APPARATUS FOR CURING A TUBULAR LINER

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for curing resin-impregnated tubular liners by means of high-energy radiation, comprising at least two radiation sources for producing high-energy radiation, wherein the apparatus has a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, two opposite side ends, an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end, wherein a length of the apparatus, measured from the front end to the rear end, a width of the apparatus, measured from a side end to the opposite side end, and/or a height of the apparatus, measured from the lower into the upper end, is smaller in a transport state than in an operating state, in that at least one element of the apparatus is mounted such that the element can be folded out, displaced, rotated, and/or moved, and wherein at least one further radiation source is arranged to be spaced further apart from at least one further radiation source when in the operating state than in the transport state. The invention further relates to a use of such an apparatus.

Claims

1. Apparatus for curing resin-impregnated tubular liners by means of high-energy radiation, comprising at least two radiation sources for producing high-energy radiation, wherein the apparatus has a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, two opposite side ends, an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end, wherein a length of the apparatus, measured from the front end to the rear end, a width of the apparatus, measured from a side end to the opposite side end, and/or a height of the apparatus, measured from the lower into the upper end, is smaller in a transport state than in an operating state, in that at least one element of the apparatus is mounted such that the element can be folded out, displaced, rotated, and/or moved, and wherein at least one further radiation source is arranged to be spaced further apart from at least one further radiation source when in the operating state than in the transport state.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gas discharge lamp, a short-arc lamp, a stroboscopic lamp, a flash lamp, an arc lamp, in particular a xenon lamp, and/or a mercury xenon lamp is used as a radiation source, wherein in particular wherein the light source provides or can provide at least fifty percent (50%) of the radiation energy in a wavelength range of 351 to 800 nm, in particular in a range of 380 nm to 800 nm, in particular in a range of 380 nm to 700 nm, preferably in a range of 390 nm to 470 nm, or in a range of 400 nm to 800 nm.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one first securing device and at least one second securing device is included, wherein the at least one first securing device is connected or can be connected to the at least one second securing device by means of at least one telescopic arm, or the at least one first securing device is connected or can be connected to a first end of at least one connecting device by means of at least one telescopic arm, and the at least one second securing device is connected or can be connected to a second end opposite the first end of the connecting device by means of at least one further telescopic arm, so that the at least one first connecting device and the at least one second connecting device can be displaced relative to one another, and in particular relative to the connecting device, preferably displaced in a linear way.

4. Closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one first radiation source, in particular n radiation sources, where n=1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more, is arranged on the second securing device.

5. Closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the radiation sources are spaced at a first distance from the first and/or second securing apparatus, in particular n,m radiation sources are displaced circularly around the first and/or the second securing apparatus, arranged displaced about a center angle of the first and/or second securing device of 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 with respect to one another, preferably each of the 3 radiation sources are arranged displaced about a center angle of 120 on the at least one first and the at least one second securing device.

6. Closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation sources are connected or can be connected at a fixed distance from the at least one first and/or the at least one second securing device to these by means of spacer elements or these are arranged so that they can be folded out, displaced, rotated, and/or moved relative to the at least one first and/or the at least one second securing device by means of spacer elements, in particular by means of telescopic spacer elements.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one, in particular all radiation sources of the at least one first securing device and the at least one second securing device are arranged displaced from one another about a center angle so that in the transport state these are arranged or can be arranged at least in sections, in particular parallel, overlapping.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first securing device and/or the at least one second securing device comprise at least one, in particular o, where o=1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more, wheels, wherein at least one, in particular each of the wheels is connected or can be connected to and spaced from the at least one first and/or the at least one second securing apparatus by means of a spacer element, wherein in particular the distance of at least one, in particular all of the wheels from the first and/or second securing device in the transport state is less than in the operating state.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the support elements are formed in a circular ring segment shape and can be inserted into or passed through a storage device arranged on each one of the at least one first and/or second securing device and/or formed by these, wherein the support elements are arranged displaced about a center angle of the first and/or second securing device of 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 in relation to one another, preferably each of the 4 support elements are displaced about a center angle of 90, on the at least one first and/or the at least one second securing device.

