Combined shear head and housing plug

Claim 2

Apparatus for altering a fluid flow path through a conduit in service comprising a fluid tight housing adapted to be secured to the exterior of the conduit, cutter means in said housing, actuator means external of said housing and movable into said housing through an aperture therein along a generally radial direction, said actuator means beIng releasably secured to said cutter means and adapted to move said cutter means from a position external of the conduit radially through a wall of the conduit whereby the conduit wall is severed and fluid communication between the interior of the conduit and the housing is developed, said actuator means being retractable from said housing along said radial direction and through said aperture, retraction of said actuator means causing said cutter means to withdraw from said conduit, and sealing means cooperating with said cutter means to seal said aperture to prevent loss of fluid from said housing, said actuator means being releasable from said cutter means when the latter is in sealing cooperation with said sealing means.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cutter means is larger in cross section than said aperture in a plane perpendicular to said radial direction.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cutter means comprises a shear head, and said actuator means is adapted to force said shear head through said conduit by exceeding the shear strength of the conduit wall along a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said shear head includes a pair of cutting edges each lying in separate parallel planes.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said actuator means is adapted to move said shear head from a first portion of said housing through the wall of the conduit and into a second portion of said housing diametrically opposite said first portion.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said actuator means includes a carrier block to which said shear head is releasably secured, an axially movable plug in the carrier block adapted to seal a conduit end face formed by a cutting edge on said shear head when said shear head is moved into said second portion.

Claim 8

In a device for altering the fluid flow path through a pipe in service, a fluid tight housing having first and second portions adapted to be sealingly secured to the exterior of a pipe on opposite sides of its longitudinal axis, a pipe shear and plugging assembly including shear means and pipe plugging means, an actuator for forcing said shear means radially through a pipe wall section enclosed in said housing from said first housing portion into said second housing portion, said shear means including a cutting edge in a plane substantially transverse to the pipe axis and adapted to form a pipe end face when said shear means passes through said pipe, said plugging means being radially movable with said shear means, said plugging means including a pipe plug movable along the axis of the pipe to seal said pipe end face, the improvement which comprises a pressure chamber, a wall separating the pressure chamber and first housing portion, an aperture in said separating wall providing communication between said pressure chamber and said first housing chamber, said wall extending in a plane generally perpendicular to said radial direction, said shear means having dimensions in a plane parallel to said wall larger than corresponding dimensions of said aperture whereby said shear means is adapted to seal said aperture when in engagement therewith, said shear means and plugging means being separable from one another, and means for releasably holding said shear means and plugging means together, said holding means being outside of said first housing portion when said shear means seals said aperture.

Claim 9

In a device for altering the fluid flow path through a pipe in service, a fluid tight housing having first and second portions adapted to be sealingly secured to the exterior of a pipe on opposite sides of its longitudinal axis, a pipe shear and plugging assembly including shear means and pipe plugging means, an actuator for forcing said shear means radially through a pipe wall section enclosed in said housing from said first housing portion into said second housing portion, said shear means including a cutting edge in a plane substantially transverse to the pipe axis and adapted to form a pipe end face when said shear means passes through said pipe, said plugging means being radially movable with said shear means, said plugging means including a pipe plug movable along the axis of the pipe to seal said pipe end face, the improvement which comprises a pressure chamber, a wall separating the pressure chamber and first housing portion, an aperture in said separating wall providing communication between said pressure chamber and said first housing chamber, said wall extending in a plane generally perpendicular to said radial direction, said shear means having dimensions in a plane parallel to said wall larger than corresponding dimensions of said aperture whereby said shear means is adapted to seal said aperture when in engagement therewith, said shear means and plugging means being separable from one another, and means for releasably holding said shear means and plugging means together, said holding means being outside of said first housing portion when said shear means seals said aperture.

Claim 10

The improvement as set forth in claim 7 wherein said wall is associated with said first housing portion, and including means for releasably securing said pressure chamber to said first housing portion whereby said pressure chamber is removable from said first housing portion after said shear means seals said aperture.

Claim 11

Apparatus for controlling fluid flow in a conduit in service comprising a fluid tight housing adapted to be sealingly secured on the exterior of a section of conduit, cuTter means in the housing, an actuator external of the housing for extending the cutter means radially into a wall of the conduit and retracting the cutter means from the conduit, said actuator being operable through an aperture in the housing, guide surfaces in the housing for guiding the cutter means along a direction substantially radial to the conduit, said guide surfaces being solely outside of a zone defined by a radial projection of said aperture, said cutter means having aperture sealing surfaces outward of and peripherally continuous around said zone whereby said cutter means is adapted to seal said aperture when it is retracted from said conduit to a position where said sealing surfaces engage a portion of said housing surrounding said aperture, and means to separate said actuator from said cutter means when said sealing surfaces of said cutter means are in sealing engagement with said housing portion surrounding said aperture.

