Importance

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Abstract

The invention concerns a method of providing a seal within a pipe or aperture in a vessel and preventing fluid flow therethrough, the method comprising: (a) providing a non-porous, expandable, flexible container within said pipe or aperture; (b) introducing an expandable polymeric material into said container so as to expand said container, thereby forcing said container to fill the cross-sectional area of said pipe or aperture and displacing any fluid in said pipe or aperture in order to provide an engineered blockage within said pipe or aperture; (c) applying a bonding resin between the external surfaces of said container and the internal surfaces of the walls of said pipe or aperture; and (d) curing said expandable polymeric material and bonding resin so as to bond the expanded container to the pipe or aperture and create a seal between the outer surfaces of said container and the internal surfaces of the walls of said pipe or aperture. The method finds particular application in the prevention aqueous liquid flow through pipework and in environments contaminated with radioactivity. It is simple and cost effective to employ.

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First Claim