US3836015A

US3836015A - Tube bundle extractor

Info

Publication number: US3836015A
Application number: US00345854A
Authority: US
Inventors: B Travis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-03-29
Filing date: 1973-03-29
Publication date: 1974-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 1991-09-17
Also published as: CA987889A

Abstract

A tube bundle pulling or pushing mechanism consisting of an elongated framework adapted to be suspended from a crane hook and including a pair of rails which support the tube bundle and a car movable along the rails to pull or push the bundle. The framework consists of two parts shiftable with respect to one another, one part being a base frame including the rails, crossbeams supporting the rails and extending to either side of them, and a pair of longitudinally extending outrigger beams joining the ends of the crossbeams. The outrigger beams are holow, and slidable within each is a link beam having ears at both ends projecting upwardly through longitudinal slots in the outrigger beam. The sliding beam belongs to the second part of the framework, the cradle, which further includes vertical tension bars joining the four ears at their lower ends and connected to a rectangular superstructure at their upper ends. The superstructure also includes a brace supporting an eye member which receives a crane hook. A pair of linear actuators disposed on the outrigger beams and having their pistons connected to the sliding beams permits the cradle to be moved relative to the base frame. Also disclosed are novel means for connecting a pulling member which is offset from the center of a bundle of U-tubes to the end sheet of such bundle through a cluster of holes at the center of the end sheet; novel and remotely controlled means for both aligning the extractor with the heat exchanger shell and securing abutting ends of the two structures together against vertical loads; novel means for clamping such two ends together to prevent relative longitudinal movement; improved means for adjusting the width of the extractor to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters; new and improved means for remotely and safely controlling a set of dogs which depend from a movable car and selectively interlock the car with the base frame; and a plurality of auxiliary power means for moving the car along the rails relatively rapidly, after the prime mover on the car has done the major job of breaking loose from a heat exchanger a tightly fitting bundle of tubes.

Description

[451 Sept. 17, 1974 second part of the the cradle, which further includes vertical ends heir heir pistons connected to he cradle to be moved tending outrigger beams joining th beams. The outrigger beams are within each is a link beam having ears at projecting upwardly through longitudinal slots in the outrigger beam.

The sliding beam belongs to the framework,

tension bars joining the four ears at their lower and connected to a rectangular superstructure at t upper ends. The superst supporting an eye mem hook. A pair of linear actuators outrigger beams and having t the sliding beams permits t relative to the base frame.

TUBE BUNDLE EXTRACTOR Inventor: Bobby J. Travis, 345 Mayhaw St.,

Vidor, Tex. 77662 Filed: Mar. 29, 1973 U.S. Cl. 214/1 P, 29/202, 2l4/l6.4 R, 254/105 B66f/l/00; 2l4/l P, 1 PA, 214/l6.4, 730; 29/202; 254/29, 30, 105; 294/86 TS, 78 A References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS aaedhu e e S rm m mmw aw on b u tfluvovlattm .mr e a m mm ec sws d RSa WMb 0 m who v m d m Ce Cwl n n m e m mmmwtw mmaw wae gpmr.

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l 1.! 7 n elh 2,0, ,SvSID, rt 5 O .1t l33333 PA United States Patent Travis [21] Appl. No: 345,854

[58] Field ofSearch........

SHEET 2 BF 7 PAIENTEDSEPI 1 I974 PATENTEBSEPI H 14 3,886.0 1 5 SHEET 3 [1F 7 IO\ Y 38 ii 0 I' li 0 l2.

l n m -1 M m l PATENIEBSEP 11914 SHEET 6 BF 7 TUBE BUNDLE EXTRACTOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention lies broadly within the field of linear force application devices, i.e., devices to apply a force to one linearly elongated object to move it with respect to another, while at the same time retaining the second linearly elongated object in a static position. More specifically, the present invention constitues an improved tube bundle extractor, one designed and adapted to pull an array of tubing from a horizontally elongated heat exchanger shell.

PRIOR ART In the tube bundle extractor field, the closest prior art known to the undersigned inventor is his own U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,044, issued Mar. 2, 1971. This patent discloses a tube bundle extractor including a superstructure adapted to be hung from a cable hook, an elongated base frame including a pair of rails supported by the superstructure and disposed in line with a horizontally mounted heat exchanger, a connector used for clamping one end of the base frame to the shell of the heat exchanger, a car or skid disposed on the rails and movable along the rails in the longitudinal direction of the base frame, a large hydraulic cylinder secured to the movable car and having its piston extensible in the same longitudinal direction, means for connecting the free end of the piston to the end sheet of the tube bundle within the heat exchanger, and dog means depending from the car to contact cross beams of the base frame during a power stroke of the piston, to transmit reaction force to the frame. While such tube bundle extractor has worked admirably, the patent does not disclose any remotely controllable means for adjusting the center of gravity of the extractor and any tube bundle that may be mounted on it during a disassembly or assembly operation, nor does it provide means for making such adjustments other than manually. Such adjustments are very important for the protection of both personnel and equipment, as all of the weight is suspended from a single point and only a small moment would be required to tip the device, when it is disconnected from the heat exchanger, to create a hazard of letting the tube bundle slip off the extractor and crash down to the earth. During the time when the tube bundle extractor and heat exchanger are connected together, the same type of moment may produce undesired stresses on the equipment, stresses which if allowed to increase in magnitude may result in breakage.

