Pipe system for low-temperature fluids

Claim 2

A conduit system, comprising an outer evacuable casing; a low-temperature-fluid-carrying pipe extending through said casing: and at least one insulating element surrounding said pipe and traversible thereby while being received within said casing between the latter and said pipe, said element comprising a support duct receiving said pipe with at least a limited clearance sufficient to permit relative axial movement of said element and said pipe and extending along said pipe, a body of thermal-radiation shielding surrounding said duct and carried thereby, and roller means engaging the inner wall of said casing and enabling said element to be inserted into said casing.

Claim 3

The conduit system defined in claim 1 wherein said element comprises a pair of annular spacer members at each end of said element flanking said body of thermal-radiation shielding and carrying said duct, said roller means including a respective set of angularly equispaced rollers rollingly engaging the inner wall of said casing at a plurality of locations mounted on each of said members.

Claim 4

A conduit system, comprising an outer evacuable casing; a low-temperature-fluid-carrying pipe extending through said casing; and a plurality of insulating elements surrounding said pipe in end-to-end relationship and traversed thereby while being received within said casing between the latter and said pipe, each of said elements comprising a support duct receiving said pipe with at least limited clearance and extending along said pipe, a body of thermal radiation shielding surrounding said duct and carried thereby, roller means engaging the inner wall of said casing and enabling the elements to be inserted into said casing, and a pair of annular spacer members at each end of each element flanking said body of thermal-radiation shielding and carrying said duct, said roller means including a respective set of angularly equispaced rollers mounted on each of said members, the spacer members of each of said elements being of frustoconical configuration and converging in the same direction and being complementary for interfitting of the adjacent elements.

Claim 5

A conduit system, comprising an outer evacuable casing; a low-temperature-fluid-carrying pipe extending through said casing; and a plurality of insulating elements surrounding said pipe in end-to-end relationship and traversed thereby while being received within said casing between the latter and said pipe, each of said elements comprising a support duct receiving said pipe with at least limited clearance and extending along said pipe, a body of thermal radiation shielding surrounding said duct and carried thereby, roller means engaging the inner wall of said casing and enabling the elements to be inserted into said casing, and a pair of annular spacer members at each end of each element flanking said body of thermal-radiation shielding and carrying said duct, said roller means including a respective set of angularly equispaced rollers mounted on each of said members, the spacer members of each of said elements being of frustoconical configuration and converging in the same direction and being complementary for interfitting of the adjacent elements.

Claim 6

The system defined in Claim 3, further comprising a plurality of stabilization tierods anchored at the base of at least one of said members and traversing said body of thermal-radiation shielding and anchored to said duct, said tierods being composed of material of low thermal conductivity.

Claim 7

The system defined in claim 4, wherein said tierods are composed of nylon.

Claim 8

The system defined in claim 3, wherein said members and said duct are each composed of at least two parts fittable around said pipe.

Claim 9

The system defined in claim 3, wherein each of said members is composed of low corrosivity sheet metal and has a respective ring surrounding its base, said sets of rollers being mounted upon said rings, each of said sets of rollers consisting of at least three rollers angularly equispaced about the axis of the element and rotatable about respective axes lying along the chords of said casing in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the casing, said duct being composed of a synthetic resin.

Claim 10

The conduit system defined in claim 7, wherein said body of thermal-radiation shielding is a coil of an insulating foil wrapped around said duct with successive turns staggered to correspond to the conicity of said members, least one of said members of each of said elements being stabilized by a plurality of angularly equispaced generally radial tierods of a low thermal conductivity synthetic resin connected to the respective ring and to said duct, while traversing said turns.

Claim 11

The conduit system defined in claim 8, wherein each of said members is provided with a multiplicity of slots in respective annular arrays with the arrays of slots being axially spaced from one another and the slots of each array being angularly equispaced about the axis of the element whereby thermal conduction along said members is restricted.

Claim 12

The conduit system defined in claim 9, wherein said pipe is a flexible conduit, further comprising at least one electrical conductor extending through said flexible conduit.