High pressure, low temperature coupling
AssigneeBTG International Limited
InventorsJason Sprain, Mark Timothy Johnson, Maciej Wojciech Misiak, Andrew Kevin Zachman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and method for multi-stage, reusable coupling. Such a coupler can have a formable flow path and can include a first sealing engagement and a second sealing engagement. The first sealing engagement can be configured to provide a first seal of the coupler at a first temperature condition. The second sealing engagement can be configured to provide a second seal of the coupler at a second temperature condition that is different from the first temperature condition.
Claims18
A cryosurgery system comprising a cryosurgical tool having a cryogenic media supply conduit and a source of cryogenic media having a cryogenic media feed conduit connectable to the cryogenic media supply conduit via a coupler with a formable flow path, the coupler comprising:
- a first sealing engagement that is configured to provide a first seal of the coupler at a first temperature condition;
- a second sealing engagement that is configured to provide a second seal of the coupler at a second temperature condition that is different from the first temperature condition;
- a first connector having a first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- a second connector having a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is different from the first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- wherein the formable flow path is formable via coupling of the first connector with the second connector such that a working media is allowed to flow through the flow path and the first and second temperature conditions correspond to the flow of the working media through the flow path.
A cryosurgery system comprising a cryosurgical tool having a cryogenic media supply conduit and a source of cryogenic media having a cryogenic media feed conduit connectable to the cryogenic media supply conduit via a coupler comprising:
- a first sealing engagement that is configured to provide a first seal of the coupler at a first temperature condition;
- a second sealing engagement that is configured to provide a second seal of the coupler at a second temperature condition that is different from the first temperature condition;
- a first connector having a first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- a second connector having a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is different from the first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- wherein a flow path of the coupler is formable via engagement of the first connector with the second connector, the flow path being configured to receive the cryogenic media from the cryogenic media supply conduit.
A method of coupling a source of cryogenic fluid to a cryosurgical tool using a coupler, the method comprising:
- sealing the coupler with a first seal via a first sealing engagement that is configured to provide the first seal of the coupler at a first temperature condition and
- sealing the coupler with a second seal via a second sealing engagement that is configured to provide the second seal of the coupler at a second temperature condition that is different from the first temperature condition;
- wherein sealing the coupler with the first seal via the first sealing engagement that is configured to provide the first seal of the coupler at the first temperature condition includes allowing first complementary surfaces of first and second connectors to move into sealing engagement, wherein the first connector has a first coefficient of thermal expansion and the second connector has a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is different from the first coefficient of thermal expansion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.