Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P19/00—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes
  • B23P19/02—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same
  • B23P19/022—Extracting or inserting relatively long parts
  • B23P19/024—Extracting or inserting relatively long parts tube bundles

Definitions

• the invention is related to bundle pullers and, more particularly, to a bundle puller having an adjustable length carriage frame.
• Shell and tube heat exchangers constitute a substantial portion of the heat transfer equipment in oil refineries and other chemical processing plants.
• the transfer of heat between two streams at different temperatures is accomplished by flowing one stream through tubes that are arranged in a bundle, and flowing the second stream past the outside of the tubes on the shell side.
• Scale and sediment build up on both the outside and inside of the tubes during use. Over time, these deposits decrease the efficiency of the heat transfer across the tube walls.
• Cleaning the heat exchanger usually involves hydro-blasting the inside and outside of the tubes, as well as the inside of the shell. Examples of the cleaning process may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,398 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,535, which are incorporated herein by reference.
• U.S. Patent No. 4,575,305 which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a truck mounted bundle puller.
• the truck mounted bundle puller includes a vertical telescoping column rotatably mounted to the rear of a truck bed, and a carriage frame mounted to the top of the telescoping column.
• the carriage frame has a sled mounted thereon to engage an end of the tube bundle, and is adapted to slide along the carriage frame.
• a hydraulic screw drive carried by the carriage frame is used to move the sled along the carriage frame to thereby pull the tube bundle from the shell.
• the carriage frame for a typical truck mounted, bundle puller has a fixed length of about 24 feet to allow pulling tube bundles of up to 20 feet in length.
• One of the reasons for the fixed length is because of the use of the screw drive to move the sled.
• Figure 1 shows an example of an existing carriage frame 10 having a fixed length. As can be seen, the carriage frame 10 includes two carriage frame arms 12 and 14. A sled 16 rests on top of the two carriage frame arms 12 and 14 and can be slid back and forth to remove and install a tube bundle 18.
• the sled 16 is engaged with, and driven by, a threaded shaft or drive screw 20 disposed between the two carriage frame arms 12 and 14.
• the drive screw 20 is rotatably attached at one end to the end of the carriage frame 10 that is closest to the tube bundle 18.
• the other end of the drive screw 20 is fixedly attached to a drive motor or similar means (not shown) for rotating the drive, screw 20.
• the drive motor or similar drive means rotates the drive screw 20 to thereby move the sled 16 back and forth along the length of the carriage frame arms 12 and 14.
• the drive screw 20 must be anchored to the ends of the carriage frame 10. As a result, the length of the drive screw 20 and, hence, the length of the carriage frame 10, is necessarily fixed.
• the present invention is related to a bundle puller having an adjustable length carriage frame.
• the carriage frame includes a hinged section that can be rotated between a level or lowered position and a raised position. When the hinged section is raised, the length of the ⁇ carriage frame is decreased considerably, which allows the bundle puller to be operated in narrow alleyways.
• the hinged section may then be lowered for operating in larger alleyways and when operating to remove tube bundles for cleaning.
• One or more hydraulic cylinders lower and raise the hinged section.
• a rack-and-pinion drive system is used instead of the more common screw drive system to move the sled back and forth on the carriage frame while removing or replacing tube bundles in the heat exchanger shell.
• Separate gear racks are attached to the hinged section and main section of the carriage frame, respectively.
• the separate gear racks can be raised and lowered with the hinged section.
• These separate gear racks are oriented to be aligned with each other when the rack is in its operational mode.
• Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art carriage frame with tube bundle
• Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a carriage frame having a hinged section according to embodiments of the invention
• Figure 3 illustrates a partial side view of the carriage frame according to embodiments of the invention wherein the hinged section is in the lowered position
• Figure 4 illustrates a partial side view of the carriage frame according to embodiments of the invention wherein the hinged section is in the raised position
• Figure 5 illustrates a front view of the carriage frame according to embodiments of the invention wherein a sled is mounted thereon
• Figure 6 illustrates a top view of the carriage frame according to embodiments of the invention wherein the hinged section is in the raised position.
• embodiments of the invention provide a bundle puller having an adjustable length carriage frame.
• the bundle puller is preferably a truck mounted bundle puller, although it may certainly be used in connection with other bundle puller applications, such as bundle pullers that are suspended from a crane.
• the adjustability of the length of the carriage frame is made possible by the use of a rack-and-pinion drive system to move the sled instead of the screw drive system commonly used in the prior art.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an adjustable length carriage frame 100 according to embodiments of the invention.
• the carriage frame 100 has two spaced apart parallel arms 102a, 102b.
• Each of the two carriage frame arms 102a, 102b are divided into two sections, a main section 104 and a hinged section 106.
• One or more hydraulic cylinders (shown in Figures 3 and 4) are used to raise and lower the hinged section 106.
• a sled is attached to a tube bundle at the end of the carriage frame 100 opposite the hinged section 106.
• Drive motors preferably hydraulic, carried by the sled and oriented to mesh with the racks, are then used to drive a pair of pinion wheels in the sled to thereby propel the sled back and forth along the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b.
• the carriage frame 100 of the invention uses gear racks (visible only on the second carriage frame arm 102b in this view) instead of the drive screw of the prior art carriage frames.
• a separate gear rack, or a portion of a gear rack, is independently anchored to each of the main section 104 and the hinged section 106 of the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b.
• the carriage frame 100 includes the two spaced apart parallel arms 102a, 102b. Only one of the arms 102a is shown in Figure 3, as the opposite arm 102b is substantially identical and, in any event, is not visible in this elevation view.
• the carriage frame arm 102a has been divided into the main section 104 and the hinged section 106.
• the hinged section 106 has a length of about four feet.
• a hinge 108 hingedly connects the main and hinged sections 104, 106 together.
• the hinge 108 is comprised of a front hinge plate 110 and a back hinge plate 112.
• the front and back hinge plates 110, 112 are connected together by a hinge pin 114.
• the front hinge plate 110 is attached to an anchor plate 116.
• the back hinge plate 112 is likewise attached to an anchor plate 118.
• the anchor plates 116, 118 secure the hinge plates 110, 112 to the sections of carriage frame arm 102a. It is also possible to secure the hinge plates 110, 112 directly to the carriage frame arm 102a; however, in a preferred embodiment, the anchor plates 116, 118 are used to secure the hinge plates 110, 112.
• An advantage of using the anchor plates 116, 118 is that they can function as spacers to keep the hinge plates 110, 112 spaced apart from the carriage frame arm 102a. This arrangement is particularly useful where, as here, there is a bundle support member 120a running along the length of the carriage frame arm 102a. A corresponding bundle support member 120b (Fig. 5) runs along the opposite carriage frame arm 102b.
• the bundle support member 120a (Fig. 5) may extend several inches out over the side of the carriage frame arm 102a.
• the hinge plates 110, 112 may need to be spaced far enough away from the carriage frame arm 102a so ' as to be clear of the bundle support member 120a during the raising and lowering of the hinged section 106.
• the anchor plates 116, 118 may be braces or any other arrangement that accomplishes the same functions of securing and spacing the front and back hinge plates 110, 112 to and from the carriage frame arm 102a when spacing is necessary or desired.
• a hydraulic cylinder 124 is used to rotate the hinged section 104 between the raised and lowered positions.
• the hydraulic cylinder 124 may be any suitable hydraulic cylinder known to those skilled in the art.
• One end of the hydraulic cylinder 124 is connected to the front hinge plate 110 by, for example, a pinned connection 126.
• the pinned connection 126 be spaced somewhat vertically apart from the hinge pin 114 and offset laterally from the hinge pin 114 in a direction toward the hydraulic cylinder 124 in order to provide maximum leverage for raising and lowering the hinged section 106.
• the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 124 is connected to a support block 128 by a second pinned connection 130.
• Other suitable types of connections may also be used so long as the hydraulic cylinder is allowed to rotate relative to the carriage frame arm 102a and the support block 128.
• An anchor plate 132 serves to secure the support block 128 to the carriage frame arm 102a, and to space the support block 128 apart from the bundle support member 120a.
