Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to refractory insulati~n blocks. In
particular, this invention relates to a refractory insulation block
or use in association with a steam pipe assembly such as a skid
pipe of a skid rail system.
Prior A_t
` Reining skid systems are presently insulated by in situ
casting or ramming of refractory material around the skid pipe
assembly. For this process it is necessary to position a mould
around the pipe assembly and cast or ram a body of refractory
material into the mould. After in situ casting or ramming of
refractory material around the ski pipe assembly, it is necessary to
dry the refractory material and this yenerally requires a 24-hour
drying period. In addition, before the moulding or ramming process
can be carried out, it is necessary to move the slabs or billets
from the ski pipe assembly. These are time-consuming operations
which requires a considerable downtime in the operation of the
furnace in which the installation is being made.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
refractory insulating block which can be manufactured at a slte
remote from the installation and which can be installed quickly and
inexpensively.
Skid pipe assemblies generally consist of two steam pipes
which are connected to one another by a webbing and the insulatin~
blocks of the present invention are designed to be interconnected
below the lower steam pipe and secured to the steam pipe by welding
a metal insert ~o the webbing. The present invention also provides
an improved skid rail assembly in which a plurality of refractory
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insulating blocks are mountecl on the skid pipe assembly in a
face-to-face relationship with the exposed portions of the steam
pipes being covered with a refractory mortar.
Preformed refractory blocks are well known and locking
mechanisms for interlocking two blocks about a pipe are well known
as for example in United States Patent No. ~,255,127 issued to
Plibrico (Canada) Limited. Refractory blocks containing weldable
ihserts which are welded to a pipe for the purpose of securing the
refractory block in an operable position about a pipe are also well
known. There are, however, industrial standard restrictions which
prevent the welding of any component to a steam pipe with the result
that the known welding structures are not suitable for use in
association with steam pipe assemblies.
The difficulties associated with the welding of a weldable
mounting structure to a steam pipe have been overcome in the present
invention by forming the refractory blocks so that the weldable
reinforcing structure can be welded to the webbing which connects
the steam pipes of the assembly~
United States Patent No. 4,255,127 relates to a skid rail
insulation unit which is mechanically secured with respect to the
steam pipes.
Canadian regulations provide that if a pressurized steam
pipe has components welded thereto the assembly must be heat treated
after welding. For this reason, it is not practical to secure the
skid rail insulation by welding attachment to the steam pipe.
Summary of Invention
According to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a refractory insulating block of the type which can be
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paired with a complementary block of an opposite hand for use in
insulating a steampipe assembly which includes first and second
tubular members arranged in a spaced parallel relationship and
secured to one another by means of a metal webbing which extends
radially therebetween, the steampipe assembly having oppositely
disposed side faces extending longitudinally thereof which have a
substantially uniform profile when viewed at a cross-section of the
assembly comprising, a body of thermal insulating material having an
inner side face and an outer side face which are arranged to face
inwardly and outwardly respectively with respect to a pipe assembly
in use, and oppositely disposed first and second end faces, said
inner side face being formed with a profile which will mate with and
closely conform to a major portion of one of said side faces of said
pipe assèmbly, said inner side face including a web abutment portion
arranged to extend in a face-to-face relationship with respect to a
side of a web in use, at least one weldable metal band secured to
and extending along a major portion of said inner side face, said
metal band having anchoring members projecting therefrom into said
body of insulating material, said weldable metal band having an end
portion exposed at said inner side face in an area which is
accessible to a complementary end portion of a like body when
mounted on a steampipe assembly~ said end portion being adapted to
interlock with said complementary end portion of a like body so as
to secure the oppositely disposed portions of the oppositely
disposed blocks to one another when the blocks are mounted on a
steampipe assembly, an access notch formed in each side ~ace of said
body and extending from said web abutment portion of said inner face
to said outer face, said access notch extending inwardly of said end
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face of said body to an extent sufficient to expose an edge portion
of one of said weldable bands so as to be accessible foL welding to
said metal webbing to thereby secure said body with respect to said
steampipe assembly.
According to a further aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a skid rail assembly in a skid rail assembly
having an upper steam pipe and a lower steam pipe secured to one
another in a spaced parallel relationship by means of a webbing
member which extends radially therebetween, and a rider member
projecting upwardly from the upper steampipe and extending
longitudinally thereof, the improvement of an insulating assembly
comprising a pair of refractory insulating blocks each comprising a
body of thermal insulating sr.aterial having an inner side face and an
outer side face which face inwardly and outwardly respectively with
respect to a pipe assembly, and oppositely disposed first and second
end faces, said inner side face being formed with a profile which
mates~with and closely conforms to a major portion of one of said
side faces of said pipe assembly, said inner side face including a
web abutment portion extending in a face-to-face relationship with
respect to a side of said webbing member, at least one weldable
metal band secured to and extending along a major portion of said
inner side face, said metal band having anchoring members projecting
therefrom into said body of insulating material, said weldable metal
band having an end portion exposed at said inner side face in an
area which is accessible to a complementar~ end portion of the other
of said bodies during the initial stages of the installation of said
bodies,said end portion being adapted to interlock with said
complementary end portion of the other of said bodies so as to
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secure the oppositely disposed portions o~ the oppo.sitely disposed
blocks to one another when the blocks are mounted on a steampipe
assembly, an access notch formed in each side face of said body and
extending from said web abutment portion of said inner face to said
outer face, said access notch extending inwardly of said end face of
said body to an extent sufficient to expose an edge portion of one
of said weldable bands so as to be accessible for welding to said
metal webbing to thereby secure said body with respect to said
steampipe assembly, said blocks being mounted on said skeampipe
assembly one on either side thereof with said complementary end
portions, said weldable bands interlocked and said weldable metal
bands welded to said webbing and refractory mortar covering the
portions of the steampipes no~ enclosed by the oppositely disposed
refractory blocks.
