US3474651A

US3474651A - Vessel lining apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3474651A
Application number: US608058A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold E Hicks; Charles L Hibbeler
Original assignee: Nooter Corp
Current assignee: Nooter Corp
Priority date: 1964-01-16
Filing date: 1967-01-09
Publication date: 1969-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 1986-10-28

Description

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H. E. HlCKS ETAL VESSEL LINING APPARATUS Oct. 28, 1969 Original Filed Jan. 16, 1964 Oct. 28, 1969 H. E. HICKS ETAL 3,474,651

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United States Patent 3,474,651 VESSEL LINING APPARATUS Harold E. Hicks, Kirkwood, and Charles L. Hibbeler, Lernay, Mo., assignors to Nooter Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Original application Jan. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 338,128, now Patent No. 3,311,971, dated Apr. 4, 1967. Divided and this application Jan. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 608,058 Int. (ll. 321d 31/00 US. Cl. 72-118 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for expanding a continuous corrosion resistant liner into intimate contact with the inside of a large vessel or tank. The apparatus includes a rotatable bar mounted in the tank, and a feed screw on the bar for moving a liner applying mechanism in a helical path along the inner surface of the liner. The liner applying mechanism includes a plurality of cylinders, pistons in the cylinders and rollers on the ends of the pistons aligned With the path of rotation and a source of hydraulic pressure communicating with the cylinders to urge the rollers into engagement with the liner.

Reference to other applications This application is a division of our co-pending application of Hicks and Hibbeler Ser. No. 338,128, filed Jan. 16, 1964, now Patent No. 3,311,971, issued Apr. 4, 1967.

The present invention relates to a method of lining vessels and to an apparatus for applying said liner. The present invention also relates to a method of making multiwall pressure vessels.

One of the problems in lining vessels or large tanks as well as in making multi-wall pressure vessels is achieving intimate contact between the tank inner wall and the corrosion resistant lining throughout the surface area of the tank. The present invention achieves this by expanding a continuous corrosion resistant liner (stainless steel, zircalloy, zirconium or titanium, etc.) by means of a rotating pressurized roller which expands the liner into intimate contact with the inner surface of the vessel. In achieving this structure, a vessel which might be 30 feet long, 2 feet in diameter, and several inches thick is provided with a liner which may be up to /2 inch thick and which is of slightly less outside diameter than the inside diameter of the vessel. The liner is slipped into the vessel, the mechanism is placed within the liner, hydraulic pressure of the desired force is applied to the rollers, and the mechanism is rolled through the vessel to force the liner outwardly into intimate contact with the inner surface of the tank. The ends of the liner then may be anchored in place, and additional rolling of the liner will pre-stress the liner in a longitudinal direction as well as in a circumferential direction.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a method of applying a liner to a vessel whereby the liner is in intimate contact with the inner surface of the vessel to which it is applied. Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a multiwall vessel wherein the liner layers are given different degrees of pre-stress which may be in the longitudinal as well as the circumferential direction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for applying a liner to a vessel wherein the apparatus comprises spaced rollers hydraulically urged into engagement with the liner and rotatable within the vessel from end to end to roll the liner into close contacting engagement with the inner surface of the vessel.

Another object is to provide a rotatable roller device which may be aligned with the helical angle of rotation to prevent end thrust on the feed screw and to eliminate wear on the thrust washer holding the roller in position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention comprises a method of applying a liner to the inside of a vessel by expanding the liner outwardly into intimate contact with the vessel. The present invention further comprises a mechanism for applying a liner, said mechanism comprising spaced hydraulically energized rollers rotatable along the inner surface of a liner to expand the liner into engagement with a vessel wall.

In the drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the present invention applied 'to an open ended vessel FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view partly in section and partly in plan of the roller mechanism,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the roller and roller actuating screw,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view taken along line 88 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view partly in elevation showing the present invention applied to a closed end vessel,

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view showing a spider adjusting means shown in FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10,

FIGS. 12-14 are enlarged fragmentary views partly in section and partly in elevation showing the adjustment of the roller so that the axis of the roller is lined up with the helix curve of the path of rolling,

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary foreshortened view showing a structure for retaining a liner in a shell, and

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a method of retaining a liner in a shell when the liner cannot be welded directly to the shell.

