JP2008303982A - Pipe repairing tool and pipe repairing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more easily repair gas leakage from a gas pipe. <P>SOLUTION: This pipe repairing tool 10 to be used for repairing gas leakage from the gas pipe 100 comprises a cover member 12 shaped into a stepped pipe body, a guide pipe body 14 extending from the cover member 12, and a service port 16 provided in the end of the guide pipe body 14. When mounted on the gas pipe 100 to cover a gas leaking portion 102, the cover member 12 forms a flow-in space 18 between the gas pipe 100 and itself, into which leaking gas flows. The leaking gas flowing into the flow-in space 18 is sucked via the guide pipe body 14 by a gas collector. During a time for sucking the gas, the cover member 12 is brazed and welded to the gas pipe 100. After a welding material is completely solidified, a valve provided in the service port 16 is closed to complete the repair of gas leakage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pipe repair tool and a pipe repair method for repairing a gas leak location in a gas pipe that is a gas flow path.

  At present, various gases are used as fuel and refrigerant in various apparatuses. For example, chlorofluorocarbon is used as a refrigerant in air conditioning equipment and refrigeration equipment. Such a gas is usually conveyed using a gas pipe made of metal or the like.

  By the way, the gas piping may cause gas leakage in which the gas flowing inside leaks to the outside due to the collision of other members or aging deterioration due to long-term use. If such a gas leak is left unattended, not only a device that uses the gas cannot be operated normally, but also the external environment may be adversely affected.

  For example, in an air conditioner, chlorofluorocarbon serving as a refrigerant is circulated through a gas pipe. However, if a gas leak occurs in the gas pipe, there arises a problem that the air conditioner cannot be driven normally. As is well known, chlorofluorocarbon gas has a great influence on the environment, and it is a big problem for the chlorofluorocarbon gas to flow out into the atmosphere.

  Therefore, conventionally, when a gas leak occurs, the gas leak portion is directly closed and repaired by brazing. However, when this repair method is executed, it is necessary to collect all the gas from the gas pipe in advance prior to brazing welding. This is because, if gas recovery is not performed in advance, the welding material is blown off or a large amount of harmful gas such as chlorofluorocarbon gas flows out to the outside by the gas pressure ejected from the gas leakage point. This prior gas recovery has a problem that it takes a lot of labor, time and cost. In addition, when gas is collected, there is a problem in that various facilities that use the gas cannot be used, causing trouble for users of the facility.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the piping repair tool and piping repair method which can repair the gas leak of gas piping more simply.

  The pipe repair tool of the present invention is a pipe repair tool for repairing a gas leak location in a gas pipe that is a gas flow path, and is a member attached to the gas pipe in a state of covering the gas leak location, When installed in a pipe, a cover member that forms an inflow space between the gas pipe and an inflow space into which the leaked gas that has flowed out from the gas leak location, communicates with the inflow space, and leaks the leaked gas that has flowed into the inflow space to the outside A guide tube that is detachably attached to a gas suction device that sucks a leaked gas, and a valve that is provided in the guide tube and allows or blocks the leakage gas from flowing out of the guide tube. It is characterized by providing.

  In a preferred embodiment, the covering member is a substantially tubular body whose end inner diameter is substantially equal to the gas pipe outer diameter and whose inner diameter is larger than the gas pipe outer diameter. In this case, it is desirable that the covering member is formed of a plurality of covering pieces that have a circular arc cross section and are substantially combined to form a tubular body. It is also desirable that the covering member has a shape in which the inflow space becomes an airtight space when bonded and fixed to the gas pipe.

  Another pipe repair method according to the present invention is a pipe repair method for repairing a gas leak point in a gas pipe which is a gas flow path, which covers the gas leak point and leaks gas leaked from the gas leak point. The covering member that forms an outflow space between the gas pipe and the gas pipe is brazed to the gas pipe, and the welding material used for the braze welding is solidified until the welding material is solidified. A step of sucking leaked gas with a gas suction device through the guide tube, and when the welding material used for the brazing welding is solidified, the valve provided on the guide tube is closed to leak gas. And a step of blocking external outflow.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a coating | coated member can be adhere | attached and fixed to gas piping, attracting | sucking the leaked gas leaked from the gas leak location through a guide pipe body. As a result, it is not necessary to collect gas in advance, and the gas leakage in the gas pipe can be repaired more easily.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pipe repair tool 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pipe repair tool 10, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Further, FIG. 4 is a side view when the pipe repair tool 10 is mounted on the gas pipe 100, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view at that time.

