Duct Assemblies With Internally Bolted Expansion Joint

• US 20140339815A1
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation (Fluor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation (Fluor Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Dennis W., Brown, James Hurley, Smith, Fred C., Jackson, Kim Moody, Smoak, Bradley D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,702,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 285/226
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 51/00 Expansion-compensation arrangements for pipe-lines telescopic pipes F16L27/12
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 51/021 having a rectangular cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 51/025 with several corrugations

Abstract

A contiguous duct assembly has first and second ducts that share at least one common wall element. An expansion joint is formed at the end of the contiguous duct assembly using a connector element that extends with respective portions into the internal spaces of the first and second ducts. First and second expansion fabrics are coupled to the respective portions from the inside of the ducts using fasteners that are accessible from and disposed within the internal space of the first and second ducts.

Claims

1. A contiguous duct assembly, comprising:

a first duct and a second duct, wherein first and second ducts are fluidly isolated from each other and coupled together such that the first and second ducts share a common wall element along a longitudinal axis of the first and second ducts;

an expansion joint having a first and a second frame portion that are coupled to respective ends of the first and second ducts;

a connector element that is coupled to the common wall element and that is configured to form part of the expansion joint, wherein one portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the first duct and wherein another portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the second duct;

a first and a second expansion fabric coupled to the one portion and the other portion of the connector element via a plurality of fasteners, respectively; and

wherein the plurality of fasteners are disposed in the inner volumes of the first and second ducts, respectively.

2. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second ducts have a height or width that is at least two meter.

3. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the first and/or the second frame portions form the connector element.

4. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and the second frame portion and the connector portion are removably coupled to the first and second ducts.

5. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 wherein the fasteners are bolt and nut fasteners.

6. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and the second expansion fabric is replaced by a slide plate.

7. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising a dust shield coupled to the expansion joint or the first or second duct.

8. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising a “

T”

joint to form a single expansion joint.

9. The contiguous duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising use of a segmented backing bar to allow one sided fastening.

10. An internally bolted expansion joint for a contiguous duct assembly having a first duct and a second duct, wherein first and second ducts are fluidly isolated from each other and coupled together such that the first and second ducts share a common wall element along a longitudinal axis of the first and second ducts, the internally bolted expansion joint comprising:

a connector element that is coupled to the common wall element and configured to form part of the expansion joint;

wherein one portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the first duct and wherein another portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the second duct;

a first and a second expansion fabric coupled to the one portion and the other portion of the connector element via a plurality of fasteners, respectively; and

wherein the plurality of fasteners are disposed in the inner volumes of the first and second ducts, respectively.

11. The expansion joint of claim 10 wherein the connector element is welded to the common wall element.

12. The expansion joint of claim 10 wherein the connector element is removably coupled to the common wall element via a secondary connector element and a secondary fastener, and wherein the secondary fastener is removable from and disposed within the inner volume of the first or second duct.

13. The internally bolted expansion joint of claim 10 wherein the first and second ducts and the common wall element are thermally insulated.

14. The internally bolted expansion joint of claim 10 further comprising a dust shield coupled to the common wall element, the connector element, the first duct or the second duct.

15. The internally bolted expansion joint of claim 10 wherein the contiguous duct assembly is coupled to a further continuous duct assembly having a third duct and a fourth duct via the expansion fabric.

16. The internally bolted expansion joint of claim 10 further comprising a “

T”

joint to form a single expansion joint.

17. The internally bolted expansion joint of claim 10 further comprising use of a segmented backing bar to allow one sided fastening.

18. A method of forming a contiguous duct assembly, comprising:

providing a first duct lacking a permanent wall element along a longitudinal axis of the first duct, wherein the first duct further includes a first alignment flange;

providing a second duct having a permanent wall element along a longitudinal axis of the second duct, wherein the second duct further includes a second alignment flange;

positioning the first and second ducts such that the permanent wall element of the second duct forms a common wall element for the first and second ducts along the longitudinal axis of the first and second ducts;

wherein a connector element is coupled to the common wall element and forms part of an expansion joint, wherein one portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the first duct and wherein another portion of the connector element extends into an inner volume of the second duct;

coupling from within the first and second ducts a first and a second expansion fabric to the one portion and the other portion of the connector element via a plurality of fasteners, respectively; and

coupling the first and second alignment flanges from outside the first and second ducts to so form the contiguous duct assembly.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first duct has a supplemental stiffener in place of the permanent wall.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second duct are thermally insulated.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising a step of coupling a dust shield to at least one of the first and second ducts or the connector element.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second alignment flanges are removably coupled to each other.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising a step of coupling a further contiguous duct assembly to the contiguous duct assembly via the first and second expansion fabrics.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein at least one of the first and second expansion fabrics are replaced by a slide plate.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein a “

T”

joint is used to form a single expansion joint.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein a segmented backing bar is used to allow one sided fastening.