Plug kit for pressured components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482476-B2
Application number	US-75125210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2010
Priority date	Mar 31, 2010
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for plugging a bore of a tube sheet, the apparatus includes cantilevered members that project radially outward from a body on the inner surface of the tube sheet. Slots can be drilled into a tube the projects into the bore and the cantilevered members set into the slots. The cantilevered members can slide radially outward from within the body, or can be pivotingly attached on an end of the body. One end of a bolt threadingly attaches to the body, and attaches on its other end to a nut circumscribing the tube sheet bore on its outer surface. A deformable collar circumscribes the bolt between the body and nut and provides a seal within the tube sheet bore. The apparatus can also be used to plug bores that do not include tubes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plug kit for plugging a bore in a tube sheet comprising:
an annular plug body having an axis, an outer periphery, a passage axially extending therethrough, and rectangular slots extending radially through the plug body between the passage and the outer periphery and along a portion of a circumference of the plug body;
rectangular planar members that are separate from the plug body and are in a plane perpendicular with the axis of the body and selectively moveable in the slots between a retracted position encompassed by the plug body outer periphery, and a deployed position having a portion of the planar members projecting past the plug body outer periphery and through openings formed in a sidewall of a heat exchanger tube attached to the tube sheet;
an annular member coaxial with the passage; and
a threaded fastener engaged on one end with the plug body and engaged on an opposite end with the annular member having an unthreaded portion with an outer surface with a constant radius, and that unthreaded portion comes into direct contact with and biases the planar members into the deployed position when the threaded fastener is engaged with the plug body, so that when the planar members are in the deployed position and disposed on one side of a tube sheet, the annular member is disposed on a side of the tube sheet opposite the planar members, and the threaded fastener passes through the bore of a tube sheet, engaging the threaded fastener to the plug body and the annular member sealingly plugs the tube sheet bore;
wherein the threaded fastener comprises a bolt with a conically shaped end that is unthreaded and that when urged axially through the plug body urges the planar members radially outward and away from the axis so that the entire portion of the threaded fastener that biases the planar members radially outward is unthreaded, and wherein the threaded fastener has threads proximate the bolt head that are threadingly fastened to the plug body when the planar members are in the deployed position, and wherein the threaded fastener further comprises threads on an end distal from the bolt head that are threadingly fastened to the annular member when the planar members are in the deployed position; and
an annular packing member that sets between the tube sheet and the annular member.

2. The plug kit of claim 1 , further comprising an unthreaded annular packing member that circumscribes the threaded fastener having a portion that extends into the tube sheet bore and another larger diameter portion that sets between the tube sheet and the annular member.

3. The plug kit of claim 1 , wherein the annular member is threaded to the fastener and wherein all of the annular member is outside of the bore in the tube sheet.

4. The plug kit of claim 1 , further comprising ridge members coupled with the planar members on a side facing opposite the annular member when the planar members are in the deployed position, wherein the edges of each planar member closest to an axis of the threaded fastener are pivotingly attached to the side of the body opposite the annular member, and wherein the annular member has an outer diameter that is greater than a diameter of the tubesheet bore, and wherein the annular member abuts an outer end of the tubesheet bore.

5. The plug kit of claim 1 , further comprising an elongated tab element attached to a planar member on an end proximate the axis and oriented substantially normal to the axis.

6. The plug kit of claim 5 , wherein the threaded fastener is in contact with an end of each tab element.

7. The plug kit of claim 1 , further comprising an annular plug body holder selectively attachable with the plug body and insertable with the plug body into a tube sheet bore, an axial bore in the plug body holder with a diameter greater than the threaded fastener outer diameter, so that the threaded fastener bolt is insertable through the axial bore and attachable to the plug body.

8. The plug kit of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener connected between the plug body and the planar members when the planar members are in the deployed position.

9. A heat exchanger comprising:
a tube sheet,
a bore formed through the tube sheet and having an axis; a heat exchanger tube inserted into the bore;
slots preformed completely through a sidewall of the heat exchanger tube; a plugging member comprising:
planar members having elongate lengths that are normal to the axis of the bore and each having a portion projecting radially outward from the axis past the outer periphery of the bore, and through the slots formed in the sidewall of the heat exchanger tube;
an annular plug body inserted in an end of the bore and coupled to the planar members;
a planar seal member directly coupled to the plug body and disposed over an opening of the bore opposite the plug body and a sealing interface between the bore and the seal member;
an annular member directly threaded to a bolt outside of the bore;
the bolt directly threaded to the plug body and the seal member, and having an unthreaded conically shaped end that directly leads to a constant radius section that is also unthreaded that when urged axially through the plug body, from the direction the plugging member enters the bore, urges the planar members radially outward through the slots; and
a sealing interface between the bore and the seal member.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein the planar members have an outer radial ends that are distal from the axis and inner radial ends proximate the axis that are separate from the plug body.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , further comprising tab members coupled with the planar members on a side opposite the seal member, wherein the edge of each planar member closest to the bore axis is pivotingly attached to the side of the body opposite the seal member.

Assignees

• Al-Otaibi Abdullah M
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Otaibi Abdullah M

Classifications

• F28F11/02 Primary

  using obturating elements, e.g. washers, inserted and operated independently of each other (F28F11/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16L55/13

  the closure device being a plug fixed by plastic deformation · CPC title

• F16L55/10

  Means for stopping flow in pipes or hoses (F16L29/00, F16L37/28 take precedence; valves F16K) · CPC title

• F28F9/013

  for tubes or tube-assemblies · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title