Fabric (woven – knitted – or nonwoven textile or cloth – etc.) – Coated or impregnated woven – knit – or nonwoven fabric which... – Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-27
2004-09-21
Juska, Cheryl A. (Department: 1771)
Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.)
Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which...
Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to...
C442S086000, C442S286000, C442S389000, C442S393000, C442S394000, C442S417000, C150S154000, C150S157000, C150S166000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06794317
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of covers for protecting materials from environmental elements. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a protective cover system that includes a corrosion inhibitor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Attention to corrosion and corrosion mitigation have become increasingly important for economic and safety reasons. Based on estimates made in the mid 1990's, overall costs attributable to corrosion account for over $100 billion a year in the United States alone. These costs typically account for only the direct costs of corrosion and do not include the associated indirect costs, such as safety, plant downtime, loss of product, contamination and over-design.
Corrosion may be defined as the destructive effect of an environment on a metal or metal alloy. Nearly every metallic corrosion process involves the transfer of electronic charge in aqueous solution, and most corrosion reactions take place in the presence of water in either liquid or condensed vapor phases and also in high humidity. Corrosion is particularly a problem in marine environments experienced in places such as shipboard, aboard off-shore drilling rigs, and in coastal regions, among others, where seawater enhances corrosion reactions due to increased ion transport, pH effects, and elevated dissolved oxygen levels that in turn enhance levels of hydrogen ions. Corrosion reactions are further accelerated in marine environments by contaminants, such as chloride ions, present in seawater. Corrosion damage to equipment stored and used in marine environments is a tremendous problem, impacting maintenance costs, availability, repair, and reliability.
Equipment stored, e.g., onboard a ship or in coastal regions, is often stored in protective storage systems that have proved to be less than optimally effective. At best, such equipment is covered with waterproof tarpaulins, although often, especially for shipboard equipment, it is not covered properly and is directly exposed to a marine environment, which leads to rapid corrosion. Even when equipment is covered by waterproof tarpaulins, seawater still penetrates through and/or around the tarpaulins into the protected spaces where it collects and corrodes the underlying equipment. Also, conventional storage systems can be cumbersome to use and maintain, and are therefore often avoided. As a result, corrosion continues to be a significant and costly problem, requiring many hours of rust removal, painting, and repair that often lead to premature equipment replacement.
FIG. 1
shows a conventional waterproof cover
20
used to protect an object, such as metallic object
22
resting on a surface
24
, from moisture, such as rain, sea spray, dew and the like. Cover
20
has an outer surface
26
, an inner surface
28
, and an area
30
defined by a peripheral edge
32
. Cover
20
is shown covering object
22
in a typical manner, wherein a microenvironment is generally defined by the space enclosed by the cover. The microenvironment comprises a number of interior regions, such as regions
34
, located between cover
20
and object
22
.
Generally, conventional covers, such as cover
20
, comprise at least one liquid-impermeable layer made of, e.g., a tightly-woven polymer fabric or a non-woven structure, such as a continuous film or other membrane. More complex conventional covers may include one or more additional layers that provide them with additional features, such as highly durable outer surfaces to withstand harsh environments and non-abrasive inner-surfaces to minimize mechanical damage to the object covered. Other conventional covers are made of vapor-permeable, porous materials, such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene or the like.
The air in interior regions
34
generally never has a moisture content less than the moisture content of the ambient environment. If the moisture content of the ambient environment rises, the moisture content of regions
34
also rises due to the inflow of moisture (illustrated by arrow
36
) through gaps between cover
20
and surface
24
at peripheral edges
32
of the cover. Eventually, the moisture content of the ambient environment
38
and regions
34
equalize. Once the additional moisture is in the microenvironment, it can become trapped, as illustrated by arrows
40
. Moisture levels can quickly become elevated, and the air saturated. In such a case, condensation could occur on the object
22
. Because the moisture content of interior regions
34
never falls below that of ambient environment
38
, conventional covers are not very effective in high moisture environments, such as marine and high-humidity environments. Moreover, once moisture enters the microenvironment, it can take a long time to dissipate, if at all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a protective cover system for protecting an object by defining a microenvironment adjacent the object when the protective cover system is applied to the object. The protective cover system comprises a cover for being applied to the object and defining a microenvironment when the cover is applied to the object. The cover includes a first layer that comprises a non-porous water-vapor-permeable layer. A corrosion inhibitor source provides at least one corrosion inhibitor to the microenvironment when the cover is applied to the object. The corrosion inhibitor source is in communication with the microenvironment when the cover is applied to the object so that at least some of the corrosion inhibitor may enter the microenvironment.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a protective cover system for inhibiting corrosion of an object by forming a microenvironment adjacent the object when the protective cover system is applied to the object. The protective cover system comprises a cover that includes a first layer having a first face and a second face. The first layer comprises an absorbent material adapted to absorb and store moisture. A second layer is located adjacent the first face of the first layer and is liquid-impermeable. A corrosion inhibitor source that comprises at least one corrosion inhibitor fluidly communicates with the microenvironment when the cover is applied to the object.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a panelized cover system for protecting an object from moisture. The panelized cover system comprises a plurality of panels each comprising a first layer having a first face and a second face. The first layer comprises an absorbent material adapted to absorb and store the moisture. A second layer is located adjacent the first face of the first layer. The second layer is liquid-impermeable. Each of the plurality of panels is fastened to at least one adjacent one of the plurality of panels.
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Breedlove Jeffrey J.
Elkouh Nabil A.
Pilvelait Bruce R.
Befumo Jenna-Leigh
Creare Inc.
Downs Rachlin & Martin PLLC
Juska Cheryl A.
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