Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FLOW DIVERTER
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Piping.
BACKGROUND
[0002] New regulations in piping operations require the installation of
safety systems
such as the double block and bleed system. A single valve is no longer
sufficient to fulfill safety
requirements in many areas. Double block and bleed systems and double positive
isolation bleed
systems are difficult to engineer in pre-existing piping. Previous methods
have required the
cutting open of pipes or the introduction of weak pipe structures.
SUMMARY
[0003] In an embodiment, there is provided a flow diverter comprising a
first flange and
a second flange axially aligned with each other, a central block between the
first flange and the
second flange, the block having at least a first flowthrough passage and a
second flowthrough
passage, the first flowthrough passage including a first elbow and extending
between a first port
of the first flowthrough passage and a second port of the first flowthrough
passage, the second
flowthrough passage including a second elbow and extending between a first
port of the second
flowthrough passage and a second port of the second flowthrough passage, a
first spacing pipe
extending between the first port of the first flowthrough passage and the
first flange, and a
second spacing pipe extending between the first port of the second flowthrough
passage and the
second flange.
[0004] In an embodiment, a flow diverter is also disclosed comprising a
first flange and a
second flange, the first flange and the second flange being axially aligned
and oriented in relation
to each other for insertion into piping between piping flanges spaced apart
for receiving a valve;
and a pipe loop disposed between the first flange and the second flange. The
pipe loop may
include at least a first valve, a second valve and a bleed valve between the
first valve and the
second valve,
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[0005] In various embodiments there may be included any one or more of the
following
features: The elbows form a 90 degree bend. The elbows may also form an angle
less than or
greater than 90 degrees. Piping which forms a flow loop extends between the
second port of the
first flowthrough passage and the second port of the second flowthrough
passage. The flow loop
may also comprise one or more valves, and an additional bleed valve between a
first valve and a
second valve.
[0006] In an embodiment, there may be included a pipe loop that extends
from a solid
block joined to the respective first flange and second flange by respective
connecting spacing
pipes. A method of manufacture of a flow diverter is also disclosed. The flow
diverter may be
inserted in piping by removing existing equipment installed between pipe
flanges in piping and
inserting a flow diverter between the pipe flanges
[0007] The disclosed embodiments may be used in pre-existing piping or in
new piping.
[0008] These and other aspects of the device and method are set out in the
claims, which
are incorporated here by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in
which like
reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:
[0010] Fig. 1 is a side view, showing internal passages in dashed lines, of
an embodiment
of a flow diverter with flowthrough passage elbows having a ninety degree
angle.
[0011] Fig. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the flow diverter depicted
in fig. 1, with
front and back ports.
[0012] Fig. 3 is a side view, showing internal passages in dashed lines, of
an embodiment
of a flow diverter with flowthrough passage elbows having an angle less than
ninety degrees.
[0013] Fig. 4 is a top view of an embodiment of the flow diverter depicted
in fig. 3.
[0014] Fig. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of a flow loop.
[0015] Fig. 6 is a side view of an embodiment of a flow loop with valves.
[0016] Fig. 6A is a top view of the embodiment of Fig. 6.
[0017] Fig. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a flow diverter with a
wide space
between pipe ports.
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[0018] Fig. 8 is a side view, showing internal passages in dashed lines, of
an embodiment
of a flow diverter with flowthrough passage elbows having an angle greater
than ninety degrees.
[0019] Fig. 9 is a side view, showing internal passages in dashed lines, of
an embodiment
of a flow diverter with flowthrough passages comprising T-junctions.
[0020] Fig. 10 is a side view of an embodiment of a flow diverter inserted
in piping.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described
here
without departing from what is covered by the claims.
[0022] Referring to Fig. 1, an embodiment of a flow diverter 10 is shown.
The flow
diverter includes a first flange 12 and a second flange 14 axially aligned
with each other. The
flanges may be spaced apart any distance and may be spaced apart a
conventional distance for
insertion in any kind of piping such as in a pipeline between flanges spaced
apart according to
ANSI specifications for piping or pipeline equipment such as conventional
valves, such as Ansi
B16 10-1973/1992 or other specifications as may be developed from time to
time. A central
block 16 is located between the flanges 12, 14 and may be formed together with
the flanges 12,
14 of solid metal, for example forged steel, with passages. The passages may
be formed by any
suitable means now known or hereafter developed such as by being machined or
bored in the
central block 16. The central block 16 contains a first flowthrough passage 18
and a second
flowthrough passage 20. The first flowthrough passage 18 includes a first port
22 and a second
port 24, and a first elbow 26 within and forming part of the passage. The
second flowthrough
passage 20 also includes a first port 30 and second port 32, and a second
elbow 34 within and
forming part of the passage. The flowthrough passages may be of any size and
angled at any
angle appropriate for the size of central block. Spacing pipes extend between
the flanges and the
passages, a first spacing pipe 36 extending between the first port 22 of the
first flowthrough
passage 18 and the first flange 12, and a second spacing pipe 38 extending
between the first port
30 of the second flowthrough passage 20 and the second flange 14. The spacing
pipes 36 and 38
and flanges 12 and 14 may be forged one piece with the block 16 or otherwise
connected by any
suitable means to the block 16, such as by threading or welding.
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[0023] Respective parts of the flowthrough passages 18 and 20 at the
respective second
port 24 and second port 32 may be used for receiving a pipe attachment. Pipe
attachments may
be socket welded or secured by any suitable means to the flowthrough passages
at second port 24
and second port 32. The inside of the flowthrough passages 18, 20 may be
threaded to receive a
similarly threaded pipe attachment. In some embodiments, pipes forming
extensions of the
flowthrough passages may be forged with the central block.
[0024] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the first elbow 26 and second
elbow 34 may
be shaped at a ninety degree angle. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the flow
diverter 10 when the pipe
elbows are shaped at a ninety degree angle. Also show in Fig. 2 is a third
flowthrough passage 40
with front and back ports 44 and 46, intersecting first flowthrough passage
18, and a fourth
flowthrough passage 42 with front and back ports 48 and 49, intersecting
second flowthrough
passage 20.
[0025] In an embodiment of a flow diverter 10A shown in Fig. 3,
flowthrough passages
18A and 20A in block 16A respectively include elbow 26A and elbow 34A with
corresponding
ports 24A and 32A, in which the elbows 26A, 34A may be shaped at any suitable
angle that is
greater than or less than ninety degrees, with a preferred angle less than
ninety degrees as shown
in Figs. 3 and 4. The angle of an elbow is taken to be the angle by which the
elbow diverges
from a straight line.
[0026] Fig. 4 shows a top view of the flow diverter 10A when the angle of
the pipe
elbows is less than ninety degrees. The central block 16A may also be expanded
laterally as
shown at 17 as compared with the block 16 of Figs. 1 and 2 to accommodate the
lateral angle
position of the flowthrough passages 18A and 20A. The flow diverter 10A may
also be used to
insert equipment into the line, such as a sensor or pig launcher, or it may be
used to run fluid or
other conveyed material out to a separator or other process equipment and
return treated fluid or
other conveyed material back to the piping. Conveyed material may include
particulates.
[0027] Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show basic positions of flow passages through
the exemplary
blocks 16 and 16A. Many variations of these flow passages may be used. The
flow passages may
diverge, as shown in Fig. 9 for an example of a one to two divergence, but the
divergence may be
one to any number of passages that can fit within the block. The flow passages
are shown as
having a single elbow, but there may be one or more elbows of varying angle
within the same
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passage. The angle of the elbow may be any angle between 0 and 180 degrees,
provided the flow
passages do not connect together, so that there should be at least a
sufficient divergence of the
flow passages that flow passages extending between opposite ends of the piping
in which the
block is located do not connect to each other. The angle of the elbow may be
abrupt, with a
sharp transition as shown in Figs. 1-4, or may be curved.
[0028] Referring to Fig. 5, an embodiment of a flow diverter 10A is shown
that has a
flow loop 90 extending from ports 24A, 32A in block 16A. The piping of the
flow loop 90 is
attached to the second ports 24A and 32A of the first and second flowthrough
passages 18A and
20A. The piping is formed in a loop 90 so that material within the loop
travels out the second
port 24A of the first flowthrough passage 18A, around the loop 90, and into
the second port 32A
of the second flowthrough passage 20A, or in reverse. The loop 90 may be
formed with any
suitable shape or angle.
[0029] The loop 90 may be formed with several pipe sections formed
together or
connected using any conventional means, such as using threaded pipes or welded
joints. For
example, pipes 50 and 52 extend from or are connected to the second ports 24A
and 32A of the
first and second flowthrough passages 18A and 20A, respectively. Angled pipe
elbows 54 and 56
within the loop 90 may be of any angle between zero and three hundred sixty
degrees, with pipe
elbows shown in Fig. 5 at a greater than ninety degree angle. The pipe elbows
54 and 56 are
connected to pipes 50 and 52, respectively, and a welded tee 58 joins the pipe
elbows 54 and 56
to complete the loop 90.
[0030] Figs. 6 and 6A show the flow loop 90 when the pipe elbows 26A, 34A
within the
block 16A are angled at less than ninety degrees as in Fig. 4. The flow loop
90 may also
comprise one or more valves, such as a threaded or welded flange, or flanged
valves, located at
any position around the flow loop 90. In the embodiment in Figs. 6 and 6A, the
flow loop 90
includes a double block and bleed configuration or double isolation and bleed
configuration. A
first valve 60 and second valve 62 are located at the same height as each
other (in this example),
though the valves 60, 62 may be located at any point around the loop. The flow
loop may also
comprise a bleed valve 64 between the first valve 60 and second valve 62. The
bleed valve 64
may be connected into the flow loop 90 through a tee 58. Various other
equipment may be
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inserted in the flow loop 90 with or instead of the two valves and bleed
shown, depending on the
embodiment.
[0031] Where a flow loop 90 extends from a block 16 or 16A, the
flowthrough passages
18 and 20 (or 18A, 20A) may be angled laterally to allow space for the flow
loop 90 to be
installed, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4. The flow passages 18A and 20A
are thus angled
laterally in both the plane of Fig. 3, due to the angle of the respective
elbows, and the plane of
Fig. 4, due to the orientation of the elbows with respect to each other in the
block 16A. The
orientation of the elbows with respect to each other in the block such as
blocks 16, 16A may be
expressed by a rotation angle about a pipe axis joining centers of the piping
to which the flow
diverter is to be attached. A line drawn along the center of the bore of an
elbow lies in and
defines a plane. The pipe axis will lie in this plane. Depending on the
rotational position of the
elbow, this plane has an angular position relative to some reference, such as
up or down or
relative to the plane of a figure. Thus elbows 26 and 34 are oriented at zero
degrees to each
other, and elbows 26A and 34A are oriented at an angle to each other that is
greater than zero
and less than 90 degrees. If the respective elbows extend towards opposite
sides of the block,
then they are at 180 degrees to each other. The rotational position of the
elbows relative to each
other may thus be any position between zero and 360 degrees.
[0032] Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a flow diverter 10B when
the pipe
elbows within the block 16B are angled at less than ninety degrees and where
the flow diverter
10B has a wide space between pipes 50A and 52A that are secured to the block
16B by any
suitable means. Angled pipe elbows 54A and 56A may be any appropriate angle
and may be
attached to the respective pipes 50A and 52A. Fittings 66 and 68 are connected
to pipe elbows
54A and 56A respectively. Pipe openings 70 and 72, extending from fittings 66
and 68
respectively, may be used to connect any of various equipment (not shown) to
the line using any
conventional means, such as using threaded pipes or welded joints, or may be
connected using a
valve. The fittings may be for example T-joints.
