Thermoplastic or thermoset pipes including conductive textile reinforcements for heating and leak detection purposes

• Main Authors: PARKS WILLIAM S, DE MEYER WILLY, GILPATRICK MICHAEL W, BACON JEFFERY E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.10.2001
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BLASTING; DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROMTHE BODY; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; LIGHTING; LOOMS; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OF WEAVING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; TEXTILES; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WEAVING; WOVEN FABRICS

Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), flexibility (and thus modulus strength allowances) to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, reduced crack propagation possibilities, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific textile reinforcement materials that permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations and also serve to prevent propagation of any cracks which may develop within the thermoplastic or thermoset materials. Such pipes exhibit an elongation at break in relation to that provided by the textile reinforcement and not with regard to the same type of elongation at break characteristic for the thermoplastic or thermoset composition. Furthermore, a leakage or burst detection system and a heating method to ensure non-freezing of transported materials within such pipes is also contemplated within this invention.