The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 02, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1997
Alan Dale Leitko, Houston, TX (US);
Gene Hugh Sherwin, Magnolia, TX (US);
Joe Oscar Esparza, Katy, TX (US);
Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A conduit cleaning jetting pig is provided, the pig having a central axis that can be aligned with a central axis of a conduit to be cleaned, the pig including: a seal means having an upstream side and a downstream side, the seal means effective to prevent a significant flow of fluids from the upstream side of the pig to the downstream side of the pig between the pig and the inside of the conduit when a differential pressure exists between the upstream side and the downstream side of the pig; a rotating element rotatably connected to the downstream side of the seal means; a plurality of nozzles connected to the rotating element each nozzle defining a flowpath through the nozzle for fluids to pass through each of the nozzles, and the flowpath in communication with a channel from the upstream side of the seal means to the flowpath with the flowpath through the nozzle aligned in part tangential to a cylinder around the central axis of the pig and aligned in part toward the inside wall of the conduit; and a friction creating element capable of being urged against an inside surface of a conduit, the friction creating element allowing a limited and controlled rate of movement down the pipe when fluid is provided on the upstream side of the pig wherein the friction created decreases with increasing fluid flow through the flowpaths defined by the nozzles. This pig is useful for removing solids such as wax from the inside of pipes.