Structural design and plugging capacity of globular double-plugging plug in 1 016 mm pipeline

Regarding that it is difficult to plug successfully at a time because of the passive plugging mode of traditional hanging plugs, a kind of globular double-plugging plug is developed. With a globular integrated design, this new plug has two sealant tubes that can be compressed by a hydraulic cylinder placed in the central globe, thereby achieving the active plugging of the pipeline. A structure of globular double-plugging plug used in 1 016 mm pipeline is designed, and the plugging capacity of globular double-plugging plug is analyzed here. Results show that in a 1 016 mm pipeline with medium pressure of 10 MPa and a load of 20 MPa is provided by the built-in driven hydraulic cylinder, the maximum plugging capacity of sealant tube can reach up to 13.93 MPa and can meet the requirement of 10 MPa pressure difference, thus successful plugging at a time can be achieved. In this way, the work efficiency is improved and the security of pipeline plugging operation gets higher.