Pressure gauge overpressure safety release
AssigneeDresser Industries, Inc.
InventorDavid M. Carpenter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pressure gauge in which the displacement tip of the Bourdon tube is sealed and secured to a bracket of an amplifier movement by a selected solder composition affording a failure response to an encountered overpressure at a pressure value lower than the burst pressure of the Bourdon tube. Overpressure causes a fracture in the solder to be incurred enabling release of the overpressure while a throttle plug situated in the inlet path to the Bourdon tube severely restricts continuing gas flow to the fracture site. As a consequence, released flow from the solder fracture will be at a pressure insufficient to potentially cause explosion of the gauge case/lens to occur.
Claims5
A pressure gauge operable over a predetermined operating range of pressure values affording relief to an internally encountered overpressure exceeding the max. pressure of said range comprising:
- an indicator of pressure values within said range being encountered by said gauge;
- an inlet adapted for connecting to a source of gas flow for which pressure values are to be indicated;
- a Bourdon tube extending in a secured relation from said inlet to a free end displaceable in response to changes in pressure values received at said inlet;
- an amplifier operatively secured intervening between the free end of the Bourdon tube and said indicator for translating displacement of said free end into pressure values at said indicator;
- a case/lens substantially enclosing said Bourdon tube;
- and
- failure means responsive to a predetermined value of overpressure imposed on said Bourdon tube to release said overpressure at a selectively controlled rate;
- said failure means including a tip on the free end of said Bourdon tube comprising a joint secured by a solder compound to the input of said amplifier and forming the site at which failure will occur for effecting said release by a fracture of said solder compound being incurred at said predetermined value of overpressure;
- and
- throttle means in the path of gas flow to said Bourdon tube to operatively restrict gas flow input to said Bourdon tube after failure has occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.