Feedthroughs for use under high pressure

Abstract

To provide a feedthrough where functional elements are kept fluid-tight in a reliable manner over a sustained period of operation, even at high pressures.SOLUTION: A feedthrough 10, especially for high pressure applications, includes: a substrate 20 having at least one passage opening 22 that extends through the substrate; at least one first functional element 30 which is disposed within the at least one passage opening and is connected to the substrate in a fluid-tight manner; and an insulation material 40 that surrounds at least predetermined regions of a first functional element and establishes the fluid-tight connection to the substrate. In the feedthrough, a pressure-guiding channel 32 is located within the first functional element by which pressure components that have arisen as a result of pressure are guided from within the first functional element outward to the surrounding insulation material such that a pressure resistance of the fluid-tight connection of the at least one first functional element to the substrate is elevated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a feedthrough for use under high pressure and to the use of a feedthrough under high pressure. [Background technology]

[0002] Feedthroughs that must reliably withstand high pressures are used in a variety of applications. Their reliable use and long-term operational stability are also crucial from a safety perspective, especially when such feedthroughs are in contact with fluids under high pressure on one side. Such applications include the use of feedthroughs in deep-sea equipment, such as oil drilling or exploration equipment, or in chemically or radiologically contaminated environments, for example in the chemical industry or in energy plant and reactor technology. Further applications include, for example, manned or unmanned vessels, such as submersible robots and submersibles, as well as specialized gas tanks, such as CO₂ storage or H₂ tanks for fuel cell-equipped vehicles.

[0003] U.S. Patent No. 4,797,117 discloses a connector with a rubber jacket, inside which a wedge-shaped sealing lip ring is pressed tightly against the insulated conductor by means of a conical opening element. This connector design is intended to allow for field installation and repair.

[0004] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0179950 discloses a casing feedthrough for a component, including a pressure sensor, that includes a fluid ring seal having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, the ring seal tightly surrounding the component inside a frusto-conical opening in the casing. To provide a simpler manufacturing method, it is proposed to mount the wedge-shaped fluid ring seal with a high force that exceeds at least the elastic deformation limit of the casing or the component.

[0005] German Patent Application No. 102006054843 discloses an electrical feedthrough, particularly for pressure applications, which has a housing passage in the region of at least a first housing end, in which the pressure-exposed housing side forms at least two openings in a section of the housing outer surface. The at least two openings are preferably formed with the same area or substantially the same area. Furthermore, the at least two openings are preferably arranged at equal angular intervals around the housing axis, i.e., the axes of the openings, and thus the lines of force generated by the pressure on the pressure side, preferably intersect at a common point, preferably with the housing axis. This arrangement allows for compensation of pressure acting on the openings in pressure applications. A disadvantage of such feedthroughs is that the forces generated by the pressure are guided through the insulating material surrounding each conductor, and compensation can only be achieved with pairs each containing two conductors. Furthermore, in such devices, each conductor is guided inside the housing opening with a 90° bend, which not only makes manufacturing difficult but also complicates the geometry of the conductor guide, the dimensions of which require several times more space than a straight conductor guide.

[0006] German Patent Application No. 102016103485 describes a feedthrough, particularly for use under high external pressure, in which a functional element is arranged inside a through-hole in a base body and is held therein in a fluid-tight manner by a surrounding insulating material. The pressure compensation device provides, for example, an annular groove or a blind-hole-type opening in the base body material to guide the pressure portion to the edge region of the insulating material. However, depending on the material or geometry of the base body or the functional element, such a pressure compensation device is often difficult to manufacture or may not be feasible. Furthermore, the depth of the groove or blind-hole-type opening in the base body is limited, so the function of the pressure compensation device along the longitudinal direction of the functional element is limited to a partial region of the base body. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The problem underlying the present invention is to provide a feedthrough in which a functional element is held fluid-tight even under high pressure with reliable and long-term operational stability, even when a cutout in the base material is undesirable or not possible, for example, due to the material or geometry of the feedthrough. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the problem of the invention is to deflect and guide the high pressure in a stabilizing manner so that a lateral pressure stabilization of the entire base body is possible along the longitudinal direction of the functional element.

[0009] To solve this problem, the present invention discloses a feedthrough, particularly for use under high pressure, comprising a substrate having at least one through hole extending therethrough, at least one first functional element arranged inside the at least one through hole and connected fluid-tight to the substrate, and an insulating material surrounding the first functional element at least in a predetermined area and forming a fluid-tight connection with the substrate.

