Pressure vessel and door actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10107402-B2
Application number	US-201615375227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A door assembly for a pressure vessel includes a door, a hub for receiving the door, and an annular seal to seal therebetween. A hinge arm is coupled to the hub and to the door and is pivotable relative to the hub about a hinge axis. A door actuator having an elongate member extending along an actuator axis is spaced-apart from the hinge axis and coupled to the hub and to the hinge arm. The elongate member travels with the hinge arm when the arm pivots relative to the hub, and rotates about the actuator axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pressure vessel door assembly comprising
a door;
a hub configured for attachment on the pressure vessel and configured to receive the door;
an annular seal mounted on the door and configured to engage sealingly between the door and the hub;
a hinge mechanism coupled between the door and the hub and comprising:
a pair of pivot blocks attached to the hub, the pair of pivot blocks including a first and a second pivot block;
a pair of support blocks attached to the door, the pair of support blocks including a first and a second support block; and
a hinge arm extending from the pair of pivot blocks to the pair of support blocks and rotationally coupled to the pair of pivot blocks, defining a first hinge axis, the hinge arm configured to pivot relative to the hub about the first hinge axis; and

a door actuator having an elongate member extending along an actuator axis and coupled to the hub and to the hinge arm, the elongate member configured to travel with the hinge arm when the hinge arm pivots relative to the hub, and configured to rotate about the actuator axis;
wherein the door actuator is configured to cause the seal to engage sealingly the hub.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the actuator axis is disposed at a position that is between the pair of pivot blocks and the pair of support blocks.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the hinge arm includes a first arm member and a second arm member spaced-apart from the first arm member; and
wherein the first arm member extends between the first pivot block and the first support block, and the second arm member extends between the second pivot block and the second support block; and wherein the actuator axis extends through the first and second arm members.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the door includes a face plane;
wherein the actuator axis is parallel to the first hinge axis and is parallel to the face plane; and
wherein, when the door is closed, the distance from the face plane to the actuator axis is greater than the distance from the face plane to the first hinge axis.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the door actuator further comprises:
a cam arm having a first end coupled to the elongate member and having a latch surface; and
a cam stop extending from the hub and having a shoulder displaced from the hub;
wherein the latch surface is configured to engage the shoulder on the cam stop when the door actuator rotates in a first direction about the actuator axis.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the latch surface is configured to engage a surface on the hub when the door actuator rotates in a second direction about the actuator axis.

7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the shoulder on the cam stop generally faces a hub front face plane on the hub, forming a pocket there between;
wherein the latch surface is disposed about a latch member, and the latch member is coupled to the cam arm distal the first end, the latch member being selected from the following Group: (a) a protrusion extending from the cam arm and (b) a roller; and
wherein the latch member is disposed in the pocket when the door is received within the hub, the latch member having a width that extends a portion of the distance between the shoulder and the hub front face plane.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the distance between the shoulder and the hub front face plane is between 25% and 110% greater than the width of the latch member.

9. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the distance between the shoulder and the hub front face plane is less than the distance between the actuator axis and the hub front face plane.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the hub includes an radially-inwardly-facing cylindrical surface; and
wherein the annular seal is an O-ring;
wherein the door includes a groove that receives the O-ring; and
wherein the O-ring is configured to engage sealingly the groove and the cylindrical surface.

11. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a lock mechanism configured to lock the door within the hub after the door is closed and the seal is engaged sealingly within the hub; and
wherein the lock mechanism is spaced-apart from the door actuator.

Assignees

• Nat Oilwell Varco Lp

Inventors

• Euwer Mark C
• Jansma Barry G
• Do Thomas Tuan-Huy

Classifications

• F16K1/2007 Primary

  specially adapted operating means therefor (operating means per se F16K31/00) · CPC title

• F16K35/025

  said actuating element being operated manually (e.g. a push-button located in the valve actuator) · CPC title

• F16K1/205

  the sealing being arranged on the valve member · CPC title

• F16K1/2028

  Details of bearings for the axis of rotation · CPC title

• F16J13/18 Primary

  pivoted directly on the frame · CPC title