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- Nachgewiesen in: USPTO Patent Grants
- Sprachen: English
- Patent Number: 10895,152
- Publication Date: January 19, 2021
- Appl. No: 15/943041
- Application Filed: April 02, 2018
- Assignees: CFI Technologies, LLC (Steamboat Springs, CO, US)
- Claim: 1. Apparatus comprising: a rock or concrete breaker further comprising: a barrel having a proximal end and a distal end, a conical tip bulb radially extending from the distal end of the barrel and configured for fitting within a borehole and pressing against an inner wall of the borehole, a proximal end of the conical tip bulb being configured as a cone for capturing and pressing particulate sealing material against the inner wall of the borehole, a crush tube having a proximal end and a distal end and concentrically mounted externally on the barrel and configured for sliding back and forth on the barrel with the distal end of the crush tube variably spaced from the tip bulb on the distal end of the barrel, for packing particulate sealing material in an annular seal cavity formed between the barrel and the inner wall of the borehole, the distal end of the crush tube and the tip bulb, a groove extending lengthwise along an exterior surface of the barrel, the groove having a distal end and a proximal end, a nose cone having a proximal end and a distal end and configured for holding the proximal end of the barrel, a cylinder mounted in the nose cone with an inner piston configured for receiving and securing the proximal end of the crush tube and driving the crush tube back and forth on an outer surface of the barrel, between an extended position and a retracted position, first and second inlets in the nose cone, the first inlet being configured for connecting with the proximal end of the groove when the crush tube is in the retracted position, the second inlet positioned in the nose cone and configured for connecting with the groove when the crush tube is in an at least partially extended position, a particulate sealing material and a delivery fluid selectively connected to and disconnected from the first inlet and configured for providing the particulate sealing material by the delivery fluid to the first inlet and through the first inlet, through the groove and out of the groove to the annular seal cavity formed between the barrel, the inner wall of the borehole and limited lengthwise by the distal end of the crush tube and the conical tip bulb, wherein the particulate material is trapped in the annular seal cavity by the distal end of the crush tube and the conical tip bulb, and the piston connected to the proximal end of the crush tube adapted for reciprocating the crush tube toward and away from the conical tip bulb and packing the particulate sealing material radially outward so as to form a tight annular seal of highly crushed and compacted particulate sealing material in the annular cavity, a wash out fluid selectively connected to and disconnected from the second inlet and configured for delivering wash out fluid through the second inlet and the groove, cleaning out the annular seal cavity between the inner wall of the borehole, the barrel, the distal end of the crush tube and the conical tip bulb during at least a portion of travel of the crush tube relative to the barrel.
- Claim: 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particulate sealing material is in a hopper holding the particulate material, and the delivery fluid is connected to the hopper, a metering chamber is connected to the hopper and a first conduit connects an outlet of the metering chamber to the first inlet of the nose cone.
- Claim: 3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising metering rollers in the metering chamber and a delivery fluid inlet connected to the delivery fluid and to the metering chamber for conducting delivery fluid through the conduit, the first inlet and the groove with or without the particulate sealing material.
- Claim: 4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the delivery fluid is compressed air.
- Claim: 5. The apparatus of claim 1 , the wash out fluid further comprising compressed air and water and a conduit connected to the compressed air and water and to the second inlet in the nose cone for delivering the compressed air and water through the second conduit, the second inlet and the groove in the barrel to the annular seal cavity as cleanout fluid.
- Claim: 6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particulate sealing material is sand and the delivery fluid is compressed air.
- Claim: 7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a foam cylinder having a first foam chamber and a second driving chamber, a piston dividing the first foam chamber and the second driving chamber, the first chamber connected to the barrel, a foam generator connected to the first chamber adapted for filling the first chamber with foam, a pressure conduit connected to the second chamber adapted for driving the piston toward the barrel and compressing the first chamber, a smaller foam property modifying substance injection cylinder connected to the piston and extending into the second chamber, a smaller injection tube acting as an injection piston mounted in the injection cylinder, the injection tube having first and second ends, the first end of the injection tube connected to a poppet valve having a connection to the barrel, and the second end of the injection tube mounted in the injection cylinder and adapted for providing the pressurized foam property modifying substance from the injection cylinder through the poppet valve as the piston and the injection cylinder are moved toward a first end of the foam cylinder.
- Claim: 8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the poppet valve has an annular poppet cylinder, an annular poppet piston in the poppet cylinder and a poppet core with a through hole connected to the barrel, the poppet piston being held closed by pressurized air, the poppet valve being adapted so that when the air pressure holding the poppet closed is reduced by an external valve the annular poppet cylinder opens to deliver foam from the first end of the foam cylinder through the poppet valve and the core to the barrel while at the same time the movement of the foam property modifying substance cylinder within the second driving chamber increases pressure in the smaller injection tube, opening a check valve and delivering the foam property modifying substance under pressure to the through hole in the poppet core.