• FIG 4 illustrates the adjustable length carriage frame 100 with the hinged section 106 in a raised position.
• raising the hinged section 106 reduces the overall length of the carriage frame 100 considerably. This, in turn, allows the carriage frame 100 to be used in refineries with narrow alleyways.
• a shaft 134 of the hydraulic cylinder is extended, thereby pushing up the front hinge plate 110, and hence the hinged section 106.
• the shaft 134 may be retracted to lower the hinged section 106.
• the pinned connections 126, 130 allow the hydraulic cylinder 124 to rotate as needed relative to the front hinge plate 110 and the support block 128.
• a locking mechanism 136 is exposed on the back hinge plate 112.
• the locking mechanism 136 includes an opening 138 formed in the back hinge plate 112, and a corresponding opening 140 formed in the front hinge plate 110.
• a pin (not expressly shown) may then be inserted into the openings 138, 140 to engage the locking mechanism 136. Once engaged, the hinged section 106 and the main section 104 will remain locked to each other in operating position until the pin is removed and the locking mechanism 136 is released. This arrangement allows for safer and more secure operation while the hinged section 106 is in the lowered position.
• each one of the bundle support members 120a, 120b is actually divided into two portions 120a-x, 120b-x and 120a-y, 120b-y corresponding to the main section 104 and the hinged section 106, respectively.
• the division occurs near the line where the main section 104 and the hinged section 106 are joined so that the second portion 120a-y, 120b-y of each bundle support member 120a, 120b can be raised and lowered along with the hinged section 106.
• a rack-and-pinion drive system is used instead of the screw drive system commonly found in existing bundle pullers.
• the rack- and-pinion drive system is shown in Figure 5, where the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b are behind an end plate 142 and, therefore, are hidden from view.
• the end plate 142 connects and holds the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b together.
• the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b have a sled 144, slidably mounted thereon via a sled support member 146.
• the sled support member 146 allows the sled 144 to be propelled along the length of the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b.
• Exchanger landing areas 146a, 146b are formed in the sled support member 146 on each side of the sled 144 for receiving the tube bundle.
• the sled 144 houses a pair of pinion wheels 148a, 148b that are mounted therein. Each one of the pinion wheels 148a, 148b has a plurality of teeth that are adapted to engage a series of teeth, shown generally at 150a, 150b, of a respective one of the gear racks 152a, 152b.
• the gear racks 152a, 152b are in turn mounted to a respective one of the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b.
• Drive motors 154a, 154b, preferably hydraulic, carried by the sled 144 are used to rotate the pinion wheels 148, 148b and thereby move the sled 144 along the carriage frame arms 102a, 102b.
• a different number of drive motors may be certainly used (e.g., four), depending on the amount of pulling power desired.
• One skilled in the art using the description of orientation of the rack-and-pinion drive system, along with the mounting and operation thereof, will be able to assemble the apparatus and therefore it will not be described in detail here.
• a top view of the rack-and-pinion drive system shows that the gear racks 152a, 152b actually include two separate sets of gear racks, a first set 152a-x, 152b-x and a second set 152a-y, 152b-y.
• the first set of gear racks 152a-x, 152b-x are mounted on the main section 104 of the carriage frame 100, while the second set of gear racks 152a-y, 152b-y are mounted on the hinged section 106 of the carriage frame 100. Having two separate sets of gear racks 152a-x, 152b-x and 152a-y, 152b-y allows the second set of gear racks 152a-y, 152b-y to be rotated away from the first set of gear racks 152a-x, 152b-x when the hinged section 106 is in the raised position.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bridges Or Land Bridges (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)
• Invalid Beds And Related Equipment (AREA)

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Publications (2)

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Citations (4)

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• 2004
  • 2004-03-11 CA CA002557685A patent/CA2557685C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-03-11 EP EP04719775A patent/EP1723067A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-03-11 WO PCT/US2004/007430 patent/WO2005097663A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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