Trackable, identifiable foreign material exclusion device

• US 20070059162A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Pneumatics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Pneumatics Incorporated
• Inventors: Nolfi, Mario, Nolfi, Thomas, Orosz, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,533,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/170.100
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/00 Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants controlling F02C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/701 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/607 Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 220/19 Rubber plugs and caps

Abstract

A foreign material exclusion device which is adapted to be utilized in tubes, pipes, or the like to prevent entry of debris into a potentially sensitive area of an assembly, such as a turbine assembly utilized in a power plant. In one embodiment, the device is adapted to be connected to a non-moving portion of a rotary milling tool, such as the collet, before a milling operation to prevent milling debris from entering a sensitive portion of a tube or pipe. In a further embodiment each device of the present invention includes a unique identifier or identification element, such as a machine readable bar code or RFID (radio frequency identification) tag to insure all devices utilized for a particular job are accounted for.

Claims

1. An identifiable foreign material exclusion device for preventing foreign material from accessing a predetermined location in a cavity, comprising:

a resilient body and an extraction member operatively connected to the body, wherein the device further includes an identification element that provides the device with an identifying characteristic adapted to be unique compared to at least a second foreign material exclusion device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the identification element comprises indicia, a substrate with indicia, a bar code, or an RFID tag.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the body comprises a polymer, a rubber, or a polymer foam or rubber foam.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the body includes a flame resistant or retardant coating or covering on at least a portion of a surface.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein said body is polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene foam, or copolymers thereof.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the body is from about 0.5 to about 12 inches thick, and wherein the indicia is a number, a letter, a symbol, or a combination thereof.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the identification element is a bar code or an RFID tag, and wherein the identification element is connected to the body or extraction member.

8. A foreign material exclusion system, comprising:

a first foreign material exclusion device adapted to seal a first side of a cavity from a second side of the cavity, wherein the first foreign material exclusion device includes an identification element that provides the first device with an identifying characteristic; and

a second foreign material exclusion device adapted to seal a first side of a cavity from a second side of the cavity, wherein the second foreign material exclusion device includes a second identification element which has a different identifying characteristic than the first foreign material exclusion device identification element, wherein the first and second identification elements comprise, independently, indicia, a substrate with indicia, a bar code, or an RFID tag.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first and second foreign material exclusion devices each have a body comprising a polymer, a rubber, a polymer foam, or a rubber foam.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein each body includes a flame resistant or retardant coating or covering on at least a portion of a surface.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein said body is polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene foam, or copolymers thereof.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the body is from about 0.5 to about 12 inches thick, and wherein the indicia is a number, a letter, a symbol, or a combination thereof.

14. A foreign material exclusion device adapted to temporarily seal an opening of an apparatus being assembled or repaired, said foreign material exclusion device, comprising:

a resilient body, said body comprising a polymer, a rubber, or a foam thereof, said body adapted to be placed in said cavity in order to seal said first side from second side and prevent a foreign material from entering said first side to said second side, and

a connection element connected to said body, said connection element having a bore adapted to be connected to a portion of a milling tool.

13. The device according to claim 17, wherein the identification element is a bar code or an RFID tag, and wherein the identification element is connected to the body or extraction member.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein said device further includes an identification element that provides the device with an identifying characteristic adapted to be unique compared to at least a second foreign material exclusion device.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the identification element comprises indicia, associated with indicia, a bar code, or an RFID tag.

17. The device according to claim 14, wherein the connection element is substantially cylindrical and is connected to a central portion of the body.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the body is from about 0.25 to about 4 inches thick.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the body comprises the polymer foam or the rubber foam, and wherein the foam has a density of about 1 to about 200 kg/m³.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the body on at least one surface includes a flame resistant or retardant covering or coating.