Patent US3668880A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3668880A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Capillary insulation
Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp
•
Filing: 1970-10-16
•
Granted: 1972-06-13
•
Expires: 1990-10-16
Abstract
Abstract A capillary insulation assembly for insulating low temperature liquids consists of a cellular core defining discrete cells and a capillary cover having at least one or more openings per cell attached to the liquid side of the cellular core. A structurally stable liquid-gas interface forms at each of the openings preventing the entry of liquid into the cell and thereby positioning a layer of gas between the liquid and the container wall. A thermal barrier in the form of an insulative layer is interposed between the capillary cover and the contained liquid with the insulative layer being operative to insulate the gasliquid interface from subcooled liquid in the container thereby to maintain the temperature at the interface at the saturation temperature.
Inventors
- 👤 John P Gille
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 22:36
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B3/00; B32B3/10; B32B3/12; B32B27/00; B32B27/36; C; C04; C04B; C04B38/00; C04B38/008; C04B38/0083; F; F16; F16L; F16L59/00; F16L59/14; F16L59/147; F17; F17C; F17C3/00; F17C3/02; F17C3/04; F17C3/06; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/30; B32B2307/304; B32B2439/00; B32B2439/40; F17C2203/00; F17C2203/03; F17C2223/00; F17C2223/01; F17C2223/0146; F17C2223/0153; F17C2223/0161; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S220/00; Y10S220/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
An insulation assembly for reducing heat transfer between a surface and a liquid comprising, means for providing a layer of gas between the liquid and the surface with a stable liquid-gas interface between said gas layer and the liquid, said means including a plurality of cells having a cover closing the liquid side thereof and having an opening in the cover in which the stable interface is formed, and means associated with said cover for controlling the thermodynamic relationship between the liquid at each stable liquid-gas interface and the vapor of the contained liquid within the respective cells to ensure that the liquid at each stable liquid-gas interface is not below its boiling temperature to thereby control the formation of said interface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
An insulation assembly for reducing heat transfer between a surface and a liquid comprising, means for providing a layer of gas between the liquid and the surface with a stable liquid-gas interface between said gas layer and the liquid, said means including a plurality of cells having a cover closing the liquid side thereof and having an opening in the cover in which the stable interface is formed, and means associated with said cover for controlling the thermodynamic relationship between the liquid at each stable liquid-gas interface and the vapor of the contained liquid within the respective cells to ensure that the liquid at each stable liquid-gas interface is not below its boiling temperature to thereby control the formation of said interface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The insulation assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means associated with said cover for controlling the thermodynamic relationship comprises means for thermally insulating the interface from the liquid remote to the interface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The insulation assembly of claim 2 wherein said means for insulating said interface comprises a thermal barrier operative to establish a differential between the temperature of the liquid remote from said interface and the temperature at the interface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The insulation assembly of claim 3 wherein said temperature differential corresponds to the differencE between the boiling temperature of the liquid at the interface and the temperature of the liquid remote from said interface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
The insulation assembly of claim 4 wherein said thermal barrier comprises a layer of material having low thermal conductivity interposed between said interface and the bulk of said liquid, said layer of material being so constructed that the liquid may pass from one side of said material remote from said interface through the material to the other side thereof adjacent to said interface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The insulation assembly of claim 3 wherein said thermal barrier comprises a layer of porous material adapted to receive and store liquid in a relatively stagnant layer to reduce free convection within said layer of material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The insulation assembly of claim 5 wherein said layer of material is positioned over said cover.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The insulation assembly of claim 1 wherein said means for controlling the thermodynamic relationship includes a gas in said cells other than the vapor of the liquid.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
109 words
In an insulation assembly for use in insulating the surface of a container for storing a low boiling point liquid therein, and which assembly includes means defining a plurality of cells for containing respective columns of gas between the liquid to be stored and the surface of said container, and a capillary means for said cells for establishing a capillary interface between each gas column and the liquid, the improvement comprising means for establishing a thermodynamic relationship between the liquid at each capillary interface and the vapor of the contained liquid within the cell to ensure that the liquid at each capillary interface is not below its boiling temperature.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
109 words
In an insulation assembly for use in insulating the surface of a container for storing a low boiling point liquid therein, and which assembly includes means defining a plurality of cells for containing respective columns of gas between the liquid to be stored and the surface of said container, and a capillary means for said cells for establishing a capillary interface between each gas column and the liquid, the improvement comprising means for establishing a thermodynamic relationship between the liquid at each capillary interface and the vapor of the contained liquid within the cell to ensure that the liquid at each capillary interface is not below its boiling temperature.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The assembly of claim 9 wherein said means for maintaining the temperature comprises a thermal barrier positioned between said interface and the bulk of said liquid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The assembly of claim 9 wherein said means for maintaining the temperature is operative to maintain said boiling temperature when the temperature of the liquid remote from said interface is lower than said boiling temperature.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
The assembly of claim 9 wherein said means for establishing the temperature of the interface comprises a gas in the cells other than the vapor of the liquid so that the pressure of the vapor of the liquid in the cells comprises a partial pressure of the total pressure in the cells.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2676773A
Cited
US2859895A
Cited
US3019937A
Cited
US2947438A
Cited
US2937780A
Cited
US3018018A
Cited
US3150794A
Cited
US3261087A
Cited
US3208621A
Cited
US3325037A
Cited
US3365897A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-13 | 1975-12-13 | 1976-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-13 | 1979-12-13 | 1980-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-13 | 1983-12-13 | 1984-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |