CA2193878C - Probe positioner - Google Patents
Probe positioner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2193878C CA2193878C CA002193878A CA2193878A CA2193878C CA 2193878 C CA2193878 C CA 2193878C CA 002193878 A CA002193878 A CA 002193878A CA 2193878 A CA2193878 A CA 2193878A CA 2193878 C CA2193878 C CA 2193878C
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- support arm
- link
- wall
- hinges
- orientation
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F22—STEAM GENERATION
- F22B—METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
- F22B37/00—Component parts or details of steam boilers
- F22B37/002—Component parts or details of steam boilers specially adapted for nuclear steam generators, e.g. maintenance, repairing or inspecting equipment not otherwise provided for
Abstract
A probe positioner for placing a monitoring device into the confines of a boiler or steam generator vessel.
The apparatus includes a support arm having a plurality of links and hinges pivotally connecting the links. A
handle is attached to a flange connected to the first link to provide axial rotation between first and second support arm orientations. A monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices is attached to the end of the third link opposite from the second link. The support arm is adapted to remain in the first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wall and pivot downwardly at each hinge along the inner wall as the support arm is rotated from the first support arm orientation to the second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past the second wall.
The apparatus includes a support arm having a plurality of links and hinges pivotally connecting the links. A
handle is attached to a flange connected to the first link to provide axial rotation between first and second support arm orientations. A monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices is attached to the end of the third link opposite from the second link. The support arm is adapted to remain in the first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wall and pivot downwardly at each hinge along the inner wall as the support arm is rotated from the first support arm orientation to the second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past the second wall.
Description
PROBE POSITIONER
Background of the Invention (1) Field of the Invention . The present invention relates generally to inspection of steam generators and, more particularly, to a.probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate.
Background of the Invention (1) Field of the Invention . The present invention relates generally to inspection of steam generators and, more particularly, to a.probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate.
(2) Description of the Prior Art A steam generator or boiler typically includes a shell spaced apart from and surrounding a shroud. The shroud surrounds the steam generator tubes. A tube support plate extends horizontally from the shroud. The vessel tie rods are within and run parallel to the shroud and tubes. Generally, the shell has an opening with a nozzle neck extending therefrom.
The nozzle neck will often include an annular flange at an end opposite from the opening. The shroud includes an opening substantially aligned with the opening of the shell and the nozzle neck. However, because of the buildup of corrosion products during normal operation, it is necessary to periodically chemical clean the steam generator. The condition of the area around the upper surface of the tube support plate and the inner walls of the shroud near the tube support plate must be monitored for the presence of chemical corrosion during the chemical cleaning process.
A major obstacle to be overcome is to provide a probe positioner capable of substantially reaching the tube support plate through the nozzle neck and opening without having the monitoring device contacting the tie rod. Contacting the tie rod with the monitoring device results in substantial damage to the monitoring device.
The difficulty in reaching the tube support plate with the monitoring device is that the nozzle neck and opening are most often a greater distance from the tube support plate than the distance between the shroud and the tie ..
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rod. Additionally, the monitoring device must be placed through the nozzle neck and across the gap formed between the shroud and the shell into the inside of the shroud.
U.S. latent No. 5,118,462, issued to Dirauf et al., discloses a manipulator for handling operations for non-destructive testing in the vicinity of the nozzle of a vessel in the primary loop of a nuclear power plant. The manipulator includes a carriage moveable in a circumferential direction with respect to the nozzle of the vessel. A sled is disposed on the carriage and displaceable in the actual direction of the nozzle. A
shoulder joint is disposed on the sled. A scissors path has an upper arm with one end supported on a shoulder joint and another end, a lower arm with a free end, another joint connecting the other end of the upper arm to the lower arm, a holder, and a further joint connecting the holder to the free end of the lower arm.
A tool or a probe is disposed on the holder. A control device, acting upon at least one drive motor, is used for controlling the holder and the other joint along a predetermined path and varying a pivoting angle of at least one of the arms.
U.S. Patent No. 5,117,897, issued to Robert, discloses a vehicle for inspecting and maintaining steam generator tubes. The vehicle includes at least two transfer arms having means for causing expansible positioning fingers to penetrate into the tubes of a steam generator and for extracting the fingers from the tubes. The vehicle also includes at least two pivoting fastening heads which contain the expansible positioning fingers. The heads are interconnected by one of the telescopic transfer arms. These transfer arms extend perpendicularly to the pivoting heads. The other telescopic transfer arm is fixed to one of the heads and extends perpendicularly therefrom. The opposite end of the other telescopic transfer arm carries a tool support.
The vehicle is particularly suitable for inspecting and maintaining tubes in steam generators or pressurized water nuclear reactors.
U.5. Patent No. 4,532,808, issued to Wentzell et al., discloses a corner region ultrasonic inspection device. In particular, the device is directed towards inspecting the corner region formed by the joining of a pair of cylindrical conduits. Ultrasonic sound beams are transmitted beneath an inner surface of a first conduit at an oblique angle resulting in a shallow refracted l0 sound path through a solid corner. A device having an ultrasonic transmitter and a directional receiver is disclosed for carrying out the inspection method. A pair of ultrasonic transducers, one for transmitting ultrasonic sound energy and one for directionally receiving ultrasonic sound energy, are each mounted on separate carriages joined by a pivot. arm. Each carriage is positioned in relation to the corner by at least one roller which contacts the respective surface. During the inspection process, the device moved about the corner region by a manipulator arm or boom which keeps the rollers in contact with the surfaces. One transducer is slidably mounted on its respective carriage and is translated along the mount under the influence of the pivoted arm, thus maintaining a fixed distance from the apex of the corner.