Claim 12

Apparatus for controlling fluid flow in a conduit in service comprising a fluid tight housing adapted to be sealingly secured on the exterior of a section of conduit, cuTter means in the housing, an actuator external of the housing for extending the cutter means radially into a wall of the conduit and retracting the cutter means from the conduit, said actuator being operable through an aperture in the housing, guide surfaces in the housing for guiding the cutter means along a direction substantially radial to the conduit, said guide surfaces being solely outside of a zone defined by a radial projection of said aperture, said cutter means having aperture sealing surfaces outward of and peripherally continuous around said zone whereby said cutter means is adapted to seal said aperture when it is retracted from said conduit to a position where said sealing surfaces engage a portion of said housing surrounding said aperture, and means to separate said actuator from said cutter means when said sealing surfaces of said cutter means are in sealing engagement with said housing portion surrounding said aperture.

Claim 13

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said actuator includes an element dimensioned with respect to said aperture to permit said element and said cutter means to be guided radially and supported in an axial direction with respect to the conduit by said aperture.

Claim 14

Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said cutter means is adapted to pass diametrally through said conduit to form an end face on the conduit, said element comprising a block member, and plug means carried by said block member and movable with respect to said block member to sealingly engage said conduit end face.

Claim 15

Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said separating means includes means for releasably connecting said block member to said cutter means whereby said block member may be removed from said cutter means when said sealing surface of said cutter means is in sealing engagement with said housing portion.

Claim 16

Apparatus for controlling fluid flow in a live pipeline comprising a housing sealingly secured around the exterior of a section of the pipeline, said housing having an interior of rectangular cross section along a direction radial to the axis of the pipeline, said housing including first and second portions on opposite sides of the pipeline, a shear receivable in the first housing portion, a linear actuator external of said housing adapted to radially extend the shear from the first housing portion to the second housing portion by exceeding the shear strength of the pipeline wall, an aperture in said first housing portion having a rectangular cross section along the radial line of movement of said actuator, a block associated with said actuator and having cross-sectional dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the aperture such that the block is slidable through the aperture and is axially and laterally supported by it, a cylindrical bore in said block in parallel alignment with the axis of the pipe, a cylindrical pipe plug in said bore, said plug being in radial alignment with said pipe when said shear is in said second housing portion, means operable externally of the housing for selectively extending the plug axially relative to the block when the plug is in radial alignment with the pipeline whereby the plug is adapted to sealingly engage an end face of the pipeline formed by the shear, said shear being dimensioned to slidably engage the interior surfaces of the housing such that the shear is axially and laterally supported by said interior housing surfaces, said shear including aperture closure surface portions outside of a zone defined by a radial projection of said aperture, and peripheral seal means associated with said aperture, said closure surface portions adapted to engage said peripheral seal means of said aperture to prevent escape of fluid from said housing after said pipeline has been severed by said shear and said shear is retracted from said pipe.

Claim 17

Apparatus for controlling fluid flow in a live pipeline comprising a housing sealingly secured around the exterior of a section of the pipeline, said housing having an interior of rectangular cross section along a direction radial to the axis of the pipeline, said housing including first and second portions on opposite sides of the pipeline, a shear receivable in the first housing portion, a linear actuator external of said housing adapted to radially extend the shear from the first housing portion to the second housing portion by exceeding the shear strength of the pipeline wall, an aperture in said first housing portion having a rectangular cross section along the radial line of movement of said actuator, a block associated with said actuator and having cross-sectional dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the aperture such that the block is slidable through the aperture and is axially and laterally supported by it, a cylindrical bore in said block in parallel alignment with the axis of the pipe, a cylindrical pipe plug in said bore, said plug being in radial alignment with said pipe when said shear is in said second housing portion, means operable externally of the housing for selectively extending the plug axially relative to the block when the plug is in radial alignment with the pipeline whereby the plug is adapted to sealingly engage an end face of the pipeline formed by the shear, said shear being dimensioned to slidably engage the interior surfaces of the housing such that the shear is axially and laterally supported by said interior housing surfaces, said shear including aperture closure surface portions outside of a zone defined by a radial projection of said aperture, and peripheral seal means associated with said aperture, said closure surface portions adapted to engage said peripheral seal means of said aperture to prevent escape of fluid from said housing after said pipeline has been severed by said shear and said shear is retracted from said pipe.