Cryostat, cryostat positioning method, and cryostat alignment set
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard Andrew Ranze, Kenneth Gordon Herd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cryostatic vessel is radially interconnected inside a tubular thermal shield. A shield first endplate includes a plurality of spacers which are disposed in axial abutment with a corresponding first endplate of the vessel during assembly. A shield second endplate is disposed in axial abutment against an opposite end of the shield, and includes alignment holes receiving corresponding alignment pins extending from an opposite endplate 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.
Claims20
A method for positioning a cryostatic vessel inside a tubular thermal shield comprising:
- radially interconnecting said vessel inside said shield 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 in axial abutment against a first end of said shield, with said shield first endplate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart spacers disposed in axial abutment with said vessel first endplate;
- installing a shield second endplate 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 receiving a corresponding plurality of alignment pins extending from said vessel second endplate;
- and
- fixedly joining said shield first and second endplates to said shield.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.