Enclosure system allowing for hot work within the vicinity of flammable and combustible material
DCFirst Claim
1. An enclosure system comprised of one or more enclosures built about at least one object to be hot worked at a facility wherein flammable or combustible materials are located within a hazardous distance from where the hot work is to be preformed, which enclosure system is comprised of:
- a) at least one enclosure, each enclosure comprising;
i) enclosing walls, ceiling and floor defining a chamber in which the hot work is to be performed;
ii) at least one door to allow workers to enter and exit;
iii) at least one air inlet port;
iv) at least one air outlet port;
v) at least one blower having an intake and exhaust, which exhaust is in fluid communication with said at least one air inlet port;
vi) a blower control in communication with said at least one blower and to a gas detection monitor at the intake of said at least one blower and to a shutdown controller, wherein said blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that it not triggered by a combustible or flammable gas detected at said gas detection monitor located at the intake of said at least one blower;
vii) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch inside of said enclosure; and
viii) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch outside of, but within the perimeter of, said enclosure;
b) a monitoring system comprised of;
i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at the predetermined locations inside and outside of each enclosure;
wherein each of said gas detection monitors having a means of communication with a gas detection controller console; and
ii) a gas detection controller console comprised of;
a) a means capable of receiving data transmitted from the plurality of the gas detection monitors;
b) an interface means capable of communicating data from the said receiving means of the console to a central processing unit;
c) the central processing unit containing software capable of, inter alia, accepting, storing computing, and displaying data received from said plurality of gas detection monitors;
d) a display device in communication with said central processing unit and capable of displaying data from said plurality of gas detection monitors; and
e) an interface means capable of communicating a signal from said central processing unit to a control system;
c) the control system comprised of;
i) an operator controller console comprised of;
a) a source of electrical power for the system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) a capability of communicating predetermined bypass and system shutdown signals to a shutdown controller; and
e) an audible alarm that will activate when a shutdown occurs;
ii) a shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices one or more shutdown control devices, and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures; and
iii) an enclosure controller comprised of a differential pressure monitored for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure, a programmable logic control device, an audible alarm and a visual alarm.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An enclosure constructed around an area at which hot work is to be performed at a facility containing flammable or combustible material. Hot work includes such things as welding, torch cutting, grinding and the like. Facilities include petroleum drilling and production platforms, oil tankers, petroleum and chemical plants, and petroleum tank farms. Gas detection monitoring apparatuses are used with the enclosure which will automatically simultaneously shutdown one or more enclosures.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. An enclosure system comprised of one or more enclosures built about at least one object to be hot worked at a facility wherein flammable or combustible materials are located within a hazardous distance from where the hot work is to be preformed, which enclosure system is comprised of:
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a) at least one enclosure, each enclosure comprising;
i) enclosing walls, ceiling and floor defining a chamber in which the hot work is to be performed;
ii) at least one door to allow workers to enter and exit;
iii) at least one air inlet port;
iv) at least one air outlet port;
v) at least one blower having an intake and exhaust, which exhaust is in fluid communication with said at least one air inlet port;
vi) a blower control in communication with said at least one blower and to a gas detection monitor at the intake of said at least one blower and to a shutdown controller, wherein said blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that it not triggered by a combustible or flammable gas detected at said gas detection monitor located at the intake of said at least one blower;
vii) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch inside of said enclosure; and
viii) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch outside of, but within the perimeter of, said enclosure;b) a monitoring system comprised of; i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at the predetermined locations inside and outside of each enclosure;
wherein each of said gas detection monitors having a means of communication with a gas detection controller console; andii) a gas detection controller console comprised of;
a) a means capable of receiving data transmitted from the plurality of the gas detection monitors;
b) an interface means capable of communicating data from the said receiving means of the console to a central processing unit;
c) the central processing unit containing software capable of, inter alia, accepting, storing computing, and displaying data received from said plurality of gas detection monitors;
d) a display device in communication with said central processing unit and capable of displaying data from said plurality of gas detection monitors; and
e) an interface means capable of communicating a signal from said central processing unit to a control system;c) the control system comprised of; i) an operator controller console comprised of;
a) a source of electrical power for the system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) a capability of communicating predetermined bypass and system shutdown signals to a shutdown controller; and
e) an audible alarm that will activate when a shutdown occurs;ii) a shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices one or more shutdown control devices, and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures; and iii) an enclosure controller comprised of a differential pressure monitored for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure, a programmable logic control device, an audible alarm and a visual alarm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An enclosure system comprised of one or more enclosures built about at least one object to be hot worked at a facility wherein flammable or combustible materials are located within a hazardous distance from where the hot work is to be performed, which enclosure system is comprised of:
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a) at least one enclosure, each enclosure comprising;
i) enclosing walls, ceiling and floor defining a chamber in which the hot work is to be performed;
ii) at least one door to allow workers to enter and exit;
iii) at least one viewing window;
iv) at least one air inlet port;
v) at least one air outlet port;
vi) at least one blower having an intake and an exhaust, which exhaust is in fluid communication with said at least one air inlet port;
vii) a blower control in communication with said at least one blower and to a gas detection monitor at the intake of said at least one blower and to a shutdown controller, wherein said blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that is not triggered by a combustible or flammable gas detected at a gas detection monitor located at the intake of said one or more blower;
viii) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch inside of said enclosure; and
ix) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch outside of, but within the immediate perimeter of, said enclosure;b) a monitoring system comprised of; i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at the predetermined locations inside and outside of each enclosure, wherein at least one gas detection monitor is handheld and portable; and
wherein each of said gas detection monitors having a wireless means of communication with a gas detection controller console; andii) a gas detection controller console comprised of;
a) a means capable of receiving wireless data transmitted from the plurality of the gas detection monitors;
b) an interface means capable of communicating data from the said receiving means of the console to a central processing unit;
c) a central processing unit containing software capable of, inter alia, accepting, storing computing, and displaying data received from said plurality of gas detection monitors;
d) a display device in communication with said central processing unit and capable of displaying data from said plurality of gas detection monitors; and
c) an interface means capable of communicating a signal from said central processing unit to a control system.c) a control system comprised of; i) an operator controller console comprised of;
a) a source of electrical power for the system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) the capability of communicating predetermined bypass and system shutdown signals to a shutdown controller;
e) a by-pass function that has the capability of overriding a shutdown signal triggered by a differential pressure monitor in any one or more of said enclosures to allow workers to enter and exit said one or more enclosures without triggering a shutdown; and
f) an audible alarm that will activate when a shutdown occurs;ii) a shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices, one or more shutdown control devices, and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures; and
wherein there is wireless communication between the operator controller, the gas detection controller, and the shutdown controller; andiii) an enclosure controller comprised of a differential pressure monitor for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure, a programmable logic control device, an audible alarm and a visual alarm. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification