Pressure Vessel Lid Quick Closure System

• US 20160319995A1
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon Basil Hobbs
• Original Assignee: Gordon Basil Hobbs
• Inventors: Hobbs, Gordon Basil
• Granted Patent: US 10,337,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 45/34 lever-operated
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/06 Closures, e.g. cap, breakable member for autoclaves B01J3/03; closures for large containers in general B65D B65D90/54; for pressure vessels in general F16J13/00

Abstract

This invention is a mechanism enabling rapid manual opening and closing of a pressure vessel lid without using tools. A pressure vessel bears two circular mating rings welded to the adjacent rims of the vessel lid and shell respectively with the latter ring grooved to house an O-ring. These mating rings are externally tapered to match the internal tapers of a pair of semi-circular external clamping elements. The mechanism applies tension at the vessel perimeter to draw the external clamping elements radially inward, engaging male and female tapers with sufficient force to compress the O-ring and maintain static clamping of the pressurized lid and shell. Tension is produced by levered rotation of two diametrically-opposed slotted plates where cylindrical pins mounted on the ends of the external clamping elements ride in the plate slots and cam action applies mechanical advantage causing the pins to converge. The mechanism incorporates very few components which are readily manufactured and multiple safety features prevent unintentional actuation.

Claims

1. For a pressure vessel of virtually any size equipped with a tapered perimeter ring at the shell upper opening and a mating tapered perimeter ring on a matching lid, said rings are clamped together and capable of withstanding major forces of separation by actuation of a handle connected to the claimed quick closure mechanism incorporating two diametrically-opposed slotted plates pivoting in a horizontal plane on a common axis and, with cylindrical pins mounted on two semi-circular internally tapered perimeter clamping assemblies, slots in said plates act as cam surfaces to cause said pins and connected said clamping assemblies to converge radially inward under tension in said horizontal plane over said vessel perimeter rings and effect said clamping with mechanical advantage high enough for an average human, using no tools whatsoever, to manually and rapidly effect compression of an O-ring in a groove in said shell perimeter ring, thereby providing a pressure seal.

3. The claimed closure mechanism design provides a standardized method for mounting the tensioning linkage elements, i.e. cylindrical pins housed in clevises which are in turn welded to the ends of semi-circular rim clamping assemblies intended to be drawing radially toward the center of a pressure vessel under the application of tensile force at the perimeter, employing variable configurations for said clamping assemblies including but not limited to;

i) continuous channel with its internal faces machined to conform to the circular shapes of a vessel perimeter ring and a mating lid perimeter ring as identified in claim 1,

ii) a plurality of radially arrayed separate blocks, each machined as a channel section to conform to the circular shapes of a vessel perimeter ring and a mating lid perimeter ring as identified in claim 1 and mounted on a plate formed with straight segments into the approximation of a semicircle.

5. The claimed closure mechanism provides three separate safety features to ensure a pressure vessel lid cannot be unintentionally opened thereby releasing explosive pressure in a catastrophic manner, namely;

i) as described in claim 2, the design of the claimed rotating cam plate with guide slots for cylindrical pins riding on cam surfaces to effect convergence of said pins with application of high tensile force provides for a latter range of cam motion wherein no resolved tensile forces can tend to induce said pins to diverge unintentionally,

ii) the claimed rotating cam plate of claim 2 embodies a slot in which a lever is captive unless intentionally released, said lever pivoting in a bracket mounted on the vessel lid per claim 1 and mechanically linked to the rotating arm of a pressure release valve mounted on the apex of said lid, thereby preventing rotation of said cam plate until said linkage is activated to open said pressure release valve with resultant relaxation of vessel pressure,

iii) the claimed quick closure mechanism is operated by manual lifting of a handle connecting the dual rotating cam plates referenced in claim 1 wherein said handle wraps around the vessel body when said closure mechanism is engaged and said handle is maintained captive in a slotted bracket welded to the side of said vessel shell with a pin which must be intentionally retracted before said closure mechanism may be actuated.

2. The variable design of the claimed cam plate with one or two slots for guiding cylindrical pins on cam surfaces in convergence or divergence with rotation of said plate enables assignment of near infinite combinations of minimum and maximum separation of said pins with specific control over changing mechanical advantage relative to the closure tension applied during approach to minimum separation of said pins, and with a latter range of cam motion wherein no resolved tensile forces exist tending to induce said pins to diverge unintentionally.

4. The claimed closure mechanism provides for fine-tuned adjustment for achieving exacting closure force and engagement of moving parts which have been fabricated using standard manufacturing practice within standard manufacturing tolerances wherein the said mechanism'"'"'s components are few in number, of simple shape, easy to fabricate, and of standard metal material specifications, resulting in a relatively low cost of manufacture and service maintenance.