[0010] This feedthrough is characterized in that a pressure guide passage is located inside the first functional element, and the pressure portion generated by the pressure is guided by the pressure guide passage from the inside to the outside of the first functional element to the surrounding insulating material, thereby increasing the pressure resistance of the fluid-tight connection between the at least one first functional element and the base body.

[0011] In other words, the pressure guide passage is located inside the functional element itself and can be formed, for example, as a notch or cavity inside the functional element. Thus, the present invention can increase the pressure resistance even when notches in the base material are undesirable or impossible. Since the functional elements often protrude on both sides of the base, lateral pressure stabilization can also be achieved across the entire base.

[0012] Surprisingly, by this means, the connection between the substrate and the functional element, in particular the connection between the insulating material and the substrate, can withstand in a fluid-tight manner an operating pressure that is at least about 10%, advantageously at least 20%, preferably at least about 50%, even more preferably at least about 75%, and most preferably at least about 100% higher than a feedthrough without pressure guide passages, which in turn increases the pressure resistance of the feedthrough by at least about 10%, advantageously at least 20%, preferably at least about 50%, even more preferably at least about 75%, and most preferably at least about 100%.

[0013] Such feedthroughs can be used advantageously in a wide variety of applications, in particular for devices in deep-sea and / or chemically or radiologically contaminated environments, such as, for example, oil and / or natural gas drilling or exploration devices, e.g., in the chemical industry or in energy installation and reactor technology, especially for devices in areas at risk of explosion, in energy generating devices or energy storage devices with housings, or in capsules of energy generating devices or energy storage devices, or reactors or storage devices for toxic and / or harmful substances, especially as feedthrough devices inside the containment of reactors, or as feedthrough devices penetrating the containment of reactors, especially chemical reactors or nuclear reactors, or in spacecraft or space probes, or in casings of sensors and / or actuators, so that the pressure acting on the feedthrough can be, for example, internal pressure in reactors, or in other applications, for example, in the deep sea, external pressure, thus external pressure. The pressure side of a substrate therefore means the side of the substrate on which the elevated external or internal pressure, i.e., generally elevated pressure, acts, whereas the other side is described as the side opposite the pressure side.

[0014] The pressure on the pressure side is therefore guided into the interior of the first functional element by the pressure guide channel, so that a pressure portion generated by the pressure on the pressure side acts from the interior of the functional element towards the outside. Preferably, the feedthrough is configured in such a way that the pressure portion generated by the pressure is guided from the inside of the first functional element towards the outside in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the through-hole towards the surrounding insulating material.

[0015] The first functional element may be tubular, in particular at least in a certain section, and have a tubular wall surrounding an inner cavity, the inner cavity or a part of the inner cavity forming a pressure guide passage of the first functional element.

[0016] The pressure guide channel may be formed inside the functional element, for example as a blind hole-like opening, but it may also be formed, for example as a through-hole in a continuous tubular first functional element, in which case a second functional element may be arranged inside the first functional element, spaced apart by a gap, and connected to the second functional element at a specific point along its length, for example at an end, in order to close the gap.

[0017] More generally, a second functional element may be included, arranged inside the first functional element, in particular inside a hollow space inside the tubular first functional element. In this case, an intermediate space forming a pressure guide channel may remain between the first functional element and the second functional element arranged inside it. Furthermore, a connecting material may be included, surrounding the second functional element at least in a certain region and forming a fluid-tight connection with the first functional element. This connecting material may be arranged on the first functional element, for example, at the end and / or may form the end of the pressure guide channel.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first functional element is tubular in shape and extends through the through-hole of the base body.

[0019] Furthermore, the second functional element preferably extends completely through the inner cavity of the tubular first functional element.

[0020] Preferably, an annular intermediate chamber is further provided between the first functional element and the second functional element arranged inside thereof, which forms a pressure guide passage.

[0021] The second functional element may be surrounded in a ring shape by a connecting material that forms the end of the pressure guide passage and is, for example, arranged closer to the side opposite the pressure side than the pressure side of the base body, or of the first functional element, or of the second functional element.

[0022] If at least two functional elements, i.e., a first and a second, are provided, the first functional element may have a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the second functional element. Alternatively or additionally, the second functional element may have a higher electrical conductivity than the first functional element. Further alternatively or additionally, the connecting material between the first and second functional elements may have a lower hardness than the insulating material between the first functional element and the substrate.

