Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-12
2001-12-04
Trieu, Van T. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S632000, C073S04050R, C073S040700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06326894
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to expansion joints for gas pipelines and maintenance systems therefor. In particular, the present invention relates to a device for the automatic monitoring, detection, and notification of failure for the control and maintenance of pipeline expansion joints.
2. The Prior Art
It is well known that expansion joints, particularly those involved in gas pipelines, may be subjected to vibration, expansion, contraction, deflection, and bending forces which may eventually lead to failure of the expansion joint.
Typical prior art detection systems for notification of impending failure of an expansion joint require visual inspection of the notification system, which is located in close proximity to the expansion joint. Such notification systems incorporate a sensor that constantly monitors the pressure (or some other characteristic) between two adjacent plies of an expansion joint, such as two adjacent layers of a multiple ply bellows. For example, when a pressure change between the plies of the expansion joint occurs, indicating failure of one (usually an inner one) of the plies, a mechanical pop-up button is actuated and exposed to indicate the at least partial failure of the expansion joint. However, because the pop-up button notification system is in close proximity to the expansion joint, notification of the failure to relevant personnel only occurs when such personnel are inspecting the joint in person. Because such inspections occur over significant intervals of time, the time period between the actual expansion joint's failure, including the subsequent activation of the pop up button, and the actual detection of the failure can be considerable, and total failure of the joint may occur before inspection takes place.
Furthermore, such pop-up button type failure detection and notification systems typically are only activated when the pressure differential reaches and exceeds, for a sustained period of time, a specific value.
It would be desirable to provide an expansion joint monitoring and notification device that provides reliable automatic notification to a remote location of the expansion joint's integrity and thereby eliminates the requirement of direct visual observation and actual proximate physical presence of personnel before a failure is detected.
It would further be desirable to provide a monitoring and notification device that could be able to give notification of the status of a expansion joints integrity by constant or periodic evaluations, enabling for the possibility of predicting the potential and time period before expansion joint failure occurs.
These and other desirable characteristics of the present invention will become apparent in view of the present specification, including the claims, and the drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The proposed invention is directed to a notification system for monitoring an expansion joint and delivering an indication of failure of the expansion joint to a remote location, wherein the period between the joints actual failure and detection of the failure is not dependent upon the occurrence of an actual visual inspection of the expansion joint or sensor by a qualified technician. Instead, with the proposed invention, notification indicative of the expansion joint's integrity may, depending upon a qualified characteristic of the environment, be sent to a remote location, thereby automatically alerting workers of the expansion joints integrity.
The present invention is directed, in part, to a notification system for monitoring an expansion joint and delivering an indication of failure of the expansion joint to a remote location, the expansion joint having a bellows seal incorporating at least two plies.
The notification system comprises a sensor, operably configured to sense and respond to environmental conditions existing between two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint, the sensor being further operably configured to generate a first signal corresponding to a particular value of at least one quantifiable characteristic of the environment existing between two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint.
A control apparatus, operably connected to the sensor and configured to receive the first signal corresponding to a particular value of at least one quantifiable characteristic of the environment existing between two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint generated by the sensor. The control apparatus being further operably configured to compare the first signal received from the sensor with numerical values stored in memory corresponding to acceptable and unacceptable environmental conditions between the two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint, and determine whether the received first signal corresponds to an acceptable environmental condition or an unacceptable environmental condition. The control apparatus further being operably configured, upon determination that the received first signal corresponds to an unacceptable environmental condition, to generate a second signal.
A message transmittal apparatus is operably configured to receive the second signal generated by the control apparatus, and in response thereto transmit a message to at least one designated recipient, at a location remote from the expansion joint, advising the recipient of the sensed unacceptable environmental condition at the monitored expansion joint.
In alternative embodiments of the invention, the notification system comprises a sensor operably configured to detect gas pressure, temperature, gas composition, or gas flow rates.
Additionally, in alternative embodiments of the invention, the transmittal apparatus is operably configured to transmit the message to at least one recipient in the form of electronic mail, a facsimile, pager message, a pre-recorded phone message, or a web site.
The present invention is also directed to a method for monitoring an expansion joint and delivering an indication of failure of an expansion joint to a remote location, the expansion joint having a bellows seal incorporating at least two plies.
The notification system comprises the steps of:
sensing, with a suitably positioned sensor, one or more environmental conditions existing between two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint,
generating a first signal corresponding to a particular value of at least one quantifiable characteristic of the environment existing between two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint;
comparing, with a control apparatus, the first signal received from the sensor with numerical values stored in memory in the control apparatus, corresponding to acceptable and unacceptable environmental conditions between the two adjacent ones of the at least two plies of the expansion joint, and determining whether the received signal corresponds to an acceptable environmental condition or an unacceptable environmental condition,
generating a second signal with the control apparatus, upon determination that the received first signal corresponds to an unacceptable environmental condition;
transmitting a message to at least one designated recipient, at a location remote from the expansion joint, advising the recipient of the sensed unacceptable environmental condition, with a message transmittal apparatus operably configured to receive the second signal generated by the control apparatus.
The method further preferably comprises alternative apparatuses for sensing, gas pressure, temperature, gas composition, or gas flow rates.
The method further comprises alternative transmittal apparatuses configured for transmitting the message to at least one recipient in the form of electronic mail, a facsimile, pager message, a pre-recorded phone message, or a web site.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4369647 (1983-01-01), Shigemori et al.
patent: 4557139 (1985-12-01), Cantwell et al.
patent: 4644780 (1987-02-01), Jeter
patent: 5357781 (1994-10-
Dick and Harris
Senior Investments AG
Trieu Van T.
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