U.S. Patent No. 4,746,486 to Frizot et a1. discloses a device for checking the clearance between the periphery of the upper core plate and the inner surface of the core enclosure of a pressurized water nuclear reactor, while the vessel containing the core enclosure and the upper core plate is filled with water. A device is used to introduce feeler blades of different calibrated thicknesses into the gap which exists between the periphery of the upper core plate and the inner surface of the core enclosure. The device enables the checking to be carried out by remote control.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate which is adapted to allow insertion of the positioner through the small nozzles'above the first tube support plate to provide access to the tubing while, at the same time, utilizes a combination of multiple double barrel hinges configured to provide horizontal insertion while reducing the moment arm during removal.
9ummarv o~,the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a support arm having at feast a first and a second link having each a first and a second ends and hinges pivo-tally connecting said links through their ends, wherein said support arm provides movement between : (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally ; and (ii)a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link ; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first end of said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations ;
wherein said support arrn is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wail substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arrn is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said inner wall.
In the preferred embodiment, a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices is attached to the end of the third link opposite from the second link.
Thus, the support arm is adapted to remain in the first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wall and pivot downwardly at each hinge along the inner wall as the support arm is rotated from the first support arm orientation to the second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past the second wall.
Preferably, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device. The apparatus includes: (a) a support arm having at least a first and a second link and hinges pivotally connecting the links which provides movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain the links of the support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow the second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to the first link; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first link to provide axial rotation between the first and second support arm orientations.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a support arm for a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a first link, a second link, and a third link ;
(b) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link, and (c) a second hinge pivotally connecting said second and third link;
wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second and third links to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link while being held vertically, and wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from 5a said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a support arm including (i) a first link, a second link and a third link; (ii) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link; and (iii) a second hinge pivotally con-necting said second and third link; wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: a first sup-port arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link;
(b) a handle attached to a flange connected to said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations; and (c) a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices at-tached to the end of said third link opposite from said second link ;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wells arr. pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wail as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said inner wall.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment When considered with the drawings.
H~,j~Pf t~,~~crintion of tllg Drawings FzGURE 1 is a top view of a probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate. constructed according to the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a boiler having the probe positioner inserted therein for a monitoring an area near the tube support plate;
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler when the probe positioner is initially inserted in a horizontally stable position;
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being rotated and further inserted therein;
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner fully inserted therein;
FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being rotated and removed therefrom; and FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being returned to a horizontally extended position and being further removed therefrom.
pgecrint;nn nE the PreferredEmbodiments In the Following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as "forward", "rearward", "left", "right", "upwardly"
y , and the like are words of convenience and "downwardl "
are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring now to the drawings in general and Figure 1 in particular, it will be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a pre-ferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. As best seen in Figure 1, a probe positioner, generally~designated 10, is shown constructed according to the present invention.
7a The probe positioner 10 is a flexible arm comprised of a first link 12, a second link 14 and a third link 16. The first link 12 and second link 14 are connected by hinge 20. The second link 14 and the third link 16 are connected by hinge 22. At least one of said links of said support arm is adapted to be varied in length in order to adapt to various geometries of said walls. The probe positioner 10 may include a handle 24 for controlling insertion and rotation thereof and a positioner blind flange 26 with an annular gasket 30. The blind flange 26 and gasket 30 are used to form a seal around the insertion nozzle of the steam generator. Further detail with regard to insertion and sealing is discussed below.
The probe positioner 10 preferably includes a monitoring device 32 mounted at the end of the third link 16 via a monitor mount 34. Signals provided to or from the monitoring device 32 are carried along the probe positioner 10 and through the positioner blind flange 26 via a cable 36 to a cable connector 40. Preferably, the cable 36 is secured to the probe positioner 10 at various points with cable supports 42.
The first hinge 20 and the second hinge 22 are adapted and oriented in a manner allowing the probe positioner links to remain straight while being held in a horizontal position at handle 24. Furthermore, the hinges 20, 22 allow the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot about hinges 20, 22 once the positioner 10 is rotated by handle 24 away from the position where the links are held in a straight orientation.
As shown in Figure 1, the hinges 20, 22 use a double-barrel design which provides increased strength when the positioner l0 is horizontal and the links 12, 14, 16 are straight. The double-barrel hinge configuration also allows for the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot about hinges 20, 22 as the handle 24 is rotated.
In Figure 1, the hinges 20, 22 are aligned to allow the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot in a common plane. However, the hinges 20, 22 may have varying orientations to allow pivoting about a particular hinge 20, 22 to start at various points of rotation. For example, hinge 22 may be oriented to allow the third link 16 to start to pivot at an initial point during rotation while the first hinge 20 will not allow the second link 14 to pivot until the positioner 10 is rotated past a second point of rotation.
Furthermore, the hinges 20, 22 may be configured to provide only a limited pivoting motion to allow the probe positioner 10 to remain in the straight position with substantial stability.