[0023] In one exemplary embodiment, the feedthrough may be configured as a power feedthrough for conducting high currents through the feedthrough. For this purpose, the first functional element may be configured as a welding tube, for example, fused to the base body by glass, with a copper contact extending through the welding tube. Since copper and glass have different thermal expansion coefficients, the welding tube may comprise, for example, a less ductile alloy to compensate for this mismatch. The welding tube may be joined to the copper contact at its end, for example, by soldering, simultaneously with the welding process.

[0024] The substrate to which the functional element is connected fluid-tightly may preferably comprise or consist of a metal, in particular steel, special steel, iron-cobalt alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum and aluminum alloy, Kovar, or Inconel, for example Inconel 690 and / or Inconel 625.

[0025] The insulating material forming the fluid-tight connection may preferably comprise or consist of glass, glass-ceramic material and / or ceramic material. In particular, the feed-through may comprise a pressure glass envelope in which the glass and / or glass-ceramic material and / or ceramic material are fluid-tightly connected to the base body and to the first functional element, respectively, at least in certain areas.

[0026] The first functional element arranged in the through-hole of the substrate may in particular comprise or consist of a metal.

[0027] The second functional element, which may be provided, for example arranged inside the first functional element, may in particular comprise or consist of a metal, for example copper, and the connecting material connecting the first functional element to the second functional element may in particular comprise or consist of a metal or an alloy, for example in the form of a hard solder.

[0028] However, notwithstanding this, if only a first functional element is included, the first functional element may in principle comprise or consist of one of the materials listed above for the second functional element.

[0029] In particular in embodiments comprising a first tubular functional element and a second functional element extending through the first functional element, the feedthrough preferably has a pressure resistance of at least 400 bar, particularly preferably at least 500 bar, very particularly preferably at least 600 bar.

[0030] The invention further relates to the use of a feedthrough as described above in applications involving pressures of at least 400 bar, preferably at least 500 bar, particularly preferably at least 600 bar.

[0031] Finally, the invention also relates to the use of a feed-through as described above in energy generating devices or energy storage devices with housings, or in capsules of energy generating devices or energy storage devices or reactors or storage devices for toxic and / or harmful substances, for devices in deep sea and / or chemically or radiologically contaminated environments, for example in the chemical industry or in energy installation and reactor technology, in particular in areas at risk of explosion, such as for oil and / or natural gas drilling or exploration devices, in particular as a feed-through device inside the containment of a reactor, or as a feed-through device penetrating the containment of a reactor, in particular a chemical reactor or nuclear reactor, in spacecraft or space probes, or in casings for sensors and / or actuators, in manned or unmanned vessels, for example underwater robots and submersibles, and in or on gas tanks, in particular CO2 stores, or H2 tanks, preferably also for fuel cell-equipped vehicles.

[0032] The feedthrough according to the invention is based on GTMS technology (glass-to-metal sealing technology) and can be used in particular for power feedthroughs in which the copper conductor is glass-sealed by means of a welding tube. Fields of use can be, for example, nuclear reactor feedthroughs, liquefied gas tankers, cable feedthroughs for oil / gas exploration and transportation and / or energy generation.

[0033] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a feed-through with a first functional element; [Figure 2] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a container with another preferred embodiment of a feedthrough with first and second functional elements, in this case the feedthrough is assembled in two configurations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] 1 shows a feedthrough 10 with a base body 20, which is formed in particular as a casing, through which a through-hole 22 extends. A functional element 30, which is formed in particular as an electrical contact, is arranged inside the through-hole 22 extending through the base body 20. The functional element 30 is connected to the base body 20 in a fluid-tight manner by an insulating material 40. The insulating material 40 is formed as molten glass and is located inside the through-hole 22 of the base body, more particularly between the base body 20 and the functional element 30.

[0036] A pressure guide channel 32, which may be configured as a central bore, is located inside the functional element 30. The pressure guide channel 32 allows the pressure portion to be guided from the inside of the first functional element 30 to the outside into the surrounding insulating material 40, so that the functional element 30 is housed in the insulating material 40 with a high pressure resistance and / or the insulating material 40 is housed in the base body 20 with a high pressure resistance.

[0037] The pressure guide passages 32 may in particular extend over the entire longitudinal (axial) direction of the insulating material 40 and / or the base body 20, thereby allowing pressure stabilization along the entire longitudinal direction.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the container 100 surrounds an inner space 200 which faces an outer space 300. Between the inner space 200 and the outer space 300, a feedthrough 10 and another feedthrough 10' are arranged in the container wall, in particular for exchanging electrical or other signals between the inner space 200 and the outer space 300.