  This pipe repair tool 10 is used for repairing the gas pipe 100 which is a gas flow path, and is particularly suitable for gas leak repair of a chlorofluorocarbon pipe provided in an air conditioning facility. That is, normally, in the air conditioning equipment, a gas pipe 100 for circulating the chlorofluorocarbon gas, which is a refrigerant gas, is provided. In such a gas pipe 100, a crack or a hole may occur due to a collision with another member or aging deterioration, and a gas leak may occur in which a gas flowing inside the gas pipe 100 leaks to the outside. If such a gas leak is left unattended, the air-conditioning equipment cannot be operated normally, and there is also a risk of environmental destruction due to the chlorofluorocarbon gas. The pipe repair tool 10 of this embodiment is an instrument for easily repairing such a gas leak.

  The pipe repair tool 10 includes a covering member 12 that covers the gas leaking portion 102, a guide tube 14 that extends from the covering member 12, and a service port 16 that is provided at an end of the guide tube 14. ing. The covering member 12 is a substantially tubular body that is attached to the gas pipe 100 so as to cover the gas leaking portion 102, and is a member that is bonded and fixed to the gas pipe 100 by brazing welding. The covering member 12 is a stepped tube body in which the central portion 12b has a larger diameter than both end portions 12a. More specifically, both end portions 12a of the covering member 12 have an inner diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the gas pipe 100 to be repaired. On the other hand, the central portion 12 b of the covering member 12 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the gas pipe 100. Therefore, when the covering member 12 is attached to the gas pipe 100, both end portions 12 a of the covering member 12 are in close contact with the outer surface of the gas pipe 100, while between the central portion 12 b of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100. A space will be formed. This space functions as an inflow space 18 into which leaked gas that has flowed out from the gas leaking point flows.

  The covering member 12 of the present embodiment is configured by combining an upper covering piece 20 and a lower covering piece 22 obtained by dividing a stepped tube body into two vertically. Both the upper covering piece 20 and the lower covering piece 22 are members having a substantially semicircular cross section, and are made of a metal material such as copper. Engaging portions 24 that engage with the corresponding covering pieces 20, 20 are formed at the circumferential ends of the respective covering pieces 20, 22. When repairing the gas pipe 100, the two covering pieces 20 and 22 are combined in such a way that the engaging portions 24 are engaged with each other and attached to the gas pipe 100, and then the joint between the two covering pieces 20 and 22 is connected. Adhering and fixing the parts with brazing welding. Further, brazing is also applied to the boundary portion between the both end portions of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe, and the covering member 12 is bonded and fixed to the gas pipe. 4 and 5, the welded portion 30 is illustrated as sand.

  The guide tube body 14 is a tube body communicated with the inflow space 18 and guides the leaked gas flowing into the inflow space 18 to a gas recovery machine (not shown). The gas recovery machine is a device for sucking and accumulating chlorofluorocarbon gas, and a negative pressure acts on the guide tube body 14 by driving the pump of the gas recovery machine provided with a pump for sucking leaked gas. The leaked gas flowing into the inflow space 18 is guided to the guide tube body 14. In other words, when a negative pressure is applied to the guide tube body 14 by the gas recovery machine, the leaked gas flowing into the inflow space 18 stays in the inflow space 18 or flows into both ends of the covering member 12. There is no. As a result, the welding material applied to both ends of the covering member 12 and the joint between the two covering pieces 20 and 22 is prevented from being blown away by the leakage pressure of the leaking gas before completely solidifying.

  A service port 16 is provided at the end of the guide tube body 14. The service port 16 functions as a connecting means for detachably connecting the guide tube body 14 to a gas recovery machine (more precisely, a recovery pipe 120 extending from the gas recovery machine). Further, a valve is provided inside the service port 16, and by appropriately opening and closing the valve, outflow of leaked gas to the outside of the guide tube body 14 is permitted or blocked.

