Columbian Chemicals Company

Janek Porowski

Wallace G Murray

David Lewis

Marvin Skiff

A process and apparatus that would hydraulically compress the external sleeve onto the inner APH tube, without deforming the inner surface of the APH tube during the process. The system would include a heating tube of the type having a continuous wall portion and a bore therethrough; a sleeve positionable around the heating tube, the diameter of the sleeve slightly larger than the diameter of the heating tube; a contracting assembly securably atop the end portions of the heating tube and the surrounding sleeve; an insert positionable within the bore of the tube, for defining a protective member along a portion of the inner wall of the tube; a contour ring moveable along the outer surface of the sleeve for compressing the sleeve wall against the tube wall to define a sealable gap between a portion of the sleeve and a portion of the tube. In the process for securing a seal between the heating tube and the surrounding sleeve, there would be provided a heating tube of the type having a continuous wall portion and a bore therethrough; next, positioning a sleeve around the heating tube, the diameter of the sleeve slightly larger than the diameter of the heating tube; then placing a contracting assembly securably atop the end portions of the heating tube and the surrounding sleeve; providing a contour ring along the outer surface of the sleeve, the contour right carried by the contracting assembly; positioning an insert within the bore of the tube, for defining a non-deformable member along a portion of the inner wall of the tube; and then moving the contour ring along the outer wall of the sleeve to compress the sleeve wall against the tube wall at a point opposite the position of the tube insert, for forming a sealable gap between a portion of the sleeve and a portion of the tube.

Process and apparatus for pressing an external sleeve onto a tube for enhancing weld design

A sealing system for heat exchangers of the type having a plurality of vertically positioned heat tubes extending through a heat tube sheet for exchanging heat between the interior of the plurality of heat tubes to the surrounding atmosphere, the sealing system including a first outer ring having a wall portion, terminating in an upper face, and defining an annular space between the lower end portion of the outer ring and the heat tube and tube sheet; a high nickel metal inner ring, positioned within the annular space surrounding the heat tube and resting on the tube sheet; a soft metal casing partially housing the high nickel inner ring so that when force is applied downward on the first outer ring, the annular space is reduced sufficiently to force the high nickel ring and the soft metal casing into a sealing relationship between the heat tube and the tube sheet, while allowing for vertical movement of the heat tube; the outer ring further defining a means to prevent the high nickel ring and the soft metal casing to be crushed by the downwardly applied force; and a pressure collar surrounding the sealing system for applying the force to effect the seal between the heat tube and tube sheet. There is further provided a secondary seal of packing material positioned between the first outer ring and the wall of the heat tube.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Janek Porowski