[0039] Each feedthrough 10, 10' has a base body 20 through which a through-hole 22 extends. A tubular first functional element 30 is mounted in the through-hole 22, and an insulating material 40 forms a fluid-tight connection between them. The first functional element 30 is configured as a tube, and a second functional element 50, which functions as an electrical conductor, extends through its inner hollow space 36. A ring-shaped intermediate chamber 52 or gap remains between the first and second functional elements, into which pressure can enter from the pressure side. On the opposite side to the pressure side, the intermediate chamber 52 is closed by a connecting material 60. The intermediate chamber 52 thus forms a pressure-guiding channel 32 to the interior of the first functional element 30, allowing high pressure to act from its interior to the outside, thus pressing the tube outward against the insulating material 40. This stabilizes the feedthrough, particularly the first functional element 30, against being pushed outward from the base body along its longitudinal direction.

[0040] 2, two cases are distinguished. If the outer space 300 has a higher pressure than the inner space 200, an installation like that of the feedthrough 10 (left) occurs. The high outer pressure can therefore enter the pressure guide passage 32 and stabilize the feedthrough. Conversely, if the inner space 200 has a higher pressure than the outer space 300, an installation like that of the feedthrough 10' (right) occurs. The high inner pressure can therefore enter the pressure guide passage 32 and stabilize the feedthrough.

[0041] The present invention therefore provides a solution for improving the pressure resistance, in which the open side of the first functional element 30 is arranged to be exposed to pressure, resulting in a self-reinforcing arrangement as the pressure increases. The open area of ​​the functional element 30 protruding from the insulating material 40 is under equal pressure, while the area within the insulating material 40 is pressed more and more strongly into the insulating material 40 as the pressure increases. This makes it possible, in a surprisingly simple manner, to achieve a significant increase in the pressure resistance of the feed-through according to the present invention.

[0042] In this example, the feedthroughs 10, 10' are configured as power feedthroughs, with copper conductors 50 glass-encapsulated in the substrate 20 by means of a welding tube 30 and a pressure glass fill 40. Since the copper conductors 50 have a relatively large difference in thermal expansion coefficient compared to the glass 40, the welding tube 30 serves for expansion matching to the welding glass 40. The copper contacts 50 are connected at their ends to the welding tube 30 by means of hard solder 60.

[0043] Tests showed that the feedthrough 10 withstood a pressure of 680 bar without damage when the pressure guide passage 32 was present, whereas without the pressure guide passage 32 the feedthrough lost its tightness after a pressure of 380 bar. In the absence of the pressure guide passage 32, the copper contact could even be pushed out of the glass envelope together with the welding tube.

[0044] Although the container 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes at least one feedthrough 10, 10' with a first functional element 30 and a second functional element 50, it is also possible that the container 100 includes at least one feedthrough having only the first functional element, for example as shown in FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A feedthrough (10), comprising: a substrate (20) having at least one through hole (22) extending therethrough; at least one first functional element (30) arranged inside said at least one through-hole (22) and fluid-tightly connected to said base body (20); an insulating material (40) surrounding the first functional element (30) at least in a predetermined area and forming a fluid-tight connection with the substrate (20), the insulating material (40) comprising glass, glass-ceramic material, and / or ceramic material; In a feedthrough (10) comprising: A pressure guide passage (32) is located inside the first functional element (30), and a pressure portion generated by pressure is guided by the pressure guide passage (32) from the inside of the first functional element (30) to the outside of the first functional element (30) to the surrounding insulating material (40), thereby increasing the pressure resistance strength of the fluid-tight connection between the first functional element (30) and the base body (20); The pressure guide passage (32) is formed as a blind hole-like opening inside the first functional element (30), The first functional element (30) is arranged so that both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof protrude from the base (20). characterized in that Feedthrough (10).

2. The pressure generated by the pressure is guided from the inside to the outside of the first functional element (30) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the through hole (22) to the surrounding insulating material (40). The feedthrough (10) of claim 1.

3. The first functional element (30) is tubular in at least a certain section and has a tubular wall (34) surrounding an inner hollow space (36). A feedthrough (10) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The substrate (20) comprises a metal. A feedthrough (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the first functional element (30) comprises a metal; A feedthrough (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The feedthrough (10) has a pressure resistance of at least 400 bar. A feedthrough (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Use of a feedthrough (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in applications involving pressures of at least 400 bar.

8. 7. Use of a feedthrough (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in deep sea and / or chemically or radiologically contaminated environments, or in manned or unmanned ships or gas tanks.

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