GB2194004A

GB2194004A - A method of mounting a heater in a container

Info

Publication number: GB2194004A
Application number: GB08619929A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Francis St John Gebbie
Original assignee: MEGA ELECTRONICS Ltd
Current assignee: MEGA ELECTRONICS Ltd
Priority date: 1986-08-15
Filing date: 1986-08-15
Publication date: 1988-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 2006-08-15
Also published as: GB8619929D0; GB2194004B

Abstract

A method of mounting a heater 22 in a container (8) for containing liquid to be heated by the heater 22, which method comprises providing an aperture (12) in a wall (6) of the container (8), securing an outer shell part 4 to the wall (6) of the container (8) such that a first portion 10 of the shell part 4 extends through the aperture (12) in the wall (6) of the container (8) and a second and larger diameter portion 14 of the shell part 4 is positioned outside the container (8), providing a compression ring 16 in a bore 18 in the shell part of the connector 2, and screwing a gland part 20 of the connector 2 into the shell part 4 of the connector 2 to cause the compression ring 16 to reduce in diameter and grip the heater 22. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A method of mounting a heater in a container This invention relates to a method of mounting a heater in a container for containing liquid to be heated by the heater. This invention also relates to a container for containing liquid to be heated, the container having a heater which is for heating the liquid and which is mounted in position by a connector.

Accordingly, this invention provides a method of mounting a heater in a container for containing liquid to be heated by the heater, which method comprises providing an aperture in a wall of the container, securing an outer shell part of a connector to the wall of the container such that a first portion of the shell part extends through the aperture in the wall of the container and a second and larger diameter portion of the shell part is positioned outside the container, providing a compression ring in a bore in the shell part of the connector, and screwing a gland part of the connector into the shell part of the connector to cause the compression ring to reduce in diameter and grip the heater.

The method of the invention enables the heater to be simply and easily mounted in a liquid tight manner to the container.

The container may be a tank or other vessel. The container may carry any desired liquid, for example water or chemical liquids.

The heater may be a tubular or a sheathed wire heater. Various types of heater may be employed and the heater may be made of any suitable material such for example as glass, silica, a ceramic material, a plastics material or a metal.

The heater can be of any desired length to suit the liquid in the container and also to suit the power requirements.

The heater will usually be of circular cross section at that position where it is to be held by the connector. By way of example, it is mentioned that the circular cross section part of the heater may have a diameter of from 1 mum to 50mm, although other sizes of course may be employed.

The first portion of the shell part may be externally screw threaded for screwing into the aperture in the wall of the container, or into an adjacent threaded member.

The adjacent threaded member may be positioned inside or outside the container. The adjacent threaded member may be a nut or a plate.

The compression ring may be provided adjacent a shoulder portion of the bore in the shell part of she connector, the shoulder portion being located where the bore reduces in size to pass from the second portion to the first portion of the shell part of the connector.

The gland part of the connector may screw into a screw threaded portion of the bore in the second portion of the shell part of the connector.

Flat portions may be provided on the gland part of the connector, the flat portions being for receiving a spanner, torque tool or the like.

Obviously, the spanner, torque tool or the like will be used for tightening the connector in position.

The compression ring will usually be one which has a hole of a diameter for receiving the heater as a relatively close fit, and also one which has an outer diameter which enables the compression ring to slide into the bore in the shell part of the connector.

The compression ring will usually be made of a resilient material. The resilient material may be, for example, neoprene nitrile.

The method of the invention may be such that a washer is provided between the compression ring and the gland part of the connector, the washer being of a size for enabling the gland part of the connector to apply an even pressure to the compression ring.

The present invention also provides a container for containing liquid to be heated, the container having a heater for heating the liquid, and the heater being retained in position in an aperture in a wall of the container by a connector, the connector having an outer shell part having a first portion which extends through the aperture in the wall of the container and a second and larger diameter portion which is positioned outside the container, the connector having a compression ring in a bore in the shell part of the connector, and the connector having a gland part which is screwed into the shell part of the connector to cause the compression ring to reduce in diameter and grip the heater.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a connector for use in the method of the invention; and Figure 2 shows the side of the container and illustrates various ways in which the connector shown in Figure 1 may be secured to the container.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that Figure 1 shows a connector2 having an outer shell part 4 which is secured to a wall 6 of a container 8 as shown in Figure 2. The shell part 4 of the connector 2 has a first portion 10 which is for extending through an aperture 12 in the wall 6 of the container 8.

The shell part 4 also has a second and larger diameter portion 14 which is for positioning outside the container 8.

The connector 2 comprises a compression ring 16 which is for locating in a bore 18 in the shell part 4 of the connector 2.

The connector 2 further comprises a gland part 20 which is for screwing into the shell part 4 of the connector, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow, to cause the compression ring 16 to reduce in diameter and grip a heater 22.

The gland part 20 can be made of any desired material such for example as a plastics material, a metal, a hard rubber or a ceramic material. The overall size of the connector 2 will obviously depend upon the size of the heater 22 to be secured in position.

The method of the invention is such that the shell part 4 is provided with external threads 24 and the threads 24 extend up to a flat shoulder 26. The shell part 4 is also provided with internal threads 28 which mate with corresponding external threads 30 on the gland part 20. Thus the gland part 20 can be screwed into the larger diameter part of the bore 18. The gland part 20 has a flange 32 which is provided with suitable flats (not shown) to allow a spanner, torque tool or the like to be used when screwing the connector 2 into position in the container 8 as will be described hereinbelow. Also, the flats may be used for enabling the gland part 20 to be screwed tightly into the shell part 4.