Turning now to Figure 2, the probe positioner l0 is shown fully inserted and in position for monitoring. A
steam generator or boiler typically includes a shell 50 spaced apart from and surrounding a shroud 52. A tube support plate 54 extends horizontally from the shroud 52.
The vessel tie rods 56 are within and run parallel to the shroud 52. Generally, the shell has an opening 66 with a nozzle neck 60 extending therefrom.
The nozzle neck 60 will often include an annular flange 62 at an end opposite from the opening 66. The shroud 52 includes an opening 64 substantially aligned with the opening 66 of the shell 50 and the nozzle neck 60. The present invention provides the ability to monitor the area around the upper surface of the tube support plate 54 and the inner walls of the shroud 52 near the tube support plate 54.
A major obstacle overcome by the present invention is to provide a probe positioner capable of substantially reaching the tube support plate 54 through the nozzle neck 60 and opening 64, 66 without having the monitoring device 32 contact the tie rod 56. Contacting the tie rod 56 with the monitoring device 32 results in substantial damage to the monitoring device 32. The difficulty in reaching the tube support plate 54 with the monitoring device 32 is that the nozzle neck 60 and~opening 64, 66 are most often a greater distance from the tube support plate 54 than the distance between the shroud 52 and the tie rod 56. Additionally, the monitoring device 32 must be placed through the nozzle neck 60 and across the gap formed between the shroud 52 and the shell 50 into the inside of the shroud 52.
Preferably, the second link 14 of the probe positioner 10 includes an offset extension 44. The offset extension 44 will offset the third link 16 and monitoring device 32 in order to allow the monitoring device 32 to hang flush along the inner surface of the shroud 52. The length of the offset extension 44 will depend on the size of the monitoring device 32 and the way the monitoring device 32 is mounted.
The offset extension 44 shown in Figure 2 is formed by a "L" shaped second link 14. The second hinge 22 is placed at the end of the offset extension 44.
The lengths of the links 12, 14, 16 will depend on the application. The first link 12 is preferably a length sufficient to cover the distance between the outside face of the nozzle flange 62 to the inner surface of the shroud 52. The second link 14 and the third link 16 together must form a distance sufficient to place the monitoring device 3'2 appropriately above and near the tube support plate 54. The individual lengths of the second link 14 and the third link 16 are roughly determined by the distance between the shroud 52 and the tie rod 56. The third link 16 must pivot about hinge 22, in conjunction with the second link 14 pivoting about the 5 first hinge 20, during insertion, to allow the monitoring device 32 to avoid contact with the tie rod 56.
Once the monitoring device 32 is in place, the handle blind flange 26 and nozzle flange 62 sealably engage. The gasket 30 is used to help form the seal. A
10 connector cap 46 may be used to keep the cable connector 40 clean when the cable connector 40 is not connected to an external measurement device (not shown).
Probe positioner 10 overcomes the above-mentioned obstacles by providing a multi-hinged support arm capable of being held in a straight, horizontal position until the monitoring device 32 and the third link 16 substantially penetrate the shroud 52.
Figures 3-7 illustrate the insertion and removal of the probe positioner l0 according to the present invention. Note that the monitoring device 32 and monitor mount 34 are not depicted in these figures.
Furthermore, the handle 24 and associated hardware are likewise not disclosed for the sake of conciseness and simplicity. Figure 3 depicts the probe positioner 10 in the straight, horizontal position. The hinges 20, 22 are oriented to prevent the links 12, 14, 16 from pivoting:
The probe positioner 10 is initially inserted through the nozzle neck 60 until the link 16 passes through the shroud opening.
As best seen in Figure 4, during insertion, the probe positioner 10 is rotated from the initial position wherein the probe is straight. When rotated out of this first position, the third link 16 begins to pivot downwardly about the second hinge 22. Likewise, the second link 14 will begin to pivot about the first hinge 20. As the second link 14 and third link 16 pivot, the probe positioner 10 extends into the shroud 52. The pivoting downward of link 15 prevents the part of the probe positioner 10 or monitoring device 32 (not shown?
from contacting the tie rod 55. As the probe positioner is further inserted and rotated, the second link 14 5 and third link 16 extend closer to the tube support plate 54. Ultimately, as shown in Figure 5, the probe positioner 10 will be fully inserted. Once fully inserted, the first link 12 and second link 14 are substantially perpendicular and the second link 14 and l0 the third link 16 are substantially straight and hang substantially along the inner surface of the shroud 52.
The placement of the hinges 20, 22 also facilitate easy removal of the probe positioner 10 by allowing the links 12, 14, 16 to bend at certain points to reduce the force required to overcome a moment associated with moving the second and third links 14, 16 in addition to the monitoring device 32 hanging along the shroud.
During removal, the second link 14, third link 16 and monitoring device 32 will contact and slide along the circular inner surface of the tube shroud 52. The third link 16 will pivot about the second hinge 22 in order to reduce the required removal force. Thus, the hinges reduce removal force by reducing the moment associated with the combined links of the second link 14 and third link 16 and the force associated with dragging the third link 16 and monitoring device 32 along the circular inside surface of the shroud 52 and prevent snagging of the hinge 22 connecting link 14 and 16 on the shroud opening.