The present invention comprises a liner applying machine 10 which consists of a solid cylindrical bar 11 mounted in

bearings

12 and 13 at the opposed ends thereof. A drive means 14 rotates the bar 11 through a worm drive gear mechanism 15 positioned in a housing 15a which also houses the bearings 13. A centering spider 16 carries the front bearing 12 and is adjustable to center the bar 11 in the vessel 17. As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, the centering spider 16 includes legs 16a held in position against the inner surface of the vessel 17 by lock nuts 1611.

A liner applying roller mechanism 18 is rotatably mounted on the bar 11 and comprises a housing 19, and three spaced cylinders 20 connected in series with an accumulator 21 (FIG. 2) by conduits 22, and connected to an outside source of hydraulic fluid H by a conduit 22a. Rotatable rollers 23 are mounted on axles 24 carried by pistons 25 mounted in the cylinders 20. The back side of each piston 25 is connected to an expansible chamber 26' which is connected to the source of hydraulic fluid H through the conduits 22 and 22a. A half-nut 27 is mounted by suitable means 28 on the housing 19 which supports the cylinders 20, and is threaded on its inner surface to engage a feed screw 29 mounted along the surface of the bar 11 (FIG. 6). A gear 29b is fastened to the end of the feed screw 29 and is meshed with a gear 290 which is connected to a handle 30 which engages a stop 31 mounted on the base plate of the device. Therefore, when the bar 11 is rotated, the fixed gear 29a rotates the gear 29b and the screw 29 with respect to the bar 11. Since the housing 19 is keyed to the bar 11, and therefore movable only in a longitudinal direction with respect to the bar 11, the rotation of the bar 11 also rotates the housing 19, and the rotation of the screw 29 drives the housing 19 along the Outside of the bar 11.

In applying a lining to a vessel, the lining 32 is constructed to have an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the vessel, i.e., approximately 43" diameter difference, and positioned within the vessel. The bar 11 is fixed in the vessel 17 by adjusting the spider retainer 16, the outside source of hydraulic power H is connected to the fluid lines 22 and 22a, and hydraulic power is applied to the pistons 25 through the expansible chamber 26. Normally the mechanism 18 is near an open end of the vessel 17 for convenience. The pistons 25 are moved outwardly into engagement with the inner surface of the liner 32 (FIG. 2) and maintained there by the predetermined and suitable hydraulic pressure applied behind the pistons 25 which may be on the order of 3000 psi. The fiuid also passes into the accumulator 21, which is sealed and contains a gas (such as nitrogen). The gas is placed under pressure by the hydraulic fluid and maintains within close limits the proper hydraulic pressure on the pistons 25 regardless of minor variations in diameter of vessel and liner, or expansion or leakage of hydraulic fluid. When the pistons 25 are sufficiently pressurized, a valve 33 is closed and the fluid pressure source H is disconnected.

A pressure pump could be mounted directly on the mechanism 18 and rotate therewith, if desired.

The motor 14 is energized and rotates the bar 11 through the drive gear 15. The bar 11 rotates the cylinder housing 19 through the keying action of the half-nut 27. As mentioned, the feed screw 29 and gear 2% are connected to a second gear 29a at one end. The handle 30 and stop 31 prevent rotation of the gear 29a during rotation of the bar 11, and in effect rotate the screw 29 with respect to the bar 11 as the screw 29 also rotates with the bar 11. Since the half-nut 27 also is threaded to the screw 29, as the screw 29 is turned by the gear 2%, the half-nut 27 (and the entire liner applying mechanism 18) are moved along the bar 11 axially. As previously men tioned, the mechanism 18 also rotates with the bar 11, so that the pistons 25 and the rollers 23 are rotated around and along the inner surface of the liner 32. This presses the liner 32 outwardly into intimate contact with the inner surface of the vessel 17.

FIGS. 12-14 show a structure for rotating the rollers 23 so that the rollers 23 are aligned with the helix angle of the path of rolling to prevent undue wear on the feed screw 29 or the roller thrust washers. Since the rollers 23 are pressing against up to one-half inch wall thickness in the liner 32, there is tremendous side thrust unless the rollers 23 are rolling along the path of the helix.

The adjustment mechanism comprises a separated roller housing 34 which retains the cylinder 20 and the piston 25. Lock bolts 35 are loosened to enable the cylinder 20 to be rotated with respect to the housing 34. When the proper angle of the roller 23 with respect to the housing 34 is obtained, the bolts 35 are tightened to lock the roller 23 in its new angular position.

