Fluid conduit and / or chamber connections

Abstract

The first conduit inner wall (5) and the second conduit inner wall (7) collectively enclose an internal cavity (9) for passing fluid through the connecting device (1). The first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) are interconnected by a bellows (8). The bellows (8) at least partially surrounds the first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) from the outside. The first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) are relatively displaceable and / or tiltable against the elastic biasing force of the bellows (8). The second conduit inner wall (7) of the second conduit member (6) partially extends into an internal space (10) surrounded by the first conduit inner wall (5). The first conduit inner wall (5) is electrically connected to the second conduit inner wall (7) by at least one elastically deformable sliding contact (11) of the connecting device (1).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to 1. A coupling device for coupling fluid conduits and / or chambers in a high frequency electromagnetic field, comprising: the coupling device comprising a first conduit member having a first rigid inner conduit wall, a second conduit member having a second rigid inner conduit wall, and an elastically deformable bellows; The present invention relates to a connecting device, wherein the first conduit inner wall and the second conduit inner wall collectively enclose an internal cavity for passing fluid through the connecting device, the first conduit member and the second conduit member are interconnected by a bellows, the bellows at least partially encompassing the first conduit member and the second conduit member from the outside, and the first conduit member and the second conduit member are relatively displaceable and / or displaceable against the elastic biasing force of the bellows. [Background technology]

[0002] In an environment with high frequency electromagnetic fields, such as a particle accelerator, it is necessary to reduce as much as possible the effects of the high frequency electromagnetic fields applied to the inside and / or outside of the conduits and / or chambers during the connection between the conduits and / or chambers. Furthermore, when the conduits and / or chambers are connected to each other, a correction function for positional and / or angular misalignment of the conduits and / or chambers is required. Various approaches to solve this are known in the prior art. For example, the conduit inner walls of the first and second conduit members of the connection device are spaced apart from each other and connected to each other by surrounding spring elements to respective elastic fingers (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The elastic fingers electrically connect the two conduits and allow for compensation of some positional and / or angular misalignment during assembly of the conduits and / or chambers.

[0003] It is known to provide flanges in which the interconnected conduits are directly connected to each other with the aid of a sealing member (see, for example, US Pat. No. 5,399,313). The sealing member compensates for some angular and positional misalignment when the flanges are connected. Inside the flanges, the conduits are interconnected by conductive and elastic fingers, which act as sliding contacts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 319173 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 11-033999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the invention is to provide a connecting device of the above type which allows the compensation of angular and / or positional deviations when conduits and / or chambers are connected and which is capable of reducing as much as possible the influence of high-frequency electromagnetic fields present inside and / or outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention proposes for this purpose a coupling device as claimed in patent claim 1.

[0007] Specifically, the second conduit inner wall of the second conduit member is partially extended and terminates in an interior space surrounded by the first conduit inner wall, and the first conduit inner wall is electrically connected to the second conduit inner wall by at least one elastically deformable sliding contact of the connecting device.

[0008] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the connection of fluid conduits and / or chambers is achieved in a manner that is substantially free of high frequency electromagnetic field interference, and further, the connection device of the present invention prevents turbulence in the fluid passing through the internal cavity of the connection device that is collectively surrounded or enclosed by the first and second inner conduit walls.

[0009] The coupling device according to the invention is used when several fluid conduits are interconnected, when a fluid conduit is connected to a chamber, or when several fluid chambers are interconnected, and when interference of high-frequency electromagnetic fields needs to be reduced as much as possible. The source of the high-frequency electromagnetic field may be located outside the duct and / or chamber. The fluid transported through the conduit and / or chamber, whether liquid or gas, is itself ionized or charged, and thus may generate high-frequency electromagnetic fields. The coupling device according to the invention may therefore be used in particular in particle accelerators. The coupling device according to the invention is also applicable in other cases where fluid conduits and / or chambers are interconnected in a high-frequency electromagnetic field. Furthermore, the coupling device according to the invention allows the compensation of certain positional and / or angular misalignments when the conduits and / or chambers need to be interconnected or are already interconnected. When the conduits and / or chambers are assembled, compensation of positional and / or angular misalignments may be required by the coupling device. The coupling device according to the invention allows the compensation of positional or angular misalignments of the conduits and / or chambers in the assembled state. The frequency spectrum of the radio frequency electromagnetic field may be wide for various applications of the invention. Electromagnetic fields are easy to explain.

