Patents Assigned to Tubemaster, Inc
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Patent number: 11833501Abstract: A sector marker for placement over a tubesheet and defining an opening for performing maintenance on an open tube located below the sector marker, the sector marker positioned over the tubesheet by at least two pins extending below the sector marker and respectively received in tube openings below the sector marker. A device and a method for easily and accurately marking and identifying the location of the tubes in a reactor vessel and for keeping track, in real-time, of the tasks performed on the tubes.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2022Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventor: Clifford L. Johns
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Patent number: 11660579Abstract: An air lance for removing pellets from tubes includes a conduit body having an inlet end and a bottommost discharge opening, and a poker fixed relative to the conduit body and projecting beyond the bottommost discharge opening to serve as a spacer and poker; wherein a rigid member extends along said conduit body, such that that a hammering force applied to said rigid member where it extends outside of the tube will be transmitted through said rigid member to said poker for dislodging and breaking pellets.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2021Date of Patent: May 30, 2023Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Paul D Gossen, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Clifford L Johns
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Publication number: 20230112170Abstract: A loading device for loading pellets into reactor tubes has a modular design, which can be taken apart, moved through a manway, and then reassembled simply by stacking one part on top of another. A reciprocating slide plate and a vibrator work together to meter pellets through the loading device and into the reactor tubes.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2022Publication date: April 13, 2023Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L. Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Paul D. Gossen, Christopher G. Johns
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Patent number: 11590471Abstract: A device for loading pellets into reactor tubes includes a portable loading box with a bottom wall defining an opening, a loading tube projecting downwardly from the opening, and a movable dam for dividing said loading box into separate chambers.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2020Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Douglas Keith Cornett
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Publication number: 20220387953Abstract: A sector marker for placement over a tubesheet and defining an opening for performing maintenance on an open tube located below the sector marker, the sector marker positioned over the tubesheet by at least two pins extending below the sector marker and respectively received in tube openings below the sector marker. A device and a method for easily and accurately marking and identifying the location of the tubes in a reactor vessel and for keeping track, in real-time, of the tasks performed on the tubes.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2022Publication date: December 8, 2022Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventor: Clifford L. Johns
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Patent number: 11406955Abstract: An air lance for removing pellets from tubes may include a nozzle with an inner surface having converging and diverging portions adjacent the downstream end of the nozzle to improve air flow. The air lance may include a projection fixed relative to the nozzle and extending beyond the downstream end of the nozzle to serve as a feeler, a poker, and a spacer.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2020Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews
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Publication number: 20220008883Abstract: An air lance for removing pellets from tubes includes a conduit body having an inlet end and a bottommost discharge opening, and a poker fixed relative to the conduit body and projecting beyond the bottommost discharge opening to serve as a spacer and poker; wherein a rigid member extends along said conduit body, such that that a hammering force applied to said rigid member where it extends outside of the tube will be transmitted through said rigid member to said poker for dislodging and breaking pellets.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2021Publication date: January 13, 2022Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Paul D. Gossen, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Clifford L. Johns
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Publication number: 20210310756Abstract: A grit blasting arrangement for cleaning chemical reactor tubes includes means for ensuring the grit blast nozzle is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the tube to be cleaned.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2021Publication date: October 7, 2021Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Stephen W Brewer
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Patent number: 11103842Abstract: A device and method for loading pellets. A funnel includes a means for loading pellets into a reactor tube, and a means for quickly and easily measuring the elevation of pellets in the reactor tube while the reactor tube is being loaded. A vacuum-assist device may be used to pick up and transfer a desired volume of porous pellets while removing dust from the porous pellets.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2020Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas K Cornett, Clifford L Johns
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Publication number: 20210220787Abstract: A device for loading pellets into reactor tubes includes a portable loading box with a bottom wall defining an opening, a loading tube projecting downwardly from the opening, and a movable dam for dividing said loading box into separate chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2020Publication date: July 22, 2021Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews, Douglas Keith Cornett