Basically, the removal of the probe positioner 10 is the reverse of that for insertion. The probe is rotated in a direction towards the first position in which the probe positioner 10 is held in a straight alignment and removed from the nozzle neck 60 as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Given the extremely corrosive environment in which the probe positioner 10 must function, the monitoring device wiring is protected by a 304 stainless steel 2~~3~'~~
......
braided Teflon~ tube which serves as a flexible conduit during installation, cleaning processes and removal. The probe positioner 10 is preferably formed from 304 or 316 stainless steel to provide additional endurance within the chemical cleaning environment without noticeable degradation. Also in the preferred embodiment, the monitoring device 32 includes corrosion monitoring electrodes and coupons for corrosion monitoring during a chemical cleaning process.
The present invention allows easy modification of the link lengths to facilitate a large variety of steam generator and boiler geometries. The present invention may be used for positioning multiple types of corrosion monitoring equipment at a variety of locations within steam generators or boilers, such as any tube support plate, tube sheet or at various locations within the vessel's shroud or even between the shell and shroud.
The individual links may be adapted to have variable lengths capable of being adjusted to easily adapt to varying geometries.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.
The nozzle neck will often include an annular flange at an end opposite from the opening. The shroud includes an opening substantially aligned with the opening of the shell and the nozzle neck. However, because of the buildup of corrosion products during normal operation, it is necessary to periodically chemical clean the steam generator. The condition of the area around the upper surface of the tube support plate and the inner walls of the shroud near the tube support plate must be monitored for the presence of chemical corrosion during the chemical cleaning process.
A major obstacle to be overcome is to provide a probe positioner capable of substantially reaching the tube support plate through the nozzle neck and opening without having the monitoring device contacting the tie rod. Contacting the tie rod with the monitoring device results in substantial damage to the monitoring device.
The difficulty in reaching the tube support plate with the monitoring device is that the nozzle neck and opening are most often a greater distance from the tube support plate than the distance between the shroud and the tie ..
21938~~
rod. Additionally, the monitoring device must be placed through the nozzle neck and across the gap formed between the shroud and the shell into the inside of the shroud.
U.S. latent No. 5,118,462, issued to Dirauf et al., discloses a manipulator for handling operations for non-destructive testing in the vicinity of the nozzle of a vessel in the primary loop of a nuclear power plant. The manipulator includes a carriage moveable in a circumferential direction with respect to the nozzle of the vessel. A sled is disposed on the carriage and displaceable in the actual direction of the nozzle. A
shoulder joint is disposed on the sled. A scissors path has an upper arm with one end supported on a shoulder joint and another end, a lower arm with a free end, another joint connecting the other end of the upper arm to the lower arm, a holder, and a further joint connecting the holder to the free end of the lower arm.
A tool or a probe is disposed on the holder. A control device, acting upon at least one drive motor, is used for controlling the holder and the other joint along a predetermined path and varying a pivoting angle of at least one of the arms.
U.S. Patent No. 5,117,897, issued to Robert, discloses a vehicle for inspecting and maintaining steam generator tubes. The vehicle includes at least two transfer arms having means for causing expansible positioning fingers to penetrate into the tubes of a steam generator and for extracting the fingers from the tubes. The vehicle also includes at least two pivoting fastening heads which contain the expansible positioning fingers. The heads are interconnected by one of the telescopic transfer arms. These transfer arms extend perpendicularly to the pivoting heads. The other telescopic transfer arm is fixed to one of the heads and extends perpendicularly therefrom. The opposite end of the other telescopic transfer arm carries a tool support.
The vehicle is particularly suitable for inspecting and maintaining tubes in steam generators or pressurized water nuclear reactors.
U.5. Patent No. 4,532,808, issued to Wentzell et al., discloses a corner region ultrasonic inspection device. In particular, the device is directed towards inspecting the corner region formed by the joining of a pair of cylindrical conduits. Ultrasonic sound beams are transmitted beneath an inner surface of a first conduit at an oblique angle resulting in a shallow refracted l0 sound path through a solid corner. A device having an ultrasonic transmitter and a directional receiver is disclosed for carrying out the inspection method. A pair of ultrasonic transducers, one for transmitting ultrasonic sound energy and one for directionally receiving ultrasonic sound energy, are each mounted on separate carriages joined by a pivot. arm. Each carriage is positioned in relation to the corner by at least one roller which contacts the respective surface. During the inspection process, the device moved about the corner region by a manipulator arm or boom which keeps the rollers in contact with the surfaces. One transducer is slidably mounted on its respective carriage and is translated along the mount under the influence of the pivoted arm, thus maintaining a fixed distance from the apex of the corner.
U.S. Patent No. 4,746,486 to Frizot et a1. discloses a device for checking the clearance between the periphery of the upper core plate and the inner surface of the core enclosure of a pressurized water nuclear reactor, while the vessel containing the core enclosure and the upper core plate is filled with water. A device is used to introduce feeler blades of different calibrated thicknesses into the gap which exists between the periphery of the upper core plate and the inner surface of the core enclosure. The device enables the checking to be carried out by remote control.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate which is adapted to allow insertion of the positioner through the small nozzles'above the first tube support plate to provide access to the tubing while, at the same time, utilizes a combination of multiple double barrel hinges configured to provide horizontal insertion while reducing the moment arm during removal.
