Cryostat,cryostat positioning metho,and cryostat alignment set
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard Andrew Ranze, Kenneth Gordon Herd
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cryostatic vessel 12 is radially interconnected inside a tubular thermal shield 18. A shield first endplate 20 includes a plurality of spacers 30 which are disposed in axial abutment with a corresponding first endplate 14 of the vessel during assembly. A shield second endplate 22 is disposed in axial abutment against an opposite end of the shield, and includes alignment holes 36 receiving corresponding alignment pins 32 extending from an opposite endplate 16 of the vessel. The spacers maintain a predetermined clearance between the endplates of the vessel and shield which clearance is precisely maintained upon fixedly joining both shield endplates to the shield.
Claims15
A method for positioning a cryostatic vessel 12 inside a tubular thermal shield 18 comprising:
- radially interconnecting said vessel 12 inside said shield 18 at a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart locations at each of two axially opposite first and second endplates of said vessel;
- installing a shield first endplate 20 in axial abutment against a first end of said shield 18, with said shield first endplate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart spacers 30 disposed in axial abutment with said vessel first endplate 14;
- installing a shield second endplate 22 in axial abutment against an opposite second end of said shield, with said shield second endplate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart alignment holes 36 receiving a corresponding plurality of alignment pins 32 extending from said vessel second endplate 16;
- and
- fixedly joining said shield first and second endplates 20,22 to said shield 18.
A cryostat 10 comprising:
- a cryostatic vessel 12 having first and second endplates 14,16 at axially opposite ends thereof, said second endplate 16 having a plurality of alignment pins 32 extending therefrom;
- a tubular thermal shield 18 surrounding said vessel 12, and having first and second endplates 20,22 at axially opposite ends thereof, said shield second endplate 22 having a plurality of alignment holes 36 receiving respective ones of said pins 32;
- a plurality of radial mounts 24 suspending said vessel 12 inside said shield 18 at both ends thereof;
- a plurality of axial mounts 28 interconnecting said vessel 12 inside said shield 18;
- and
- a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart spacers 30 disposed between said vessel first endplate 14 and said shield first endplate 20.
An alignment set for aligning a cryostatic vessel 12 inside a thermal shield 18 comprising:
- a spacer 30 sized in diameter and length for assembly through a corresponding alignment hole 34 in a first endplate 20 of said shield 18 to abut a first endplate 14 of said vessel 12, and having an enlarged head at one end for abutting said shield first endplate 20;
- and
- an alignment pin 32 having a threaded stud extending therefrom for threadingly engaging a second endplate 16 of said vessel 12, and sized in length to extend through a second endplate 22 of said shield 18.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.