Other prior art disclosures teach assemblies somewhat similar to that of the Travis Patent, but differ therefrom primarily in the means for supporting and propelling the movable car or carriage. In one such prior art disclosure, the carriage supports pendent from its lower portion a large nut which threadedly engages a worm gear or feed screw extending longitudinally between the rails on which the carriage travels. In other prior art extractors the carriage is supported on and suspended from a monorail, and slings are used to support the tube bundle from the monorail as it is pulled from the heat exchanger. Yet other extractors make extensive use of chain drive systems, both for pulling the tube bundle loose from the heat exchanger and in moving the car and attached tube bundle to disengage the tube bundle from the heat exchanger.

None of these prior art devices discloses a reliable and efficient means for shifting the center of gravity of the suspended apparatus, a means in which one part of the supporting framework may be moved relative to another part. None of them discloses a means for attaching the pushing or pulling apparatus to a bundle of U- tubes, one in which each tube is open at the available front header, but is bent at the rear and joined to a second such tube so that there is no way of extending arod all the way through any one tube. All of them are also deficient in failing to disclose various of the other improvements of the present invention, including means for adjusting the suspension framework to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters, improved means for clamping one end of the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger, improved and remotely controllable means for lowering and raising one end of the tube bundle extractor to align the same with the tube bundle, and improved means mounted on the movable car to make it self propelling with respect to the base framework on which it travels.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a tube bundle extractor overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

A more specific object is to provide a tube bundle extractor having a suspended and load supporting framework in which one part of the framework is longitudinally movable with respect to another part of such framework in order to shift the center of gravity of the suspended assembly to a position below the point of suspension.

A further object is to provide such a tube bundle extractor which includes novel means for pulling or pushing a tube bundle.

Another object is to provide improved means for clamping one end of the framework of such a tube bundle extractor to a shell of a heat exchanger, some of said improved means being manually adjustable and others being remotely adjustable.

Another object is to provide an improved means of aligning such a tube bundle extractor with a heat exchanger, so that one end of the base frame of the tube bundle extractor will contact the end flange of a heat exchanger shell and the longitudinal axis of the two members will be parallel.

Another object is to provide a tube bundle extractor having a novel means for connecting a car or other power-application structure to a bundle of U-tubes.

A further object is to provide a supporting framework which is adjustable in width to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters.

Another object is to provide such a tube bundle extractor including a movable car supporting a linear actuator to push or pull the tube bundle and equipped with depending dogs operable by remotely controlled and interlocked dog means to alternately brace the car against the base framework to prevent movement of the car in one direction or the other.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes as its principal improvement a means for remotely adjusting the center of gravity of an entire heat bundle extractor, together with any tube bundle or other load it may be carrying. The framework may be thought of as comprising two distinct portions which are made slidable with respect to one another to any one of a number of positions, the selected position thereafter being maintained until a second shift is called for. One portion of the framework resembles a railroad track in that it consists primarily of two elongated and parallel rails or hollow beams supported by a number of crossbeams which extend to either side of the rails; these protruding parts are rigidly fixed to a pair of outrigger beams, also extending longitudinally, but not for the full length of the carsupporting rails. The other portion of the framework consists of a beam slidable within the hollow enclosure of the outrigger beams and having at each end an ear which projects upwardly through a longitudinal slot in the outrigger beam. Each of the four ears is connected to a tension bar which projects upwardly, and at the top the four tension bars are connected by a rigid rectangular framework or superstructure which includes a member supporting an ear adapted for connection to the hook of a crane. This second framework portion may be thought of as a supporting cradle, and all parts of the cradle are secured to one another so that the entire cradle is rigid and moves as a unit. To make the cradle shiftable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the base frame, a linear hydraulic actuator has its cylinder fixed to the base framework so that its piston extends in the longitudinal direction, and the free end of the piston is rigidly secured to the slidable inner beam of the cradle assembly. The actuator may be controlled by remotely positioned valves to extend or retract the piston into its companion cylinder, thus shifting the cradle with respect to the base framework.

The U-tube connection of the present invention involves a bundle of U-tubes joined at one end by a header having at or near its center a number of tapped holes especially provided to receive threaded members when pushing or pulling the bundle. These threaded holes may easily be galled or otherwise damaged if the force applied in pushing or pulling varies appreciably in direction from one parallel to the tubes and axes of the threaded holes. The present invention provides a means for applying a force parallel to the tube bundle, but appreciably offset therefrom in such manner that the force applied is first transmitted through a pair of vertical link bars disposed to confront the end sheet of such a tube bundle in close proximity thereto, then through a transverse pin having a flattened portion in contact with the back edges of the link bars, the balance of the surface of the pin being cylindrical in configuration and being seated in an opening through the longitudinally extending leg of a T-shaped member passing between the link bars, and then through the transverse portion of such T-shaped bar and through screws passing through such transverse portion and into the end sheet of the tube bundle. At either end of the link bars another T-shaped member is pivotally attached to the link bars and presses against the surface of the end sheet through the medium of a second plate which is adjustably positioned with respect to the first by means of jackscrews. The jackscrews are adjusted to tighten the pin at the center of the assembly and to assure that the center T-shaped member is pressed flat against the end sheet.