9ummarv o~,the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a support arm having at feast a first and a second link having each a first and a second ends and hinges pivo-tally connecting said links through their ends, wherein said support arm provides movement between : (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally ; and (ii)a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link ; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first end of said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations ;
wherein said support arrn is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wail substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arrn is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said inner wall.
In the preferred embodiment, a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices is attached to the end of the third link opposite from the second link.
Thus, the support arm is adapted to remain in the first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wall and pivot downwardly at each hinge along the inner wall as the support arm is rotated from the first support arm orientation to the second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past the second wall.
Preferably, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device. The apparatus includes: (a) a support arm having at least a first and a second link and hinges pivotally connecting the links which provides movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain the links of the support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow the second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to the first link; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first link to provide axial rotation between the first and second support arm orientations.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a support arm for a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a first link, a second link, and a third link ;
(b) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link, and (c) a second hinge pivotally connecting said second and third link;
wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second and third links to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link while being held vertically, and wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from 5a said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a support arm including (i) a first link, a second link and a third link; (ii) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link; and (iii) a second hinge pivotally con-necting said second and third link; wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: a first sup-port arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link;
(b) a handle attached to a flange connected to said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations; and (c) a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices at-tached to the end of said third link opposite from said second link ;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in inner and outer substantially vertically oriented wells arr. pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wail as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said inner wall.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment When considered with the drawings.
H~,j~Pf t~,~~crintion of tllg Drawings FzGURE 1 is a top view of a probe positioner for placing monitoring devices near a tube support plate of a boiler via a nozzle located at an elevation above the tube support plate. constructed according to the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a boiler having the probe positioner inserted therein for a monitoring an area near the tube support plate;
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler when the probe positioner is initially inserted in a horizontally stable position;
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being rotated and further inserted therein;
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner fully inserted therein;
FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being rotated and removed therefrom; and FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the boiler with the probe positioner being returned to a horizontally extended position and being further removed therefrom.
pgecrint;nn nE the PreferredEmbodiments In the Following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as "forward", "rearward", "left", "right", "upwardly"
y , and the like are words of convenience and "downwardl "
are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring now to the drawings in general and Figure 1 in particular, it will be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a pre-ferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. As best seen in Figure 1, a probe positioner, generally~designated 10, is shown constructed according to the present invention.
7a The probe positioner 10 is a flexible arm comprised of a first link 12, a second link 14 and a third link 16. The first link 12 and second link 14 are connected by hinge 20. The second link 14 and the third link 16 are connected by hinge 22. At least one of said links of said support arm is adapted to be varied in length in order to adapt to various geometries of said walls. The probe positioner 10 may include a handle 24 for controlling insertion and rotation thereof and a positioner blind flange 26 with an annular gasket 30. The blind flange 26 and gasket 30 are used to form a seal around the insertion nozzle of the steam generator. Further detail with regard to insertion and sealing is discussed below.
The probe positioner 10 preferably includes a monitoring device 32 mounted at the end of the third link 16 via a monitor mount 34. Signals provided to or from the monitoring device 32 are carried along the probe positioner 10 and through the positioner blind flange 26 via a cable 36 to a cable connector 40. Preferably, the cable 36 is secured to the probe positioner 10 at various points with cable supports 42.
The first hinge 20 and the second hinge 22 are adapted and oriented in a manner allowing the probe positioner links to remain straight while being held in a horizontal position at handle 24. Furthermore, the hinges 20, 22 allow the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot about hinges 20, 22 once the positioner 10 is rotated by handle 24 away from the position where the links are held in a straight orientation.
As shown in Figure 1, the hinges 20, 22 use a double-barrel design which provides increased strength when the positioner l0 is horizontal and the links 12, 14, 16 are straight. The double-barrel hinge configuration also allows for the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot about hinges 20, 22 as the handle 24 is rotated.
In Figure 1, the hinges 20, 22 are aligned to allow the links 12, 14, 16 to pivot in a common plane. However, the hinges 20, 22 may have varying orientations to allow pivoting about a particular hinge 20, 22 to start at various points of rotation. For example, hinge 22 may be oriented to allow the third link 16 to start to pivot at an initial point during rotation while the first hinge 20 will not allow the second link 14 to pivot until the positioner 10 is rotated past a second point of rotation.
Furthermore, the hinges 20, 22 may be configured to provide only a limited pivoting motion to allow the probe positioner 10 to remain in the straight position with substantial stability.
Turning now to Figure 2, the probe positioner l0 is shown fully inserted and in position for monitoring. A
steam generator or boiler typically includes a shell 50 spaced apart from and surrounding a shroud 52. A tube support plate 54 extends horizontally from the shroud 52.
The vessel tie rods 56 are within and run parallel to the shroud 52. Generally, the shell has an opening 66 with a nozzle neck 60 extending therefrom.
The nozzle neck 60 will often include an annular flange 62 at an end opposite from the opening 66. The shroud 52 includes an opening 64 substantially aligned with the opening 66 of the shell 50 and the nozzle neck 60. The present invention provides the ability to monitor the area around the upper surface of the tube support plate 54 and the inner walls of the shroud 52 near the tube support plate 54.