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Publication number: 20200353433Abstract: A device and method for loading pellets. A funnel includes a means for loading pellets into a reactor tube, and a means for quickly and easily measuring the elevation of pellets in the reactor tube while the reactor tube is being loaded. A vacuum-assist device may be used to pick up and transfer a desired volume of porous pellets while removing dust from the porous pellets.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2020Publication date: November 12, 2020Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas K Cornett, Clifford L Johns
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Publication number: 20200338513Abstract: An air lance for removing pellets from tubes may include a nozzle with an inner surface having converging and diverging portions adjacent the downstream end of the nozzle to improve air flow. The air lance may include a projection fixed relative to the nozzle and extending beyond the downstream end of the nozzle to serve as a feeler, a poker, and a spacer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2020Publication date: October 29, 2020Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L. Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews
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Patent number: 10710039Abstract: A device and method for loading pellets. A funnel includes a means for loading pellets into a reactor tube, and a means for quickly and easily measuring the elevation of pellets in the reactor tube while the reactor tube is being loaded. A vacuum-assist device may be used to pick up and transfer a desired volume of porous pellets while removing dust from the porous pellets.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2017Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas K Cornett, Clifford L Johns
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Patent number: 10493417Abstract: A method for loading pellets into receptacles having an open top end and a bottom end uses a pressurized fluid injected through injector tubing to form virtual blankets at a plurality of elevations inside the receptacle to reduce the acceleration of the falling pellets in order to provide gentle loading of the pellets.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2018Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Keith Cornett, Clifford L Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews
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Patent number: 10267968Abstract: A communications arrangement includes incoming and outgoing fiber optics cables, each having one end inside a confined space and another end outside of the confined space, with the incoming fiber optics cable transmitting light from outside of the confined space, to inside the confined space, through a gap and through a movable filter to the outgoing fiber optics cable, such that a user inside the confined space can transmit signals from inside the confined space to outside of the confined space by moving the movable filter.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2017Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventor: Clifford L Johns
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Publication number: 20180304219Abstract: A method for loading pellets into receptacles uses a pressurized fluid to form virtual blankets at a plurality of elevations inside the receptacle to reduce the acceleration of the falling pellets in order to provide gentle loading of the pellets.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2018Publication date: October 25, 2018Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Keith Cornett, Clifford L. Johns, Dennis Patrick McAndrews
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Publication number: 20180172892Abstract: A communications arrangement includes incoming and outgoing fiber optics cables, each having one end inside a confined space and another end outside of the confined space, with the incoming fiber optics cable transmitting light from outside of the confined space, to inside the confined space, through a gap and through a movable filter to the outgoing fiber optics cable, such that a user inside the confined space can transmit signals from inside the confined space to outside of the confined space by moving the movable filter.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2017Publication date: June 21, 2018Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventor: Clifford L. Johns
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Publication number: 20180141016Abstract: A device and method for loading pellets. A funnel includes a means for loading pellets into a reactor tube, and a means for quickly and easily measuring the elevation of pellets in the reactor tube while the reactor tube is being loaded. A vacuum-assist device may be used to pick up and transfer a desired volume of porous pellets while removing dust from the porous pellets.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2017Publication date: May 24, 2018Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Douglas K. Cornett, Clifford L. Johns
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Publication number: 20170296994Abstract: An arrangement for loading particles through an opening using an upwardly-facing, flexible sheet so that, when particles rest on the flexible sheet and the sheet flexes, the flexing of the sheet breaks up bridges formed by the particles.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L Johns, Stephen W. Brewer
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Publication number: 20120137517Abstract: A method for marking a specific tube in a shell and tube heat exchanger includes inserting a marker into a second tube adjacent to the tube to be marked and directing a directional pointer on the marker toward the tube to be marked.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2011Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: Tubemaster, Inc.Inventors: Clifford L. Johns, Guillermo Camoriano, Bart Nuss, Dennis McAndrews, Munaf N. Chasmawala, Matthew Laughlin, Douglas K. Cornett