| US 7,487,745 B2 | ||
| Boiler tube position retainer assembly | ||
| Mark Rettig, 148 Soth Cove Ct., Bessemer, Ala. 35020 (US); Samuel Clifton, 233 Helen St., Westlake, La. 70669 (US); and Michael Sullivan, 313 Conde Ave., Dauphin Island, Ala. 36528 (US) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 27, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/411,876. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/594691, filed on Apr. 28, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0243223 A1, Nov. 02, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. F22B 37/24 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 122—510 [122/511] | 5 Claims |
| 1. A steam generating boiler comprising:
a combustion chamber comprising
two or more boiler tubes, wherein each boiler tube comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter, wherein difference between
the outer diameter and the inner diameter is wall thickness of the boiler tubes; and
one or more boiler tube position retainer assemblies, wherein each boiler tube position retainer assembly is positioned between
two boiler tubes, a first boiler tube and a second boiler tube, wherein each boiler tube position retainer assembly further
comprises:
a male boiler tube pad comprising a male tab ear portion and a male saddle clip portion, wherein the male saddle clip portion
has a tube shape configuration to saddle the first boiler tube, wherein wall thickness of the male saddle clip portion is
less than the wall thickness of the first boiler tube to allow for failure to occur on the male boiler tube pad before failure
of the first boiler tube, and wherein the male tab ear portion has an alignment hole;
a female boiler tube pad comprising two female tab ear portions and a female saddle clip portion, wherein the female saddle
clip portion has a tube shape configuration to saddle the second boiler tube, wherein wall thickness of the female saddle
clip portion is less than the wall thickness of the second boiler tube to allow for failure to occur on the female boiler
tube pad before failure of the second boiler tube, and wherein each female tab ear portion has an alignment hole;
a retainer pin for insertion through the alignment holes following alignment of the alignment holes by positioning the male
tab ear portion between the two female tab ear portions;
wherein the diameter of the retainer pin is less than the diameter of the alignment holes to allow movement of the male and
the female boiler tube pads around the axis of the retainer pin, and wherein the retainer pin hangs to allow movement of the
male and the female boiler tube pads along the length of the retainer pin; and
wherein the two female tab ear portions are attached to the female saddle clip portion to allow for space between the female
tab ear portions and the male tab ear portion after positioning of the male tab ear portion between the female tab ear portions,
wherein the male and the female tab ear portions are not in contact to allow for movement of the male and the female boiler
tube pads long the length of the retainer pin.
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