Electroplating repair machine for tack expansion and seal welding region, electroplating repair system, and operating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268205-B2
Application number	US-201816167493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2018
Priority date	Nov 1, 2017
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed are an electroplating repair apparatus, an electroplating repair system having the same, and an operating system thereof. The apparatus includes a probe body extending a predefined length in a structure corresponding to an inner diameter part of a tube, an electroplating electrode attached to and surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the probe body, a sealing member attached to opposite end sides of the probe body to seal a target portion to be electroplated, and a solution supply line supplying a solution to the target portion through the inside of the probe body, wherein the apparatus has a structure capable of wholly repairing the inside of the tube including a sealing welding part and an expanded part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electroplating repair system, for repairing an expanded part and a sealing welding part through electroplating, the system comprising:
an electroplating repair apparatus having a probe body extending a predefined length in a structure corresponding to an inner diameter part of a tube, an electroplating electrode attached to and surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the probe body, the electroplating electrode having a flange at one bottom end thereof, a sealing member attached to opposite end sides of the probe body to seal a target portion to be electroplated, wherein one of the sealing members engages the flange to seal the target portion, and a solution supply line supplying a solution to the target portion through the inside of the probe body;
a manipulator having an extension arm extending a predefined length to change a position of the electroplating repair apparatus while holding the electroplating repair apparatus on one end side thereof, the extension arm coupled to and being driven by the manipulator wherein the extension arm has a structure surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the main body such that the extension arm is rotatable along the outer circumferential surface of the main body and wherein the extension arm has one or more tilting parts to change a tilting angle of the extension arm so as to change a position of the electroplating repair apparatus attached to one end side of the extension arm;
a manipulator control unit controlling an operation of the manipulator, wherein the extension arm is driven with a control signal from the manipulator control unit;
an electroplating control unit controlling operations of the electroplating electrode and the solution supply line of the electroplating repair apparatus; and
a central control unit controlling operations of the electroplating control unit and the manipulator control unit.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the manipulator includes a main body held adjacent to the tube in the inside of a target object, wherein the main body has a structure that is length-adjustable by a predefined length in a longitudinal direction corresponding to an extension direction of the tube.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the main body has a structure corresponding to one end side of the tube and includes a coupling fitting fixedly attached to that end side of the tube.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplating control unit includes:
a solution supply part supplying a solution to the electroplating repair apparatus using a pump;
a solution recovery part recovering the solution supplied to the electroplating repair apparatus;
a compressed air supply part supplying compressed air to the electroplating repair apparatus; and
a power supply part supplying electric power to the electroplating repair apparatus.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the electroplating control unit further includes a temperature sensor to detect temperature of the solution supplied to the electroplating repair apparatus and transmit detected temperature data to the central control unit.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the probe body of the electroplating repair apparatus includes:
a cylindrical support; and
an extension extending a predefined distance in an inner diameter direction of the tube from the support.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein a sealing member is attached to an end of the extension to contact and seal the inner diameter part of the tube,
wherein the sealing member has a structure that expands with compressed air supplied from the outside and surface-contacts and seals an inner circumferential surface of the tube.

Assignees

• Doosan Heavy Ind & Construction Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Seon Ho
• Choi Min Gi
• Lee Sang Cheol

Classifications

• C25D21/12

  Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• F16L55/18

  Appliances for use in repairing pipes (F16L55/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C25D17/10

  Electrodes {, e.g. composition, counter electrode} · CPC title

• F22B37/107

  Protection of water tubes · CPC title

• C25D17/14

  for pad-plating · CPC title