the working end 22 of the boom. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle(s) do not rotate around the working end 22 of the boom in order to treat the circumferential inner surface of the pipe. The nozzle(s) effectively remain directed at a specific area while the pipe 10 revolves around the boom 19 and around the nozzle assembly 20. However, the reference to a fixed orientation in this disclosure and in the claims should be taken to include the possibility of the nozzle tip precessing about the nominal longitudinal axis of the nozzle, as is known in the art of high pressure water nozzles used for hydrodemolition.

(19) Referring to FIG. 4, in the preferred embodiment, the nozzle assembly 20 comprises three nozzles 42, 44, 46 all being equally angularly spaced from one another with respect to the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom 19. Each of the nozzles 42, 44 and 46 has a nominal (nominal to account for some precession) spray angle that is outward and away from the boom 19 (as best appreciated by reference to FIG. 3) such that the high pressure water is directed toward the inner surface of the pipe 10 but away from the boom 19. The angle is between the longitudinal axis and the radial direction of the boom. The inventors have found that a relatively small angle of 30 degrees from the vertical is sufficient to cause any excess water and debris to be preferentially directed away from the end of the working end of the boom.

(20) Preferably each of the nozzles 42, 44, 46 is fed by a hose, exemplified by hose 48 in FIGS. 3 and 7. Brackets 50 are provided at spaced locations along the length of the boom to support the hoses. In an alternative embodiment, the boom is in the form of a hollow rectangular structure and the hoses are housed within the cavity of the structure along the length of the boom. In yet another embodiment, rigid water supply conduits are provided within the body of the hollow member that forms the boom 19.

(21) The support structure 24 is mounted on rails (only one of which, 60, is visible in the drawings) to guide and maintain the boom 19 in alignment with the pipe 10. A motor 62 is provided to index the boom support structure 24 and hence the boom 19 at a controlled speed for withdrawal from the pipe 10 in the direction shown by arrow 63. In the preferred embodiment, a chain 64 is secured to a position adjacent the pipe end 66 of the rails 60 (see FIG. 5) and to a position 68 that is distal from the pipe along the rails to enable the boom to be drawn into or out of the pipe by indexing the support structure along the chain. In an embodiment, the support structure 24 tracks along the chain 64 by means of a driven sprocket 70 and idlers 72. The indexing system gradually withdraws the boom from the pipe at a rate selected to ensure that the liner is completely removed as the operation progresses. The rate of retraction of the boom is coordinated with the speed of rotation of the pipe to prevent dragging the support wheels 32 sideways across the surface of the liner, allowing the wheels 32 to instead track along the inner circumference of the pipe.

(22) Embodiments of the invention generally comprise a support 80 that supports the pipe section 10 in a desired orientation, usually horizontally, and a rotation mechanism 82 connected to or cooperating with the support 80 that enables rotation of, or actively rotates, the pipe 10 about its longitudinal axis 34, the rotation being indicated by arrow 84.

(23) In the simplest of embodiments, the support 80 may comprise a one or more frame members that are suitable for supporting the weight of a section of pipe 10 horizontally, and the rotation mechanism 82 may comprise a plurality of wheels or rollers connected to the frame members on which the pipe rests, wherein the axis of rotation of each roller is parallel to the longitudinal axis 34 of the pipe 10 so that the pipe may be rotated about its axis 34. In more elaborate embodiments, the support 80 may comprise a stacking and conveying apparatus that is able to store a plurality of pipe sections and convey one section at a time to the rotation mechanism for processing by the hydrodemolition apparatus.

(24) FIG. 3 shows the boom 19 including its working end 22 introduced into the section of pipe 10 and illustrates a layer of urethane 16 and rubber 14 that has yet to be removed.

(25) A typical liner removal operation commences with the working end 22 of the boom 19 and the nozzle assembly 20 disposed at the distal end 90 of the pipe 10. The support wheels 32 rest on the innermost liner 14 of the pipe 10. The high pressure water spray from the nozzles 42, 44, 46 impinges on the surface of the liner 14. Due to the angle of the nozzles, any reflected water and removed liner are directed preferentially rearward away from the boom (downstream) and out the distal end 90 of the pipe 10. The pipe simultaneously revolves about the nozzle assembly 20 allowing an entire circumferential swath of liner to be removed from the pipe by the nozzle assembly. As the axis of rotation of the wheels 32 is parallel to the axis of rotation of the pipe 10, the support wheels 32 turn and track along the inner circumference of the pipe, allowing the pipe 10 to revolve around the working end 22 of the boom and allowing the working end of the boom to remain in a static orientation. As the pipe 10 revolves around the boom 19, the support structure 24 is drawn away from the pipe 10 thereby withdrawing the boom 19 and the nozzle assembly 20 from the distal end 90 of the pipe, and thereby allowing the removal of liner to progress along the inside of the pipe. By controlling the speed of retraction of the boom 19 and the speed of rotation of the pipe 10, an optimal removal of liner is achieved while also allowing the support wheels 32 and any additional bracing wheels 36, 38, 40 that may be in contact with the liner to gradually progress longitudinally of the pipe without being dragged sideways along the liner.

(26) As the nozzles remain angled away from the boom in a downstream direction, any removed liner and water is expelled toward the distal end 90 of the pipe, until the working end of the boom eventually reaches the proximal end 92 of the pipe and all of the liner has been removed.