[0010] The terms "first" and "second" in relation to the conduits and their inner conduit walls are used for a clear and regular assignment. The terms first conduit member or second conduit member are independent of the order of arrangement or the direction of fluid flow between the two fluid conduits and / or chambers. The inner conduit wall of the first conduit member is designated as the first inner conduit wall. The inner conduit wall of the second conduit member is designated as the second inner conduit wall. In the case of both conduits, the inner conduit wall may be the only wall of the conduit and thus also the outer conduit wall. However, one of the conduits may have an additional outer conduit wall, as described below as a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the present case, the first inner conduit wall of the first conduit member and the second inner conduit wall of the second conduit member jointly surround or encompass the internal cavity of the coupling device through which the fluid is transported. The internal cavity of the connecting device and the internal space surrounded by the first conduit internal wall and into which the second conduit internal wall of the second conduit member is partially extended overlap each other but are not identical. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that inside the internal space surrounded by the first conduit internal wall, a partial space surrounded by a part of the second conduit internal wall of the second conduit member and the second conduit internal wall is provided. The second reason is that the internal cavity of the connecting device refers to the entire cavity of the connecting device through which fluid is transported when the conduits and / or chambers are connected to each other in a fluid transportable manner by the connecting device.

[0011] The electrically changeable sliding contact between the first and second inner wall of the conduit has two purposes. First, it is to connect the two inner walls of the conduit to one another in an electrically conductive manner. Second, it is to allow the two inner walls of the conduit to tilt relative to one another and / or to be pushed or pulled together, thereby allowing the compensation of angular and / or positional deviations. For this purpose, the sliding contact is on the one hand elastically deformable and on the other hand as electrically conductive as possible. It can be a circumferentially closed or, in particular, annular sliding contact, or a plurality of sliding contacts arranged at a distance from one another. In principle, any element having sufficient elastic deformability and sufficient electrical conductivity is suitable for this purpose. The sliding contact can, for example, have an annularly closed connecting bridge, from which elastically deformable spring legs protrude on one and / or both sides, which connect the two inner walls of the conduit in an electrically conductive manner via the connecting bridge.

[0012] The bellows also has two purposes. The first purpose is to mechanically couple the first conduit member to the second conduit member. For this purpose, the bellows preferably has an elastic biasing member. The bellows may be plastically deformable. The bellows allows the two conduits to be displaced relative to one another in order to compensate for positional or angular misalignments. For example, temperature-induced changes in position or angle between the interconnected conduits and / or chambers are also compensated in this way. If the bellows is elastically biased or biased, the first and second conduit members are preferably biased or biased towards an initial position. A second eye of the bellows seals or seals the first and second conduit members from the outside and accordingly at least partially surrounds or includes the first and second conduit members. The bellows is preferably configured to be electrically conductive. The bellows is particularly preferably made of metal. With this configuration, an additional electrical connection is made between the first and second conduit members.

[0013] The fluid conduits and / or chambers which are interconnected by a coupling device according to the invention may have different shaped opening cross-sections: the conduits may for example be cylindrical conduits with a circular opening cross-section.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one elastically deformable sliding contact abuts against an outer surface of the second conduit inner wall opposite the internal cavity and abuts against an inner surface of the first conduit inner wall opposite the internal space.

[0015] To ensure that the sliding contact is maintained in its position and not displaced unintentionally, the sliding contact is preferably disposed in a groove-like recess in the outer surface of the second inner wall of the conduit opposite the internal cavity and / or in the inner surface of the first inner wall of the conduit opposite the internal cavity. By disposing the sliding contact in a groove-like recess, unintentional movement of the sliding contact is prevented.

[0016] From the viewpoint of rational design, it is preferable that the internal cavity for transporting the fluid through the connecting device has the same opening cross section at any point as much as possible. To achieve this, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first conduit inner wall has a first section and a second section, and the opening cross section surrounded or enclosed by the first conduit inner wall is smaller in the first section than in the second section. This allows the second conduit inner wall of the second conduit member in the second section of the first conduit member body inner wall to be partially led out into the internal space surrounded or enclosed by the first conduit inner wall and terminate there. The second section, which has a larger opening cross section than the first section, forms an area in the first conduit inner wall where the second conduit inner wall can be led out and positioned in the internal space of the first conduit inner wall. This allows the internal cavity for the passage of the fluid through the connecting device to have approximately the same opening cross section at any point of the two conduits.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second conduit member has an outer conduit wall on the opposite side of the internal cavity from the second inner conduit wall and spaced apart from the second inner conduit wall, the first inner conduit wall leading out and terminating in a gap between the second inner conduit wall and the outer conduit wall. The space between the outer conduit wall of the second conduit member and the second inner conduit wall is such that the first conduit member located in the gap can move relative to the second conduit member to compensate for angular and / or positional deviations. In order to minimize interference of high frequency electromagnetic fields by the coupling device, the first inner conduit wall is preferably electrically conductively coupled to the outer conduit wall by at least one additional elastically deformable slide of the coupling device.