FIGS. 9-11 show a modification used when the pressure vessel ,17a has a closed end prior to application of the liner 32. In this modification, the gear 29a, handle 30, and stop 31 are positioned adjacent to the end of the vessel 17a at which the drive motor 14 is located.

The principal difference exists in the spider positioning means 36 which supports the end of the bar 11 within the vessel 17a. The spider 36 supports a hearing 12 for the bar 11 and is adapted to be positioned within the vessel 17a from the open end of the vessel 17a. The spider 36 is supported by four legs 37 slidably positioned in bore 38 in a spider housing 39 and adapted to engage the inner surface of the liner 32 or the vessel 17a. The inner end of each leg 37 is provided with an inclined surface 40 cut at about a 45 angle. Each surface 40 is positioned so as to face the open end of the vessel 17a.

A second bore 41 is formed in the housing 39 at right angles to the first bore 38 and facing the open end of the vessel 17a. A portion of the bore 41 is threaded at 42. A lock cam 43 having a tapered 45 surface 44 is placed :in the forward end of the bore 41 so that the surface 44 mates with the tapered surface 40 on the leg 37. A longitudinal keyway 45 is positioned in the outer surface of the cam 43 and a key 46 engages the keyway 45 to permit the cam 43 to move only in an axial direction. A screw 47 engages the threaded portion of the bore 42 and may be rotated from the open end of the vessel 17a to move the cam 43 into or out of the bore 41 and to correspondingly move the leg 37 out of or into the bore 38.

The present invention can be used to pro-stress the liner 32 in a circumferential direction, so that when the vessel 17 later is put under pressure in use, the stress in the liner 32 is as close to zero as possible, because the corrosion resistance of the liner 32 is best when it is at zero stress.

It is also possible to pre-stress the liner 32 in a longitudinal direction by anchoring the ends of the liner 32 by the use of welds 48 (FIG. 16). A subsequent rolling of the liner 32 produces longitudinal stretch, since the rolling action tends to lengthen the liner 32 (as much as 4-5 inches in a 15 foot liner). With the ends of the liner 32 contained by the welds 48, the liner 32 cannot stretch and is thus pro-stressed. When the liner 32 is rolled onto the inner wall of the vessel 17, it is pre-stressed compressively in a circumferential direction. Thus in use, under internal pressure, the stresses tend to approach zero in the liner 32.

If the vessel liner 32 is of a reactive material (such as titanium, zircalloy, etc.) which cannot be welded to steel (which normally is the nature of the vessel 17), an end closure such as shown in FIG. 16 may be used to retain the liner 32 in position. In this arrangement, a groove 50 is formed in the end of the vessel 17b and threaded. A liner 32 is rolled into position against the inner surface of the vessel 17b. A titanium end ring 51 is threaded into the vessel 17b and a titanium weld 52 is deposited between the end of the liner 32 and the ring 51 to bond the two together. A subsequent application of the liner apparatus will pro-stress the liner 32 in both the circumferential and longitudinal directions.

As mentioned, the present invention can be used in making multi-wall vessels and would involve the rolling in of a plurality of liners or vessel walls in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described for applying a single liner to a solid vessel. In accomplishing this, the multi-wall vessel would have the outer walls pre-stressed in tension and the inner walls pre-stressed in compression so that when the tank is under operating pressure, the stress distribution between the inner and outer layers will tend to be of same order of magnitude. As is well known, the stress in the inner wall rises considerably faster than the stress in the outer wall as the internal pressure of the vessel is increased.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for lining vessels comprising a main member adapted to be positioned axially in a vessel, means for supporting said main member within the vessel, a liner applying assembly mounted on the main member, said liner applying assembly comprising roller means adapted to engage the inner surface of a liner positioned within the vessel, means for orienting the roller means with respect to a helical path of travel over the inner surface on the liner, and means for engaging the roller with the liner, and means for moving the roller means circumferentially and longitudinally along the inner surface of the liner to force the liner against the inner surface of the vessel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the liner applying assembly comprises a plurality of roller means mounted on pistons movable in cylinders positioned on housings mounted on the main member, said housings being transversely aligned with respect to the axis of the main member to reduce bending forces thereon when the rollers are engaged with the inner surface of the liner, and a hydraulic pressure source connected in series with expansible chambers behind the pistons in said cylinders.

