Pipe joints or couplings – U-type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-21
2001-07-03
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3627)
Pipe joints or couplings
U-type
C285S135200, C285S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254143
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to fluid transfer devices and, more particularly, to panel assemblies for diverting fluids from one location to another.
2. Background of the Invention
Flow transfer panels are an important part of most processes and clean-in-place (CIP) systems in the food, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical industries. The flow transfer panel provides the “physical break” required by most processing regulations and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP's). In addition, flow transfer panels may be utilized for fluid diversion and delivery in industries where sanitary conditions and the inherent “physical break” are not process requirements.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a typical transfer panel
10
generally includes a vertically oriented panel
12
and nozzles
14
that extend through the panel and are welded or otherwise attached thereto. Each nozzle includes a ferrule
16
formed at the end of a tube
18
and a mounting ring
19
formed on the tube and spaced from the ferrule
18
. A jumper conduit
20
has a ferrule
22
connected at the ends of a U-shaped tube
24
. The ferrules
22
of the jumper conduit
20
include faces
25
that mate with faces
26
of the ferrules
16
. The ferrules
22
are connected to the ferrules
16
through clamps or the like to thereby direct the flow of fluid from one pipe to another.
The flow transfer panel
10
may be mounted on a floor, wall, or ceiling through appropriate supports and/or brackets, and provides a basic support structure for several nozzles and jumper conduits that may extend between one or more pairs of nozzles. Generally, flow transfer panels provide a physical break required by some processing regulations and assure that products will not be cross contaminated with other products or with CIP solutions that are used for cleaning the interior of conduits or pipes associated with fluid processing.
Assembly of the nozzles to the transfer panel typically involves forming openings in the panel
12
then inserting the tube
18
of each nozzle in one of the openings such that the ferrule
16
is located on one side
24
of the panel with the tube
18
extending through the panel. The nozzle
14
is then affixed to the panel by welding the outer perimeter of the ring
19
to the panel
12
. With this arrangement, the distance between the panel and an outer face
26
of the ferrule
16
of each nozzle must be referenced from the side
24
of the panel, since the ring
19
is spaced at a fixed distance from the ferrule
16
. Ideally, the outer faces
26
of the ferrules
16
should lie in a common plane
28
. Although care is taken to provide a flat panel
12
, dips
30
and bows
32
in the panel may occur during formation of the panel itself, and may be further augmented by subsequent manufacturing processes, such as stamping, forming openings in the panel, welding of the nozzles to the panel, and the like. It has been observed that for a 0.25 inch thick plate, the dips and bows may vary by as much as 0.25 inch or more over the area of the plate, which in some applications may be quite large. Consequently, the outer faces
26
of the ferrules do not lie along a common plane
28
. When a jumper conduit
20
is connected to the ferrules under these circumstances, a gap “A” between a first pair of opposing faces
25
and
26
may be greater than a gap “B” between a second pair of opposing faces of ferrules
16
and
22
. When the jumper conduit is installed on the nozzles
14
, the gap “B” is closed, while the gap “A” may still be present. Consequently, leakage may occur at the junction of the ferrules
16
and
22
and contaminants may enter the processing line. In some cases, undue internal stresses may be created in the jumper conduit during an attempt to close gap “A” when assembling the jumper conduit to the nozzles. In many instances custom jumper conduits must be constructed, typically at the assembly sight away from the manufacturer, to accommodate the dips, bows and other deformities of the transfer panel, resulting in increased manufacturing and installation time, labor, and expense.
The above-described problems are further augmented by surface defects that may be present on the inner surface of the tube
18
during manufacture or during assembly to the panel
12
. In many cases, the surface defects are not readily observable or cannot be measured until after an electro-polishing operation wherein the inner surface of the nozzle
14
is given a smooth, mirror-like finish. Even when the surface contains no visible or discernible defects before electro-polishing, the electro-polishing operation itself may uncover pits in the surface. This is especially prevalent where the surface is mechanically finished before electro-polishing. Mechanical finishing often fills pits and other defects in the surface due to welding or other manufacturing operations. Since a layer of material is removed from the surface during electro-polishing, some of the pits and other defects may be uncovered. In many manufacturing environments, the electro-polishing operation itself is inherently non-repetitive, since factors such as electrolyte concentration, temperature, and immersion time of the surface in the electrolyte may vary. Discontinuities in the finish can encourage contamination and bacteria growth and therefore are unacceptable in sterile processing environments. When surface defects are detected after the nozzle is installed in the panel, the nozzle must either be ground out, which is a labor-intensive and time-consuming procedure, or the panel must be discarded.
In an attempt to overcome surface defects in the nozzle that may be caused from welding the nozzle directly to the panel assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,457 issued to Sidmore et al. on Feb. 18, 1997, proposes forming a ring on the nozzle and an enlarged opening in the panel for receiving the ring. Me outer periphery of the ring is then welded to the panel and the welding bead is subsequently removed during a grinding operation. Although the ring effectively relocates the welding operation to a location spaced from the nozzle, the ring is the same thickness as the panel. The distance from the panel to a connection end of the nozzle must therefore be referenced from the panel itself Consequently, the connection ends of nozzles on the panel may not lie in the same plane due to dips, bows and other imperfections in the panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a method of constructing a panel assembly for transferring fluids from one location to another includes providing a panel with at least one opening, forming at least one nozzle with a tubular portion and at least one connection end, forming a sleeve on the tubular portion, the sleeve having an outer surface with an axial length that is greater than a combination of a thickness of the panel and any deformity on the panel, polishing an inner surface of the tubular portion, inspecting the inner surface for defects; and installing the at least one nozzle on the panel by a) inserting the tubular portion into the at least one opening in the panel until the sleeve is positioned within the at least one opening, and b) affixing the outer surface of the sleeve to the panel in the vicinity of the at least one opening. With this method, defects that may be present on the inner surface of the tubular portion can be discovered before installing the nozzle on the panel, and potential inner surface defects are precluded during installation of the nozzle on the panel. It is to be understood that the phrase “any deformity” refers to one or more typical deformities that may be present after manufacture of the panel itself. The length of the sleeve is preferably predetermined to accommodate these typical deformities, whether or not they are present on the panel.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a method of constructing a panel assembly for transferring fluids from one location to another comprises providing a panel with
Billmyer Bryan A.
Wilson Mark E.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.
Central States Industrial Equipment and Service, Inc.
Saether Flemming
Wirthlin Alvin R.
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