Patents by Inventor Kunio Enomoto

Kunio Enomoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20060113010
    Abstract: In a method for heat treatment of an existing pipe constituting a piping system, for converting the residual stress at a welded metallic portion and a welding heat influenced portion of the inside surface of the pipe, into a compressive stress and thereby generate the compressive stress in the inside surface of the existing pipe, a coolant is retained in the pipe; an arbitrary portion of the outside surface of the pipe is heated; thereby a temperature distribution little in temperature difference is produced in the wall surface of the pipe at the heated portion; and then the coolant is allowed to flow. By converting the residual stress at the welded metallic portion and the welding heat influenced portion of the inside surface of the pipe, into the compressive stress, stress corrosion cracking generated from the welded metallic portion and the welding heat influenced portion can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventors: Noboru Saitou, Nobuyoshi Yanagida, Shoji Hayashi, Satoshi Kanno, Kunio Enomoto
  • Publication number: 20050087254
    Abstract: To provide a transfer method of crude oil and naphtha, in which one piping is used to transfer the naphtha and crude oil to a storage tank from a carrying tank in batches. To use a piping 53 to transfer a naphtha 3 to tanks 6 for the naphtha from inboard tanks 11, a method comprises: connecting the piping 53 to the tanks 4 for the crude oil; calculating the amount of the crude oil 2 remaining in the piping 53 beforehand; discharging the naphtha 3 from the inboard tanks 11; measuring the discharge amount; and stopping the discharge of the naphtha 3, changing to the tanks 4 for the crude oil, and restarting the discharge of the naphtha 3 based on a flow analysis of a mixed fluid 7 including the crude oil 2 and naphtha 3 in the piping 53, when the discharge amount of the naphtha 3 is substantially the same as the pre-calculated amount of the remaining crude oil 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Publication date: April 28, 2005
    Applicants: Idemitsu Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Idemitsu Tanker Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Tashiro, Kunio Enomoto, Yasushi Shinohara, Makoto Fujito
  • Patent number: 6639962
    Abstract: A preventive maintenance method and apparatus for a structural member in a reactor pressure vessel according to the present invention reduce a tensile residual stress on a surface of the structural member by impinging a water jet from a nozzle onto a plane surface of a deflector to thereby change direction of flow of the water jet, and impinging the water jet after being deflected onto the surface of the structural member. This method and apparatus are applicable to a narrow space portion, and can improve a residual stress on the surface of the structural member and can also prevent damage such as stress corrosion cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Ibaraki Business Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Katsuhiko Hirano, Eisaku Hayashi, Ren Morinaka, Sadato Shimizu, Satoshi Kanno, Shigeru Tanaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6612910
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal display device cutting method, and a liquid crystal display device cutting apparatus that prevents damaging attached flexible conductive lines by providing a rounded water jet cut edge of a glass liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display device cutting apparatus includes a pump for increasing the pressure of a liquid, a nozzle with a throat that receives the pressurized liquid, a movable nozzle support that is movable at least in a plane parallel to the liquid crystal display, and a conveyor supporting the liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Hirano, Makoto Hayashi, Kunio Enomoto, Makoto Kitano, Satoshi Kanno
  • Patent number: 6519991
    Abstract: A water jet peening apparatus which can carry out an efficient peening work on a large-diameter cylindrical structure by injecting a jet stream which contains air bubbles caused by cavitation at a low angle of incidence is provided. The apparatus is comprised of a nozzle which introduces a high pressure water and injects a water jet stream containing air bubbles caused by cavitation at the cylindrical structure disposed in water, wherein the angle of injection of the jet stream is smaller than 45 degrees relative to a tangent of the cylindrical structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Kiso Co., Ltd., Hitachi Ibaraki Business Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Hirano, Kunio Enomoto, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Ren Morinaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Shigeru Tanaka, Noboru Chiba
  • Publication number: 20020159558
    Abstract: A preventive maintenance method and apparatus for a structural member in a reactor pressure vessel according to the present invention reduce a tensile residual stress on a surface of the structural member by impinging a water jet from a nozzle onto a plane surface of a deflector to thereby change direction of flow of the water jet, and impinging the water jet after being deflected onto the surface of the structural member. This method and apparatus are applicable to a narrow space portion, and can improve a residual stress on the surface of the structural member and can also prevent damage such as stress corrosion cracking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Katsuhiko Hirano, Eisaku Hayashi, Ren Morinaka, Sadato Shimizu, Satoshi Kanno, Shigeru Tanaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20020116970
    Abstract: A water jet peening apparatus which can carry out an efficient peening work on a large-diameter cylindrical structure by injecting a jet stream which contains air bubbles caused by cavitation at a low angle of incidence is provided. The apparatus is comprised of a nozzle which introduces a high pressure water and injects a water jet stream containing air bubbles caused by cavitation at the cylindrical structure disposed in water, wherein the angle of injection of the jet stream is smaller than 45 degrees relative to a tangent of the cylindrical structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Hirano, Kunio Enomoto, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Ren Morinaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Shigeru Tanaka, Noboru Chiba
  • Patent number: 6425276
    Abstract: A water jet peening apparatus which can carry out an efficient peening work on a large-diameter cylindrical structure by injecting a jet stream which contains air bubbles caused by cavitation at a low angle of incidence is provided. The apparatus is comprised of a nozzle which introduces a high pressure water and injects a water jet stream containing air bubbles caused by cavitation at the cylindrical structure disposed in water, wherein the angle of injection of the jet stream is smaller than 45 degrees relative to a tangent of the cylindrical structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Kiso Co., Ltd., Hitachi Ibaraki Business Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Hirano, Kunio Enomoto, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Ren Morinaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Shigeru Tanaka, Noboru Chiba
  • Patent number: 6345083
    Abstract: A preventive maintenance method and apparatus for a structural member in a reactor pressure vessel according to the present invention reduce a tensile residual stress on a surface of the structural member by impinging a water jet from a nozzle onto a plane surface of a deflector to thereby change direction of flow of the water jet, and impinging the water jet after being deflected onto the surface of the structural member. This method and apparatus are applicable to a narrow space portion, and can improve a residual stress on the surface of the structural member and can also prevent damage such as stress corrosion cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Ibaraki Business Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Katsuhiko Hirano, Eisaku Hayashi, Ren Morinaka, Sadato Shimizu, Satoshi Kanno, Shigeru Tanaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6341151
    Abstract: A preventive maintenance method and apparatus for a structural member in a reactor pressure vessel according to the present invention reduce a tensile residual stress on a surface of the structural member by impinging a water jet from a nozzle onto a plane surface of a deflector to thereby change direction of flow of the water jet, and impinging the water jet after being deflected onto the surface of the structural member. This method and apparatus are applicable to a narrow space portion, and can improve a residual stress on the surface of the structural member and can also prevent damage such as stress corrosion cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Ibaraki Business Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Katsuhiko Hirano, Eisaku Hayashi, Ren Morinaka, Sadato Shimizu, Satoshi Kanno, Shigeru Tanaka, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6240155
    Abstract: A method of performing maintenance on a structural member inside a reactor pressure vessel includes lowering an annular guide rail having a second lug until the guide rail rests on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside the reactor pressure vessel, detachably mounting the second lug of the guide rail to a first lug mounted on the core shroud, positioning a discharging nozzle at a position at which compressive remaining stress is added to a surface of the core shroud by moving the discharging nozzle in a radial direction and an axial direction of the core shroud by a discharging nozzle moving apparatus mounted on a turnable revolving on the guide rail and discharging water to add compressive remaining stress to a surface of the core shroud from the discharging nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Kurosawa, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Minoru Ootaka, Fujio Yoshikubo, Ren Morinaka, Masayuki Nishino, Noboru Chiba, Kunio Enomoto, Kazunori Sato
  • Patent number: 6058153
    Abstract: A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes a ring-shaped guide rail having a plurality of lugs which is placed on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside a reactor pressure vessel. At least some of lugs separately engage with a plurality of guide rods provided on an inner surface of the reactor pressure vessel. A turntable is rotated on the guide rail. A first discharging nozzle moving apparatus placed on the turntable moves a first discharging nozzle for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of the core shroud in a radial direction of the core shroud and in an axial direction of the core shroud. A second discharging nozzle moving apparatus placed on the turntable moves a second discharging nozzle for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of the core shroud in a radial direction of the core shroud and in an axial direction of the core shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Kurosawa, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Minoru Ootaka, Fujio Yoshikubo, Ren Morinaka, Masayuki Nishino, Noboru Chiba, Kunio Enomoto, Kazunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5897062
    Abstract: A fluid jet nozzle has a water chamber accommodating therein pressurized fluid, an orifice communicating with the water chamber and contracting the fluid from the water chamber, a throat communicating with the orifice and through which the fluid from the orifice passes, a multiplication chamber communicating with the throat and receiving the fluid from the throat for multiplying cavitation, and a diffusion chamber receiving the fluid from the multiplication chamber for diffusing the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisya
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Katsuhiko Hirano, Masahiro Otaka, Kazuo Amano, Eisaku Hayashi, Sadato Shimizu, Ren Morinaka, Kazunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5749384
    Abstract: An apparatus preventive maintenance having a driving mechanism capable of driving a jet nozzle 24 to cause it to travel upward-and-downward, to rotate and to swing is settled on the top of a housing in the bottom portion of a reactor pressure vessel and on a hole for a fuel support piece, water pumped by a high pressure pump is spouted from a jet nozzle, and cavitation bubbles generated during the spouting are supplied to the positions to be treated for preventive maintenance, such as housings in the bottom portion of the reactor pressure vessel. Therewith, the residual tensile stress in the position to be treated is improved in a releasing direction by the energy generated by the collapsing of the cavitation bubbles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha, Hitachi Nuclear Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Kiso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eisaku Hayashi, Koichi Kurosawa, Fujio Yoshikubo, Hideyasu Furukawa, Ren Morinaka, Kunio Enomoto, Masahiro Otaka, Noboru Chiba, Kazunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5553106
