Lightweight, removable gate seal
AssigneeThe Presray Corporation
InventorAdrian Lumelleau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a nuclear fuel reactor well, storage pool or the like, a lightweight, removable pneumatic action sealing means is disclosed for providing a leak-tight seal between the walls of said well and an access gate. The sealing means comprises a lightweight metallic beam structure removably supported by the gate and arranged between the gate and portions of the adjacent wall. Inflatable sealing members are mounted on the lightweight beam structure and are operable when the gate is in a locked position to expand between the gate and wall, thereby forming a leak-tight seal. The beam structure includes connector flanges so that a hoisting apparatus may be attached to the lightweight structure to lift the entire sealing means from the gate for repair, maintenance or replacement.
Claims11
In a nuclear fuel reactor well or the like including an access passageway provided with an openable gate structure for closing said access passageway, a removable pneumatic action sealing means associated with said gate structure and operable to form a leak-tight seal between the gate structure and reactor well, which comprises
- (a) said gate structure being movable between open and closed positions in relation to said access passageway,
- (b) a lightweight frame structure independent of the gate structure, removably mounted between said gate structure and said reactor well and defining an elongated support means generally congruent in outline with the outer perimeter of said gate structure when mounted between said gate structure and the access passageway,
- (c) inflatable sealing means mounted on said support means and operable to expand between said gate structure when in said closed position and said reactor well to form a leak-tight seal therebetween, and
- (d) means whereby the frame structure may be lifted and removed from its mounted position between the gate structure and reactor well.
An inflatable removable sealing means for forming a leak-tight seal between the wall of a structure and a gate associated with said structure, wherein the wall structure and gate include
- (a) an access passageway formed in said structure wall,
- (b) said gate being movable to open and close said access passageway, the inflatable removable sealing means comprising
- (c) a separate, lightweight beam, independent of the gate structure, removably disposed between said gate and the wall and arranged and configured to define supporting surfaces extending opposite the outer perimeter of the gate when the gate is positioned to close said access passageway,
- (d) means associated with said lightweight beam for engaging and removing said lightweight beam from between the gate and wall, and
- (e) inflatable sealing means mounted on the supporting surfaces,
- (f) said sealing means being operative to expand between the gate and wall to thereby form a leak-tight seal therebetween.
In a nuclear fuel reactor well or the like including an access passageway provided with an openable gate structure for closing said access passageway, a removable, pneumatic-action sealing means associated with said gate structure and operable to form a leak-tight seal between the gate structure and reactor well, which comprises
- (a) a lightweight frame structure removably mounted between said gate structure and said reactor well and defining an elongated support means generally congruent in outline with the outer perimeter of said gate structure,
- (b) inflatable sealing means mounted on said support means and operable to expand between said gate structure and said reactor well to form a leak-tight seal therebetween, and
- (c) means whereby the frame structure may be lifted and removed from its mounted position between the gate structure and reactor well,
- (d) said frame structure comprising a generally U-shaped beam arranged and configured to extend along an area adjacent the perimeter of said gate structure, when the beam structure is mounted between the gate structure and reactor well, and
- (e) means on said beam for mounting said inflatable sealing means,
- (f) said beam comprising an I-beam defining two oppositely-facing, three-sided channels,
- (g) the open side of one of said channels facing said gate structure and the open side of the other of said channels facing said reactor well, and
- (h) said inflatable sealing means comprising axially elongated, yieldably expansible sealing elements disposed within at least one of said three-sided channels,
- (i) said sealing elements being inflatable to expand beyond the confines of the channel to form a leak-tight seal between the gate structure and reactor well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.