Three component chemical grout injector

Abstract

An apparatus and method for injecting grout is described as having an injector body with at least three holes therethrough for conveyance of a first, second, and third fluid as desired. One of the fluids is a resin and another is a catalyst which when combined, chemically react to produce a first chemical grout. A third fluid is an additive which, when combined with the resin and the catalyst, modify at least one characteristic of the first grout that is being produced. The introduction of the additive is controlled as desired at the surface to provide a continuous (monolithic) pour having variable grout characteristics. According to a modification, the additive is replaced by a second resin which when combined with the catalyst produces a second type of a grout having at least some characteristic that is different from the first grout.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A three or more component chemical grout injector, comprising: 
 (a) an injector body;    (b) means for attaching a first conduit to said injector body;    (c) means for attaching a second conduit to said injector body;    (d) means for attaching a third conduit to said injector body;    (e) first valve means for controlling the passage of a first fluid through said injector body and said first conduit;    (f) second valve means for controlling the passage of a second fluid through said injector body and said second conduit; and    (g) third valve means for controlling the passage of a third fluid through said injector body and said third conduit.    
     
     
         2 . A three or more component chemical grout injector, comprising: 
 (a) an injector body;    (b) means for attaching a first hose to said injector body;    (c) means for attaching a second hose to said injector body;    (d) means for attaching a rigid conduit to said injector body;    (e) first valve means for controlling the passage of a first fluid through said injector body and said first hose;    (f) second valve means for controlling the passage of a second fluid through said injector body and said second hose; and    (g) third valve means for controlling the passage of a third fluid through said injector body and said rigid conduit.    
     
     
         3 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein said injector body includes an injector cap attached at a first end of said injector body.  
     
     
         4 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 3    wherein said injector cap includes a tapered cone-shaped interior adapted for combining any of said first fluid, said second fluid, and said third fluid together.  
     
     
         5 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 4    wherein said cone-shaped interior is adapted for chemically reacting any of said first fluid, said second fluid, and said third fluid together to produce a grout.  
     
     
         6 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 4    wherein a wider portion of said cone-shaped interior is disposed proximate to said first end of said injector body and a narrower end is disposed distally from said first end of said injector body.  
     
     
         7 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 6    including at least one shoulder disposed in said cone-shaped interior proximate said wider portion thereof, said at least one shoulder adapted to receive a portion of any of said first, second, and third valves during the passage of any of said first, second, and third fluids through said injector body.  
     
     
         8 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 7    wherein said at least one shoulder includes an abrupt shoulder adapted for creating a turbulence within said injector cap during the passage of any of said first, second, and third fluids through said injector body.  
     
     
         9 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 6    including means for attaching a spiral mixer to said injector cap proximate said narrower end thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 9    wherein said spiral mixer is adapted for chemically reacting any of said first fluid, said second fluid, and said third fluid together to produce a grout.  
     
     
         11 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 9    wherein said spiral mixer includes means for attaching a first packer thereto.  
     
     
         12 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 11    wherein said spiral mixer includes means for attaching a second packer thereto.  
     
     
         13 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 10    wherein said spiral mixer includes means for ejecting a grout attached to said spiral mixer, said means for ejecting a grout including means for attaching a first packer and a second packer thereto.  
     
     
         14 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    including means for creating a turbulence within said injector.  
     
     
         15 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein any of said first, second, and third valve means includes at least one fluted valve guide having a central valve hole disposed longitudinally through said fluted valve guide at the center thereof and wherein said central valve hole is adapted to be disposed around any of a corresponding first, second, and third valve stem and adapted to permit a longitudinal motion by any of first, second, and third valve stems therein.  
     
     
         16 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 15    wherein said at least one fluted valve guide is disposed in a fluid hole, said fluid hole providing an opening intermediate said first end and an opposite second end of said injector body.  
     
     
         17 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 16    wherein said at lease one fluted valve guide is adapted to permit the passage of any of said first, second, and third fluids along the longitudinal length of said fluted valve guide intermediate at least one flute and said fluid hole.  
     
     
         18 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 15    including means for adjusting a pressure at which any of said first, second, and third valve means opens.  
     
     
         19 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 18    wherein said means for adjusting a pressure includes a coil spring disposed around any of said first, second, and third valve stems and intermediate said fluted valve guide and a nut, said coil spring supplying a force tending to urge any of said first, second, and third valve means into a closed position, said nut being attached to corresponding threads disposed on an end of any of said first, second, and third valve stems whereby a tightening of said nut compresses said spring to a greater extent thereby increasing said pressure at which any of said first, second, and third valve means opens and whereby a loosening of said nut compresses said spring to a lesser extent thereby decreasing said pressure at which any of said first, second, and third valve means opens.  
     
     
         20 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein any of said first and second hoses is a continuous flexible hose.  
     
     
         21 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 20    including at least one reel adapted for winding said continuous flexible hose thereon.  
     
     
         22 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    including at least one pump means for supplying any of said first, second, and third fluids under pressure to said injector.  
     
     
         23 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 22    wherein said pump means includes means for starting and stopping any of said at least one pump means.  
     
     
         24 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 22    wherein said pump means includes means for varying the pressure of any of said first, second, and third fluids.  
     