10. Use of an apparatus according to claim 1 in a tubular liner and/or as a curing apparatus for tubular liners, in particular for curing tubular liners, preferably for curing the curable layer of the tubular liner.

Description

[0042] Further features and advantages of the invention arise from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained using schematic drawings, without thus limiting the invention.

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an apparatus according to the invention in the operating state;

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the apparatus according to the invention from FIG. 1 in the transport state;

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention from FIG. 1 in the operating state;

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention from FIG. 1 in the transport state;

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention from FIG. 1 in the transport state in an uninflated tubular liner; and

[0048] FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention from FIG. 1 in the operating state in an uninflated tubular liner

[0049] In the following, the same features are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0050] Thus, the figures show an apparatus 1 according to the invention. The apparatus 1 comprises six radiation sources 3, which are connected to a first securing device 5 and a second securing device 7 by means of spacer elements (not shown). The first securing device 5 is connected to a connecting device 9 by means of a telescopic arm, and the second securing device 7 is connected to the connecting device 9 by means of a further telescopic arm on the opposite side of said connecting device 9. The telescopic arms facilitate a linear displacement of the securing devices 5, 7 with respect to the connecting device 9 as well as against one other. It is this possible that the two securing devices 5, 7 are moved away from each other.

[0051] As can be seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 in particular, the three radiation sources 3 are arranged circularly around the first and the second securing devices 5, 7, arranged displaced about a center angle of the first and/or second securing device of 120 with respect to one another. The distance between the radiation sources 3 is fixed or variable by the spacer elements (not shown).

[0052] Thus, it can be advantageous that the radiation sources 3 (as shown) are arranged displaced about a center angle with relation to one another, so that in the transport state these are arranged or can be arranged at least in sections, in particular parallel, overlapping. This is particularly clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0053] The apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises four wheels 11 on each of the first and the second securing devices 5, 7. Each of the wheels 11 comprises three castors, which are arranged rotatably mounted about a central axis. By using the said three castors, it is also possible that a height offset within the tubular can be easily overcome. Such a height offset can occur through a coupling offset or a fold. Thus, it is discernible that support elements 13 of the wheels 11 are formed in a circular ring shape and can be inserted in the storage devices 15 arranged on each of the first and the second securing devices 5, 7 and can be passed through these. Thus, in a transition of the apparatus 1 from the transport state to the operating state, a spacing of the wheels from the securing devices 5, 7 can occur in two directions simultaneously, so that the wheels 11 do not impede the curing of the tubular liner through shadowing.

[0054] Each of the four supporting elements 13 is arranged displaced about a central angle of the first or second securing device 5, 7 of 90 in relation to the others. Thus, it can be ensured that the positioning of the apparatus 1 according to the invention is optimally inside the piping to be restored and guiding of the apparatus into the tubular liner is carried out from four directions.

[0055] In particular in FIGS. 5 and 6, an apparatus according to the invention is illustrated in a tubular liner to be cured. The tubular liner 17 is thus stretched over a packer 19, and in FIG. 5 illustrated in an uninflated state and in FIG. 6 in an inflated state. As shown in FIG. 5, the uninflated tubular liner 17 slopes downward until it lies double-walled on the floor. The apparatus 1 according to the invention is thus in the transport state. The first and the second securing device 5, 7 are connected to one another with a retracted telescopic arm via the connecting device 9. Thus, the radiation sources 3 are partially overlapping as these are arranged displaced from one another about the center angle . The circular segment-shaped support elements 13 are also passed through the storage device 15 and thus reduce the size of the apparatus according to the invention.

[0056] Once the tubular liner 17 is inflated, as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second securing devices 5, 7 are spaced from the connecting device 9 by means of an extension of the telescopic arms and the circular ring segment-shaped support elements extend so that the apparatus 1 according to the invention is in the operating state without this being damaged by the tubular liner 17, 17.

[0057] The features of the invention disclosed in the preceding description and the claims can be essential, both individually and in any combination, to the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.