  Next, the flow of repairing gas leakage using the pipe repair tool 10 will be described. First, the flow of conventional pipe repair will be briefly described. Conventionally, when repairing a gas leak location, brazing welding is directly applied to the gas leak location, and the gas leak location is closed with a welding material. However, if the refrigerant gas remains in the gas pipe 100, the refrigerant gas is ejected from the gas leakage location, and the welding material is blown off by the ejection pressure, and the gas leakage location cannot be properly blocked. There was a problem. Further, since the chlorofluorocarbon gas used as the refrigerant gas in the air conditioning equipment has an adverse effect on the environment, it is required to reduce the leakage of the chlorofluorocarbon gas to the atmosphere as much as possible. Therefore, conventionally, the refrigerant gas remaining in the gas pipe 100 is collected in advance, and after all the refrigerant gas has been collected, brazing welding is performed on the gas leakage portion.

  However, the recovery of the refrigerant gas is time-consuming, time-consuming, and costly, causing a reduction in the efficiency of repair work and an increase in cost. Further, when the refrigerant gas in the gas pipe 100 is recovered for gas leak repair, the air conditioning equipment cannot be used until the gas leak repair is completed and the refrigerant gas is filled again. As a result, the problem of inconvenience the user who uses the air conditioning equipment also arises. Furthermore, in the conventional method, air (moisture) may flow into the gas pipe 100 during repair work. In this case, prior to the refilling of the refrigerant gas, it is necessary to completely remove the air from the gas pipe by a vacuuming operation, which further reduces the workability of the gas leak repair.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, by using the pipe repair tool 10 of a special aspect, gas leak repair can be performed without performing prior recovery of the refrigerant gas. Hereinafter, the flow of the pipe repair will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, when repairing a gas leak, first, the covering member 12 is disposed on the gas pipe 100 so as to cover the gas leak portion 102. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two covering pieces 20 and 22 are arranged so as to sandwich the gas pipe 100 between the upper covering piece 20 and the lower covering piece 22. At this time, the position adjustment is performed so that the gas leaking portion 102 is accommodated in the inflow space 18 formed between the central portion 12 b of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100. Thereby, the leaked gas flowing out from the gas leaking portion 102 flows into the inflow space 18.

  However, at this time, brazing welding has not yet been performed on the boundary portion between the both ends of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100 and the joint portion between the two covering pieces 20 and 22. A minute gap exists in the joint portion. When leakage gas is ejected from this gap, the welding material is blown away by the ejection pressure, and the gap cannot be properly closed.

  Therefore, prior to the execution of brazing welding, in this embodiment, leakage gas is sucked through the guide tube body 14. That is, if the covering member 12 can be disposed at a predetermined position, the gas recovery machine is connected to the guide tube body 14 via the service port 16. And while opening the valve | bulb incorporated in the service port 16, the pump of a gas recovery machine is driven and a negative pressure is made to act on the guide pipe body 14. FIG. Due to the negative pressure, the leaked gas flowing into the inflow space 18 flows into the guide tube body 14. This prevents leakage gas from flowing into the boundary portion between both ends of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100 and the joint portion between the two covering pieces 20 and 22. Moreover, since the leakage gas which is a chlorofluorocarbon gas is collect | recovered and accumulate | stored in a special gas recovery machine via the guide pipe body 14, the bad influence on an environment can also be prevented.

  When the suction of the leaked gas by the gas recovery machine is started, the operator then brazes the boundary portion between both ends of the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100 and the joint portion between the two covering pieces 20 and 22. Apply. This brazing welding is performed so that there are no gaps at these boundary portions and joint portions, in other words, the inflow space 18 formed between the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100 is an airtight space. .

  Even after the brazing welding is performed, leakage gas is sucked by the gas recovery machine through the guide tube 14 until the welding material used for the welding is completely cooled. On the other hand, if the welding material is completely cooled and the airtightness of the inflow space 18 is ensured, the driving of the gas recovery machine is stopped. When the gas recovery machine is removed from the service port 16 and the valve provided in the service port 16 is closed, the repair work is completed. That is, at this time, since the valve of the service port 16 is closed, the leakage gas does not leak outside through the guide tube body 14. Further, since the boundary portion between the covering member 12 and the gas pipe 100 and the joint portion between the two covering pieces 20 and 22 are completely covered with the welding material, and the welding material is completely cooled and solidified, Leakage gas does not leak outside through these boundary portions and joint portions. That is, external leakage of the refrigerant gas is prevented at this time, and the gas leakage is repaired.

