Patent US3878686A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3878686A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Grouting process
Assignee: Geologic Associates Inc
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Filing: 1974-08-29
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Granted: 1975-04-22
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Expires: 1994-08-29
Abstract
Abstract A grouting process for filling subterranean voids by controlled feeding and mixing foam-forming ingredients, such as isocyanates and polyols, and an expanding agent, such as compressed or liquefied fluorocarbon gases, to pre-expand the foam-forming ingredients in the vicinity of the void and form a fluid, closedcell, froth foam material, and then discharging the fluid foam material into the void to fill the void before the foam material gels.
Inventors
- 👤 John A Hageman
- 👤 Floyd M Slagle
- 👤 Jr Raymond T Throckmorton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 22:25
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B33/00; E21B33/10; E21B33/13; E21B33/138; C; C09; C09K; C09K17/00; C09K17/14; C09K17/18; C09K17/30; C09K8/00; C09K8/50; C09K8/516; C09K8/518; E02; E02D; E02D27/00; E02D27/32; E02D27/48; E02D3/00; E02D3/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
305 words
A method of extensively filling voids in subterranean soild formations conprising: a. feeding a liquid, foam-forming ingredient, comprising an organic isocyanate, in a feed path from a ground surface station to a pre-expander chamber within the region adjacent a void to be filled, b. feeding a liquid, foam-forming ingredient, comprising a polyol, in a feed path from said ground surface station to said pre-expander chamber, c. feeding an expanding agent in the form of a liquefied fluorocarbon in a feed path from said ground surface station to said pre-expander chamber, d. feeding a reaction catalyst with one of said foam-forming ingredients to said pre-expander chamber, in an amount corresponding to the required length of set time for gelling the polyurethane foam material, e. variably maintaining the flow pressures of said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon throughout the feed paths of said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon, by remotely controlling valve means in said feed paths immediately adjacent and upstream of said pre-expander chamber, so that said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon are in a liquid state immediately prior to release from said valve means into said pre-expander chamber, f. mixing said liquid foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon under reduced pressure in said pre-expander chamber so that said fluorocarbon expands as a gas within said mixed foam-forming ingredients to produce a fluid, pre-expanded, closed-cell polyurethane froth foam material, inert to reaction with subterranean water in said void, and pressure-resistant to the hydrostatic pressure of any water in said void, g. discharging said fluid, polyurethane froth foam material into said void with sufficient force to displace any water from said void, and to substantially fill said void within said set time, and h. permitting said polyurethane froth foam material to gel within said set time within said void and to adhere to the walls of said void.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
305 words
A method of extensively filling voids in subterranean soild formations conprising: a. feeding a liquid, foam-forming ingredient, comprising an organic isocyanate, in a feed path from a ground surface station to a pre-expander chamber within the region adjacent a void to be filled, b. feeding a liquid, foam-forming ingredient, comprising a polyol, in a feed path from said ground surface station to said pre-expander chamber, c. feeding an expanding agent in the form of a liquefied fluorocarbon in a feed path from said ground surface station to said pre-expander chamber, d. feeding a reaction catalyst with one of said foam-forming ingredients to said pre-expander chamber, in an amount corresponding to the required length of set time for gelling the polyurethane foam material, e. variably maintaining the flow pressures of said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon throughout the feed paths of said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon, by remotely controlling valve means in said feed paths immediately adjacent and upstream of said pre-expander chamber, so that said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon are in a liquid state immediately prior to release from said valve means into said pre-expander chamber, f. mixing said liquid foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon under reduced pressure in said pre-expander chamber so that said fluorocarbon expands as a gas within said mixed foam-forming ingredients to produce a fluid, pre-expanded, closed-cell polyurethane froth foam material, inert to reaction with subterranean water in said void, and pressure-resistant to the hydrostatic pressure of any water in said void, g. discharging said fluid, polyurethane froth foam material into said void with sufficient force to displace any water from said void, and to substantially fill said void within said set time, and h. permitting said polyurethane froth foam material to gel within said set time within said void and to adhere to the walls of said void.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
304 words
