Clamping tool for manway cover and related methods

A clamping tool for use in handling operations related to a manway, in which the manway has manway components including a manway flange and a manway cover associated therewith, in which the manway cover and the manway flange each have a circumferential edge with an associated thickness and each having a pair of opposite surfaces extending radially inwardly from each of the edges to define the manway flange and the manway cover, respectively, and in which the manway flange and the manway cover are secured to each other by a plurality of manway cover fasteners received through corresponding, circumferentially spaced holes of a predetermined size, the holes passing through the manway flange and the manway cover at predetermined, radially spaced hole locations about the circumferences, the clamping tool comprising:

• a clamp having proximal and distal portions, the proximal portion having a connector disposed thereon for contemplated handling operations, the distal portion configured to be removably securable to either one of the pairs of opposite surfaces of the manway flange or the manway cover;
• wherein the proximal portion of the clamp includes a base portion, wherein the distal portion of the clamp includes a pair of opposing jaws connected to and extending from the base portion, and at least two clamp fastener extending from one of the jaws toward the other of the jaws;
• wherein the pair of jaws are adapted to be adjustable to be selectively secured to or removed from the opposite surfaces;
• wherein the clamp fasteners are oriented to extend between the jaws and are configured to be insertable into corresponding ones of the holes of predetermined size;
• wherein, when the clamp is secured to the opposite surfaces, the base portion is positioned at a location radially outwardly from the corresponding circumference;
• and the jaws and the clamp fasteners are positioned at locations radially inwardly from the corresponding circumference;
• wherein the inner jaw comprises a swing arm with an engaging portion, the swing arm pivotably mounted at the distal portion of the clamp and pivotable between first and second positions, the first position corresponding to engagement by the engaging portion of a corresponding one of the opposite surfaces of the manway components, the second position located radially outwardly from the first position sufficiently to permit disengagement of the inner jaw from the corresponding one of the opposite surfaces of the manway component;
• wherein the clamp comprises a locking mechanism selectively operable to retain the swing arm in a selected one of the first and second positions, the locking mechanism including a swing arm slot defined in the outer jaw, the swing arm slot having a slot length and a guide pin extending through the swing arm slot, the guide pin sized to be movable within the swing arm slot over the slot length, the guide pin having distal and proximal ends, the distal end connected to the engaging portion of the swing arm and the proximal end threadably connected to a locking knob;
• and
• wherein locking knob is adapted to be operable to fix the guide pin relative to the swing arm slot and thereby retain the swing arm in a selected one of the positions.

A clamping tool for use in handling operations related to a manway, in which the manway has manway components including a manway flange and a manway cover associated therewith, in which the manway cover and the manway flange each have a circumferential edge with an associated thickness and each having a pair of opposite surfaces extending radially inwardly from each of the edges to define the manway flange and the manway cover, respectively, and in which the manway flange and the manway cover are secured to each other by a plurality of manway cover fasteners received through corresponding, circumferentially spaced holes of a predetermined size, the holes passing through the manway flange and the manway cover at predetermined, radially spaced hole locations about the circumferences, the clamping tool comprising:

• a clamp having proximal and distal portions, the proximal portion having a connector disposed thereon for contemplated handling operations, the distal portion configured to be removably securable to either one of the pairs of opposite surfaces of the manway flange or the manway cover;
• wherein the proximal portion of the clamp includes a base portion, wherein the distal portion of the clamp includes a pair of opposing jaws connected to and extending from the base portion, and at least two clamp fastener extending from one of the jaws toward the other of the jaws;
• wherein the pair of jaws are adapted to be adjustable to be selectively secured to or removed from the opposite surfaces;
• wherein the clamp fasteners are oriented to extend between the jaws and is configured to be insertable into a corresponding one of the holes of predetermined size;
• wherein, when the clamp is secured to the opposite surfaces, the base portion is positioned at a location radially outwardly from the corresponding circumference;
• and the jaws and the clamp fastener are positioned at locations radially inwardly from the corresponding circumference;
• wherein one of the jaws has portions defining at least one slot, the slot extending over a slot length between minimum and maximum end locations to define multiple radial locations along the circumferential edge;
• and
• wherein a corresponding one of the clamp fastener is securable relative to the slot at a selected one of the radial locations to adjust the radial distance between the two fasteners to be receivable into adjacent ones of the holes, the adjustable radial distance between the clamp fasteners adapted to permit the clamp to be securable to opposite surfaces having holes separated by different radial distances ranging between the minimum and maximum end points of the slot length.