  By the way, as is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, the brazing welding of the covering member 12 is performed while the leakage gas is sucked by the gas recovery machine, so that the refrigerant gas remains in the gas pipe 100. Repair work is possible. In other words, in the present embodiment, the recovery work of the refrigerant gas in the gas pipe 100 is not required prior to the repair work. Moreover, according to this embodiment, since air (moisture) does not flow into the gas pipe 100, it is not necessary to perform vacuuming after the repair work. As a result, the time, labor, and cost required for repair work can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional case. Further, since the repair work is performed in a state where the refrigerant gas remains in the gas pipe 100, it is not necessary to stop the air conditioning equipment for the repair work, and the user of the air conditioning equipment is not disturbed.

  Moreover, according to the repair method of this embodiment, the said repair location periphery can be reinforced as a result, and generation | occurrence | production of the subsequent gas leak can be reduced. That is, gas leakage may occur due to an accidental cause such as collision of other members, but may also occur due to deterioration over time. A gas leak due to aging is likely to occur in a structurally weak part of the gas pipe 100, for example, a part where the pipes are welded together. In such a structurally weak part, even if one gas leak point is repaired, another gas leak may occur in the vicinity. However, as in this embodiment, by covering the periphery of the gas leaking portion 102 with the substantially tubular covering member 12, the periphery of the weak gas leaking portion 102 can be reinforced, and the subsequent occurrence of gas leakage is efficiently performed. Can be prevented.

  In the above description, the repair of the refrigerant gas pipe 100 of the air conditioning equipment is taken as an example. However, as long as it is a pipe used as a gas flow path, it may be applied to gas leakage repair of other types of pipes. In the above description, the covering member 12 is constituted by the two covering pieces 20, 20, but the covering member 12 may be constituted by a larger number of covering pieces 20. Further, the shape of the covering member 12 may be another shape, for example, a substantially semicircular cross section, as long as the inflow space 18 into which the leaked gas flows can be formed between the gas pipe 100 and the gas leaking portion. It may be.

It is a perspective view of the piping repair tool which is embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a piping repair tool. It is a cross-sectional view of a pipe repair tool. It is a side view at the time of piping repair. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a piping repair tool.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pipe repair tool, 12 Coating | coated member, 14 Guide pipe body, 16 Service port, 18 Inflow space, 20, 22 Covering piece, 100 Gas piping, 102 Gas leak location.

Claims (5)

A pipe repair tool for repairing a gas leak point in a gas pipe that is a gas flow path,
A member that is attached to the gas pipe in a state of covering the gas leaking portion, and forms an inflow space between the gas pipe and the leaked gas flowing out from the gas leaking point when the gas piping is attached. A covering member;
A guide tube that communicates with the inflow space and guides the leaked gas flowing into the inflow space to the outside, and a guide tube that is detachable from a gas suction device that sucks the leaked gas; and
A valve provided in the guide tube body to allow or block leakage gas from flowing out of the guide tube body;
Piping repair tool characterized by comprising. The pipe repair tool according to claim 1,
A pipe repair tool, wherein the covering member is a substantially tubular body having an inner diameter at an end thereof substantially equal to an outer diameter of the gas pipe and an inner diameter at a central portion thereof being larger than the outer diameter of the gas pipe. The pipe repair tool according to claim 2,
The pipe repair tool according to claim 1, wherein the covering member has a circular arc shape in cross section and is composed of a plurality of covering pieces which are substantially combined to form a tubular body. The pipe repair tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The pipe repair tool, wherein the covering member has a shape in which an inflow space becomes an airtight space when bonded to a gas pipe. A pipe repair method for repairing a gas leak point in a gas pipe that is a gas flow path,
Covering the gas leaking part and brazing the gas pipe with a covering member that forms an outflow space into which the leaked gas flowing out from the gas leaking part flows, and the gas pipe; and
Until the welding material used for the brazing welding is solidified, the step of sucking a leakage gas with a gas suction device through the guide tube communicated with the outflow space;
When the welding material used for the brazing welding is solidified, closing a valve provided in the guide tube body to block outflow of leaked gas;
A piping repair method characterized by comprising:

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