Patent · US9815578B2 · B2 · US

Method for installing a condenser in a remote manufacturing yard

(11) Publication number

US9815578B2

(21) Application number

14/284,673

(22) Filing date

2014-05-22

(30) Priority date

2013-05-24

(43) Publication date

2017-11-14

(45) Date of grant

2017-11-14

(51) IPC

A47B 3/06; A47B 37/00; B01D 3/32; B01J 19/32; B21B 39/02; B21B 39/04; B21B 39/16; B21B 39/34; B21C 37/08; B21C 37/083; B21D 5/12; B21D 5/14; B21D 51/18; B23K 101/06; B23K 103/02; B23K 9/02; B23K 9/173; B23K 9/23; B23P 23/06; B23Q 3/18; B61B 13/12; B65B 23/00; B65B 55/00; B65B 55/20; B65B 65/00; B65G 67/02; B66C 1/10; B66C 1/66; B66D 1/60; B66F 5/04; E04F 11/18; E04F 15/024; E04G 1/15; E04G 1/18; E04G 1/36; E04G 21/14; E04G 21/24; E04G 21/28; E04G 3/24; E04G 5/06; E04G 5/12; E04G 5/14; E04H 15/04; E04H 5/02; E04H 5/10; E04H 7/06; E04H 7/22; E04H 9/00; F25J 3/04

(52) CPC

B65B Machines, apparatus or devices for, or methods of, packaging articles or materials; unpacking: 23/00, 55/00, 55/20, 65/003
A47B Tables; desks; office furniture; cabinets; drawers; general details of furniture: 3/06, 37/00
B01D Separation: 3/00, 3/28, 3/32
B01J Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus: 19/325, 2219/32275
B21B Rolling of metal: 39/02, 39/04, 39/16, 39/18, 39/34
B21C Manufacture of metal sheets, wire, rods, tubes, profiles or like semi-manufactured products otherwise than by rolling; auxiliary operations used in connection with metal-working without essentially removing material: 37/0815, 37/083
B21D Working or processing of sheet metal or metal tubes, rods or profiles without essentially removing material; punching metal: 5/12, 5/14, 51/18
B23K Soldering or unsoldering; welding; cladding or plating by soldering or welding; cutting by applying heat locally, e.g. flame cutting; working by laser beam: 2101/06, 2103/02, 2201/06, 2203/02, 9/0206, 9/173, 9/23
B23P Metal-working not otherwise provided for; combined operations; universal machine tools: 23/06
B23Q Details, components, or accessories for machine tools, e.g. arrangements for copying or controlling; machine tools in general characterised by the construction of particular details or components; combinations or associations of metal-working machines, not directed to a particular result: 3/18
B61B Railway systems; equipment therefor not otherwise provided for: 13/12
B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 67/02
B66C Cranes; load-engaging elements or devices for cranes, capstans, winches, or tackles: 1/10, 1/66
B66D Capstans; winches; tackles, e.g. pulley blocks; hoists: 1/60
B66F Hoisting, lifting, hauling or pushing, not otherwise provided for, e.g. devices which apply a lifting or pushing force directly to the surface of a load: 5/04
E01B Permanent way; permanent-way tools; machines for making railways of all kinds: 23/10
E04F Finishing work on buildings, e.g. stairs, floors: 11/181, 15/02482
E04G Scaffolding; forms; shuttering; building implements or AIDS, or their use; handling building materials on the site; repairing, breaking-up or other work on existing buildings: 1/15, 1/18, 1/36, 1/362, 2005/125, 2021/248, 21/14, 21/142, 21/16, 21/162, 21/242, 21/28, 3/24, 3/243, 5/061, 5/12, 5/14
E04H Buildings or like structures for particular purposes; swimming or splash baths or pools; masts; fencing; tents or canopies, in general: 15/04, 5/02, 5/10, 7/02, 7/06, 7/22, 9/00
F24F Air-conditioning; air-humidification; ventilation; use of air currents for screening: 11/00
F25J Liquefaction, solidification or separation of gases or gaseous {or liquefied gaseous} mixtures by pressure and cold treatment {or by bringing them into the supercritical state}: 2290/42, 3/04472, 3/0489, 3/04896
Y10T Technical subjects covered by former us classification: 29/49631, 29/49817, 29/49826, 29/49998, 29/5137, 29/53974

(73) Assignee

LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

(72) Inventors

Yves Hardy; Claude Granger; Philippe Grigoletto; Qun-Fang LI

(54) Title

Method for installing a condenser in a remote manufacturing yard

(57) Abstract

A method of installing a vaporizer in a remote manufacturing yard is provided. The method can include the steps of obtaining a lower stage and an upper stage of a vaporizer; obtaining a first column section and a second column section; installing the lower stage to a bottom head such that the lower stage is in fluid communication with an inner volume of the bottom head; installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding a bottom of the first column section to the bottom head; installing the upper stage; and installing the second column section and fitting and welding a bottom of the second course to the first course.

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Claims (13)

A method of installing a vaporizer in a remote manufacturing yard, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a lower stage and an upper stage of a vaporizer; obtaining a first column section and a second column section; installing the lower stage to a bottom head such that the lower stage is in fluid communication with an inner volume of the bottom head; installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding a bottom of the first column section to the bottom head; installing the upper stage; and installing the second column section and fitting and welding a bottom of the second column section to the first column section.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the first column section further comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a first plate; (b) rolling the first plate using a vertical plate roller such that the first plate is vertically rolled to create a first partial shell; (c) moving the first partial shell to an assembly table that is configured to support two or more partial shells simultaneously; (d) obtaining a second plate; (e) rolling the second plate using the vertical plate roller such that the second plate is vertically rolled to create a second partial shell; (f) moving the second partial shell to the assembly table that is configured to support two or more partial shells simultaneously; and (g) arranging the first partial shell with the second partial shell and welding the first partial shell to the second partial shell using a first weld machine to form the first column section.
The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of obtaining the second column section further comprises repeating steps 2 (a)- 2 (g).
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vaporizer was previously manufactured and assembled in a main facility away from the remote manufacturing yard.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the lower stage and the upper stage of a vaporizer further comprises the steps of manufacturing a fully assembled vaporizer in a facility away from the remote manufacturing yard; splitting the fully assembled vaporizer into at least two sections, the at least two sections comprising a lower stage and an upper stage, wherein the lower stage and the upper stage are configured to be transportable via roads; and transporting the at least two sections from a main facility to the remote manufacturing yard.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower stage comprises a four core assembly.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper stage comprises a four core assembly.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of installing the upper stage comprises welding piping interconnections between the upper stage and the bottom head, such that the upper stage is in fluid communication with the inner volume of the bottom head.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a backing strip is used during the step of installing the second column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding the bottom of the second column section to the first column section.
The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of creating draining holes in the backing strip, wherein the drainage holes are configured to allow liquid that falls between the backing strip and the column section to drain through the drainage holes during operation.
The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the drainage holes are round.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a backing strip is used during the step of installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding the bottom of the first column section to the bottom head.
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the first column section and the second column section further comprises the steps of: forming a plurality of column sections comprising the first column section and the second column section, each column section having a diameter D, each column section comprising a plurality of courses that have been horizontally welded together, wherein each course is comprised of two or more partial shells that have been vertically welded together, wherein each of the two or more partial shells was created by vertically rolling a rectangular plate having a length of at least (1 N ⁢ π · D), wherein N is the number of partial shells used to form the course.

Description

The present invention relates to a method used when building air separation units in a remote location using a mobile manufacturing yard.

Air separation units (ASUs) are typically constructed in fabrication shops and then transported to their installation sites via roads and waterways. As such, the roads, waterways, and bridge clearances create a practical limit on the sizes of the ASUs. However, the market's need for ASUs has grown tremendously, with future projections rising even more. As such, the industry is facing a serious challenge in trying to meet these needs in a cost effective manner.

In the past, if a user required a larger amount of oxygen than what an ASU could typically deliver, the installation would just add additional ASUs until the need was satisfied (e.g., two 2,000 tpd instead of one 4,000 tpd). While this setup can provide the necessary flows, it creates additional problems related to maintenance and costs more than operating one ASU.

Therefore, there is clearly a need for a manufacturing method and device that would allow for very large ASUs to be constructed and delivered to places of need, particularly when those places are in remote areas that are not conducive to large trucks. Areas that are landlocked and away from large navigable rivers also suffer from these aforementioned drawbacks.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a device and a method that satisfies at least one of these needs. Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of a remote manufacturing yard (RMY). The advantages provided include:

Citations (11)

US5237823A
US6348137B1
US5983666A
US20110290634A1
US8968524B2
US8480860B2
US20100139208A1
US8403316B2
US9133640B2
US9302798B2
US9550592B2

