Heat exchanger closure construction

Claim 1

IN A HEAT EXHANGER, A SHELL WALL HAVING AN INNER SURFACE AND AN ANNULAR END SURFACE AT THE OPEN END OF THE SHELL, THE SHELL WALL INNER SURFACE BEING FORMED WITH A FRUSTO-CONICAL SHOULDER INCLINED INWARDLY TOWARD THE OPEN END OF THE SHELL ADJACENT BUT SPACED FROM THE SHELL END SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF HEAT EXCHANGE TUBES WITHIN THE SHELL, A TUBE SHEET HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE TELESCOPED WITHIN THE OPEN END OF THE SHELL, END PORTIONS OF THE TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH AND BEING SECURED TO THE TUBE SHEET, THE TUBE SHEET OUTER SURFACE BEING FORMED WITH A FRUSTO-CONICAL SHOULDER INCLINED OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE SHELL INTERIOR ADJACENT THE SHELL SHOULDER, THE TUBE SHEET HAVING A CYLINDRICAL END PORTION EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE TUBES AND OUTWARDLY OF AND SPACED FROM THE SHELL END SURFACE AND FORMING A TUBE FLUID HEAD CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE TUBES, A COVER FOR THE CHAMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE CYLINDRICAL END PORTION OF THE TUBE SHEET, MEANS FORMING A FLUID-TIGHT JOINT BETWEEN THE COVER AND TUBE SHEET CYLINDRICAL END PORTION, THE OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF THE TUBE SHEET AND THE CYLINDRICAL END PORTION THEREOF BEING THREADED, A COMPRESSION RING THREADED ONTO THE THREADED PERIPHERAL TUBE SHEET SURFACE ADAPTED TO BE ADJUSTED TO POSITIONS AXIALLY OF THE SHELL END SURFACE AND SAID FLUID-TIGHT JOINT, THE RING HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED THREADED STUD HOLES THERETHROUGH, THE COVER ALSO HAVING AN EQUAL NUMBER OF SPACED UNTHREADED STUD HOLES ADAPTED TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE RING STUD HOLES, STUD MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH EACH PAIR OF SAID ALIGNED HOLES AND IN THREADED CONNECTION WITH SAID THREADED STUD HOLES, EACH STUD MEANS HAVING AN END PORTION PROJECTING FROM THE RING TOWARD AND ENGAGING THE SHELL END SURFACE, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID STUD MEANS TO PLACE SAID PROJECTING END PORTION UNDER COMPRESSION THEREBY ENGAGING SAID FRUSTOCONICAL SHOULDER IN FLUID-TIGHT ABUTMENT, A NUT ON EACH STUD MEANS ENGAGING THE COVER; SAID NUTS BEING ADJUSTABLE TO TENSION THE STUD MEANS PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH THE COVER HOLES THEREBY ENGAGING THE COVER, TUBE SHEET CYLINDRICAL END PORTION, AND FLUID-TIGHT JOINT MEANS TO FORM SAID FLUID-TIGHT JOINT THEREBETWEEN; WHEREBY THE STUD MEANS COMPRESSION AND TENSION PORTIONS ARE EACH INDEPENDENTLY ADJUSTABLE FOR ADJUSTING THE RESPECTIVE FLUID-TIGHT ENGAGEMENTS BETWEEN THE FRUSTO-CONICAL SHOULDERS AND THE COVER AND TUBE SHEET.