    Abstract: Low temperature water in a low temperature water tank 12 installed outside a reactor pressure vessel 9 is pumped by a high pressure pump 15 and supplied through a conductor 17 under pressure. The supplied water is ejected, as a stream of cold water jet 8, from a nozzle 14 connected to the conductor 17 and introduced into the reactor pressure vessel 9 by a driving mechanism. The stream of cold water jet 8 ejected from the nozzle 14 is directed to impinge against a predetermined position of a core shroud 13 in reactor water 11 filled in the reactor pressure vessel 9 and being at temperature higher than the low temperature water. Then, while continuing to eject the cold water jet 8 from the nozzle 14, the nozzle 14 is moved away from the predetermined position, or the ejection of the cold water jet 8 from the nozzle 14 is stopped, allowing the predetermined position to be heated again with the temperature of the reactor water 11.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Masahiro Otaka, Kazuo Amano, Koichi Kurosawa, Eisaku Hayashi, Ren Morinaka, Shigeo Hattori, Kasunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5414356
    Abstract: A fluxmeter includes an application unit for applying a magnetic field, a superconducting quantum interference element and a flux transmitting circuit. The flux transmitting circuit includes a pickup coil formed of a superconducting print coil and a core for the pickup coil. The core is formed of a soft magnetic material. The core serves to suppress the leakage of magnetic flux to magnetically couple the pickup coil and the superconducting quantum interference element efficiently to improve the sensitivity and resolution of the fluxmeter. The pickup coil may be manufactured by photolithography, sputtering, laser beam deposition, MBE deposition, MOCVD or spray pyrolysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Yoshimura, Tasuku Shimizu, Yuichi Ishikawa, Masahiro Otaka, Yuko Koguchi, Kunio Enomoto, Kunio Hasegawa, Makoto Hayashi, Kazuo Takaku
  • Patent number: 5329099
    Abstract: A method of maintaining the housing of a reactor pressure vessel having: a reactor pressure vessel into which cooling water is introduced; a cylindrical housing which penetrates an end bracket of the reactor pressure vessel; and a circumferential weld for securing the intermediate portion of the housing to the reactor pressure vessel by welding, the method of maintaining a housing of a reactor pressure vessel comprising the steps of: remaining the cooling water in the reactor pressure vessel; preventing leakage of the cooling water in the reactor pressure vessel through the housing by sealing the housing; making the inside portion of the housing lower than the seal to be a hollow space of a gas atmosphere; heating a heat affected zone due to welding by using a heating device inserted into the hollow space from a lower portion so as to compressive-yield the inner surface of the housing in the heat affected portion upper than the circumferential weld and tensile-yield the outer surface; and cooling heated porti
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Masahiro Otaka, Kunio Hasegawa, Makoto Hayashi, Shinji Sakata, Hideyo Saito, Koichi Kurosawa, Takashi Saito, Yoshinori Karatsu, Motoya Ito
  • Patent number: 5305361
    Abstract: A water jet peening method in which a pressurized water jet flow containing cavities is jetted through a nozzle having a velocity increasing orifice portion and a horn-like jetting hole formed continuously with the velocity increasing orifice portion to impinge against a surface of a metallic material immersed in water and to cause the cavities to collapse at the surface of the metallic member, and a tensile plastic deformation is caused in a surface layer of the metallic material by a local high pressure generated by the impingement and the collapse so that a residual tensile stress in the surface of the metallic member is reduced. In this method, the nozzle is vibrated so that vibration-induced cavities are formed in the vicinity of a nozzle wall surface, and the vibration-induced cavities are caused to impinge against the surface of the metallic member by the pressurized water jet flow containing cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Enomoto, Masahiro Otaka, Koichi Kurosawa, Hideyo Saito, Hiroshi Tsujimura, Yasumasa Tamai, Keiichi Uraki, Masahito Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 5215829
    Abstract: A method for strengthening a pressure resistant property of a hollowed structure made of a metallic material and a pressure resistant hollowed structure made by such method. The method includes providing a temperature differential in a thickness direction between an outer side and an inner side of the metallic material with an arranged sufficient to generate a stress not exceeding a yielding stress of the metallic material. The outer side and inner side are pressurized so as to superimposed a stress generated by the pressurizing and the stress caused by the temperature differential reaching the yielding stress of the metallic material. The pressure is released subsequent to the superimposed stress reaching a level of the yielding stress of the metallic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Matsunobu, Kenzi Aizawa, Kazumi Anazawa, Kunio Enomoto
  • Patent number: 5134368
    Abstract: On the basis of a finding that a magnetic hysteresis of a metal material, among magnetization characteristics changing with secular degradation of the metal material, shows a clear correspondence with the degree of degradation of the metal material, a change in such a magnetization characteristic is measured to estimate the degree of secular degradation of the metal material. In a typical embodiment, a superconducting quantum interference device is used to detect the magnetization characteristic of a measuring object. According to the present invention, the degree of embrittlement of a metal material used in an environment of high temperatures can be quickly detected in a non-destructive fashion so that the danger of brittle fracture of the metal material can be reliably prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Otaka, Kunio Enomoto, Kunio Hasegawa, Makoto Hayashi, Tasuku Shimizu, Kazuo Takaku