Rotating Pressure Bulkhead Penetrator for Angular Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulkhead penetrators face challenges in achieving precise angular orientation and pressure sealing across different environments, often leading to issues like over-tightening, cracking, or leaking, especially when dealing with national pipe thread connections and pressure vessels.
Innovation Solution
A bidirectional, rotating pressure bulkhead penetrator with inner and outer penetrators connected by a sealing mechanism, allowing independent swiveling and accommodating different pressure regions, equipped with multiple sealing mechanisms like O-rings to ensure pressure isolation and fluid transfer across varying environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the connection is tightened to achieve precise angular orientation, then the orientation precision is improved, but the risk of cracking increases due to over-tightening
Solution Approach 1:
The penetrator incorporates a rotating mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the connection angle after assembly. This enables the connection to be tightened to a safe pre-determined torque level without relying on over-tightening to achieve the correct angle, thereby preventing cracking while maintaining the ability to achieve precise angular orientation through controlled rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device includes pre-marked angular positions and a rotation mechanism that allows the connection to be initially tightened to a safe torque level, then rotated to the desired angular position. This preliminary tightening followed by angular adjustment eliminates the need to over-tighten to achieve angle precision, resolving the contradiction between orientation precision and connection strength.
2Strength
If the connection is under-tightened to achieve the desired angle, then the risk of cracking is reduced, but leaking occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating mechanism allows the connection to be tightened to a sufficient torque level to ensure sealing, then independently rotated to achieve the desired angular orientation. This separates the sealing function (achieved through adequate tightening) from the orientation function (achieved through rotation), eliminating the need to under-tighten to protect against cracking while still achieving the desired angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection is first tightened to a pre-determined sufficient torque level to ensure sealing reliability, then rotated to the desired angular position. This preliminary sealing action followed by angular adjustment ensures both adequate tightening for sealing and precise angle achievement without the contradiction of under-tightening.
3Device complexity
If a single penetrator design is used for pressure vessels, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different pressure regions and fluids is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The penetrator is divided into distinct segments including an inner penetrator and an outer penetrator, each capable of independent rotation and pressure isolation. This segmentation allows each segment to be optimized for specific pressure regions and fluid types while maintaining a relatively simple overall design structure, thereby increasing adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The penetrator design incorporates multiple sealing mechanisms and independent rotation capabilities that allow a single device to handle multiple pressure regions and different fluid types. The universal design features enable the same penetrator structure to adapt to various applications (different pressures, fluids, and angular requirements) without requiring completely different designs for each scenario.
4Ease of manufacture
If threading is done directly into the bulkhead, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the ability to handle pressure on both sides and adjust angle is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single threaded connection, the penetrator uses segmented inner and outer penetrators with independent rotation capabilities and separate sealing mechanisms. This segmentation enables the device to handle pressure on both sides of the bulkhead and allow angular adjustment while maintaining a manufacturing process that is relatively simple, as each segment can be manufactured using standard techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The penetrator acts as an intermediary device between the bulkhead and the external connection. It provides the bulkhead with a simple threaded interface while incorporating the complexity of pressure isolation and angular adjustment within the penetrator itself. This intermediary approach simplifies the bulkhead modification while achieving the desired pressure handling and adaptability capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A bulkhead penetrator comprising a body having an interior and an exterior. An element having a first pressure is disposed within the body's interior in a first pressure region. An inner penetrator is configured to permit a transfer of the element from the body's interior past the physical boundary to the exterior of the body in a second pressure region having a second pressure, the inner penetrator having an interior surface exposed to the first pressure region and an exterior surface exposed to the second pressure region. An outer penetrator is configured to permit the transfer of the element from the interior of the body past the physical boundary to the exterior of the body in a third pressure region having a third pressure. An inner-outer connector connects the inner penetrator to the outer penetrator. Sealing mechanisms may prevent the transfer of the element from the first pressure region.