A METHOD OF EXTENSIVELY FILLING VOIDS IN SUBTERRANEAN SOLID FORMATIONS COMPRISING: A. FEEDING A LIQUID, FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENT, COMPRISING AN ORGANIC ISOCYANATE, IN A FEED PATH FROM A GROUND SURFACE STATION TO A PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER WITHIN THE REGION ADJACENT TO VOID TO BE FILLED, B. FEEDING A LIQUID, FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENT, COMPRISING A POLYOL, IN A FEED PATH FROM SAID GROUND SURFACE STATION TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, C. FEEDING AN EXPANDING AGENT IN THE FORM OF A LIQUEFIED FLUOROCARBON IN A FEED PATH FROM SAID GROUND SURFACE STATION TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, D. FEEDING A REACTION CATALYST WITH ONE OF SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER,IN AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO THE REQUIRED LENGTH OF SET TIME FOR GELLING THE POLYURETHANE FOAM MATERIAL, E. VARIABLY MAINTAINING THE FLOW PRESSURES OF SAID FOAMFORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON THROUGHOUT THE FEED PATHS OF SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREGIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON, BY REMOTELY CONTROLLING VALVE MEANS IN SAID FEED PATHS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND UPSTREAM OF SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, SO THAT SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON ARE IN A LIQUID STATE IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO RELEASE FROM SAID VALVE MEANS INTO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, F. MIXING SAID LIQUID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE IN SAID PREEXPANDER CHAMBER SO THAT SAID FLUOROCARBON EXPANDS AS A GAS WITHIN SAID MIXTED FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS TO PRODUCE A FLUID, PRE-EXPANDED, CLOSED-CELL POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL, INERT TO REACTION WITH SUBTERRANEAN WATER IN SAID VOID, AND PRESSURE-RESISTANT TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE OF ANY WATER IN SAID VOID, G. DISCHARGING SAID FLUID, POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL INTO SAID VOID WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO DISPLACE ANY WATER FROM SAID VOID, AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL SAID VOID WITHIN SAID SET TIME, AND H. PREMITTING SAID POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL TO GEL WITHIN SAID SET TIME WITHIN SAID VOID AND TO ADHERE TO THE WALLS OF SAID VOID.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
304 words
A METHOD OF EXTENSIVELY FILLING VOIDS IN SUBTERRANEAN SOLID FORMATIONS COMPRISING: A. FEEDING A LIQUID, FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENT, COMPRISING AN ORGANIC ISOCYANATE, IN A FEED PATH FROM A GROUND SURFACE STATION TO A PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER WITHIN THE REGION ADJACENT TO VOID TO BE FILLED, B. FEEDING A LIQUID, FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENT, COMPRISING A POLYOL, IN A FEED PATH FROM SAID GROUND SURFACE STATION TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, C. FEEDING AN EXPANDING AGENT IN THE FORM OF A LIQUEFIED FLUOROCARBON IN A FEED PATH FROM SAID GROUND SURFACE STATION TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, D. FEEDING A REACTION CATALYST WITH ONE OF SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS TO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER,IN AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO THE REQUIRED LENGTH OF SET TIME FOR GELLING THE POLYURETHANE FOAM MATERIAL, E. VARIABLY MAINTAINING THE FLOW PRESSURES OF SAID FOAMFORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON THROUGHOUT THE FEED PATHS OF SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREGIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON, BY REMOTELY CONTROLLING VALVE MEANS IN SAID FEED PATHS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND UPSTREAM OF SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, SO THAT SAID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON ARE IN A LIQUID STATE IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO RELEASE FROM SAID VALVE MEANS INTO SAID PRE-EXPANDER CHAMBER, F. MIXING SAID LIQUID FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS AND SAID FLUOROCARBON UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE IN SAID PREEXPANDER CHAMBER SO THAT SAID FLUOROCARBON EXPANDS AS A GAS WITHIN SAID MIXTED FOAM-FORMING INGREDIENTS TO PRODUCE A FLUID, PRE-EXPANDED, CLOSED-CELL POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL, INERT TO REACTION WITH SUBTERRANEAN WATER IN SAID VOID, AND PRESSURE-RESISTANT TO THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE OF ANY WATER IN SAID VOID, G. DISCHARGING SAID FLUID, POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL INTO SAID VOID WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO DISPLACE ANY WATER FROM SAID VOID, AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL SAID VOID WITHIN SAID SET TIME, AND H. PREMITTING SAID POLYURETHANE FROTH FOAM MATERIAL TO GEL WITHIN SAID SET TIME WITHIN SAID VOID AND TO ADHERE TO THE WALLS OF SAID VOID.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
111 words
The invention according to claim 1 further conprising the step of blending a first portion of said liquified fluorocarbon with said liquid isocyanate prior to the step of feeding both said isocyanate and said first blended portion of fluorocarbon to said pre-expander chamber, and further comprising the step of blending a second portion of said liquefied fluorocarbon with said liquid polyol prior to the step of feeding said polyol blended with said second portion of said fluorocarbon to said pre-expander chamber, said respective fluorocarbon portions being pre-blended with said isocyanate and said polyol in sufficient quantities to produce said fluid, pre-expanded, polyurethane froth foam material when mixed in saiD pre-expander chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The invention according to claim 1 in which the ratio of said foam-forming ingredients is approximately 60-55 percent organic isocyanate to 40-55 percent polyol.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The invention according to claim 3 in which the chemical equivalent ratio of said organic isocyanate to said polyol is not less than 1.05 NCO content to 1.0 hydroxyl number.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The invention according to claim 1 further comprising the step of drilling a hole from ground level to intercept said void before said feeding steps, so that said region is in said hole and in communication with said void.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention according to claim 1 in which said step of variably maintaining the flow pressures conprises variably restricting the flow of said foam-forming ingredients and said fluorocarbon in said valve means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3379253A
Cited
US3637019A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-04-21 | 1978-10-21 | 1979-04-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-04-21 | 1982-10-21 | 1983-04-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-04-21 | 1986-10-21 | 1987-04-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |