System for curing and/or inspecting a pipeline lining and method for curing and/or inspecting a pipeline lining

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (10) for curing and/or inspecting a pipeline lining (30) positioned in a pipeline (20), the pipeline lining (30) comprising an outer plastics material layer and an inner fiber composite layer, the fiber composite layer comprising a plastics material which is to be cured and/or which is at least partially cured. In accordance with the invention, the system (10) comprises at least one high-frequency unit (40) which comprises at least one microwave-generator unit (41) and at least one microwave-transmitting antenna (42) for curing a plastics material which is to be cured, at least the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna (42) being movable in the pipeline (20) by means of a transporting device (60).

Claims

1. A method for curing and/or inspecting a pipeline lining positioned in a pipeline, wherein the pipeline lining comprises an outer plastics material layer and an innermost fibre composite layer, wherein the fibre composite layer comprises a plastics material which is to be cured and/or which is at least partially cured, wherein the method is performed using a system comprising at least one high-frequency unit which comprises at least one microwave-generator unit and at least one microwave-transmitting antenna for curing a plastics material which is to be cured, at least the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna being movable in the pipeline by means of a transporting device, wherein the at least one microwave-generator unit is a solid-state microwave-generator unit and at least parts of the system are introduced into the pipeline in such a way that these parts of the system are surrounded by the pipeline lining, wherein the fibre composite layer is disposed between the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna and the outer plastics material layer, and wherein the plastics material of the fibre composite layer is cured on account of the microwaves emitted by the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna and/or the at least partially cured plastics material is inspected in respect of its degree of cross-linking, and wherein a multi-stage heating process is performed by a plurality of microwave-transmitting antennas, a first stage of the heating process causing a response to be triggered in the plastics material to be cured and a second stage of the heating process being a controlled application of energy to the plastics material following a corresponding detection of a degree of cross-linking of the at least partially cured plastics material.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the degree of curing of the plastics material which is to be cured is set by controlling the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna by means of a radiation-emitting control unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the frequency and/or microwave energy of the microwaves emitted by the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna is set and/or controlled depending on detected ambient parameters.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the degree of cross-linking of the at least partially cured plastics material is determined by means of an infrared sensor and a detection of a temperature change of the plastics material being cured.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that diameter values of the pipeline and/or of the pipeline lining are determined by means of a diameter-sensing unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that a plurality of microwave-transmitting antennas are actuated separately from one another.

7. A system for curing and inspecting a pipeline lining positioned in a pipeline, the pipeline lining comprising an outer plastics material layer and an inner fibre composite layer, the fibre composite layer comprising a plastics material which is to be cured and/or which is at least partially cured, wherein the system includes at least one high-frequency unit which comprises at least two microwave-generator units and at least two microwave-transmitting antenna for curing a plastics material which is to be cured, at least the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna being movable in the pipeline adjacent the fibre composite layer by means of a transportation device including a front unit and a rear unit with the at least one high-frequency unit disposed between the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna and the outer plastics material layer, forming the innermost layer of the pipeline lining, the system further comprises a sensor unit including at least one infrared sensor and optionally one or more of a temperature sensor a pressure sensor a moisture sensor a position sensor a travel measurement sensor, and/or a gyro sensor, wherein the sensor unit senses changes to thermal properties of the plastics material layer and the system adjusts transmissions from at least one microwave-transmitting antenna in response to the changes.

8. The system according to claim 7 characterised in that the high-frequency unit comprises at least two microwave-generator units and/or at least one microwave-generator unit generates 100-1000 W of microwave power, and/or the high-frequency unit comprises at least three microwave-transmitting antennas.

9. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the front portion and/or the rear portion comprises at least two leg elements.

10. The system according to claim 7, characterised by at least one camera, which is formed in the region of the front portion, and/or at least one camera is formed in the region of the rear portion.

11. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the transporting device has at least one traction wire, at least one fastening device being configured for attachment of the traction wire.

12. The system according to claim 11, characterised by a diameter-sensing unit.

13. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the plastics material to be cured is a thermally curing plastics material and/or the pipeline lining is hose-like and/or the fibre composite layer comprises glass fibres.

14. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna is a slot antenna or a monopole antenna or a patch antenna or a dipole antenna or a horn radiator.

15. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one microwave-transmitting antenna is actuated or actuatable by a radiation-emitting control unit.

16. The system according to claim 7, characterised by a plurality of microwave-transmitting antennas, which are actuated or actuatable separately from one another by at least one radiation-emitting control unit.

17. The system according to claim 7, characterised by a recording unit for storing ambient parameters and/or the energy consumption and/or process sequence data.

