Enclosure system for hot work within the vicinity of flammable or combustible material
DCFirst Claim
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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 conducted, 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 conducted;
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) a blower having an intake and an exhaust, which exhaust is in fluid communication with said at least one air inlet port;
vi) a blower control in communication with said blower and to a gas detection monitor located at the intake of said blower and to a shutdown controller, wherein the blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that is not triggered by combustible or flammable gas detected at the gas detection monitor at the intake of the blower;
vii) a differential pressure monitor for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure;
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 perimeter of, said enclosure;
b) a monitoring system comprised of;
i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at predetermined locations inside and outside of each enclosure;
wherein each of said gas detection monitors having a means of communicating 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 gas detection monitors;
b) an interface means capable of communicating data from said means to a central processing unit;
c) the central processing unit containing software capable of 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 the 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 enclosure system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) the capability of communicating predetermined by-pass and system shutdown signals to a shut down controller;
e) a by-pass function that has the capability of overriding a shutdown signal triggered by the 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; and
ii) the shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices, and one or more shutdown control devices and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures.
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Abstract
One or more enclosures constructed about one or more objects at which hot work is to be performed at a facility containing flammable and/or combustible material. Hot work includes such things as welding, torch cutting, grinding and the like that produces heat, spark, slag or flame. The one or more enclosures are capable of being simultaneously and independently controlled and monitored by a single control and monitoring system.
33 Citations
44 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 conducted, 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 conducted;
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) a blower having an intake and an exhaust, which exhaust is in fluid communication with said at least one air inlet port;
vi) a blower control in communication with said blower and to a gas detection monitor located at the intake of said blower and to a shutdown controller, wherein the blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that is not triggered by combustible or flammable gas detected at the gas detection monitor at the intake of the blower;
vii) a differential pressure monitor for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure;
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 perimeter of, said enclosure;b) a monitoring system comprised of; i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at predetermined locations inside and outside of each enclosure;
wherein each of said gas detection monitors having a means of communicating 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 gas detection monitors;
b) an interface means capable of communicating data from said means to a central processing unit;
c) the central processing unit containing software capable of 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 the 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 enclosure system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) the capability of communicating predetermined by-pass and system shutdown signals to a shut down controller;
e) a by-pass function that has the capability of overriding a shutdown signal triggered by the 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; andii) the shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices, and one or more shutdown control devices and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. 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 arc located within a hazardous distance from where the hot work is to be conducted, which facility is selected from a drilling platform, a production platform, a jack-up rig, a pumping station, a petroleum refinery, a chemical plant a tank farm, an ocean going tanker, and a section of pipeline, which enclosure system is comprised of:
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a) at least one enclosure, each enclosure comprising;
i) enclosing wails, ceiling and floor defining a chamber in which the hot work is to be conducted;
ii) at least one door that opens outward to allow workers to enter and exit;
iii) at least one shatterproof viewing window;
iv) at least one air inlet port;
v) at least one air outlet port containing a spark resistant filter;
vi) an electrically operated blower located outside of said at least one enclosure and 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 blower and to a shutdown controller, and to a gas detection monitor located at the intake of said blower, wherein the blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that is not triggered by combustible or flammable gas detected at the gas detection monitor at the intake of the blower;
viii) a differential pressure monitor for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure;
ix) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch inside of said enclosure; and
x) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch outside of said enclosure, but within the perimeter of, said enclosure;b) a wireless monitoring system comprised of; i) a plurality of wireless gas detection monitors located at predetermined locations;
a) at least 10 feet away and encompassing the outside of each enclosure;
b) at least two wireless gas detection monitors inside of each enclosure;
c) in the vicinity;
of hot work equipment and d) at the intake of said blower;
each of said gas detection monitors being in wireless communication with a gas detection controller console; andii) a gas detection controller console comprised of;
a) a transceiver capable of receiving wireless data transmitted from said plurality of gas detection monitors;
b) an interface card capable of communicating data from said transceiver to a central processing unit;
c) a central processing unit containing;
software capable of 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 card capable of communicating a signal from the 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 enclosure system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) the capability of communicating predetermined by-pass and system shutdown signals to a shut-down controller;
e) a by-pass function that has the capability of overriding a shutdown signal triggered by the 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; andii) the shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices, and one or more shutdown control devices and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for isolating the area about an item to be hot worked at a facility containing combustible or flammable material, which method comprises:
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a) building an enclosure big enough about the item to be hot worked so that at least two workers can occupy it and conduct a hot work operation, which enclosure comprising;
i) enclosing walls, ceiling and floor defining an enclosed chamber in which the hot work is to be conducted;
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) a 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 blower and to a shutdown controller and to a gas detection monitor located at the intake of said blower, wherein the blower control has the capability of allowing the blower to continue to operate during an emergency shutdown that is not triggered by combustible or flammable gas detected at the gas detection monitor at the intake of the blower;
viii) a differential pressure monitor for monitoring the pressure within the enclosure relative to the pressure outside of the enclosure;
ix) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch inside of said enclosure; and
x) at least one manual emergency shutdown switch outside of said enclosure, but within the immediate perimeter of, said enclosure;b) providing the enclosure with a monitoring system comprised of; i) a plurality of gas detection monitors located at predetermined locations;
a) inside and outside of each enclosure;
b) in the vicinity of hot work equipment; and
c) in the vicinity of the intake of said blower;
each of said gas detection monitors having a transceiver in wireless communication with a gas detection controller console; andii) a gas detection controller console comprised of;
a) a transceiver capable of receiving wireless data transmitted from the plurality of gas detection monitors;
b) an interface card capable of communicating data from said transceiver to a central processing unit c) the central processing unit containing software capable of 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 card capable of communicating a signal from the central processing unit to a control system;c) further providing said enclosure with a control system comprised of; i) an operator controller console comprised of;
a) an electrical power source for the enclosure system;
b) at least one control device;
c) a means for displaying the status of each enclosure;
d) the capability of communicating predetermined by-pass and system shutdown signals to a shut down controller;
e) a bypass function that has the capability of overriding a shutdown signal triggered by the 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; andii) the shutdown controller capable of sending shutdown signals to one or more enclosure control devices, and one or more shutdown control devices, and to various equipment associated with the hot work to be conducted in said one or more enclosures. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification