The apparatus for installing a repair liner/sleeve within a pipeline includes a rigid tube supported above a manhole or excavation leading to the entry of the pipeline to be repaired. A rigid tube is supported on a plurality of legs aligned above the manhole, with a vertical tube attached to the rigid tube and extending downwardly into the hole. A hollow tubular shoe is attached to the lower end of the vertical tube, and is curved to redirect a liner/bladder assembly from the vertical orientation within the vertical tube to a horizontal orientation aligned with the pipeline to be repaired. The tubular shoe includes a plurality of upper rollers and lower rollers between which the liner/bladder assembly will be directed for reorientation from the vertical tube to the horizontal pipeline. The rigid tube includes a pivotal lid which will seal the upper end of the rigid tube, to permit pressurization of the rigid tube, flexible tube, and shoe. An air inlet port in the lid permits the introduction of pressurizing fluid, and a second port in the lid receives a control line for attachment to the liner/bladder assembly, for removal of the bladder after repair of the pipeline.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 08/622,817 filed Mar. 27, 1996, entitled APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING A PIPELINE AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME now U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,597.
In renovating an existing underground pipe with a new metal pipe installed inside the underground pipe, the invention provides a method of repairing the existing underground pipe characterized by transporting a metal tubular material as wound up in the form of a roll to a repair site, the tubular material being deformed to a flat folded form so as to be diminished in effective outside diameter and to be restorable to a metal pipe of an outside diameter corresponding to the inside diameter of the underground pipe when inflated by application of pressure from inside, installing the roll of tubular material on the ground, subsequently inserting the tubular material into the underground pipe through an underground work pit while unwinding the tubular material from the roll, closing opposite ends of the inserted portion of the tubular material, and thereafter restoring the closed portion of the tubular material to a metal pipe of circular cross section by applying pressure thereto from inside with a pressure fluid. Thus, the metal pipe can be installed inside the existing underground pipe efficiently without necessitating a large work space inside the work pit.
A method of inserting a cured in-place pipe from a cleanout includes positioning a lining along a portion of a length of a bladder, wherein the lining is frangibly connected to the bladder, inserting the bladder through the cleanout, to a position wherein the lining is within the pipe and does not block the pipe.
A method for reinforcing or repairing a pipe pulls a liner assembly with a flexible smooth bore liner and a semi-rigid helix that gives non-collapsible characteristics within the damaged pipe for both linear pipe sections and curved pipe sections. The existing pipe is first cleaned with a specially designed brush with two wooden spheres at each end of the brush to prevent snagging or jamming during brush operations. The liner assembly is then pulled through the total length of the pipe and anchored at each end with retaining sleeves, which are sandwiched and glued within the liner assembly and the inside diameter of the existing pipe.
A method of inserting a cured in-place pipe from a cleanout includes positioning a lining along a portion of a length of a bladder, wherein the lining is frangibly connected to the bladder, inserting the bladder through the cleanout, to a position wherein the lining is within the pipe and does not block the pipe.
A process for lining an existing pipeline or conduit with a flexible resin impregnated cured in place liner by pulling in the liner and inflating an eversion bladder with air and curing the liner with flow-through steam without loss of pressure is provided. The bladder is stored in a pressure bladder canister coupled to a pressurized downtube and eversion elbow. The bladder is everted by introducing pressurized air into the canister As the bladder reaches the distal manhole, it enters a receiving canister where it is punctured while maintaining air pressure within the bladder a pinch valve between the downtube and elbow isolates the inverted bladder so that steam can be introduced into the bladder to cure the resin and exhaust through the receiving canister. The bladder is then removed and lateral service reinstated.