18. The system according to claim 7, characterised by at least one air-cooling unit.

19. The system according to claim 7, wherein the pipelining lining consists of the fibre composite layer and the plastics material layer.

20. The system according to claim 7, wherein the infrared sensor measures the surface temperature of the pipeline lining to inspect the curing process and the sensed temperature is stored.

21. The system according to claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a position sensor and/or a travel measurement sensor and at least one of a temperature sensor and/or a pressure sensor and/or a moisture sensor.

22. The system according to claim 7, wherein the microwave-transmitting antennas are actuatable by separate radiation emitting control units.

Description

(1) The invention will be explained in greater detail hereinafter on the basis of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the appended schematic drawing.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a possible embodiment of the system 10 according to the invention for curing and/or inspecting a pipeline lining. The system 10 according to the invention according to the FIGURE is already located in the pipeline 20. In addition, a pipeline lining 30 is already located in the pipeline 20.

(3) The pipeline lining 30 bears against the inner face of the pipeline 20. The pipeline lining 30 consists in turn of an outer plastics material layer and an inner fiber composite layer. The fiber composite layer comprises a plastics material which is to be cured and/or which is at least partially cured.

(4) In the shown example, a pipeline module corresponds to the entire system 10.

(5) The system 10 comprises at least one high-frequency unit 40, which in turn comprises at least one microwave-generator unit 41. Furthermore, the high-frequency unit 40 in the shown example comprises two microwave-transmitting antennas. Alternatively, it is possible that the high-frequency unit 40 is formed structurally separately. It is thus possible that the microwave-generator unit 41 remains outside the pipeline 20.

(6) In the present exemplary embodiment, the microwave-transmitting antennas 42 are transported by means of a transporting device 60. The transporting device 60 has a front portion 61 and a rear portion 62. The front portion 61 is understood to be the part of the system 10 or of the transporting device 60 that is arranged at the front or first in the movement direction R of the system 10.

(7) By contrast, the rear portion 62 is understood to be the portion of the transporting device 60 that is arranged at the rear or last in the movement direction R. The transporting device 60 can comprise further, intermediate portions. In the present case, the front portion 61, the rear portion 62 and the traction wires 66 and 66 serve to transport the system 10.

(8) Leg elements 63 are formed both on the front portion 61 and the rear portion 62. Rollers 64 are formed at the ends of the leg elements 63 and point in the direction of the pipeline 20. The system 10 is therefore moved and centred within the pipeline 20.

(9) The front traction wire 66 is attached to a fastening device 67. The fastening device 67 can be an eyelet. By contrast, the rear traction wire 66 is arranged on the fastening device 67. The system 10 is transported into the pipeline 20 by means of the front traction wire 66. The system 10 can be removed from the pipeline 20 with the aid of the rear traction wire 66.

(10) The leg elements 63 are preferably prestressed. This can be achieved for example by means of a spring (not shown). With the aid of a prestress of the leg elements 63, it is possible that the diameters formed by the leg elements 63 can be adapted to the diameters or inner diameters of the pipeline 20.

(11) A communications line 80 can additionally be attached to the rear portion 62. This communications line 80 serves for power supply and for data exchange. The data exchange is necessary especially in order to control the system 10 during the state in which the system is located in the pipeline 20.

(12) In the FIGURE it can also be seen that the system 10 has a radiation-emitting control unit 45. This radiation-emitting control unit 45 serves to regulate the microwaves RF emitted by the microwave-transmitting antennas 42.

(13) The system 10 furthermore comprises a sensor unit 50. This is a component that comprises a plurality of sensors. The component 50 has two infrared sensors 51. For example, the degree of cross-linking of the at least partially cured plastics material can be detected with the aid of the emitted infrared radiation IR. This detection is based on the sensing of the temperature change of the plastics material to be cured.

(14) In addition, the sensor unit 50 has a temperature sensor 52 which measures the ambient temperature.

(15) A diameter-sensing unit 65 is furthermore formed on the front portion 61. Data of this kind are determined with the aid of this diameter-sensing unit and are sent via the line 81 to the radiation-emitting control unit 45. The microwaves RF to be emitted can be adapted or regulated depending on the determined diameter values.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(16) 10 system 20 pipeline 30 pipeline lining 40 high-frequency unit 41 microwave-generator unit 42 microwave-transmitting antenna 45 radiation-emitting control unit 50 sensor unit 51 infrared sensor 52 temperature sensor 60 transporting device 61 front portion 62 rear portion 63 leg element 64 roller 65 diameter-sensing unit 66, 66 traction wire 67, 67 fastening device 80 communications line 81 line R movement direction RF microwave IR infrared radiation