This invention relates to a sealing element and to a sealing arrangement for sealing a joint between a pipe and a mating surface.

Background of the invention

Pipe connections are used in systems which are transporting liquids or gases to keep transported substance inside the system. Making pipe connections between separate units/blocks involves always need for proper pipe sealing. Es- pecially in places where the connected units are non-movable and there are several pipe connections close to each other the connections with easy and secure sealing are demanding.

In prior art there are known many techniques to seal pipe connections. The aim of these sealed connections is to produce a secure sealing with care free use and easy maintenance when needed. Some prior art joint and sealed structures/connections are presented in US 5 108 132, EP 1909017 A1 and CN 201884831 .

In US 5 108 132 is described a split flange assembly with a split spacer for a hose coupling. The assembly is sealed with two sealing points. The first seal- ing is an O-ring between the flange and the block. The second sealing is a split spacer between the flange and a split flange connector. This sealing is made with a split spacer, which has a rigid 2-piece body and an O-ring to keep the spacer parts together. The sealing is achieved with two separate grooves in the hose coupling for two different sized seals. In EP 1909017 A1 is described a connecting structure for an integration panel and fluid device. This structure has an annular gasket with projections which fit to annular grooves in the integration panel and in the fluid device. This annular gasket can only be removed and the connection disassembled when the connected surfaces (integration panel and fluid device) are moved perpendicularly apart. In CN 201884831 is described a pipeline connection having male and female connecting parts. This connection is sealed with two different size O-rings between the male and female connecting parts. Both of these O-rings have separate grooves for them. One of the O-rings is in the female part and one in the male part. This connection can also be disassembled when the connected surfaces are moved perpendicularly apart.

In many pipe connections there are several pipes to be connected in a small area leading to very small distances between the pipes. Also, the pipes are often assembled between two solid connection blocks or similar solid structures. This creates many problems for the secure sealing of the pipes to the solid connection block.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing element for a pipe connection. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing arrangement for sealing a joint between a pipe and a mating surface, in which joint the pipe extends perpendicularly away from the mating surface.

The sealing element according to the invention comprises an annular body and it is provided with a first elastic member, which is arranged on the inner perim- eter of the body, and with a second elastic member, which is arranged on an end surface of the body.

The sealing arrangement according to the invention comprises a sealing element defined above, the sealing element being arranged around the pipe and against the mating surface. With the sealing element and the sealing arrangement according to the invention, connections between a mating surface and one or more pipes can be sealed reliably. The pipes and the sealing elements are also very easy to assemble and remove, even when the pipes are arranged between two solid objects. According to an embodiment of the invention, the body comprises a middle part and a first flange and a second flange, which flanges are arranged on the edges of the middle part and extend from the middle part towards the center axis of the body. According to another embodiment of the invention, the first elastic member is arranged on the inner perimeter of the middle part of the body between the first flange and the second flange, and the second elastic member is arranged on the outer surface of the first flange. A body with flang- es is rigid and protects the elastic member that is located in a pipe assembly between the pipe and the body.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter of the first elastic member is smaller than the inner diameter of the first and the second flanges of the body. According to another embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter of the second elastic member is greater than the inner diameter of the first flange of the body. With this dimensioning, the first elastic member is responsible solely for the axial sealing, whereas the second elastic member is responsible solely for the radial sealing. This ensures that both seals function properly. According to another embodiment of the invention, the body of the sealing element is made of metal or alloy. Also other materials, which are rigid enough, can be used.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the elastic members are vulcanized on the body. This makes the construction durable. However, the elastic members could also be O-rings, in which case the sealing element can be manufactured using standard seals.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the arrangement comprises a pressing element having an opening for the pipe, the pressing element being arranged around the pipe for pressing the sealing element against the mating surface. With the pressing element, the second elastic member can be squeezed for ensuring good radial sealing.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the cross-section of the pressing element around the opening is L-shaped and opens towards the mating surface and the pipe. A rectangular space is thus formed between the pressing member, the mating surface and the pipe for accommodating the sealing element.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the pressing element is provided with a plurality of openings for accommodating a corresponding num- ber of pipes and sealing elements. One pressing element can thus be used for securing several sealing elements that are used around pipes, which are located close to each other.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the arrangement comprises fastening members for attaching the pressing element to the mating surface. The fastening members can be, for instance, bolts.

Brief description of the drawings

In the following the invention is described in more detail by referring to the drawings where,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pipe sealing arrangement,

Fig. 2 is a top view of a pressing element of the sealing arrangement, and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing element.