A major obstacle overcome by the present invention is to provide a probe positioner capable of substantially reaching the tube support plate 54 through the nozzle neck 60 and opening 64, 66 without having the monitoring device 32 contact the tie rod 56. Contacting the tie rod 56 with the monitoring device 32 results in substantial damage to the monitoring device 32. The difficulty in reaching the tube support plate 54 with the monitoring device 32 is that the nozzle neck 60 and~opening 64, 66 are most often a greater distance from the tube support plate 54 than the distance between the shroud 52 and the tie rod 56. Additionally, the monitoring device 32 must be placed through the nozzle neck 60 and across the gap formed between the shroud 52 and the shell 50 into the inside of the shroud 52.
Preferably, the second link 14 of the probe positioner 10 includes an offset extension 44. The offset extension 44 will offset the third link 16 and monitoring device 32 in order to allow the monitoring device 32 to hang flush along the inner surface of the shroud 52. The length of the offset extension 44 will depend on the size of the monitoring device 32 and the way the monitoring device 32 is mounted.
The offset extension 44 shown in Figure 2 is formed by a "L" shaped second link 14. The second hinge 22 is placed at the end of the offset extension 44.
The lengths of the links 12, 14, 16 will depend on the application. The first link 12 is preferably a length sufficient to cover the distance between the outside face of the nozzle flange 62 to the inner surface of the shroud 52. The second link 14 and the third link 16 together must form a distance sufficient to place the monitoring device 3'2 appropriately above and near the tube support plate 54. The individual lengths of the second link 14 and the third link 16 are roughly determined by the distance between the shroud 52 and the tie rod 56. The third link 16 must pivot about hinge 22, in conjunction with the second link 14 pivoting about the 5 first hinge 20, during insertion, to allow the monitoring device 32 to avoid contact with the tie rod 56.
Once the monitoring device 32 is in place, the handle blind flange 26 and nozzle flange 62 sealably engage. The gasket 30 is used to help form the seal. A
10 connector cap 46 may be used to keep the cable connector 40 clean when the cable connector 40 is not connected to an external measurement device (not shown).
Probe positioner 10 overcomes the above-mentioned obstacles by providing a multi-hinged support arm capable of being held in a straight, horizontal position until the monitoring device 32 and the third link 16 substantially penetrate the shroud 52.
Figures 3-7 illustrate the insertion and removal of the probe positioner l0 according to the present invention. Note that the monitoring device 32 and monitor mount 34 are not depicted in these figures.
Furthermore, the handle 24 and associated hardware are likewise not disclosed for the sake of conciseness and simplicity. Figure 3 depicts the probe positioner 10 in the straight, horizontal position. The hinges 20, 22 are oriented to prevent the links 12, 14, 16 from pivoting:
The probe positioner 10 is initially inserted through the nozzle neck 60 until the link 16 passes through the shroud opening.
As best seen in Figure 4, during insertion, the probe positioner 10 is rotated from the initial position wherein the probe is straight. When rotated out of this first position, the third link 16 begins to pivot downwardly about the second hinge 22. Likewise, the second link 14 will begin to pivot about the first hinge 20. As the second link 14 and third link 16 pivot, the probe positioner 10 extends into the shroud 52. The pivoting downward of link 15 prevents the part of the probe positioner 10 or monitoring device 32 (not shown?
from contacting the tie rod 55. As the probe positioner is further inserted and rotated, the second link 14 5 and third link 16 extend closer to the tube support plate 54. Ultimately, as shown in Figure 5, the probe positioner 10 will be fully inserted. Once fully inserted, the first link 12 and second link 14 are substantially perpendicular and the second link 14 and l0 the third link 16 are substantially straight and hang substantially along the inner surface of the shroud 52.
The placement of the hinges 20, 22 also facilitate easy removal of the probe positioner 10 by allowing the links 12, 14, 16 to bend at certain points to reduce the force required to overcome a moment associated with moving the second and third links 14, 16 in addition to the monitoring device 32 hanging along the shroud.
During removal, the second link 14, third link 16 and monitoring device 32 will contact and slide along the circular inner surface of the tube shroud 52. The third link 16 will pivot about the second hinge 22 in order to reduce the required removal force. Thus, the hinges reduce removal force by reducing the moment associated with the combined links of the second link 14 and third link 16 and the force associated with dragging the third link 16 and monitoring device 32 along the circular inside surface of the shroud 52 and prevent snagging of the hinge 22 connecting link 14 and 16 on the shroud opening.
Basically, the removal of the probe positioner 10 is the reverse of that for insertion. The probe is rotated in a direction towards the first position in which the probe positioner 10 is held in a straight alignment and removed from the nozzle neck 60 as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Given the extremely corrosive environment in which the probe positioner 10 must function, the monitoring device wiring is protected by a 304 stainless steel 2~~3~'~~
......
braided Teflon~ tube which serves as a flexible conduit during installation, cleaning processes and removal. The probe positioner 10 is preferably formed from 304 or 316 stainless steel to provide additional endurance within the chemical cleaning environment without noticeable degradation. Also in the preferred embodiment, the monitoring device 32 includes corrosion monitoring electrodes and coupons for corrosion monitoring during a chemical cleaning process.
The present invention allows easy modification of the link lengths to facilitate a large variety of steam generator and boiler geometries. The present invention may be used for positioning multiple types of corrosion monitoring equipment at a variety of locations within steam generators or boilers, such as any tube support plate, tube sheet or at various locations within the vessel's shroud or even between the shell and shroud.
