Apparatus for in-situ pipe coating and related methods

1. An in-situ applicator for applying a composition in a pipe, the applicator comprising:

a flow diverter configured to receive the composition and eject the composition from at least one outlet; and

a hollow conical body having a first end, a second end, and an interior surface configured to receive the composition ejected from the flow diverter, wherein the diameter of the second end is greater than the diameter of the first end, the conical body also having a plurality of holes, the plurality of holes forming a band that wraps circumferentially around the conical body and defines a flow region on the interior surface between the band and the first end, the band includes first holes adjacent to the flow region where each of the first holes has a first average diameter and second holes disposed between the first holes and the second end, each of the second holes having an average diameter greater than the first diameter, the flow region being devoid of holes and having a first, second, third, and fourth inclined side where proximate ends of the first and second sides converge toward the first end and proximate ends of the third and fourth sides converge toward the first end in a mirror image of the proximate ends of the first and second sides.

2. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the second holes include elongated holes, each having an average diameter at least twice as large as the first diameter.

3. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein each of a plurality of second holes adjacent the first holes is disposed offset from the first holes and between at least two of the first holes.

4. The applicator of claim 1 , further including a stabilizer for coupling the hollow conical body to a rotational apparatus.

5. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the hollow conical body is an open cone.

6. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the hollow conical body is a closed cone.

7. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holes form a pattern on the hollow conical body configured to separate flow of the composition into at least two regions of the interior surface of the hollow conical body.

8. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the composition has a tack-free time in a range of 10-90 seconds.

9. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the band of holes defines a first chevron proximate the first and second inclined sides of the flow region and a second chevron proximate the third and fourth inclined sides of the flow region, the first and second chevrons being on opposing sides of the hollow conical body, wherein the first and second chevron each comprises at least two nested rows of holes, wherein for each of the first and second chevrons, the at least two nested rows of holes includes a first row of holes adjacent to the flow region and a second row of holes disposed between the first row of holes and the second end, each of the holes in the first row of holes having an average hole diameter smaller than an average hole diameter of each of the holes in the second row of holes.

10. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the at least one outlet includes a first outlet having an outlet direction that is angled to eject the composition toward the interior surface of the hollow conical body, the outlet direction forming an angle greater than ninety degrees relative to an input direction along which the composition enters the flow diverter.

11. The applicator of claim 1 , wherein the flow region includes a flow zone having two portions, each portion bounded by a circumference of the hollow conical body at the holes closest to the first end and the first, second, third, and fourth inclined sides, and a ratio of surface area of the first holes and surface area of the flow zone is between 3:50 and 1:50.

12. A method comprising:

providing an applicator as claimed in claim 1 ;

feeding a composition to the flow diverter;

ejecting the composition from the at least one outlet to collect on the interior surface of the hollow conical body; and

rotating the hollow conical body so that the collected composition flows over the flow region toward the plurality of holes and sprays outwardly from the hollow conical body through at least two of the plurality of holes.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

moving the applicator longitudinally along the pipe during the feeding, ejecting, or rotating.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one outlet is three outlets, and the composition is ejected from each of the three outlets, wherein the three outlets are arranged equidistant from each other.