3. Apparatus for lining vessels comprising a main member adapted to be positioned axially in a vessel, means for supporting said main member within the vessel, a liner applying assembly mounted on the main member, said liner applying assembly comprising a plurality of roller means mounted on pistons movable in cylinders positioned on housings mounted on the main member, and a hydraulic pressure source connected in series with expansible chambers behind the pistons in said cylinders to maintain the roller means in engagement with the liner, the housings being in two parts which may be opened to rotate the cylinders, pistons, and rollers with respect thereto, to orient the rollers with respect to their helical path over the inner surface of the liner, and means for moving the roller means circumferentially and longitudinally along the inner surface of the liner to force the liner against the inner surface of the vessel,

4. Apparatus for lining vessels comprising a main member adapted to be positioned axially in a vessel, support means for supporting said main member within the vessel, said main member being rotatably journaled in said support means, a liner applying assembly mounted on the main member, said liner applying assembly comprising roller means adapted to engage the inner surface of a liner positioned within the vessel, and means for engaging the roller means with the liner, and means for moving the roller means circumferentially and longitudinally along the inner surface of the liner to force the liner against the inner surface of the vessel including a feed screw positioned axially along the main member and rotatable therewith, means restraining rotation of the feed screw with respect to the main member, drive means for rotating the main member, and a collar in driving engagement with said feed screw and keyed to the main member, whereby said collar moves longitudinally along the main member by means of the feed screw and rotates with the main member when said main member is rotated by the drive means, said collar holding the liner applying assembly.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the means for engaging the roller means with the liner comprises a plurality of cylinders mounted on the collar, pistons movable in the cylinders, the roller means being carried by the pistons, and a hydraulic pressure source connected in series with expansible chambers behind the pistons in said cylinders.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein the hydraulic pressure source is an accumulator mounted on the collar.

7. The structure of claim 5 wherein the cylinders are rotatable on the collar, and including means for fixing the cylinders on the collar in a predetermined position whereby the rollers are aligned with their path of rotation around and along the inner surface of the liner.

8. Apparatus for lining a vessel having a closed end and an open end comprising a main member adapted to be positioned axially in a vessel, means for supporting said main member within the vessel adjacent to the closed end, said means being adjustable from the open end of the vessel, a liner applying assembly mounted on the main member, said liner applying assembly comprising roller means adapted to engage the inner surface of a liner positioned within the vessel, and means for moving and maintaining the roller in engagement with the liner, and means for moving the roller means circumferentially and longitudinally along the inner surface of the liner to force the liner against the inner surface of the vessel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the support means includes a body member rotatably supporting the main member, said body member being provided with pairs of intersecting bores, movable legs extending outwardly from one of each of the body member bores toward the inner vessel wall, said legs having a tapered inner edge, keys engaging the second of each bore pair, said keys being movable from the open end of the vessel and having an inclined cam edge adapted to engage the inclined edge on the leg to move the leg toward and away from the vessel wall.

10. Apparatus for lining vessels comprising a main member adapted to be positioned axially in a vessel, said main member including a feed screw positioned axially along the main member and rotatable therewith, means restraining rotation of the feed screw with respect to the main member, drive means for rotating the main member, and a half-nut in driving engagement with said feed screw and keyed to the main member, whereby said halfnut moves longitudinally along the main member through the feed screw and rotates with the main member when said main member is rotated by the drive means, means for supporting said main member within the vessel, a liner applying assembly mounted on the main member, said liner applying assembly comprising a plurality of cylinders mounted on the half-nut, pistons movable in the cylinders, roller means carried by the pistons, and a hydraulic pressure source connected in series with expansible chambers behind the pistons in said cylinders, said cylinders being rotatable on the half-nut and including means for fixing the cylinders on the half-nut in a pre determined position whereby the rollers are aligned with their path of rotation around and along the inner surface of the liner.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 adapted to be positioned into a closed end vessel wherein the support means includes a body member rotatably supporting the main member, said body member being provided with pairs of intersecting bores, movable legs extending outwardly from one of each of the body member bores toward the inner vessel wall, said legs having a tapered inner edge, keys engaging the second of each bore pair, said keys being movable from the open end of the vessel and having an inclined cam edge adapted to engage the inclined edge on the leg to move the leg toward and away from the vessel wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 958,517 5/1910 Mettler 72-122 1,166,040 12/1915 Burlingham 72-393 2,936,020 5/1960 Thomburg et a1. 721l7 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.