- Claim: 9. Apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: the poppet valve configured for delivering the foam under pressure from the injection cylinder through the barrel in the borehole, the poppet valve further comprising: an annular poppet cylinder, an annular poppet piston in the poppet cylinder, a poppet core inside the annular poppet piston, an open throat within the poppet core, and access ports configured for closing by the annular poppet piston and preventing communication between the foam cylinder and the open throat in the poppet core.
- Claim: 10. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising an annular fluid chamber, and configured wherein the annular poppet piston is held closed until pressure is reduced by an external valve.
- Claim: 11. A method comprising: providing a barrel having a conical tip bulb configured for inserting into a drilled borehole in a rock or concrete for fracturing the rock or concrete, providing a crush tube slidable on the barrel, the crush tube having a distal end spaced from the conical tip bulb, providing a lengthwise groove along an outer surface of the barrel, providing a nose cone adapted for holding a cylinder against a center plate that is adapted for holding the barrel and permitting sliding through the nose cone of a proximal end of the crush tube on the barrel, providing first and second passages in the nose cone, providing sand and air under pressure through the first passage in the nose cone and the groove along the outer surface of the barrel to a gap between the bulb tip and the distal end of the crush tube, closing the first passage and advancing the crush tube on the barrel and moving the distal end of the crush tube toward the tip bulb, crushing the sand between the tip bulb and the distal end of the crush tube, thereby forming a crushed sand seal between the barrel and an interior wall of the borehole, wherein the sand is trapped in a seal cavity by the crush tube end and the conical tip bulb, and providing foam and a cross linker through a bore of the barrel and into a bottom of the sealed borehole.
- Claim: 12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising introducing water and compressed air through the second passage and the groove into the crushed sand seal and eroding the sand seal for facilitating removal of the barrel from the borehole.
- Claim: 13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising reciprocating the crush tube and further facilitating erosion and removal of the sand seal.
- Claim: 14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the providing of sand and air under pressure further comprises: providing a sand hopper, providing sand in the sand hopper, providing metering rollers beneath the sand hopper, and providing a flow of pressurized air below the metering rollers and through a first passageway and the groove along the barrel, thereby keeping the first passageway and the groove free of debris, moisture and sand.
- Claim: 15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising flowing pressurized air into the sand hopper and rotating the metering rollers and flowing the sand and pressurized air from the sand hopper through the first passageway and the groove to an annular cavity between the tip bulb and the distal end of the crush tube.
- Claim: 16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: providing a foam cylinder, providing foam from the foam cylinder to the barrel through a poppet valve, providing the poppet valve with an annular poppet chamber, an annular poppet piston within the annular poppet chamber, and a poppet core having a throat adapted for connection to a bore of the barrel, providing the poppet valve with passageways from the foam cylinder to the throat, providing an annular air chamber behind the annular poppet piston and closing the passageways with the poppet piston with air pressure in the air chamber, and using an external valve for reducing the air pressure holding the poppet closed, thus allowing for the injection of high pressure foam into the bore of the barrel and out through the distal end of the barrel.
- Claim: 17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising: providing a foam property modifying substance to the foam in the throat and in the barrel by extending a foam property modifying substance cylinder from a foam piston into an air drive chamber on a side of the foam piston opposite a foam chamber, extending a hollow foam property modifying substance tube piston from the poppet valve through the foam chamber and through the foam piston into a cross-linker cylinder, moving with the foam piston the foam property modifying substance cylinder onto a hollow cross linker piston and increasing pressure on the cross linker in the hollow piston, opening a one-way valve in the poppet valve with the increased cross linker pressure, and ejecting the foam property modifying substance from the hollow foam property modifying substance piston into the poppet valve throat.
- Claim: 18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ejecting of the foam property modifying substance further comprises ejecting one or more foam cross-linking chemicals.
- Claim: 19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ejecting of the foam property modifying substance further comprises ejecting particles, micro-particles or nanoparticles.
- Claim: 20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ejecting of the foam property modifying substance further comprises ejecting a combination of foam cross-linking chemicals and micro particles into the poppet valve throat.
- Patent References Cited: 4363518 December 1982 Nakamura ; 4991653 February 1991 Schwegman ; 5098163 March 1992 Young, III ; 6102484 August 2000 Young, III ; 6375271 April 2002 Young, III ; 2016/0024894 January 2016 Campbell ; 2018/0163510 June 2018 Cleven
- Assistant Examiner: Goodwin, Michael A
- Primary Examiner: Kreck, Janine M
- Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wray, James Creighton
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