Method of installing an expansion compensator and an expansion compensator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191597-A1
Application number	US-201515313921-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 16, 2015
Priority date	Jun 26, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for installing an expansion compensator having a longitudinal axis, and comprising first and second spaced apart ends, an expansion/contraction section located between the first and second spaced apart ends, a first connector provided at the first end, a second connector provided at the second end, and an installation guard operable to inhibit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section during installation. The expansion compensator may be installed by coupling the expansion compensator to a piping system, and after the expansion compensator has been coupled to the piping system, adjusting the installation guard to permit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section during operation of the piping system. The expansion compensator or a portion thereof such as the expansion compression section may have a first coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis and a thermal compression guard, which may be the installation guard, may have a second, lower coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis and the thermal compression guard may be operable to inhibit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section due to thermal contraction of the expansion compensator.

First claim

1 . A method for installing an expansion compensator, the expansion compensator having a longitudinal axis and comprising first and second spaced apart ends, an expansion/contraction section located between the first and second spaced apart ends, a first connector provided at the first end, a second connector provided at the second end, and an installation guard operable to inhibit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section during installation, the method comprising:
(a) coupling the first connector and the second connector to a piping system; and (b) after the first connector and the second connector have been coupled to the piping system, adjusting the installation guard to permit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section during operation of the piping system.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the installation guard is positioned exterior to the expansion/contraction section, the installation guard comprises a first end that abuts the first connector and a second axially spaced apart end that abuts the second connector, and step (b) comprises removing at least one of the first and second ends from abutment with its respective connector.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) comprises removing the installation guard from the expansion/contraction section.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the expansion/contraction section and the installation guard have an axial stiffness, wherein during step (a) the axial stiffness of the installation guard is greater than the axial stiffness of the expansion/contraction section, and step (b) comprises modifying the installation guard to have an axial stiffness that is less than the axial stiffness of the expansion/contraction section.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the installation guard is modified by removing material from the installation guard.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the installation guard is modified by deforming the installation guard.

7 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the installation guard comprises at least two installation guard portions that are separable from each other and step (b) comprises removing at least one of the installation guard portions.

8 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the installation guard comprises at least two axially extending installation guard portions that are separable from each other, at least one of the installation guard portions comprises a first end that abuts the first connector and at least one of the installation guard portions comprises a second axially spaced apart end that abuts the second connector, and step (b) comprises removing at least one of the installation guard portions from abutment with one of the first and second connectors.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the installation guard portions are secured to each other using a removable adhesive and step (b) comprises removing the adhesive whereby at least one of the installation guard portions is removed from abutment with one of the first and second connectors.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the expansion compensator comprises a sleeve configured to inhibit lateral movement of the expansion/contraction section during use, the installation guard comprises a first installation guard portion configured to abut the first connector, a second installation guard portion configured to abut the second connector, and the sleeve is positioned intermediate the first and second installation guard portions and step (b) comprises removing at least one of the installation guard portions.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises coupling the first connector and the second connector to a vertical section of the piping system.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the expansion compensator has a first coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis, the installation guard has a second, lower coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis and the method further comprises positioning the installation guard on the expansion compensator to inhibit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section due to thermal contraction of the expansion compensator.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the expansion compensator has a first coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis, the installation guard has a second, lower coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis and the installation guard is installed on the expansion compensator at a first temperature, and step (a) is conducted at a second temperature below the first temperature.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the first temperature is from about 15° C. to about 25° C., and wherein the second temperature is less than about 5° C.

15 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing the expansion compensator wherein the installation guard maintains the expansion/contraction section in a stretched configuration during installation.

16 . An expansion compensator connectable in a piping system, the expansion compensator comprising:
(a) an elongate conduit having first and second spaced apart ends, an inner surface, an outer surface, an expansion/contraction section and an interior volume extending from the first end to the second end; (b) a first connector provided at the first end of the elongate conduit, the first connector having an opening in fluid communication with the interior volume; (c) a second connector provided at the second end of the elongate conduit, the second connector having an opening in fluid communication with the interior volume; and, (d) an installation guard operable to inhibit axial compression of the expansion/contraction section during installation.

17 . The expansion compensator of claim 16 , wherein the installation guard is removably mounted to the expansion compensator.

18 . The expansion compensator of claim 16 , wherein the installation guard is positioned exterior to the expansion/contraction section, the installation guard comprising a first end that abuts the first connector and a second axially spaced apart end that abuts the second connector.

19 . The expansion compensator of claim 16 , wherein the installation guard is configured to be deformed following installation to enable compression of the expansion/contraction section during use of the piping system.

20 . The expansion compensator of claim 19 , wherein at least a portion of the installation guard is removable from the expansion/contraction section.

21 . The expansion compensator of claim 20 , wherein the installation guard comprises at least two discrete installation guard portions and at least one of the installation guard portions is removable from the expansion/contraction section.

22 . The expansion compensator of claim 21 , wherein the installation guard portions are removably secured to each other.

23 . The expansion compensator of claim 22 , wherein the installation guard portions are removably secured to each other using tape.

24 . The expansion compensator of claim 16 , wherein the installation guard is made of cellulose.

25 . The expansion compensator according to claim 16 , wherein the expansion/contraction section has a first coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis, the installation guard has a second, lower coefficient of thermal expansion along the longitudinal axis and the installation guard is operable to inhibit

Assignees

• Omachron Intellectual Property Inc

Inventors

• Conrad Wayne Ernest

Classifications

• F16L51/00

  Expansion-compensation arrangements for pipe-lines (telescopic pipes F16L27/12) · CPC title

• F16L51/02

  making use of a bellows or an expansible folded or corrugated tube · CPC title

• F16L51/025

  with several corrugations · CPC title

• F16L51/027 Primary

  with external reinforcement · CPC title

• F16L27/111

  the bellows being reinforced · CPC title