Systems and methods for use in welding pipe segments of a pipeline
First Claim
1. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
- a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes that are secured together via a weld joint;
a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame;
a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe;
a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe;
one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system;
a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler comprising a blower configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe and in a direction towards the weld joint to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and
one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present application relates to a field system and methods that can be deployed in the application of pipe welding. The field system provides many embodiments relating to pipe welding systems and methods, that can be used in combination with one another, or individually. Such welding systems and methods, include, for example, internal welding systems and methods, tie-in welding system and methods, pipe inspection systems and methods, pipe handling systems and methods, internal pipe cooling systems and methods, non-destructive testing systems and methods, as well as remote interface and database systems and methods (uLog), to name a few. The application further relates to welded pipes that result from some or all of such processes.
288 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes that are secured together via a weld joint; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler comprising a blower configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe and in a direction towards the weld joint to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 23, 25, 35, 36, 37)
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4. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the cooler comprises a heat exchanger that carries cooling fluid therein, the heat exchanger having a pipe contacting surface that contacts the interior surfaces of the welded pipes to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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10. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes; and
,a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the welded pipes, the temperature sensor operatively communicating with the one or more processors, the one or more processors sending operating instructions to the cooler based on signals received from the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the one or more processors are communicatively connected to a remote computer system and configured to transmit pipe cooling data to the remote computer system. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the one or more processors are configured to calculate an expected time until the temperature of the welded pipes is below a threshold temperature, wherein the calculation is based at least in part on the size of the welded pipe. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the one or more processors are communicatively connected to a remote computer system and configured to transmit coolant consumption data.
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24. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the cooling gas includes air, and wherein the cooler includes at least one fan configured to force air across heat exchanger elements of the pipe cooling system. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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26. A pipe cooling system, comprising:
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a frame configured to reside within at least one pipe of a plurality of welded pipes; a plurality of rollers configured to rotatably support the frame; a drive motor that drives the plurality of rollers to move the frame within the at least one pipe; a brake system that secures the frame from movement at a desired location within the at least one pipe; one or more battery cells carried by the frame, the one or more battery cells configured to power the drive motor and the brake system; a cooler carried by the frame, the cooler configured to blow a cooling gas within the at least one pipe to facilitate cooling of the welded pipes; and one or more processors operatively connected with the drive motor, the brake system and the cooler, the one or more processors operating the cooler to reduce the temperature of the welded pipes, wherein the cooling gas includes air, and wherein the cooler includes at least one fan configured to force air across the internal surfaces of the welded pipes, wherein the pipe cooling system further comprises a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the welded pipes, the temperature sensor operatively communicating with the one or more processors, the one or more processors sending operating instructions to the at least one fan based on signals received from the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (27, 34)
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Specification