The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 11, 1989
Filed:
Mar. 12, 1987
Bruce W Bevilacqua, Penn Township, Westmoreland County, PA (US);
Wenche W Cheng, Monroeville, PA (US);
Donald R Stoner, Murrysville Boro, PA (US);
Fredric W Pement, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Robert D Burack, Pleasant Hills, PA (US);
Joseph M Gilkison, Murrysville Boro, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
A process for thermally stress-relieving a stressed portion of a metallic tube is disclosed herein. The process generally comprises the steps of inserting a small diameter radiant heater into the open end of the metallic conduit and then positioning it adjacent to the portion to be stress relieved, and heating this portion to a temperature between about 1150.degree. F. to 1500.degree. F. for a time period of between about four and twelve minutes, depending upon wall thickness. In order to determine the proper amount of electrical power to apply to the radiant heater, the emissivity of the stressed portion of the conduit is first measured by heating a portion of the section to incandescence at a known power level, and then determining the temperature of the incandescent tube by means of a pyrometer which compares the intensity of two selected colors or wavelengths of the transmitted light. This process is particularly useful in thermally stress-relieving the U-bends of heat exchanger tubes formed from Inconel.RTM. 600 that are used in nuclear steam engines. It may also be used to stress-relieve such heat exchanger tubes in regions where the reinforcing sleeves have been welded into their interiors. Such thermal stress relieving renders the tubes less susceptible to intragranular stress corrosion cracking.