Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3521

A -- BOLTLESS FLANGE FOR CRITICAL PIPING CONNECTIONS SOL Cbd1099 DUE 041199 POC Paul Grahovac WEB: Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory, http://www.inel.gov/procurement/litco/index.htm. E-MAIL: Paul Grahovac, pg2@inel.gov. A -- Boltless flange for critical piping connections. U. S. Patent Number 5,620,208. This is a potential technology development and licensing opportunity with Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company (LMITCO), the prime operating contractor for the Department of Energy at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Flanges are commonly used in pipe (tubing) to provide additional strength and supporting area, and also to provide an enhanced means for joining together separate sections of pipe. Pipe commonly may be deformed to form a flange as part of the pipe or, alternately, separately manufactured flanges may be joined to pipe sections by welding, threading, brazing, gluing, or other means, depending on desired configurations and the type of pipe and flanges being used. In the case where flanges are used for joining pipe sections together, mating flanges on the ends of the pipes (where a joint is to be formed) are typically assembled together to join the pipe sections by aligning bolt holes in each flange and bolting the flanges together. It is not uncommon to use anywhere from two to twenty-four bolts for joining flanges used with industrial piping having dimensions of between 1/2" and 24" diameter. A common problem in using bolted flange pipe connections is the potential for stripping bolt or nut threads which causes excessive repair and assembly time. In certain cases, the pipe flanges are seal-welded around the perimeter of the joint prior to bolting in order to create leak proof joints. For these reasons, the flange assembly process is often cumbersome and time consuming. These noted drawbacks of conventional, bolted flanges are especially undesirable when a flanged joint is located in a hazardous area, such as extreme temperature ranges or weather conditions, under water, radiation areas, and toxic gas or material environments. Such common flange assembly problems can be dangerous to the flange worker in these hazardous areas. This patented device is designed to overcome these problems by providing a remotely operable, reusable, easy-to-use, flange system for pipes. This boltless flange system for joining metal piping includes a circular, wedge-shaped tongue on an upper flange for mating with a groove containing a fusible alloy in a lower flange. The lower flange includes a heating element for melting the fusible alloy, and a thermocouple device to sense the alloy temperature. Heat can be controlled and supplied from a remote source and monitored by a remote temperature indicator. The upper flange is positioned above the lower flange, tongue and groove aligned, and the lower flange is heated until the fusible alloy melts to allow the upper tongue to settle down within the lower groove. Upon removal of the heat, the alloy hardens to further bring the two flanges together, compressing an optional gasket. This flange system is also reusable. Also, the remote operability and ease-of-use significantly reduces worker time spent in hazardous areas for assembly or disassembly of pipe. LMITCO is seeking a written indication of interest from industry partners interested in funding a collaborative technology development project and /or entering into a license agreement for the purpose of developing and commercializing this technology. License terms will include an up-front licensing fee and a running royalty based on a percentage of sales. This is not an opportunity to provide goods or services to LMITCO or the Department of Energy. This Request for Interest (RFI) will close to response 30 days after publication. Interested parties should send e-mail to pg2@inel.gov (Paul Grahovac, Account Executive, Technology Transfer Office, LMITCO). If you do not have e-mail access, send regular mail to Paul Grahovac, Account Executive, Technology Transfer Office, LMITCO, P. O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3805. Posted 03/10/99 (W-SN306994). (0069)

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