US3261048A - Sphere director - Google Patents

Description

July 19, 1966 E. A. ERICSON 3,26l ,048

' SPHERE DIRECTOR Filed Dec. 30, 196 4 INVENTOR.

ERNEST A. ERICSON,

ATTORNEY- United States Patent 3,261,048 SPHERE DIRECTOR Ernest A. Ericson, Channelview, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Esso Research and Engineering Company, Eiizabeth, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 422,346 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-10406) In the operation of pipelines, it has been the practice to direct spherical pigs through the pipeline for the purpose either of cleaning the interior of the pipeline or to separate discrete slugs of fluid which are being directed through that pipeline. In the course of use of these spheres, it becomes necessary in certain instances to direct the sphere selectively through one of two divergent branches of the flowing stream. The present invention provides a device whereby the sphere can be directed into either of two divergent courses without interrupting the flow of fluid through either course.

The present invention broadly relates to a sphere director comprising a casing means defining a fluid inlet and two divergent fluid outlets, with a swinging pervious vane which can block selectively either of the two courses, guiding the sphere into the other course, while providing only a slight impediment to the passage of fluid through either of the divergent courses and allowing continuous fluid flow through both courses even while directing the sphere as aforesaid.

All of this can be more easily understood by reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross section of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken through the vertical center line of the run portion shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an alternative form of pervious vane; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a particular installation wherein the present invention finds great utility.

The present invention is a sphere director for use in a vertical portion of a fluid pipeline. Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention is seen to comprise a sphere director 100, which is made up of a tubular run portion 102 and a tubular lateral portion 103. The cross sections of each of these portions are circular, and the portions are substantially identical in diameter. The run portion and the lateral portion are joined medially of the run portion at a preferred angle of about 30 to 60 and define an acute junction 104. It follows that, when said sphere director is installed in a vertical portion of a fluid pipeline, the lateral portion 103 will be inclined from the horizontal at an angle from 30 to 60. At this acute junction is mounted a bearing means 106 which contains a shaft 108 rotatable therewithin and which is open within the sphere director to allow attachment of the vane 110 to shaft 108. The shaft 108 carries the pervious vane 110 which preferably extends from threefourths to one and one-fourth diameters of the run portion from said shaft and which can assume positions within the limits shown by the dotted lines. Thus, the pervious vane is freely moveable from a first position substantially blocking said run portion 102 to a second position substantially blocking said lateral portion 103. The shaft centerline is outside the casing so it will not obstruct passage of the spheres. The casing is cut to provide clearance for the vane. The sphere director can suitably be provided with flanges as is shown at 114, 116, and 118 to allow the easy assembly of said device within a piping system.

Referring now to FIG. 2, wherein like numerals have been employed for like elements, it is seen that the vane 110 is formed in the shape of a U, from bar stock, and is joined to the shaft 108 at the extremities of the legs.

3,261,048 Patented July 19, 1966 The shaft 108 is clearly shown as being carried by the bearing means 106 and as being provided with a handle 107 whereby the vane can be manually directed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the vane can be constructed as shown at 310 mounted upon a shaft 308. In this embodiment, the vane is constructed of either a sheet metal or bar stock frame 311 upon which is mounted a wire netting 312 so that an impediment to the passage of the sphere can be provided while remaining pervious to fluid flow. Obviously, perforated plate or other similar material can be used instead of netting in forming the pervious vane.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the sphere director 400 of the present invention is shown in an environment wherein it finds particular utility. In the service shown, the sphere director 400 is used in directing spheres in the flowing stream through line 402 into a return duct 404 from whence the spheres are reintroduced into a sphere launcher 406. The sphere launcher 406 is constructed internally substantially as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 161,558, now US. Patent 3,158,888. The fluid continually flows in the direction shown by the arrow, and is diverted partially through the line 404 and partially through the line 410 for fl-ow through the sphere launcher 406, from whence the fluid is directed by way of line 412 into the downstream portion of the pipeline 414.