Description of embodiments of the invention

In figure 1 is shown a sealing arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention. The sealing arrangement is used for sealing a joint between a pipe 2 and a mating surface 9. The pipe 2 extends perpendicularly away from the mating surface 9. In figure 3 is shown a sealing element 3, which is used in the sealing arrangement of figure 1 . The sealing element 3 comprises an annular body 5, a first elastic member 6, and a second elastic member 7. The first elastic member 6 is arranged on the inner perimeter of the rigid body 5, and the second elastic member 7 is arranged on an end surface of the body 5. The body 5 of the sealing element 3 is made of a rigid material, such as metal, al- loy, plastic, or composite material. The elastic members 6, 7 are made of rubber or similar elastic material. The elastic members 6, 7 can be vulcanized on the body 5, or they can be attached to the body 5 for example by using bonding agent. In the embodiment of the figures, the cross-section of the elastic members 6, 7 is circular, but also other shapes are possible to use. The first and the second elastic member 6, 7 can have different cross-sectional shapes. The elastic members 6, 7 can be O-rings. The body 5 of the sealing element 3 comprises a middle part 5a, a first flange 5b, and a second flange 5c. The flanges 5b, 5c are arranged on the edges of the middle part 5a of the body 5 and extend towards the center axis 1 1 of the body 5. The profile of the body 5 is thus U-shaped and opens towards the center axis 1 1 , i.e. inwards. The first elastic member 6 is on the inner surface of middle part 5a of the body 5 between the first and the second flanges 5b, 5c. The second elastic member 7 is on the outer surface of the first flange 5b of the body 5. The outer diameter of the first elastic member 6 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the middle part 5a of the body 5. The inner diameter of the first elastic member 6 is chosen to be smaller than the inner diameter of the first and the second flanges 5b, 5c of the body 5. The first elastic member 6 extends thus inwards from the edges of the first and the second flanges 5b, 5c. The inner diameter of the second elastic member 7 is greater than the inner diameter of the first flange 5b of the body 5. The second elastic member 7 does thus not extend over the edge of the first flange 5b of the body 5. The outer diameter of the second elastic member 7 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the body 5, but it could also be slightly smaller. Because of the dimensioning of the elastic members 6, 7, the first elastic member 6 is responsible for axial sealing and the second elastic member 7 is responsible for radial sealing.

In figure 1 is shown how the sealing element 3 is used for sealing a joint between a pipe 2 and a mating surface 9 of a connection block 1 . The connection block 1 is provided with a duct 13, with which the pipe 2 is aligned. The end of the pipe 2 does not have to be against the mating surface 9, but the pipe 2 can be slightly apart from the mating surface 9. The outer diameter of the pipe 2 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first and the second flanges 5b, 5c of the body 5 of the sealing element 3. The sealing element 3 is arranged around the pipe 2 and against the mating surface 9 of the connection block 1 . The U-shape of the body 5 of the sealing element 3 opens towards the pipe 2. The first elastic member 6 of the sealing element 3 is thus between the pipe 2 and the body 5 of the sealing element 3. Because of the dimensioning of the first elastic member 6, it is squeezed and fills the space between the pipe 2 and the body 5 of the sealing element 3 in the radial direction, and forms a seal between the body 5 of the sealing element 3 and the outer surface of the pipe 2. The first elastic member 6 also partly fills the space between the flanges 5b, 5c of the body 5 of the sealing element 3 in the axial direction of the pipe 2. The sealing arrangement is further provided with a pressing member 4, which is a flange-like part. The pressing member 4 is provided with an opening 12 for accommodating a pipe 2, or with a plurality of openings 12, if the pressing member 4 is used for several pipes 2. In the embodiment of figures 1 and 2, the pressing member 4 is provided with two openings 12. The pressing member 4 is arranged around the pipe 2. In the axial direction of the pipe 2, the sealing element 3 is between the mating surface 9 and the pressing member 4. The pressing member 4 can thus be used for pressing the sealing element 3 against the mating surface 9. Fastening members 8, such as bolts, are used for attaching the pressing member 4 to the mating surface 9 of the connection block 1 . When the pressing member 4 is attached to the connection block 1 , the second elastic member 7 is squeezed between the mating surface 9 of the connection block 1 and the body 5 of the sealing element 3. The second elastic member 7 thus seals the joint between the mating surface 9 and the pipe 2 in the radial direction of the pipe 2.

The cross-section of pressing element 4 around the openings 12 is L-shaped, i.e. each opening 12 has a groove, which is open towards the mating surface 9 of the connection block 1 . The pressing element 4, the mating surface 9, and the pipe 2 thus delimit a space having a rectangular cross-section for the seal- ing element 3. If two openings 12 are located next to each other, the two L- shaped cross-sections are joined together and there is a T-shaped cross- section between the openings 12. With the sealing arrangement according to the invention, it is possible to situate pipes 2 very close to each other. The sealing arrangement is practical especially when a pipe 2 needs to be assem- bled between two solid objects. Because of the construction of the sealing element 3, the pipe 2 can be shorter than the distance between the two objects. Sealing elements 3 and pressing elements 4 can be arranged around the ends of the pipe 2, and the pipe 2 can be inserted between the objects sideways, after which the pressing elements 4 can be attached to the mating surfaces 9. The method for sealing pipe connections includes the following steps when the pipes are used for connecting two solid connection blocks 1 : providing a pipe or pipes 2 that are slightly shorter than the distance between the two solid connection blocks 1 , providing one sealing element 3 per pipe 2, the sealing element 3 having a rigid body 5 and two elastic members 6 and 7, providing a pressing element 4 with one groove for each sealing element

3, - sliding each pipe 2 through the pressing element 4 and through the sealing element 3, assembling the sealing element 3 to the groove in the pressing element

4, moving the pipe package sideways to the connection point between the two solid connection blocks 1 , and connecting the pressing element 4 to the connection block 1 with the fastening members 8.

If the connection includes only one solid connection block 1 the pipe length is not critical. The method is especially advantageous when the pipe package in- eludes several pipes 2 and the distance between two solid connection blocks 1 is relatively short.

The sealing element and the sealing arrangement are especially advantageous when the connection is made between two solid connection blocks. Nevertheless, the element and the arrangement can be also used in any con- nections between a pipe and a solid structure. The above presented embodiments are not limiting the scope of the invention in any way. The scope of protection is determined by the following set of claims.