The so-called aerogel is a form of solid matter, which is the least dense solid of all substances found so far. The density is 3 kilograms per cubic meter. The most common aerogel is silica aerogel. There are many types of aerogels, including silicon-based, carbon-based, sulfur-based, metal oxide-based, metal-based and so on. Because the density of aerogel is extremely low, the lightest aerogel is only 0.16 mg per cubic centimeter, which is slightly less dense than air, so it is also called "frozen smoke" or "blue smoke". Since more than 80% of the aerogel is air, it has a very good thermal insulation effect.

The practical application field of aerogel is more extensive, and it will be gradually applied to the field of pipeline pressure opening in the future. Due to the high porosity, low density, low refractive index, low thermal conductivity and many other properties of aerogel, aerogel has a wide range of applications or potential application prospects in the fields of pipeline press-opening and pipeline explosion-proof cutting.

First, the application of aerogel super thermal insulation properties:

In the theory of heat conduction as we know it, the heat conduction of all materials is realized by gaseous conduction, solid conduction and heat radiation conduction. Due to the nanoporous network structure of aerogel materials, the gaseous thermal conductivity is small. In the vacuum state, heat conduction is determined by solid-state conduction and thermal radiation conduction. The high porosity of nanoporous materials limits the propagation of local excitations of chains in sparse frameworks, resulting in solid-state thermal conductivity that is only a few percent of that of non-porous glassy materials. Due to the super thermal insulation properties of aerogels, it was used in aerospace, military industry, and national defense in the early days. , glass), clothing to keep warm, refrigerator insulation, pipeline insulation, storage and transportation equipment for cold chain logistics, etc.

Aerogel
However, due to the special requirements and limitations of many occasions (such as explosion-proof, heat insulation, etc.) in the field of pipeline press-opening, many conditions and equipment for explosion-proof and heat insulation are required for auxiliary operation production, so cost control is difficult to achieve. The use of industrial-grade aerogels will greatly reduce the use of these equipment, thereby reducing costs and improving safety and reliability in pipeline pressurized drilling projects.

In the electric power, petrochemical, chemical, metallurgy, building materials industry and other industrial fields, the repair and maintenance work of pipeline equipment is abundant. In particular, the application of pressurized hole drilling and pressurized plugging technology saves a lot of downtime and labor costs in pipeline maintenance in these industries. In the process of opening under pressure, aerogel is used regionally for protection and protection, so that the problem of gas leakage can be solved. And in the process of opening and plugging under pressure, using aerogel in the process of opening under pressure can effectively protect the leakage of harmful, toxic and flammable and explosive gases after filling the base of the opening machine under pressure with aerogel. Press the hole smoothly.

Plugging under pressure
Taking the DN800 pressure hole punching machine as an example, the volume of its base is about 1.21 cubic meters (the volume is the area of ​​the round bottom X height), and the volume of the corresponding valve after it is fully opened is 1.4 cubic meters, and the shape of the short joint is saddle type, which is The difference between the volume of a cylinder and the outer edge of the pipe is about 0.4 cubic meters. The use of aerogel can effectively replace the replacement of nitrogen, and the gas is not easy to leak out after it is tightly combined with the base gap of the pressure hole punching machine. Due to the high temperature resistance and fire resistance of aerogel, it is more suitable for applications in the fields of thermal insulation and explosion-proof of chemical equipment in the chemical industry.

The good adsorption performance of aerogel is also applied to the environmental protection characteristics of pipelines with pressure openings. Among the substances transported in pipelines, especially in pipelines such as petroleum, chemical, and electric power, most of the wastewater discharged from the industrial field contains a large amount of toxic and difficult Degraded organic pollutants, which can cause serious damage to the ecological environment. The high porosity and large specific surface area of ​​SiO2 aerogel make it have great adsorption capacity, and it is a good adsorbent. When the pressure drilling machine is disassembled after the pressure drilling operation, the harmful substances inside will greatly reduce the impact on the surrounding environment with the adsorption of the aerogel.

silica aerogel has a very high specific surface area and porosity. After using aerogel, the noise of opening with pressure will be reduced by more than half. It can be used as an ideal acoustic delay or high-efficiency sound insulation material.

In a word, with the gradual application of aerogel in the field of pipeline opening under pressure, and strengthening the research and popularization of aerogel in this field, it is believed that its application field will gradually expand.