STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support system for positioning and supporting process monitoring instruments and process control instruments in an insulated container.

In many applications, including off-shore platforms and on-shore refineries, chemical plants, and the like, conduits such as tubes, tubing bundles, and the like, are routed through the facility. The conduits carry not only process fluids, but also other fluids such as samples and process control fluids. The tubing is connected to numerous process monitoring, measuring, and control instruments, such as pressure and differential pressure instruments, gas analyzers, oxygen sensors, fluid temperature sensors, flow meters, and the like. These process instruments are frequently mounted to a manifold having one, two, three, or more tubing connections. The instrument is supported, either directly or through its manifold, by a bracket, which is in turn supported by a support structure such as an instrument stand (stanchion) or a structural element such as a wall, beam, column, process flange, or process line.

In many situations, it is desirable to protect the conduits and the instruments from adverse ambient conditions, for example to prevent freezing or congealing of the fluids in them or else to maintain the temperature of the fluid and the instrument within a predetermined range of temperatures. In those situations, the tubing and/or the instruments, or the wetted portion of the instruments, are enclosed in insulation, and may be provided with heating in the form of electrical or steam tracing.

A convenient and effective system for insulating and heating the conduit or conduits is sold by O'Brien/Ametek under the registered trademark TRACEPAK. The TRACEPAK® system is described in its bulletins QLT-TPBR (20 Jul. 2015) and QLT-OBA-BESTP (25 Apr. 2003).

Convenient and effective systems for insulating and heating process instruments are sold by O'Brien/Ametek under the registered trademark VIPAK. The VIPAK® system includes a two-piece rigid foam enclosure. It is described in its bulletins QLT-VPBR-01 (15 May 2015) and QLT-OBA-ENCLOS (20 Apr. 2014). Alternative mounting systems for the VIPAK® insulated containers are sold under the registered mark TRAKMOUNT, as described in O'Brien/Ametek bulletin QLT-TRAKMOUNT (1 Dec. 2012). Some typical installations including a process instrument and VIPAK® insulated containers are described in Gross, et al., Published Application No. US 2018/0100778 A1, published Apr. 12, 2018.

In other situations, only the wetted portions of the instrument need to be insulated, and a transmitter portion is left exposed to ambient. This may be accomplished with an O'Brien/Ametek HEATPAK® enclosure, as described in its bulletin QTL-HPSEL-2 (20 Feb. 2000).

In yet other situations, requiring less insulation or requiring insulation of an existing instrument in a limited space, a flexible or semiflexible insulation package, such as a HEATPAK II enclosure supported by the instrument itself is used, as described in O'Brien/Ametek bulletins HPIIBR-7 (10 Mar. 2000) and QLT_HPII-FHP-INST (25 Aug. 2005). In most situations, a rigid (self-supporting) enclosure is preferable.

Systems using these components are described in O'Brien/Ametek bulletin QLT-OBIBR (20 May 2013).

A review of the foregoing literature and patent application shows that each instrument installation, to achieve maximum insulation, requires a rigid, self-supporting enclosure. Installation of such an instrument enclosure requires careful modification of the enclosure to accommodate the tubing and wiring serving the instrument and any heater in the enclosure. It also requires careful mounting of the instrument within the enclosure. Changing either the enclosure or the instrument may require careful disassembly and reassembly of both the instrument and the enclosure.

To protect the insulated and traced tubing to which the instrument is attached from freezing or temperature extremes, the insulation around the tubing is continued through an opening in the enclosure, or else an entry seal such as an O'Brien TPKES heat shrink entry seal or an O'Brien TPKHS heat shrink boot is applied over the end of the insulation.

Attempts have been made to simplify mounting of instruments and insulated enclosures. One example is the Shell MESC (Material and Equipment Standards and Code) system. An implementation of that system is described in Parker Hannifin Corporation Catalogue 4190-MESC. Another attempt to simplify mounting of instruments and insulated enclosures is described in Intertec SAFE LINK sheet DD310-0e (undated), INTERTEC-Hess GmbH, Neustadt/Donau, Germany, in which at least one tube passes through a FLEXIPASS R seal into a MINIBOX enclosure. Variations are shown in Intertec sheet KD-381 (undated), “MINIBOX 21 Applications.”

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a universal mounting system for insulated instruments. The system includes a mounting plate which supports the instrument and supports the enclosure independent of each other and allows all connections to the interior of the enclosure to be made through the plate. In an embodiment, the plate is bent to an L-shape.

In an embodiment, a termination of a traced tubing system is housed in an enclosure mounted to an opposite side of the mounting plate.

In an embodiment, the mounting plate includes a collar. A marginal cutout in one or both of two mating sections of the enclosure fits over the collar to mount the enclosure to the mounting plate. To provide stable orientation of the enclosure, it is preferred that the collar and openings are non-circular.

In an embodiment, the mounting plate includes a mount plate portion connected to a supporting structure, and an instrument plate mounted to the instrument. Mating the instrument plate to the mount plate provides a simple way to support the instrument independent of the enclosure. All elongate elements (fluid conduits and electrical wires) extending into the enclosure from outside the enclosure extend through at least one of the joined plates. The joined plates provide a seat for mounting the enclosure independent of the instrument.

In an embodiment, a collar on the mounting plate engages a cutout in at least one section of the enclosure and supports the enclosure. In an embodiment, the collar is on a mount plate portion of the mounting plate, and protrusions on the mount plate and instrument plate prevent the enclosure from slipping off the collar.

In an embodiment, an insulated termination container is mounted to a side of the mounting plate opposite the instrument plate.

Because the instrument and the enclosure are supported independent of each other, replacement of either the enclosure or some or all of the instrument is simplified.

Further, most installations can be accommodated with either a vertically oriented or a horizontally oriented enclosure. The number of distinct enclosures inventoried at a facility can therefore be reduced significantly.

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description of illustrative embodiments of the invention.