The individual links may be adapted to have variable lengths capable of being adjusted to easily adapt to varying geometries.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (34)
1. A probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said appara-tus comprising:
(a) a support arm having at least a first and a second link having each a first and a second ends and hinges pivo-tally connecting said links through their ends, wherein said support arm provides movement between : (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally ; and (ii)a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link ; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first end of said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations ;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
(a) a support arm having at least a first and a second link having each a first and a second ends and hinges pivo-tally connecting said links through their ends, wherein said support arm provides movement between : (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally ; and (ii)a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link ; and (b) a handle attached to a flange connected to the first end of said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations ;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said support arm further includes a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices attached to the second end of the second link whose first end is connected to the sec-ond end of said first link.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 further including a cable having a plurality of conductors, extending from said monitor mount to said handle, for transmitting electrical signals.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 further including a cable connector operatively associated with said cable and adapted to couple said electrical signals to a mating connector and cable.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said cable in-cludes a conduit which encompasses said cable for protection from corro-sion or degradation.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the flange at-tached to said handle is adapted to engage and substantially cover the opening into which said support arm extends.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said flange of said handle includes a gasket adapted to form a seal between said flange and an area surrounding said opening into which said support arm extends.
8. The apparatus according to Claim 5 wherein said conduit is formed from a stainless steel braided Teflon® tube.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said support arm is formed from stainless steel for protection from corrosion or degradation.
10. The apparatus according to claim 2 further including a monitor-ing device mounted to said support arm via said monitor mount wherein said monitoring device is adapted to monitor corrosion within a boiler or steam generator vessel.
11. A support arm for a probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a first link, a second link, and a third link ;
(b) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link, and (c) a second hinge pivotally connecting said second and third link;
wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second and third links to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link while being held vertically, and wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
(a) a first link, a second link, and a third link ;
(b) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link, and (c) a second hinge pivotally connecting said second and third link;
wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: (i) a first support arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and (ii) a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second and third links to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link while being held vertically, and wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm ori-entation while being horizontally placed through an opening in an inner wall and an outer wall substantially vertically oriented and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said first link is sufficiently long to allow said first link to span between said first and second vertical walls and allow said second and third links to form said straight alignment perpendicular to said first link along said second wall.
13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said hinges are oriented to pivot in the same plane.
14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said hinges are double barrel hinges.
15. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said second link includes an offset extension to allow said third link to be offset from said in-ner wall when in said second support arm orientation.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said offset exten-sion is perpendicular to said second link.
17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said second hinge is located on said offset extension of said second link.
18. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein at least one of said links of said support arm is adapted to be varied in length in order to adapt to various geometries of said walls.
19. A probe positioner for placing a monitoring device, said appara-tus comprising:
(a) a support arm including (i) a first link, a second fink and a third link; (ii) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link; and (iii) a second hinge pivotally con-necting said second and third link; wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: a first sup-port arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link;
(b) a handle attached to a flange connected to said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations; and (c) a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices attached to the end of said third link opposite from said second link;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through openings in inner and outer substantially vertically oriented walls and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
(a) a support arm including (i) a first link, a second fink and a third link; (ii) a first hinge pivotally connecting said first and second link; and (iii) a second hinge pivotally con-necting said second and third link; wherein said first and second hinges provide movement between: a first sup-port arm orientation adapted to maintain said links of said support arm in straight alignment while being held horizontally; and a second support arm orientation adapted to allow said second link to form a straight alignment perpendicular to said first link;
(b) a handle attached to a flange connected to said first link to provide axial rotation between said first and second support arm orientations; and (c) a monitor mount for mounting monitoring devices attached to the end of said third link opposite from said second link;
wherein said support arm is adapted to remain in said first support arm orientation while being horizontally placed through openings in inner and outer substantially vertically oriented walls and pivot downwardly at each of said hinges along said inner wall as said support arm is rotated from said first support arm orientation to said second support arm orientation without fully horizontally extending past said outer wall.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19 further including a cable having a plurality of conductors, extending from said monitor mount to said handle, for transmitting electrical signals.
21. The apparatus according to claim 20 further including a cable connector operatively associated with said cable and adapted to couple said electrical signals to a mating connector and cable.
22. The apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said cable in-cludes a conduit which encompasses said cable for protection from corro-sion or degradation.
23. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the flange at-tached to said handle is adapted to engage and substantially cover the opening into which said support arm extends.
24. The apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said plate of said handle includes a gasket adapted to form a seal between said plate and an area surrounding said opening into which said support arm extends.
25. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said conduit is formed from a stainless steel braided Teflon® tube.
26. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said support arm is formed from stainless steel for protection from corrosion or degradation.
27. The apparatus according to claim 19 further including a moni-toring device mounted to said support arm via said monitor mount wherein said monitoring device is adapted to monitor corrosion within a boiler or steam generator vessel.
28. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said first link is sufficiently long to allow said first link to span between said first and second vertical walls and allow said second and third links to form said straight alignment perpendicular to said first link along said second wall.
29. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said hinges are oriented to pivot in the same plane.
30. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said hinges are double barrel hinges.
31. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said second link includes an offset extension to allow said third link to be offset from said in-ner wall when in said second support arm orientation.
32. The apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said offset exten-sion is perpendicular to said second link.
33. The apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said second hinge is located on said offset extension of said second link.
34. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein at least one of said links of said support arm is adapted to be varied in length in order to adapt to various geometries of said walls.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/679,966 US5756908A (en) | 1996-07-15 | 1996-07-15 | Probe positioner |
| US679,966 | 1996-07-15 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2193878A1 CA2193878A1 (en) | 1998-01-16 |
| CA2193878C true CA2193878C (en) | 2006-11-07 |
Family
ID=24729108
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002193878A Expired - Fee Related CA2193878C (en) | 1996-07-15 | 1996-12-23 | Probe positioner |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5756908A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2193878C (en) |
Families Citing this family (19)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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| US5895870A (en) * | 1997-05-27 | 1999-04-20 | Framatome Technologies, Inc. | Tube sheet retractable probe |
| US6282943B1 (en) | 1999-08-31 | 2001-09-04 | Basic Resources, Inc. | Apparatus and method for detecting substances |
| SE515644C2 (en) * | 2000-01-14 | 2001-09-17 | D A Production Ab | Measuring device with a movable stored sensor head |
| FR2809176B1 (en) * | 2000-05-19 | 2002-07-19 | Dietrich & Cie De | DEVICE FOR HOUSING A TEMPERATURE SENSOR THROUGH THE WALL OF A CONTAINER |
| DE20114544U1 (en) | 2000-12-04 | 2002-02-21 | Cascade Microtech Inc | wafer probe |
| EP1509776A4 (en) * | 2002-05-23 | 2010-08-18 | Cascade Microtech Inc | Probe for testing a device under test |
| US7057404B2 (en) | 2003-05-23 | 2006-06-06 | Sharp Laboratories Of America, Inc. | Shielded probe for testing a device under test |
| JP2007517231A (en) | 2003-12-24 | 2007-06-28 | カスケード マイクロテック インコーポレイテッド | Active wafer probe |
| DE202005021435U1 (en) | 2004-09-13 | 2008-02-28 | Cascade Microtech, Inc., Beaverton | Double-sided test setups |
| US7656172B2 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2010-02-02 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | System for testing semiconductors |
| US7535247B2 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2009-05-19 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | Interface for testing semiconductors |
| US7403028B2 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2008-07-22 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | Test structure and probe for differential signals |
| US7723999B2 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2010-05-25 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | Calibration structures for differential signal probing |
| US7764072B2 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2010-07-27 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | Differential signal probing system |
| US7876114B2 (en) | 2007-08-08 | 2011-01-25 | Cascade Microtech, Inc. | Differential waveguide probe |
| US7717066B2 (en) * | 2007-12-19 | 2010-05-18 | Gerald Drolet | Device for use in detecting dangerous materials or illegal substances in shipping containers |
| CN103109310B (en) * | 2010-09-10 | 2016-12-28 | 爱克斯崔里斯科技有限公司 | pipe detector |
| US20170254681A1 (en) * | 2016-03-03 | 2017-09-07 | Troy Vincent Ellison | Apparatus for precise location of sensory equipment within a vessel |
| US9964530B2 (en) | 2016-03-07 | 2018-05-08 | Tracy William Baldaccini | Confined space entry station |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4532808A (en) * | 1983-10-13 | 1985-08-06 | Combustion Engineering, Inc. | Corner region ultrasonic inspection device |
| US4581938A (en) * | 1984-07-30 | 1986-04-15 | Combustion Engineering, Inc. | Tool for scanning the inner surface of a large pipe |
| FR2586321B1 (en) * | 1985-08-14 | 1987-12-04 | Framatome Sa | GAME CONTROL DEVICE BETWEEN THE PERIPHERY OF THE TOP CORE PLATE AND THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE HEART SHELL OF A PRESSURE WATER NUCLEAR REACTOR |
| FR2643135B1 (en) * | 1989-02-15 | 1991-06-21 | Barras Provence | VEHICLE FOR EXPLORATION AND MAINTENANCE OF STEAM GENERATOR TUBES OR THE LIKE |
| US5377235A (en) * | 1989-07-07 | 1994-12-27 | Westinghouse Electric Corporation | Control rod canopy seal positioning and welding system |
| DE9003515U1 (en) * | 1990-03-26 | 1991-04-25 | Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De | |
| FR2668605B1 (en) * | 1990-10-31 | 1994-03-18 | Commissariat A Energie Atomique | HOSE TUBE INSPECTION PROBE WITH ROTATING CONTROL HEAD. |
| US5241870A (en) * | 1991-07-22 | 1993-09-07 | Intest Corporation | Test head manipulator |
| RU2122272C1 (en) * | 1992-06-22 | 1998-11-20 | Сименс АГ | Tool carrier for checking stator-to-rotor air gap in dynamo |
| US5612499A (en) * | 1995-05-05 | 1997-03-18 | Tdw Delaware, Inc. | Method of inserting a sensor into a pipeline |
-
1996
- 1996-07-15 US US08/679,966 patent/US5756908A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-12-23 CA CA002193878A patent/CA2193878C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US5756908A (en) | 1998-05-26 |
| CA2193878A1 (en) | 1998-01-16 |
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