The compression ring 16 may be made of any suitable resilient material such for example as neoprene nitrile material. The compression ring 16 has a bore 34 which is of a diameter which is slightly larger than the diameter of the illustrated portion of the heater 22 which is to be mounted in the connector 2. The compression ring 16 has an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the larger part 36 of the bore 18, so that the compression ring 16 can be slid into the larger part 36 of the bore 1 8 until it locates against an inclined shoulder portion 38 which is formed where the larger part 36 of the bore 18 joins a smaller part 40 of the bore 18. The thickness of the compression ring 16 depends upon the size of the heater 22 to be used.

The gland part 20 has a bore 42 whose diameter is slightly greater than the outside diameter of a washer 44. The use of the washer 44 is not essential and its use is only preferred. The washer 44 may be made of any suitable material such for example as a metal, a plastics material or a fibre. The washer 44 has an outside diameter which is the same as the outside diameter of the compression ring 16. The washer 44 has an aperture 46 and the diameter of this aperture 46 is slightly less than the diameter of the bore 42, in order to enable even pressure to be put on the compression ring 16 when the gland part 20 is screwed into the shell part 4, to provide compression to the compression ring 16 and the washer 44.

The connector 2 may be mounted in a number of ways as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 (A) illustrates a container 8 having a thin wall 6. A threaded back nut 48 which mates with the threads 24 is welded on to the inside of the container 8, the hole 12 being made in the wall 6 of the container 8 so that the first portion 10 of the shell part 4 can penetrate through the wall 6 and screw into the threaded back nut 48. Polytetrafluoroethylene tape may be provided around the threads 24 if a metal fitting is being made. A silicon or rubber mastic may be employed in the case of a fitting such as a plastics fitting or the like. The use of the polytetrafluorethylene tape and the mastic is obviously to give a liquid tight seal.

In an alternative method, the threaded back nut 48 can be loose and screwed on to the first portion 10 as indicated generally above but using fibre or a suitable rubber or plastics washer between the threaded backnut 48 and the inside of the wall 6 of the container 8.

Figure 2 (B) illustrates a method similar to that shown in Figure 2 (A) but Figure 2 (B) shows the use of a threaded plate 50 instead of the threaded back nut 48. The threaded plate 50 can be either welded in position or fixed in position by use of a mastic such as a silicon or rubber mastic. Where a mastic is employed, the first portion 10 is screwed in position before the mastic has set, in order to give a liquid tight seal.

Figure 2 (C) is similar to Figure 2 (B) except that the threaded plate 50 is provided on the outside of the wall 6 instead of on the inside of the wall 6 of the container 8.

In Figure 2 (D) there is shown a situation where the wall 6 of the container 8 is sufficiently thick such that the hole 12 can itself be provided with threads 52, in order to enable the connector 2 to be connected in a liquid tight manner without the use of a threaded back nut 48 or a threaded plate 50.

The heater 22 may be fixed in position such that the connector 2 is completely assembled and mounted into the container 8, which may be a tank, vessel or other type of container.

The gland part 20 is then released sufficiently enough to enable the heater 22 to be pushed through the bore 42, through the aperture 46 and through the bore 34 to the required fixing position. The gland part 20 is then tightened by a hand and finally with a spanner, torque tool or other device as may be appropriate, in order to compress the compression ring 16 around the heater 22. More specifically, the act of compressing the compression ring 16 against the inclined shoulder 38 causes the inside diameter of the compression ring to decrease uniformly so that it tightly holds the heater 22 in place in a plane at right angles to the wall 6 of the container 8 and provides a liquid tight seal around the heater 22, as well as a flexible mounting which helps to absorb any shock if something is dropped on the heater 22, or the container 8 is dropped during transit.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the washer 44 may be omitted as mentioned above.

Claims

1. A method of mounting a heater in a container for containing liquid to be heated by the heater, which method comprises providing an aperture in a wall of the heater, securing an outer shell part of a connector to the wall of the container such that a first portion of the shell part extends through the aperture in the wall of the container and a second and larger diameter portion of the shell part is positioned outside the container, providing a compression ring in a bore in the shell part of the connector, and screwing a gland part of the connector into the shell part of the connector to cause the compression ring to reduce in diameter and grip the heater.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the container is a tank.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the heater is a tubular or a sheathed wire heater.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the heater is of circular cross section at that position where it is to be held by the connector.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the first portion of the shell part is externally screw threaded for screwing into an aperture in the wall of the container, or into an adjacent threaded member.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the adjacent threaded member is positioned inside or outside the container.

7. A method according to claim 6 in which the adjacent threaded member is a nut or a plate.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the compression ring is provided adjacent a shoulder portion of the bore in the shell part of the connector, the shoulder portion being located where the bore reduces in size to pass from the second portion to the first portion of the shell part of the connector.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the gland part of the connector screws into a screw threaded portion of the bore in the second portion of the shell part of the connector.

10. A method according to claim 9 in which flat portions are provided on the gland part of the connector.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which a washer is provided between the compression ring and the gland part of the connector, the washer being of a size for enabling the gland part of the connector to apply an even pressure to the compression ring.

12. A method of mounting a heater in a container for containing liquid to be heated by the heater, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A container for containing liquid to be heated, the container having a heater for heating the liquid, and the heater being retained in position in an aperture in a wall of the container by a connector, the connector having an outer shell part having a first portion which extends through the aperture in the wall of the container and a second and larger diameter portion which is positioned outside the container, the connector having a compression ring in a bore in the shell part of the connector, and the connector having a gland part which is screwed into the shell part of the connector to cause the compression ring to reduce in diameter and grip the heater.

14. A container for containing liquid to be heated, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.