[0033] Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of a flow diverter IOC when
the pipe
elbows 26C, 34C in respective passages 18C and 20C within the block 16C are
angled at greater
than ninety degrees. In this embodiment, flowthrough passages I8C and 20C must
be angled
laterally (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the figure) to
provide space for each
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flowthrough passage 18C and 20C. The flowthrough passages 18C and 20C exit the
block 16C
through respective ports 24C and 32C, to which pipes may be attached. The
lateral orientation of
the elbows 26C and 34C (left and right in the figure) may be modified from
what is shown
according to the desired application. When the passages 18C and 20C do not
overlap in the
block, the passages need not be angled to provide space for the passages.
[0034] Referring to Fig. 9, a further embodiment of a flow diverter 10D is
shown. The
flow diverter IOD includes a first flange 12 and a second flange 14 axially
aligned with each
other. A central block 16D is located between the two flanges. The central
block 16D contains a
first flowthrough passage 18D and a second flowthrough passage 20D. The first
flowthrough
passage 18D includes a first port 22D, a second upper port 74, a second lower
port 82, and a T-
junction 78 within the passage. The second flowthrough passage 20D also
includes a first port
30D, a second upper port 76, a second lower port 84, and a second T-junction
80 within the
passage. The flowthrough passages 18D, 20D may be of any size appropriate for
the size of
central block 16D. Spacing pipes extend between the flanges and the passages,
a first spacing
pipe 36 extending between the first port 22D of the first flowthrough passage
18d and the first
flange 12, and a second spacing pipe 38 extending between the first port 30D
of the second
flowthrough passage 20D and the second flange 14. Any number of additional
ports may be
included in any embodiment of the block including block 16, 16A, 16B, 16C or
16D. Thus,
although block 16 has two exit ports, and block 16D has four exit ports, there
may be
embodiments with 6, 8 or any number of exit ports and corresponding
flowthrough passages. The
flow passages of Figs. 1 and 9 are shown with right angled elbows, but these
elbows may be
made with any angle from below 90 degrees to 180 degrees with suitable lateral
spacing of the
elbows to prevent intersection of the passages within the block.
[0035] The passages at the respective second ports 74, 76, 82 and 84 may
be used for
receiving a pipe attachment (not shown). A pipe attachment may be attached by
any suitable
means, such as by one piece forging, threading or welding, to the flowthrough
passage at second
ports 74, 76, 82 and 84.
[0036] In Fig. 10, a flow diverter 16 having a first flange 12 and a
second flange 14
axially aligned is shown with the flanges 12, 14 inserted into piping 96
between piping flanges
92 and 94 that are spaced apart for receiving a valve such as a conventional
valve (not shown).
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The gaps between the flanges are exaggerated. The flow diverter may be
inserted in piping by
removing existing equipment installed between pipe flanges 92 and 94 in piping
96 and inserting
a flow diverter between the pipe flanges. The flow diverter 16 may be any
embodiment of a flow
diverter as disclosed, including flow diverters 16A, 16B, 16C or 16D, any of
which may be
forged as a single piece. The block 16 may be any of the disclosed blocks with
any of the
passages disclosed. A conventional valve spacing is determined for example by
Ansi B16 10-
1973/1992, or such other standard as may be in force from time to time.
[0037] Any connection mentioned as being threaded or welded may instead be
made or
partly made using any conventional method, such as by being forged or one
piece forged. The
blocks 16-16D are preferably unitary, made from a single piece, and may have
any suitable
shape and may be round, for example cylindrical, square, or angled and may
have cut-outs, such
as block 16A. The passages are preferably bored in the block but may be made
of any suitable
method now known or hereafter developed.
[0038] In the claims, the word "comprising" is used in its inclusive sense
and does not
exclude other elements being present. The indefinite articles "a" and "an"
before a claim feature
do not exclude more than one of the feature being present. Each one of the
individual features
described here may be used in one or more embodiments and is not, by virtue
only of being
described here, to be construed as essential to all embodiments as defined by
the claims.
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