Pipe liner and monitoring system

• US 5,551,484 A
• Filed: 08/19/1994
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smart Pipe Company, Inc
• Original Assignee: Kenneth R. Charboneau
• Inventors: Charboneau, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hook, James F.
• Application Number:
  US08/292,579
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 138/104, 138/123, 138/125, 138/137, 138/172, 138/DIG. 2, 138/DIG. 7, 138/118.1, 138/97, 250/227.16, 250/227.14
• US Class Current: 138/104
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/1656 materials for flexible liners hoses in general F16L11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/242 the material being an optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/165 by means of cables or similar elongated devices, e.g. tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0025 of elongated objects, e.g. pipes, masts, towers or railways G01M5/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0091 by using electromagnetic excitation or detection
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4469 Security aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 138/02 Glass fiber

Abstract

A multi-layered liner for lining a pipeline which has an external jacket, an interior liner, a woven intermediate layer between the external jacket and the interior liner. At least one optical fiber is in the woven intermediate liner for purposes of monitoring stress or for communication, and a capacitance leak detection circuit is also in the multi-layered liner for the purpose of detecting leaks in the multi-layered liner. Also included is the method of monitoring a pipeline for stress or leakage by use of a stress detector connected to an optic fiber in a multi-layered liner installed in the pipeline and a leak detector connected to a capacitance circuit in a multi-layered liner installed in a pipeline.

Claims

1. A multi-layered liner for lining and monitoring a pipeline comprising, an external jacket, an interior liner, a woven intermediate layer interposed between the external jacket and interior liner and at least one optical fiber running the length of the multi-layered liner to monitor stress in the pipeline, said optical fiber being woven into the woven intermediate layer.

2. The multi-layered liner of claim 1, wherein the external jacket and interior liner are each made of thermoplastic material.

3. The multi-layered liner of claim 1, wherein the woven intermediate layer has at least two sets of strands including a first set woven from right to left and a second set woven from left to right.

4. The multi-layered liner of claim 3, wherein the optical fiber is woven into the woven intermediate layer directly adjacent to a strand of the woven intermediate layer.

5. The multi-layered liner of claim 4, further comprising a reference optical fiber on a surface of the woven intermediate layer running adjacent and parallel to the optical fiber woven into the woven intermediate layer.

6. The multi-layered liner of claim 1, wherein the woven intermediate layer is a non-conductive material.

7. The multi-layered liner of claim 6, wherein the external jacket and interior liner are each made of thermoplastic material.

8. The multi-layered liner of claim 6, further comprising a conductive layer interposed between the exterior jacket and the non-conductive woven intermediate layer and a conductor running the length of the multi-layered liner and radially separated from the conductive layer by the nonconductive woven intermediate layer.

9. The multi-layered liner of claim 6, further comprising at least two conductive elements running the length of the multi-layered liner and separated from each other by the nonconductive woven intermediate layer.