[0018] The components of the coupling device according to the invention should be as conductive as possible in order to minimize interference with high frequency electromagnetic fields. In this respect, it is preferred that the first conduit member and / or the second conduit member and / or the bellows and / or the sliding contact are made of metal. Suitable metals include aluminium, steel, spring steel, copper etc. If necessary, a metal alloy with high electrical conductivity may be used. They may be coated with silver and / or gold. In any case, the first conduit member and / or the second conduit member and / or the bellows and / or the sliding contact should have a resistance of 1×10 6 [S / m] or more, preferably 10×10 6 It is preferable that the material has a DC conductivity of at least [S / m].

[0019] The present invention relates to a connection system comprising a first component, which is a conduit or chamber, and a second component, which is a conduit or chamber, in addition to a connection device, whereby a high frequency electromagnetic field is generated outside and / or inside the first and second components. According to the connection system of the present invention, the first component is fluidically connected to the second component by the connection device of the present invention. In the connection system, each of the first and second components is connected to the connection device by a seal member and an electrical sliding contact, the seal member being preferably surrounded by the electrical sliding contact.

[0020] Further features and details of the preferred variants of the invention are described below according to embodiments of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing two fluid conduits connected by a connecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the outside. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the section line AA in FIG. 1 . [Diagram 3] An enlarged view of area B in Figure 2. [Figure 4] An enlarged view of area C in Figure 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a coupling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view of a slide contact used in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding contact taken along the section line DD in FIG. 6; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of multiple fluid conduits arranged one behind the other and connected by a connecting device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fluid conduit and a chamber connected by a coupling device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] In FIG. 1, two fluid conduits 2 are connected to each other in a fluid transportable manner by a connecting device 1 according to the present invention. That is, a fluid can flow from one conduit 2 through the connecting device 1 or its internal cavity 9 to the other conduit 2, and conversely, from the other conduit 2 through the connecting device 1 or its internal cavity 9 to the one conduit 2. In this embodiment, each of the conduits 2 has a flange 24. The connecting device 1 is fixed to each of the flanges 24 by the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 or their respective connecting surfaces 25, but the fixing method is known, for example, by screw fastening, welding, bonding, clamping, and other methods, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The flange 24 may be omitted, and the end surface of each of the conduits 2 may be directly fixed to the first conduit member 4 or the second conduit member 6 or their respective connecting surfaces 25.

[0023] In FIG. 2, an enlarged longitudinal section along the section line AA in FIG. 1 is shown. In FIG. 2, a connection system is shown in which a first component (here one conduit 2) and a second component (here the other conduit 2) are connected, as in FIG. 1. The first component is connected to the second component in a fluid-transporting manner by a connection device 1 according to the invention. This connection allows the connection device 1 according to the invention to compensate for deviations in position and / or angle of the mutually facing conduits 2. Furthermore, the connection device 1 according to the invention is designed in such a way that interferences or adverse effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields are maximally reduced. A source of high-frequency electromagnetic fields, not shown, is arranged outside or inside the conduit 2. The conduit 2 and the connection device 1 allow the passage or flow of gaseous and / or liquid fluids having ionized or charged particles.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the coupling device 1 comprises a first conduit member 4 and a second conduit member 6 which are preferably connected to each other by an elastically deformable bellows 8, which at least partially surrounds or encloses the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 and is sealed against the outside. As mentioned above, the bellows 8 is preferably configured as a metallic bellows and is preferably elastic. In this case, the two conduit members, i.e. the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6, are mutually biased or urged by the elastic biasing force of the bellows 8 in a direction towards a neutral position. The first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 may be biased with respect to the neutral position, i.e. the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 push, pull or swing or tilt relative to each other in order to compensate for misalignment of the coupled conduit 2 or thermal expansion or contraction of the conduit 2. 2, the first conduit member 4 has a first rigid inner conduit wall 5 and the second conduit member 6 has a second rigid inner conduit wall 7. The two inner conduit walls, i.e., the first inner conduit wall 5 and the second inner conduit wall 7, collectively enclose or enclose an interior cavity 9 for passing fluid through the coupling device 1. The first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 can be displaced and / or tilted relative to one another against the elastic biasing force of a bellows 8.

