Heat exchanger bolt assembly
OwnerLeon Sandersinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for tightening the plates in a plate heat exchanger. The apparatus is a threaded bolt and threaded receiver that does not extend beyond the movable plate in the heat exchanger. The receiver is sealed from contamination from fluids used in the heat exchanger. A method of tightening the plates of a heat exchanger by torquing a bolt while restraining a distal end of a receiver and allowing the bolt protruding threads to be encompassed within the receiver. This may be accomplished by offsetting a treaded portion of the receiver from a lock bushing at the distal end of the receiver to prevent protruding threads from extending beyond the distal end.
Claims15
An apparatus for compressing a heat exchanger comprising,
- a bolt,
- a receiver,
- wherein the receiver comprises a pipe sleeve configured to conceal the protruding threads of the bolt as it is tightened,
- a threaded insert press fit or swaged within an expanded portion of the pipe sleeve,
- a keeper washer welded to the expanded portion of the pipe sleeve and extending in a radial direction wherein, the keeper washer overlaps at least a portion of the threaded insert when viewed along the central axis of the pipe sleeve.
A method of tightening a heat exchanger comprising,
- torquing a bolt,
- restraining a distal end of a receiver,
- encompassing the bolt protruding threads within the receiver,
- swaging or press fitting a threaded insert of a different material into the receiver and,
- welding a keeper washer to an expanded portion of a pipe sleeve wherein, the keeper washer extends in a radial direction and overlaps at least a portion of the threaded insert when viewed along the central axis of the pipe sleeve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.