Patent Application
20130133773
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of Invention
The present general inventive concept relates generally to an insulation tube, and more particularly to a multi-hole insulation tube with multiple interior insulation channels to accommodate multiple conduits of unequal temperatures. Each channel within the tube is insulated from the other channels so as to substantially prevent the negative influence of one conduit on another through conduction.
2. Description of the Related Art
The insulation of conduits or piping has long been known in the art. Further, the prior art also discloses grouping multiple conduits together and the insulation thereof. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,028 teaches a trunk line comprising a plurality of elongated flow lines in parallel juxtaposition, all housed in a single thermal insulation member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,602 teaches a foam-insulated hose designed to accommodate both a supply and return conduit filled with cryogenic fluid.
One problem with the above-mentioned prior art is that they cannot accommodate multiple conduits of unequal temperatures. When separate conduits or flow lines of unequal temperatures are in contact with one another, energy is transferred between them through conduction. Conduction causes each conduit or flow line to negatively influence the other. Thus, a system having a hot line and a cold line could not be housed in the same insulation envelope without energy being transferred between them.
In an effort to separate conduits housed in the same insulation envelope, U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,018 B2 discloses a beverage chase system where distribution lines are bundled together and enclosed in a foam tubular member. Multiple bundles are then grouped together in a parallel juxtaposition and encapsulated in a single insulated housing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,541 teaches a tube assembly for accommodating one or more conduits, each having a steel inner tube inside a steel outer tube and a plastic jacket enclosing the outer tubes. Going even further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,536 discloses composite tubing with one or more conveyance lines and one or more heating lines. One embodiment with multiple conveyance lines also includes a separation member that encompasses a single conveyance line and thermally separates said line from another line housed in the same composite tube.
In all the prior art disclosures with multiple conduits encompassed in a single insulation envelope, multiple conduits are either in direct contact with one another or are separated by an additional component meant to either insulate one or more conduits from another conduit or group thereof, or bundle a group of conduits together. What the prior art does not provide is a single insulation tube that has two or more insulation channels to accommodate and insulate two or more conduits of unequal temperatures without additional structural components.
The present general inventive concept, in some of its various embodiments, fills the above-mentioned void by providing a single insulation tube containing multiple insulation channels. The multiple insulation channels can accommodate multiple conduits of unequal temperature in a single insulation tube and prevent the temperature transfer from one conduit to another through conduction.
One embodiment of the multi-hole insulation tube is generally comprised of an elongated tubular member having two ends and made of flexible insulation material. The tube has an exterior surface and two or more defined interior insulation channels that extend between both ends. Each interior insulation channel is designed to receive a conduit that will extend through said insulation channel and through said tube. The insulation channels can be of the same diameter to accommodate multiple conduits of the same size. Alternatively, the insulation channels can vary in diameter to accommodate different sized conduits.
Importantly, each insulation channel is self-contained within the tube and separated from the other insulation channels by the insulation material itself. This is to facilitate the housing of multiple conduits with unequal temperature flows which is particularly useful in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. Frequently in residential and commercial air conditioning systems, multiple conduits or flow lines are simultaneously run between the same two termination points for recirculation. One is often for dispensing a relatively cooler flow to a termination point, and the other is often for returning a relatively warmer flow to the opposite termination point. In the past, each of these lines would require its own insulation tube because a single insulation housing would cause one line to negatively influence the other through conduction. The present invention permits both flow lines to be housed in a single insulation tube, thus saving space and reducing installation time.
The above-mentioned and additional features of the present general inventive concept will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:
The present general inventive concept, in some of its embodiments, includes generally an insulation tube made of flexible insulation foam material and having multiple insulation channels to accommodate multiple conduits. In one embodiment of the present invention, the insulation tube is made of an ethylene propylene diene monomer (“EPDM”) base elastomeric composition, however one skilled in the art of insulation materials will recognize that other elastomeric foam compositions can be used without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. For instance, suitable flexible insulation materials include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polymethylpentene (PMP), polybutene-1 (PB-1) polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyurethane (PU) as well as other polyolefin elastomers (POE) such as polyisobutylene (PIB) and ethylene propylene rubber (EPR). Additionally, other elastomeric foam materials, including but not limited to, nitrile (NBR), styrene-butadiene (SBR), polybutadiene (BR), natural rubber (NR), chloroprene (CR), butyl and halobutyl (IIR, BIIR, CIIR), silicone (MQ), blends with compatible rubbers, e.g. styrene-butadiene and polybutadiene, blends with compatible resins, e.g., nitrile and polyvinyl chloride can also be used.
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While the present general inventive concept has been illustrated by description of some embodiments, and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