(27) When the boom has almost reached the proximal end 92 of the pipe, the wheels 32, 36, 38, 40 will exit the pipe before the nozzle assembly 20 does. Absent any other arrangements, the working end 22 of the boom would no longer be supported by the inside of the pipe 10 although the nozzles 42, 46, 48 will not yet have removed all of the liner at the near end of the pipe. In order to accommodate this, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, an exit support platform 100 is provided adjacent the distal end of the pipe to receive the support wheels 32 and to take the weight of the working end 22 of the boom 19 once the wheels exit the pipe. Referring to FIG. 7, the exit support platform 100 comprises flat surfaces 102, 104, 106 corresponding in orientation and location to the sides of the pipe that the wheels would otherwise be rolling on. Accordingly, the support wheels 32 along with any other wheels 36, 38, 40 that may be in contact with the pipe wall ride (albeit sideways) onto the support platform 100 to take the weight of the working end of the boom.

(28) According to the preferred embodiment, in order to minimize the stress on the wheels as they move onto the platform surfaces 102, 104, 106, a removable or retractable wheel 108 is provided on the bottom of the working end 22 of the boom. The removable or retractable wheel 108, when deployed, has an axis of rotation that is transverse to the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom 19 allowing the wheel 108 to be rolled on a surface in that longitudinal direction. The use of such wheel 108 facilitates the introduction of the working end of the boom 19 into a new pipe to be treated until the support wheels 32 can engage the liner surface of the new pipe section. The wheel 108 is then removed or retracted to allow the support wheels 32 to take the weight of the boom. A suitable flat bottom surface 104 is provided on the exit support platform 100 to accommodate rolling of the removable or retractable wheel 108, and flange portions 110, 112 are provided on the surface 104 to maintain the wheel 108 within a track on the support platform 100.

(29) In an embodiment, wheel 108 is selectively orientable so that its axis of rotation may be either parallel to the longitudinal axis 34 of the boom, in which case it can roll along the inner circumference of the pipe, or transverse to the axis 34, in which case it can roll directly along the surface 104 of the exit support platform 100. As the working end of the boom exits the pipe, the wheel 108 is re-oriented to allow it to roll onto the surface 104.

(30) FIG. 8 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention that includes a fixed ultra-high pressure nozzle assembly 120 (the UHPNA) for removing an underlying liner (in this example rubber 14) that acts as a base for the urethane liner 16, in a single pass of the nozzle assembly 20. According to the preferred embodiment, an arm 122 extends from the nozzle assembly 20 to support an UHPNA 120 and to locate the assembly 120 downstream of the high pressure nozzle assembly 20. As a result, the ultra-high pressure nozzles impinge on the pipe downstream of the urethane liner 16 that has already been removed. Referring to FIG. 10, the UHPNA 120 comprises a truncated drum 124. The drum 124 is truncated so as to remove the downstream portion of the drum wall and to retain the upstream portion. The upstream portion of the drum wall protects the ultra-high nozzles 126, 128, 130, 132 from debris and water being ejected from the operation of the high pressure nozzles 42, 44, 46 and being reflected off the pipe while removal of the downstream portion of the drum wall enables any rubber debris or water from the ultra-high pressure nozzles to be directed downstream of the UHPNA 120. It will be appreciated that the same shielding effect can be achieved by structures and shapes other than a truncated drum.

(31) The UHPNA 120 comprises a mounting bar 134 rotatable within the drum 124. Each of the opposed ends of the mounting bar 134 comprises a pair of ultra-high pressure water nozzles 126, 128 and 130, 132. The ultra-high pressure nozzles 126, 128, 130, 132 are slightly angled in a radially outward direction in relation to the rotation axis of the mounting bar 134. In operation, the mounting bar 134 spins within the drum 124 and the pairs of nozzles travel along the inside of the perimeter of the drum. The arm 122 and the drum 124 are located such that the UHPNA presents the ultra-high nozzles in close proximity to the inner surface of the pipe 10 so as to effectively remove the rubber liner in the same pass of the nozzle assembly as for the removal of the urethane liner by the high pressure water nozzles.

(32) In the foregoing embodiments, the specific rate of rotation of the pipe, the rate of retraction of the boom from the pipe and the specific pressures to be used for hydrodemolition are controlled to ensure substantially full removal of the liner(s) as the pipe revolves while also enabling the wheels or rollers 32 (and if they are in contact with the pipe, wheels 36, 38, 40) to travel along the circumference of the pipe without substantial longitudinal friction.

(33) It will be appreciated that the embodiment has been described as involving wheels, but rollers or other forms of rotating contracts are intended to be captured by the term roller in this disclosure and in the claims.

(34) In another aspect, the support wheel or roller that support the boom end may be any support that is adapted to roll circumferentially of the inside of the pipe. It will be appreciated that certain bearing mechanisms provide such ability without necessarily being characterized as wheels or rollers having given axis of rotation.

(35) In another embodiment, wheels 32 and/or wheels 36, 38, 40 and 108 are replaced with skids or skis oriented in the direction of displacement corresponding to that of the wheels. In the case of wheels 32, 36, 38, 40 skids or skis are oriented for travel in the circumferential direction of the inside of the pipe. Similarly, retractable or re-orientable wheel 108 may be replaced with a retractable or re-orientable skid or ski in a direction corresponding to the intended direction of rotation of the wheel 108.

(36) While the preferred embodiment has been described as a high pressure nozzle assembly for removing a first outer layer of a material and a downstream ultra-high pressure nozzle assembly for removing an inner layer of material, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide an ultra-high pressure nozzle assembly upstream of a high pressure nozzle assembly. In selecting the specific arrangement as between two nozzle assemblies of different pressures, operational parameters such as the number of nozzles and their distance from the liner to be removed may be varied to achieve the desired removal of a liner using a particular configuration.

(37) Other variations of the embodiments without necessarily departing from the broadest aspects of the invention may include for example the number of nozzles arrayed about the working end of the boom, the specific angles of the nozzles, the shape and structure of the boom, the displacement mechanism for the boom, the details of the exit platform, and the means of supporting and actuating rotation of the pipe section.

(38) In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. However, the scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.