Record as JSON

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  "publication_number": "US9815578B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Method for installing a condenser in a remote manufacturing yard",
  "abstract": "A method of installing a vaporizer in a remote manufacturing yard is provided. The method can include the steps of obtaining a lower stage and an upper stage of a vaporizer; obtaining a first column section and a second column section; installing the lower stage to a bottom head such that the lower stage is in fluid communication with an inner volume of the bottom head; installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding a bottom of the first column section to the bottom head; installing the upper stage; and installing the second column section and fitting and welding a bottom of the second course to the first course.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of installing a vaporizer in a remote manufacturing yard, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a lower stage and an upper stage of a vaporizer; obtaining a first column section and a second column section; installing the lower stage to a bottom head such that the lower stage is in fluid communication with an inner volume of the bottom head; installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding a bottom of the first column section to the bottom head; installing the upper stage; and installing the second column section and fitting and welding a bottom of the second column section to the first column section.",
    "2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the first column section further comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a first plate; (b) rolling the first plate using a vertical plate roller such that the first plate is vertically rolled to create a first partial shell; (c) moving the first partial shell to an assembly table that is configured to support two or more partial shells simultaneously; (d) obtaining a second plate; (e) rolling the second plate using the vertical plate roller such that the second plate is vertically rolled to create a second partial shell; (f) moving the second partial shell to the assembly table that is configured to support two or more partial shells simultaneously; and (g) arranging the first partial shell with the second partial shell and welding the first partial shell to the second partial shell using a first weld machine to form the first column section.",
    "3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of obtaining the second column section further comprises repeating steps 2 (a)- 2 (g).",
    "4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vaporizer was previously manufactured and assembled in a main facility away from the remote manufacturing yard.",
    "5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the lower stage and the upper stage of a vaporizer further comprises the steps of manufacturing a fully assembled vaporizer in a facility away from the remote manufacturing yard; splitting the fully assembled vaporizer into at least two sections, the at least two sections comprising a lower stage and an upper stage, wherein the lower stage and the upper stage are configured to be transportable via roads; and transporting the at least two sections from a main facility to the remote manufacturing yard.",
    "6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower stage comprises a four core assembly.",
    "7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper stage comprises a four core assembly.",
    "8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of installing the upper stage comprises welding piping interconnections between the upper stage and the bottom head, such that the upper stage is in fluid communication with the inner volume of the bottom head.",
    "9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a backing strip is used during the step of installing the second column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding the bottom of the second column section to the first column section.",
    "10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of creating draining holes in the backing strip, wherein the drainage holes are configured to allow liquid that falls between the backing strip and the column section to drain through the drainage holes during operation.",
    "11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the drainage holes are round.",
    "12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a backing strip is used during the step of installing the first column section over and around the lower stage and fitting and welding the bottom of the first column section to the bottom head.",
    "13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the first column section and the second column section further comprises the steps of: forming a plurality of column sections comprising the first column section and the second column section, each column section having a diameter D, each column section comprising a plurality of courses that have been horizontally welded together, wherein each course is comprised of two or more partial shells that have been vertically welded together, wherein each of the two or more partial shells was created by vertically rolling a rectangular plate having a length of at least (1 N ⁢ π · D), wherein N is the number of partial shells used to form the course."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a method used when building air separation units in a remote location using a mobile manufacturing yard.\n\nAir separation units (ASUs) are typically constructed in fabrication shops and then transported to their installation sites via roads and waterways. As such, the roads, waterways, and bridge clearances create a practical limit on the sizes of the ASUs. However, the market's need for ASUs has grown tremendously, with future projections rising even more. As such, the industry is facing a serious challenge in trying to meet these needs in a cost effective manner.\n\nIn the past, if a user required a larger amount of oxygen than what an ASU could typically deliver, the installation would just add additional ASUs until the need was satisfied (e.g., two 2,000 tpd instead of one 4,000 tpd). While this setup can provide the necessary flows, it creates additional problems related to maintenance and costs more than operating one ASU.\n\nTherefore, there is clearly a need for a manufacturing method and device that would allow for very large ASUs to be constructed and delivered to places of need, particularly when those places are in remote areas that are not conducive to large trucks. Areas that are landlocked and away from large navigable rivers also suffer from these aforementioned drawbacks.\n\nEmbodiments of the present invention are directed to a device and a method that satisfies at least one of these needs. Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of a remote manufacturing yard (RMY). The advantages provided include:",
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  "assignees": [
    "LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Yves Hardy",
    "Claude Granger",
    "Philippe Grigoletto",
    "Qun-Fang LI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-05-22",
  "publication_date": "2017-11-14",
  "grant_date": "2017-11-14",
  "priority_date": "2013-05-24",
  "application_number": "US-201414284673-A",
  "family_id": "51790797",
  "cited_by_count": 1,
  "citations": [
    "US5237823A",
    "US6348137B1",
    "US5983666A",
    "US20110290634A1",
    "US8968524B2",
    "US8480860B2",
    "US20100139208A1",
    "US8403316B2",
    "US9133640B2",
    "US9302798B2",
    "US9550592B2"
  ]
}

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