[0025] According to the invention, the second inner conduit wall 7 of the second conduit member 6 is partially led out into and terminates in the interior space 10 surrounded by the first inner conduit wall 5. Furthermore, the first inner conduit wall 5 is electrically connected to the second inner conduit wall 7 by an elastically deformable sliding contact 11. In other words, the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 are electrically short-circuited to each other via the sliding contact 11. The elasticity of the sliding contact 11 allows a relative movement between the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 not only for compensating for positional deviations but also for compensating for angular deviations.

[0026] Please refer to the corresponding description above for the relationship between the internal cavity 9 and the internal space 10. The description can be easily understood by referring to FIG.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the elastically deformable sliding contact 11 abuts against an outer surface 12 of the second inner conduit wall 7 opposite the inner cavity 9 and against an inner surface 13 of the first inner conduit wall 5 opposite the inner cavity 9. Here, a groove-like recess 14 formed in the first inner conduit wall 5 of the first conduit member 4 and accommodating the sliding contact 11 prevents the sliding contact 11 from being displaced excessively when the first and second conduit members 4 and 6 are pushed or pulled against each other to compensate for a positional deviation or when the first and second conduit members 4 and 6 are tilted relative to each other to compensate for an angular deviation. In FIG. 2, the first inner conduit wall 5 has a first section 15 and a second section 16 having mutually different opening cross sections 17. The second section 16, which has a larger opening cross section, is the section of the first inner conduit wall 5 where the second inner conduit wall 7 is partially introduced and terminates. As shown in FIG. 2, the stepped configuration of the opening cross-section 17 of the first conduit inner wall 5 enables the internal cavity 9 to be configured with a constant opening cross-section in the connecting device 1 essentially over its entire or most of its extension range.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the second conduit member 6 has an outer conduit wall 18 arranged at a distance 19 from the second inner conduit wall 7 on the opposite side of the inner cavity 9 of the second inner conduit wall 7. The first inner conduit wall 5 is arranged in a gap 20 formed by the distance 19 between the second inner conduit wall 7 and the outer conduit wall 18. The first inner conduit wall 5 is introduced into the gap 20 and terminates therein. This allows the coupling device 1 according to the invention to reduce interference with high-frequency electromagnetic fields applied from the outside and / or the inside as much as possible. As realized here, the first inner conduit wall 5 is preferably electrically connected to the outer conduit wall 18 by at least one additional elastically deformable sliding contact 21 of the coupling device 1.

[0029] The additional sliding contact 21 may be essentially configured similarly to the sliding contact 11, except for a slight difference in size. The groove-shaped recess 26 has a function of maintaining the sliding contact 21 in a predetermined position again, similar to the function of the groove-shaped recess 14 of the sliding contact 11 described above. This may also be applied to other modified examples different from this embodiment.

[0030] To seal or seal the connection between the first duct part 4 and the second duct part 6 and the respective flange 24 or the respective conduit 2, a known sealing element 22 is provided, configured in this embodiment as an annular ring. The sealing element 22 is in each case surrounded by an electrical sliding contact 23, which serves to establish a suitable electrical connection between the flange 24 or the conduit 2 and the first duct part 4 and the second duct part 6 of the coupling device 1 according to the invention. The sliding contact 23 may also be expressed by the term coupling sliding contact 23. The sliding contact 23 is preferably configured to be elastically deformable. The sliding contact 23 may be configured essentially similarly to the sliding contact 11, except for a slight difference in size.

[0031] Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the sealing element 22 and the sliding contact 23 in area B of figure 2. Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of area C of figure 2. For electrically connecting and elastically displaceably connecting two inner conduit walls, i.e. the first inner conduit wall 5 and the second inner conduit wall 7, an electrical sliding contact 11 rests on the one hand against an inner side 13 of the first inner conduit wall 5 and on the other hand against an outer side 12 of the second inner conduit wall 7.

[0032] Fig. 5 shows a view of the coupling device 1 according to the invention, exploded into its components. Fig. 6 shows the sliding contact 11, which is configured in a semi-annular shape. Fig. 7, which shows a cross-section along the section line DD in Fig. 6, shows that, like Fig. 6, the annular connecting bridge 27 of the sliding contact 11 has spring legs 28 that are continuous with both sides and can be elastically deflected relative to the connecting bridge 27. By means of the spring legs 28, the sliding contact 11 abuts against the first conduit inner wall 5 on the one hand and against the second conduit inner wall 7 on the other hand.

