초록 ▼

The present invention relates to an apparatus for securely fastening joints in pressure vessels, pipes, and other structures intended to isolate internal volumes from the external environment. It can join a blank cover to a pressure vessel or it can join tubular members. It may be used in any applic

The present invention relates to an apparatus for securely fastening joints in pressure vessels, pipes, and other structures intended to isolate internal volumes from the external environment. It can join a blank cover to a pressure vessel or it can join tubular members. It may be used in any application currently utilizing standard bolted flanges. It provides a flange retaining clamp for remotely disconnecting and remotely connecting flange members disposed on a pressure vessel, in which one of the flange members is disposed on the pressure vessel and the second flange hub end is applied in a gasketed, sealing relationship thereto, in which the flange hub ends each have a outwardly extending flange hub, wherein, the clamp has at least two clamp segments which are moveable from a closed, sealing, flange member retaining position to an open, unsealed, flange member liberating position. Said clamp segments engaging the flange members holding them together in the closed, sealing position, wherein clamp segment fastening devices can remotely forcefully open and close the clamp, wherein said clamp segment fastening devices comprise a redundancy of clamp segment conjoining elements. The clamp segment fastening devices can be remotely locked and unlocked.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] An apparatus for remotely disconnecting and remotely connecting flange members, in which a first flange member is disposed on a pressure vessel and a second flange member is adapted to be applied in a gasketed, sealing relationship thereto, in which each flange member has at least o

[ I claim:] [1.] An apparatus for remotely disconnecting and remotely connecting flange members, in which a first flange member is disposed on a pressure vessel and a second flange member is adapted to be applied in a gasketed, sealing relationship thereto, in which each flange member has at least one outwardly extending flange hub, comprising in combination:a clamp having at least two clamp segments which are moveable from a closed, sealing, flange member retaining position to an open, unsealed, flange member liberating position, said clamp segments engaging the outwardly extending flange hubs to hold the flange members together in the closed, sealing position;said clamp segments separated from adjacent clamp segments by a clamp segment division;a remotely actuable clamp segment fastening device disposed at each clamp segment division, wherein each of said clamp segment fastening devices is adapted to close the clamp from said open position and to open the clamp from said closed position, wherein said clam p segment fastening devices comprise:a plurality of redundant clamp segment conjoining elements such that the failure of any one of said clamp segment conjoining elements will not result in unsealing of the flange members;at least one remotely actuable powered drive member adapted to energize the clamp segment fastening device, to forcefully open and forcefully close the clamp;at least one locking device adapted to retain stored energy in each clamp segment fastening device, wherein said stored energy tends to pull the clamp segments together.