Cross Seal Technology – Patent Number: 8,814,176

Background of the Invention:
Numerous devices are known for which one or more seals are required to seal joints in the device.  Pumping devices, vacuum devices, engines, jointed delivery channels (e.g., hoses, tubing, etc.), reservoir chambers for liquid and/or gaseous materials, storage vessels, etc. all require some type of seal in order to function properly.  As the positive or negative pressure at which such devices operate is increased, the need for proper sealing similarly increases if the device is to function properly, if at all.

There is a percentage of pressure vessels in existence which include two or more intersecting joints that must be sealed. Often, the development of a seal between these intersecting joints proves more troublesome than redesigning the joint to avoid this condition. This has often been the case even when the redesign results in a less desirable, less efficient, and/or more costly design. Now with the advent of Cross Seal Technology (CST) there is a cost-effective solution for sealing a split chamber with more than one continuous seal. A 21ST century solution, designed for containment of pressure for the special case of joining intersecting cords.

Such was the case for an ASME Code pressure vessel TTD designed in cooperation with Troy Boiler Works, Inc. and ProSolutions USA LLC for General Electric Global Research. This vessel was designed for 220 PSI @ 200° Fahrenheit, which is routine except that the vessel was required to split into four discrete sections. The real problem for Troy Tool & Engineering was how to seal these discrete sections once the Static Rig (left) was assembled.

The Cross Seal is intended to allow the design engineer more latitude in the design of pressure vessels, by permitting multiple pressure boundary partitions. The Cross Seal is versatile, able to adapt to various joint geometries and any cord sizes. The Cross Seal can even join multiple cords of different sizes.