Tube inspection and servicing apparatus
AssigneeThe Babcock & Wilcox Company
InventorJohn Edward Chapman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for insertion into a relatively long tube or conduit in order to inspect or perform operations on the interior thereof. The apparatus includes a device for performing an operation on the tube as well as a plurality of traction units secured at spaced locations along a connecting lead. The traction units include a gear train and one or more driving means.
Claims4
An apparatus for conveying a device for inspecting or performing operations on the interior of a tube wall together with a trailing length of connecting lead along the bore of a tube which apparatus includes the connecting lead for the device and a plurality of traction units secured at spaced locations along said lead, each traction unit including an electric motor connected through a reduction gear train to one or more drive means, and biasing means adapted to urge one or more of the drive means into frictional driving contact with the internal tube wall, electrical leads for supplying power to said traction units from an external source, and said traction units being electrically connected in parallel to said electrical leads for supplying power to said units.
An apparatus for conveying a device for inspecting or performing operations on the interior of a tube wall together with a trailing length of connecting lead along the bore of a tube which apparatus includes the connecting lead for the device and a plurality of traction units secured at spaced locations along said lead, each traction unit including an electric motor connected through a reduction gear train to one or more drive means, and biasing means adapted to urge one or more of the drive means into frictional driving contact with the internal tube wall, electrical leads for supplying power to said traction units from an external source, and said traction units being spaced from one another in substantially uniform intervals along said connecting lead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.