JPS6352009A - Method for surveying piping route and survey tool used for same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To confirm the shape of piping route by inserting a thermoplastic element wire into the piping route, feeding electricity to the material and softening it, and stopping the electric feeding and cooling and caking the material to store the shape of the piping route. CONSTITUTION:A survey tool (a) consists of the thermoplastic element wire 1 which covers an electric heater wire 2 internally and belt steel materials 3 and 3' between which the wire 1 is sandwiched from both sides. The survey tool (a) is led in the piping route 4 to be surveyed first and lead wires 9 from a power source 8 are connected to both ends of the wire 2 to feed electricity and cause heat generation. Then the element wire 1 is heated from inside and softens. When the wire 1 softens sufficiently, the electric feeding is stopped and the element wire 1 is cooled and caked by natural heat radiation to store the shape of the route 4. Then the lead wires 9 are disconnected, the survey tool (a) is taken out of the tube 4, and then the belt steel materials 3 and 3' are separated. Then, the element wire 1 memorizes the shape of the curved part 4' in the route 4, so the distance, curving direction, curvature, etc., of the curved part 4' in the route 4 can be confirmed from the shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method of exploring the route of a pipe such as a gas pipeline buried underground or the like, and an exploration tool used in this exploration method.

[Prior art and its problems] When performing repair work on gas pipelines buried underground, etc., it may not be possible to accurately confirm the piping route using only drawings. In particular, when there is a bend or a branch in the piping route, it is difficult to determine the position, direction, curvature, etc. of the bend.

As a conventional method for detecting a pipe route, when the target pipe is a metal pipe, a method is adopted in which a flow Tj is flowed through the pipe route and electromagnetic waves are captured from the ground to detect the pipe route. In the case of , D, if the pipe is in contact with reinforcing bars or other 'i81 derivatives, current will flow to that side as well, making identification extremely difficult.

In addition, in the case of plastic piping, it is not possible to apply a current directly to the piping route as described above, so an electric wire called a locator wire is placed along the piping route, and a current is applied to it to connect it from the ground. A method is used to identify the piping route by capturing electromagnetic waves, but in this case, the cost of laying the locator wire increases, and it is not possible to check the curvature of the bend in the piping route or three-dimensional bends. There is a problem.

[Purpose of the present invention] The present invention is proposed in view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and is particularly designed to improve the distance to bends, branch points, direction of bends, and curvature of piping routes, regardless of whether they are metal or non-metal. The purpose of the present invention is to propose a pipe route exploration method that can accurately confirm the following by using an extremely simple method, and a probe to be used to carry out this method.

[Configuration of the present invention] The configuration of the present invention is as follows.

(1) A thermoplastic plastic wire with an electric heater wire wrapped inside is inserted into the piping route, and then the electric heater wire is energized to generate heat to soften the thermoplastic plastic wire, and then The shape of the piping route is memorized by stopping the power supply and cooling and solidifying the thermoplastic plastic wire rod inside the piping route.Then, the thermoplastic plastic wire rod is pulled out from inside the piping route and the piping is made based on the shape of this thermoplastic plastic wire rod. A piping route exploration method to check the shape of the route.

(2) An exploration tool consisting of a thermoplastic plastic wire wrapped around an electric heater wire, held between both sides by steel bands.

[Example] Fig. 1 shows an exploration tool used in carrying out the present invention, and this exploration tool a consists of a thermoplastic plastic wire 1 that holds an electric heater wire 2 inside, and a wire l that is sandwiched from both sides. It consists of a steel strip 3.3'. Note that the steel strip 3.3'' is bonded to the surface of the wire rod 1 with an easily peelable adhesive.

In addition, as a means of connecting the thermoplastic plastic wire 1 and the steel strip 3.3'', the thermoplastic plastic wire 1 is passed through the holes of a fixture installed on the steel strip 3.3' at appropriate intervals. , the thermoplastic plastic wire 1 may be fixed so as to be movable only in the axial direction.

Next, a method of exploring a piping route using the probe a will be explained based on FIGS. 2 to 4.

First, if both ends of this section of the piping route 4 to be explored can be opened, a lead wire 5 with a parachute (or pig, etc.) 6 tied to the tip is passed through the section under the pressure of air 7 (
Figure 2).

When the wiring is completed, remove the parachute 6 from the tip of the lead wire 5, tie the probe a shown in FIG. figure).