[0033] As mentioned above, the sliding contacts 21 and 23 may be configured correspondingly. Other forms of elastically deformable sliding contacts having suitable electrical conductivity may also be employed. In particular, the sliding contact 11 does not have to be formed in a semi-ring shape. Separate sliding contacts 11 spaced apart from each other may also be provided in order to establish high electrical conductivity on the one hand and to provide a suitable connection between the first conduit member 4 and the conduit 2 in such a way that the first conduit member 4 and the second conduit member 6 are elastically deformable on the other hand.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing three conduits 2 connected to each other in a manner capable of transporting fluid by two connecting devices 1 of this embodiment.

[0035] 9 shows a centrally located chamber 3 connected to two conduits 2 via a connecting device 1 according to the invention. Of course, the two chambers 3 may also be directly connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1‥Connecting device 2‥Conduit 3. Chamber 4. First conduit member 5‥First conduit inner wall 6. Second conduit member 7‥Second conduit inner wall 8. Bellows 9‥Internal cavity 10. Interior space 11. Slide contact 12‥Outer surface 13. Inner surface 14. Groove-shaped recess 15. First Section 16. Section 2 17‥Opening cross section 18‥Conduit outer wall 19‥Interval 20‥Gap 21 Additional sliding contacts 22. Sealing material 23. Slide contact 24. Flange 25‥Connection surface 26. Groove-shaped recess 27. Connecting bridge 28...Spring legs.

Claims

1. A coupling device (1) for coupling at least one of a fluid conduit (2) and a chamber (3) in a high frequency electromagnetic field, comprising: The coupling device (1) comprises a first conduit member (4) having a rigid first inner conduit wall (5), a second conduit member (6) having a rigid second inner conduit wall (7), and an elastically deformable bellows (8); the first conduit inner wall (5) and the second conduit inner wall (7) together enclose an internal cavity (9) for passing a fluid through the connecting device (1); the first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) are connected to each other by a bellows (8), the bellows (8) at least partially surrounds the first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) from the outside; the first conduit member (4) and the second conduit member (6) are relatively displaceable or tiltable, or displaceable and tiltable, against the elastic biasing force of the bellows (8); the second inner conduit wall (7) of the second conduit member (6) is partially led out and terminates in an interior space (10) surrounded by the first inner conduit wall (5), and the first inner conduit wall (5) is electrically connected to the second inner conduit wall (7) by at least one elastically deformable sliding contact (11) of the connecting device (1); The second conduit member (6) has a conduit outer wall (18) disposed at a distance (19) from the second conduit inner wall (7) on the opposite side of the internal cavity (9) of the second conduit inner wall (7), and the first conduit inner wall (5) is partially extended into and terminates in a gap (20) between the second conduit inner wall (7) and the conduit outer wall (18). Connecting device (1).

2. A coupling device (1) according to claim 1, The at least one elastically deformable sliding contact (11) abuts against an outer surface (12) of the second inner conduit wall (7) opposite the inner cavity (9) and against an inner surface (13) of the first inner conduit wall (5) opposite the inner cavity (9). Connecting device (1).

3. A coupling device (1) according to claim 2, The sliding contact is arranged in a groove-like recess (14) in at least one of the outer surface (12) of the second inner conduit wall (7) opposite the inner cavity (9) and the inner surface (13) of the first inner conduit wall (5) opposite the inner cavity (9). Connecting device (1).

4. A coupling device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The first conduit inner wall (5) has a first section (15) and a second section (16), and an opening cross section (17) surrounded by the first conduit inner wall (5) in the first section (15) is smaller than that in the second section (16). Connecting device (1).

5. A coupling device (1) according to claim 4, A second inner conduit wall (7) of the second conduit member (6) in the second section (16) of the first inner conduit wall (5) is partially led out and terminates in the internal space (10) surrounded by the first inner conduit wall (5). Connecting device (1).

6. A coupling device (1) according to claim 1, The first conduit inner wall (5) is electrically connected to the conduit outer wall (18) by the at least one elastically deformable sliding contact (21) of the coupling device (1). Connecting device (1).

7. A coupling device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, At least one of the first conduit member (4), the second conduit member (6) and the bellows (8) or the sliding contacts (11) (21) is made of a metal or has a DC conductivity of at least 1×10 ６ [S / m] or more or 10×10 ６ [S / m] or more Connecting device (1).

8. A connection system having a first component, which is a conduit (2) or a chamber (3), and a second component, which is a conduit (2) or a chamber (3), in which a high frequency electromagnetic field is generated inside or outside the first component and the second component, and the first component is fluidically connected to the second component by a connection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Linking system.

9. 9. The connection system of claim 8, The first component and the second component are respectively connected to a connecting device (1) by a seal member (22) and an electrical sliding contact (23), and the seal member (22) is surrounded by the electrical sliding contact (23). Linking system.

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