Thief hatches with diaphragm assisted sealing
AssigneeEmerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Tulsa, LLC
InventorsIstvan Bartha, Cristian Amza, John Cockerham, Vlad Cristinel Hanceanu, Silviu Vasile Rebreanu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Thief hatches with diaphragm assisted sealing are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a base attachable to a tank, and a cover attachable to the base via a hinge. The example apparatus further includes a vacuum seal assembly couplable to the cover, and a diaphragm coupled to a stem of the vacuum seal assembly. The diaphragm is moveable in response to a pressure differential between a first pressure within the tank and a second pressure exterior to the tank.
Claims21
An apparatus, comprising:
- a base attachable to a tank;
- a cover attachable to the base via a hinge;
- and
- a vacuum seal assembly couplable to the cover;
- and
- a diaphragm coupled to a stem of the vacuum seal assembly, the diaphragm moveable in response to a pressure differential between a first pressure within the tank and a second pressure exterior to the tank.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a base attachable to a tank;
- a cover pivotably coupled to the base via a hinge;
- an actuator housing coupled to the cover;
- and
- a diaphragm disposed between the actuator housing and the cover, the diaphragm separating a first chamber within the actuator housing from a second chamber within the cover, a pressure differential between a first pressure in the first chamber and a second pressure in the second chamber to produce a force urging a vacuum seal against a sealing surface.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a base of a thief hatch attachable to a tank;
- a cover of the thief hatch attached to the base via a hinge;
- a vacuum seal disposed within the thief hatch, the vacuum seal to be urged against a sealing surface with a sealing force that includes a pressure force generated from a first pressure in the tank when the first pressure is above a second pressure in an ambient environment exterior to the tank, the vacuum seal to let pressure into the tank from the ambient environment when a tank pressure is less than a vacuum pressure threshold;
- and
- means for providing a larger surface area on which the first pressure is applied to increase the sealing force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.