After pulling in the probe a, the leads 9 at both ends of the power source 8 are connected to both ends of the electric heater wire 2 of the probe a, and a current is passed through the electric heater wire 2 to generate heat (Fig. 4).
By embedding two electric heater wires with U-turns at their ends in the thermoplastic plastic wire l, the lead 9 can be connected at one end of the piping.

When electric waves flow through the electric heater wire 2 and generate heat, the thermoplastic plastic wire 1 is heated from inside and softened.

When it is sufficiently softened, the electricity supply is stopped, and the thermoplastic plastic wire l is cooled and solidified by natural heat radiation, and the shape of the piping route 4 is memorized.

This cooling and solidification is completed within a few minutes after the electricity is turned off.
Next, the lead 9 of the power source 8 is separated from the electric heater &12, and the probe a is pulled out of the tube.

After pulling out the probe a, the steel strip 3.3'' is peeled off from the thermoplastic wire 1 as shown in FIG. It remembers the direction and curvature,
From the shape of this thermoplastic plastic wire 1, the distance to the bend 8B4'' in the piping route 4, the direction of the bend, the curvature, etc. can be confirmed.

FIG. 6.7 shows another embodiment, and shows the structure of probe a and its insertion method used when one of the piping routes 4 is blocked.

The entire length of the thermoplastic wire l of the probe a is placed in the tube passage coil 10 in advance.

In this case, a thermoplastic plastic wire l in which two electric heater wires 2 with U-turns at the tips are embedded is used. When using a probe with such a configuration, a rotating machine 11 is installed on the insertion opening side of the piping route 4 as shown in FIG. Since the probe a is inserted into the route 4 and the entire probe a is rotating, the probe a is inserted into the pipe route 4 smoothly.

In addition, in the present invention, the steel strip 3, wire, or coil 10 of the probe a is used to prevent the relatively soft thermoplastic wire 1 from encountering cracks in the pipe and be damaged or become impossible to insert, and to reduce the insertion force. This is adopted as a means to reduce the size of the pipe, and if this is not a concern, the thermoplastic plastic wire l may be inserted directly into the piping route 4.

``Effects of the present invention'' As described above, the present invention involves wrapping an electric heater wire inside a thermoplastic plastic wire, supplying electricity to soften the thermoplastic wire, and then cooling and solidifying the wire to form a piping route. By memorizing the shape and then confirming the shape after pulling it out from within the piping route, the following effects can be expected.

a. Exploration work is extremely simple, as exploration can be carried out by simply inserting a probe into the piping route and turning on electricity.

b. Since the probe memorizes the complicated bends in the pipe route as they are, it is easy to determine the bending direction, curvature, etc. especially at the bend.

The C0 probe can be used any number of times.

d. It can be applied not only to metal pipes, but also to route exploration for plastic pipes, which have recently become more common.

e. By attaching steel bands to both sides of the thermoplastic wire, the wire can be protected and can be passed through the piping route relatively smoothly.

f. Attaching steel bands to both sides of the thermoplastic wire rod eliminates unnecessary bending of the probe within the piping route, making it possible to accurately measure distances.

g. By inserting a thermoplastic plastic wire into the coil in advance and inserting it while applying rotation, exploration can be made easily even in a piping route with a single insertion opening.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the probe according to the present invention, Figures 2 to 4 are explanatory diagrams of the exploration method, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the probe with the piping route memorized, and Figure 6 shows the coil being heated. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the probe into which a plastic wire is inserted, and is an explanatory diagram of a method of searching using the probe shown in FIG. 6 when one of the piping routes is blocked. a...Exploration tool, 1...Thermoplastic plastic wire, 2...
...Electric heater wire, 3, τ... Steel strip, 4...
... Piping route, 5 ... Lead wire,
6... Parachute, 7... Air, 8... Power supply, 9...
...Lead, 10...Coil, 11.
...Rotating machine.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A thermoplastic plastic wire with an electric heater wire wrapped inside is inserted into the piping route, and then the electric heater wire is energized to generate heat to soften the thermoplastic plastic wire, and then The shape of the piping route is memorized by stopping the power supply and cooling and solidifying the thermoplastic plastic wire rod inside the piping route.Then, the thermoplastic plastic wire rod is pulled out from inside the piping route and the piping is made based on the shape of this thermoplastic plastic wire rod. A piping route exploration method to check the shape of the route. (2) An exploration tool consisting of a thermoplastic plastic wire containing an electric heater wire held inside by a steel band on both sides. (3) The probe according to claim 2, which comprises a thermoplastic wire inserted into a coil.