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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019128467-A1
Application number	US-201816167493-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 22, 2018
Priority date	Nov 1, 2017
Publication date	May 2, 2019
Grant date	—

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

1 . An electroplating repair apparatus, for repairing an expanded part and a sealing welding part through electroplating, the apparatus comprising:
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 a the probe body.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the probe body has:
a cylindrical support; and an extension extending a predefined distance towards an inner diameter direction of the tube from the support.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a sealing member is attached to an end of the extension such that the sealing member contacts and seals the inner diameter part of the tube.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the sealing member has a structure that expands with external compressed air and surface-contacts and seals an inner surface of the tube.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein an additional sealing member is attached to one side of the cylindrical support to contact and seal a surface of a tube sheet.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the additional sealing member is an O-ring surrounding the sealing welding part.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electroplating electrode has a structure in which the outer circumferential surface of the tube including titanium is coated with platinum.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a probe body holder arranging and holding the plurality of probe bodies corresponding to an arrangement of the plurality of tubes to be repaired.

9 . 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, 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; 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 being driven by the manipulator; 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.

10 . The system according to claim 9 , 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 the longitudinal direction corresponding to an extension direction of the tube.

11 . The system according to claim 10 , 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.

12 . The system according to claim 10 , 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.

13 . The system according to claim 9 , 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.

14 . The system according to claim 9 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 pan supplying electric power to the electroplating repair apparatus.

15 . The system according to claim 14 , 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.

16 . The system according to claim 9 , wherein the probe body of the electroplating repair apparatus includes:
a cylindrical support; and an extension extending a predefined distance in an inners diameter direction of the tube from the support.

17 . The system according to claim 16 , 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.

18 . A method of operating an electroplating repair system, wherein the system comprises:
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, 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; 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 being driven by the manipulator; 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, the method comprising: (a) loading the probe body by a predefined distance into a target tube to be electroplated; (b) supplying compressed air to the sealing member of the electroplating repair apparatus so as to hold the probe body to the target tube to be electroplated; (c) supply an electroplating solution to the inside of the probe body through the solution supply line of the electroplating repair apparatus; and (d) supplying power to the electroplating electrode of the electroplating repair apparatus so as to perform an electroplating process on an expanded part and a sealing welding part.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising
(e) positioning the electroplating repair apparatus using the manipulator and

Assignees

• Doosan Heavy Ind & Construction Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• C25D5/02

  Electroplating of selected surface areas · CPC title

• C25D17/14

  for pad-plating · CPC title

• C25D21/12

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

• C25D7/04 Primary

  Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies · CPC title

• C25D5/06

  Brush or pad plating · CPC title