Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Diverse fluid containing pressure filling systems involving... – Gas condition control in housing for receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-10
2001-06-05
Jacyna, J. Casimer (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Diverse fluid containing pressure filling systems involving...
Gas condition control in housing for receiver
C141S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240981
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of managing compressed fluid cylinders and particularly compressed fluid cylinders in a deteriorated condition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Compressed fluid cylinders may become unserviceable for several reasons such as valve assembly failure, damage or deterioration to the cylinder body, and/or damage or deterioration of pipe/hose connections associated with the valve assembly. The hazardous nature of compressed gas cylinders and other fluid containers in a deteriorated condition has become the focus of increasing attention. The result has been strict government regulations which limit the uncontrolled discharge of such container contents to the environment.
Examples of cylinder rupture vessels or containment vessels used for safely removing hazardous contents from deteriorated compressed fluid cylinders are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,180 titled “Cylinder Rupture Vessel”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,333 titled “Cylinder Rupture Vessel with Clamps for Immobilizing a Container Within the Vessel”, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,219 titled “Cylinder Rupture Vessel”. These patents disclose containment vessels and their associated systems to secure a fluid cylinder or similar container within the containment vessel and to puncture or pierce the cylinder in a safe, controlled manner. The cylinder rupture vessels and their associated systems allow for environmentally acceptable removal of the contents from the cylinder and further processing of the contents as desired. The above-listed patents are incorporated by reference for all purposes within this application.
Deteriorated fluid cylinders may be ruptured in a safe, controlled manner by using a puncture spike or punch as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,180. Hydraulic puncture assemblies, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,333, have also been used to penetrate fluid cylinders to allow the controlled release of the contents of the cylinders within a containment vessel. In addition, various types of projectiles have previously been fired at fluid cylinders positioned within a containment vessel to rupture the walls of the fluid cylinder to release the contents from the fluid cylinder into the interior of the containment vessel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a drill assembly is provided for penetrating a wall of a container. The container is supported by a platform within a recovery vessel. The drill assembly allows removal of a fluid from the container. The drill assembly has a housing having an interior. A portion of the drill assembly defines a longitudinal bore. A shaft is rotatably disposed within the longitudinal bore. The shaft has one end engaged to a drill bit for penetrating the wall of the container. The other end of the shaft is engaged to a rotor for rotating the shaft. A seal assembly forms a fluid barrier between the longitudinal bore and the interior of the housing.
The drill assembly may be partly or completely enclosed within the recovery vessel. If only partly enclosed, the drill assembly may also have a tube for lining an opening into the recovery vessel. This tube will preferably define a portion of the longitudinal bore.
In one embodiment, the drill assembly also has a coupling assembly for coupling the housing to the tube which lines the opening into the recovery vessel. According to a feature of this embodiment, the interior of the housing may be sealed from its exterior. This may be accomplished by integrally connecting the housing and the coupling assembly, for example by welding, to seal the interior of the housing from its exterior. Alternatively, a plurality of O-rings may be disposed between the housing and the coupling assembly.
According to a feature of the present invention, the housing may have an end portion which abuts the wall of the container to form a fluid seal therewith. Also, more than one fluid seals may be formed at the end portion of the housing. In one embodiment, one fluid seal is formed by disposing a washer between the housing and the wall of the container. A second fluid seal is formed by disposing at least one O-ring between the housing and the wall of the container. In another embodiment, a plurality of raised annular surfaces may be provided on the end portion of the housing which engage the washer to form the second fluid seal.
In yet another embodiment, more than one drill assembly is employed. One or both of the drill assemblies may be as described above. If more than one drill assembly is used in the present invention, the drill assemblies may positioned in any number of configurations. According to one possible configuration, one drill assembly would be positioned above the container and one drill assembly would be positioned below the container.
According to a feature of an embodiment having multiple drill assemblies, at least one of the drill assemblies could be used as a conduit for introducing a flushing fluid into the container. This drill assembly may be positioned above the container. Another drill assembly could be used for removing the fluid from the container. This drill assembly may be positioned below the container.
A hold-down assembly may be provided within the recovery vessel for urging the container and the platform assembly toward a drill assembly. According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one drill assembly may be coupled to the hold-down assembly.
A first technical advantage of the present invention is that it provides three levels of containment for protecting the environment from exposure to a fluid removed from a container.
A second technical advantage of the present invention is that it increases the efficiency of the process by which a hazardous fluid is removed from a container.
A third technical advantage of the present invention is that it reduces the risk of ignition of a fluid or a container containing the fluid during removal of the fluid from the container.
A fourth technical advantage of the present invention is that it reduces the risk of a fluid reacting violently with surfaces exposed to the fluid during its removal from a container.
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Mattern Charles C.
Nickens Dan A.
Earth Resources Corporation
Hunton & Williams
Jacyna J. Casimer
LandOfFree
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