Patent Number: 051204886
Section: abstract

The invention relates to a sealing sleeve for sealing a leak in, for example, a pipe, a pipe socket or the like in a nuclear reactor. The sleeve comprises a bellows-like mid-portion (1) with annular ends, at least these or part of these (2) being made of a memory metal with a suitable transition temperature. At a temperature above the transition temperature, that part of these annular ends which consists of memory metal has been given an inner diameter suitable for achieving sealing around the relevant pipe section on each side of the leak. The mentioned part of the ends has thereafter, at a temperature below the transition temperature, been deformed into a diameter which permits the sleeve to be freely fitted onto the pipe. In fitted position, the sleeve is then heated to above the transition temperature, the memory metal then striving to recover its previous shape and shrinks the sleeve so as to obtain sealing.