The invention will be more clearly understood after
reference to the following detailed specification read in
conjunction with the drawings wherein;
Figure 1 is a side view of a single frame of an insulated
skid pipe assembly constructed in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention,
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of
Figure l,
Figure 3 is a pictorial view of a refractory insulating
block constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention,
Figure 4 ~sheet 1) is an enlarged detailed view of a
portion of insulated ste m pipe assembly.
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With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, the reference
numeral 10 refers general]y to an insulated skid pipe system
constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
The horizontally arranged skid pipe assembly 12 is
supported by a plurality of support posts 14 and 16. Pairs of
insulation blocks 18 are provided for insulating the skid pipe
assembly 12 and the support post 16 and pairs of insulating blocks
20 are provided for insulating the support posts 14. The insulating
blocks 20 may be constructed in accordance with United States Patent
No. 4,255,127 because they are used for the purposes of insulating a
single pipe assembly and will not therefore be described in detail.
The insulating blocks 18 are illustrated in Figures 2 and 3
of the drawings and include right and left hand blocks. As shown in
Figure 3, each insulating block 18 comprises a body of thermal
insulating material generally identified by the reference numeral
22. The body 22 consists of a layer 24 of fibre insulation
surrounded by a refractory body 26. The body 22 has an inner side
face 28 and an outer side face 30. The inner side face is formed
with a first arcuate shaped recess 32 and a second arcuate shaped
recess 34 which are separated from one another by a web abutment
portion 36 which extends laterally therebetween. The body 22 also
has an upper edge 38. A portion 40 of the inner side face 28
extends downwardly from the lower edge of the second arcuate shaped
recess 34 to the outer side face 30. The body 22 also has end faces
39. A metal band 42 is embedded in the inner side face 28 and
extends along the first arcuate shaped recess 32, across the web
abutment face 36 and along the second arcuate shaped recess 34.
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Hook anchors 44 project outward]y from the met,3l band 42 at one end
thereof for connection to eye meTn~ers ~6 (Fiy.2) which are secured
to the ends of the metal bands which are embedded in the blocks 18a
o~ the opposite hand.
A tie rod 48 has its opposite ends welded to the bands 42
and extends laterally therebetween.
~ n access notch 50 is formed at each end face 38 and
extends between the outer side face 30 and the inner side face 28
and serves to expose an edge portion 42a of the adjacent mounting
band 42 so that the portion 42a is accessible for welding.
A plurality of stainless steel anchor plates 52 and 54 are
welded at spaced intervals to the metal band 42 and extend outwardly
therefrom and are embedded in the refractory body 26 and serve to
assist in maintaining the integrity of the refractory body.
As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the skid pipe
assembly 12 comprises an upper steam pipe 60, a lower steam pipe 62
and a webbing member 64. The webbing member 62 is welded to the
upper and lower steam pipes 60 and 62 and extends radially
therebetween and serves to maintain the steam pipe 60 and 62 in a
spaced parallel relationship. A skid rail 70 comprises a first rail
66 which is welded to the upper steam pipe 60 and extends
longitudinally thereof and a second rail 68 which fits over the
first rail 66 and extends longitudinally along the full length
thereof.
In use, a pair of complimentary refractory blocks 18 and
18a are connected by means of their hook and eye connections 46 and
48 and are fitted over a steam pipe assembly as shown in Figure 2 of
the drawings. A welding rod is then extended through the access
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passages 50 to tack weld the exposed portion 42a of the band 42 to
the webbing 64. In this manner, the complimentary blocks 18 and 18a
are both welded to the web 64. Successive pairs of complimentary
blocks are positioned in an end to end relationship as shown in
Figure 4 and are welded to the web 64 through the access passage 50.
To completely insulate the steam pipe assembly, a quantity
of mortar 72 is troweled into the space between the second rail 66
and the end faces 38. Similarly, the passaye 74 which is formed
between the oppositely disposed portions 40 of the inner side face
is filled with a ramming refractory compound in the field.
Similarly, the passages 50 are filled with a ramming refractory
compound to completely insulate the refractory body.
If a skid rail is damaged or becomes severely worn in one
particular area, it is possible to break away one or two refractory
block assemblies and replace them without the need to completely
cool down the entire installation. This can be done by breaking
away the body of the refractory material of the damaged refractory
block assembly and then breaking the spot weld attachment of the
reinforcing webs by means of a chisel or the like. A replacement
refractory block assembly can then be positioned in place of the
removed block and secured by welding and insulated by ramming as
previously described.
Various modifications of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, it will be
apparent that the refractory blocks of the present invention may be
formed from a homogeneous body of refractory material without
,
providing the layer of fiber insulation illustrated in the
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embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present
invention provides a simple and inexpensive refractory block
assembly which is easy to install and replace.
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