     
         25 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 22    wherein said pump means includes means for varying the rate of flow of any of said first, second, and third fluids.  
     
     
         26 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    including means for placing said injector within a hole.  
     
     
         27 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 26    wherein said means for placing includes urging said injector into said hole by said rigid conduit to a predetermined depth.  
     
     
         28 . The chemical injector of    claim 2    including means for securing said injector within a hole.  
     
     
         29 . The chemical injector of    claim 28    wherein said means for securing including means for clamping said rigid conduit proximate a surface opening of said hole.  
     
     
         30 . The chemical injector of    claim 2    wherein said rigid conduit includes a plurality of pipe sections of a predetermined length, each of said plurality of pipe sections including means adapted for attaching each of said plurality of pipe sections together.  
     
     
         31 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 30    wherein said means adapted for attaching includes threaded means.  
     
     
         32 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 31    wherein said threaded means includes a pin shoulder to box shoulder arrangement.  
     
     
         33 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein said injector is adapted for placement within a tube-a-manchette piping system.  
     
     
         34 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein said injector is adapted for placement within a sleeved-port piping system.  
     
     
         35 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    including means for modulating any of said first, second, and third fluids during injection of a grout.  
     
     
         36 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein the injection of said first fluid simultaneous with said second fluid produces a grout.  
     
     
         37 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein the simultaneous injection of any two of said first, second, and third fluids chemically react to produce a grout.  
     
     
         38 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 37    wherein any of said first, second, and third fluids that is not used to produce said grout is an additive useful to affect an attribute of said grout.  
     
     
         39 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 37    wherein one of said first, second, and third fluids is a catalyst and another of said first second and third fluids is a first resin.  
     
     
         40 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 39    including a second resin useful to produce a second type of a grout.  
     
     
         41 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 2    wherein said injector body is generally cylindrical in shape.  
     
     
         42 . The chemical grout injector of    claim 41    wherein said injector body is less than two inches in diameter.  
     
     
         43 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said resin with said catalyst to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time; and    (d) injecting an additive through said three or more component grout injector after said predetermined period of time has expired simultaneous with said resin and said catalyst to produce a modified grout having a modified attribute.    
     
     
         44 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) injecting an additive through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said resin with said catalyst and with said additive to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time; and    (d) decreasing the quantity of said additive being injected through said three or more component grout injector after said predetermined period of time has expired to produce a modified grout having a modified attribute.    
     
     
         45 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) injecting an additive through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said resin with said catalyst and with said additive to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time; and    (d) stopping the flow of said additive being injected through said three or more component grout injector after said predetermined period of time has expired to produce a modified grout having a modified attribute.    
     
     
         46 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a first resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said first resin with said catalyst to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time;    (d) injecting a second resin through said three or more component grout injector simultaneous with said first resin to produce a first modified grout having a first modified attribute; and    (e) decreasing the quantity of said first resin to produce a second modified grout having a second modified attribute.    
     
     
         47 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a first resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said first resin with said catalyst to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time;    (d) injecting a second resin through said three or more component grout injector simultaneous with said first resin to produce a first modified grout having a first modified attribute; and    (e) stopping the flow of said first resin to produce a second modified grout having a second modified attribute.    
     
     
         48 . A method of creating a monolithic grout formation, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a three or more component grout injector for a predetermined period of time;    (b) injecting a first resin through said three or more component grout injector for said predetermined period of time;    (c) combining said first resin with said catalyst to produce a grout having certain attributes for said predetermined period of time; and    (d) stopping the injection of said first resin and simultaneously starting the injection and combining of a second resin to produce a modified grout having a modified attribute.    
     
     
         49 . A method for injecting a grout component into a grout injector to achieve a predetermined working pressure, which comprises: 
 (a) determining the head pressure in a bore hole;    (b) adjusting a valve means of a grout injector to open said valve means at a supply pressure that is equal to said head pressure plus said predetermined working pressure;    (c) inserting said grout injector into said bore hole; and    (d) supplying said grout component to said injector at said supply pressure.    
     
     
         50 . The method of    claim 49    including injecting a plurality of grout components through a plurality of valve means.  
     
     
         51 . The method of    claim 49    wherein said grout injector is a three or more component grout injector.  
     
     
         52 . A method of injecting grout at a maximal rate through a three or more component grout injector, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a first conduit;    (b) injecting a resin through a second conduit;    (c) injecting said resin through a third conduit;    (d) combining said catalyst and said resin in said grout injector so as to chemically react and produce a chemical grout; and    (e) expelling said chemical grout from said grout injector.    
     
     
         53 . A method of injecting grout having certain attributes through a three or more component grout injector, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a first conduit;    (b) injecting a resin through a second conduit;    (c) injecting an additive through a third conduit;    (d) combining said catalyst and said resin and said additive in said grout injector so as to chemically react and produce a chemical grout having said certain attributes; and    (e) expelling said chemical grout from said grout injector.    
     
     
         54 . A method of cleaning a three or more component grout injector after injecting a chemical grout, which comprises: 
 (a) injecting a catalyst through a first conduit;    (b) injecting a resin through a second conduit;    (c) combining said catalyst and said resin in said grout injector so as to chemically react and produce said chemical grout;    (d) ceasing to inject said resin and said catalyst; and    (e) injecting a solvent through a third conduit and through said grout injector.