As can be seen from the schematic diagram, the pervious vane 415 hangs vertically by reason of the forces of gravity and directs spheres such as the sphere 416 into the return loop 404. Other spheres can be discharged by the sphere launcher 406, after a reversal of direction of fluid flow, into the line 402 for transmission through the pipeline 408. The vane will be pushed aside by the sphere but will drop back into position so that upon a second reversal of fluid flow a returning sphere will be directed into the return ducts 404.

The return loop can be provided with signaling devices 420 and 422, which may be constructed as disclosed in FIG. 3 of United States Patent 3,021,703. The signaling devices can operate signal lights as illustrated as 421 and 423, or can be utilized to operate counting mechanisms instead. As the sphere passes the signal 420, the light 421 will indicate that the sphere has entered the system. If the signal 422 does not operate the light 423, it is apparent that the sphere has hung in the sphere director by reason of the phenomenon of fluid bypassing. If this occurs, the handle on the sphere director shaft can be manually turned to rotate the vane 415 in the direction of the sphere, thereby forcing it up into the pipe 404 where it can be carried into the sphere launcher 406.

Having disclosed in detail the specifics of my present invention and having disclosed an environment wherein the invention has particular utility, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent should be limited not by the specific embodiment herein given, but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a vertical portion of a fluid pipeline, a sphere director comprising a tubular run portion having a substantially circular interior cross section,

a tubular lateral portion having a substantially cir cular interior cross section of identical diameter with respect to said tubular run portion,

said run portion and said lateral portion being joined at an angle medially of said run portion, said angle of juncture being inclined from the horizontal at an angle from 30 to 60, the walls of said run portion and said lateral portion defining an acute junction,

tubular bearing means attached to, depending from,

"ice

and extending exteriorly of said run portion and said lateral portion at said acute junction, said hearing means being arranged about a center line normal to the plane defined by the center lines of said run portion and said lateral portion, 5

shaft means freely rotatably supported within said bearing means, and

pervious vane means rigidly attached to said shaft means and extending into said sphere director a distance of three-fourths to one and one-ifourth diameters of the run portion, said vane means being movable from a first position substantially blocking said run portion to a second position substantially blocking said lateral portion.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said 15 pervious vane means is a Wire net.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pervious vane means is a U-shaped bar rigidly attached to said shaft by the legs thereof.

4. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 3 further comprising a handle rigidly attached to said shaft exterior of said housing, whereby said shaft can be turned.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,824 3/ 1909 Greenan. 2,710,064 6/1955 Osmun 166-70 3,139,932 7/1964 Johnson 16675 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. FOR USE IN A VERTICAL PORTION OF A FLUID PIPELINE, A SPHERE DIRECTOR COMPRISING A TUBULAR RUN PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR INTERIOR CROSS SECTION, A TUBULAR LATERAL PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR INTERIOR CROSS SECTION OF IDENTICAL DIAMETER WITH RESPECT TO SAID TUBULAR RUN PORTION, SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION BEING JOINED AT AN ANGLE MEDIALLY OF SAID RUN PORTION, SAID ANGLE OF JUNCTURE BEING INCLINED FROM THE HORIZONTAL AT AN ANGLE FROM 30* TO 60*, THE WALLS OF SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION DEFINING AN ACUTE JUNCTION, TUBULAR BEARING MEANS ATTACHED TO, DEPENDING FROM, AND EXTENDING EXTERIORLY OF SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION AT SAID ACUTE JUNCTION, SAID BEARING MEANS BEING ARRANGED ABOUT A CENTER LINE NORMAL TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY THE CENTER LINES OF SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION, SHAFT MEANS FREELY ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID BEARING MEANS, AND PERVIOUS VANE MEANS RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID SHAFT MEANS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID SPHERE DIRECTOR A DISTANCE OF THREE-FOURTHS TO ONE AND ONE-FOURTH DIAMETERS OF THE RUN PORTION, SAID VANE MEANS BEING MOVABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKING SAID RUN PORTION TO A SECOND POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKING SAID LATERAL PORTION.

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