Width adjustability of the framework is provided by having the crossbars fabricated in two parts, one telescoping within the other and adjustable to various positions where they may be secured by appropriate pins. Two types of shell clamps are provided, one being manually adjustable and the other remotely adjustable through a hydraulic cylinder and piston, together with an inner, telescoping portion of the rails, movement of the piston accomplishing both rotation of a clamping jaw from an inoperative, out-of-way position to an upright, operative position and moving both the telescoping portion of the rail and jaw to engage the back side of the heat exchanger shell. Hydraulic control is also provided for the alignment means, such means including a pair of hydraulic cylinders and longitudinally extensible pistons mounted on the rails, 21 sheave mounted on the end of each rail and a cable passing from the end of the piston around the sheave and upwardly to a bolt hole in the flange of the heat exchanger. The use of this alignment mechanism allows the front end of the extractor to be raised into contact with the heat exchanger, and even permits some rotation of the tube bundle extractor with respect to the fixed heat exchanger. It should also be noted that the alignment mechanism serves an important securing function, as it ties the forward end of the framework to the heat exchanger in such manner that vertical loads can not break the connection.

The invention will be more readily comprehended by referring to the enclosed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this view showing the tube bundle extractor suspended from a crank hook and engaged with a bundle of U-tubes shown partly protruding from the shell of a heat exchanger.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of a portion of the same tube bundle extractor, this view showing the inner, sliding beam which forms a part of the cradle subassembly, together with a portion of the outrigger beam containing the sliding member.

FIG. 3 shows the same type of center of gravity adjusting mechanism as FIG. 2, differing thereform in the position of the hydraulic cylinder and its connection to the sliding member.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative means for adjusting the center or gravity, this view showing a hook-connecting member which is slidable with respect to the upper framework.

FIG. 5 is a partial isometric view showing an alternate, prior art connection between the main power piston and the tube bundle.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the tube bundle extractor shown in FIG. 1, with the tube bundle and heat exchanger omitted in order to show other details.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the tube bundle extractor of FIG. 1. In this view the tube bundle secured to the end of the power piston is shown more completely with drawn from its heat exchanger, in phantom outline.

FIG. 8 is a perspective detail view of the means shown in the prior figures for connecting the power piston to the tube bundle.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross section shwoing details of the framework, as indicated by the lines and the arrows marked 9-9 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the tube bundle extractor of FIG. 1 with the tube bundle and car omitted.

FIG. 11 is a partial longitudinal section of the forward part of one of the rails of the base frame, showing the preferred form of the shell clamp, as indicated by lines and arrows 11-11 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a partial isometric view, also of the forward part of one of the rails of the base frame, showing the pivoted jaw of the shell clamp and part of the alignment mechanism of the invention.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of an alternate form of shell clamp, this veiw showing the telescopic, slidable frame member and the rotatable jaw of the modified shell clamp.

FIG. 14 is a partial longitudinal section showing parts of the auxiliary chain drive.

FIG. 15 is a detail showing how the auxiliary chain is secured to the underside of the movable car.

FIG. 16 is an elevation showing a modified form of auxiliary chain drive, one in which the driving motor is mounted on the movable car. This view also shows the dog means which cooperates with fixed transverse blocks on the base frame to hold the car in position during a power stroke.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an end view of the apparatus of the two prior figures.

FIG. 19 is a partial plan view, with portions broken away for the sake of clarity, showing another form of auxiliary drive, this form having elongated racks secured to the rails of the base frame meshing with a pinion mounted on a shaft driven by a motor mounted on the upper side of the movable car.

FIG. 20 is an elevation of the structure of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is an end view of the structure shown in the two prior figures.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view showing a slightly different form of rack and pinion drive, this one having only a single driving motor mounted on the car and powering a gear train meshing with a pair of racks on the rails of the base frame.

FIG. 23 is yet another modified form of rack and pinion drive, again with a single driving motor mounted on the undercarriage of the movable car.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES In FIG. 1, the numeral 1 has been used to designate the tube bundle extractor as a whole. Shown also are the elements on which the extractor 1 operates, specifically the heat exchanger shell S, the end flange F of the heat exchanger shell, tube bundle T shown partially protruding from shell S, and the end sheet E1 of the tube bundle, to which all of the tubes T are attached. It should be understood that the heat exchanger itself is secured to fixed framework inside a chemical plant or oil refinery by means having nothing to do with the present invention. Such securing means hold the shell of the heat exchanger in place against all types of movements, but do not prevent the tube bundle T from being pulled out of the heat exchanger.

The principal parts of tube bundle extractor l are the framework 10, itself divided into a suspension framework or cradle 12 and a base framework 14, movable car or sled 16, the prime mover 18 mounted on the upper surface of car 16, the connector 22 which ties the prime mover 18 to the tube bundle T, the alignment mechanism 24 which adjustably connects the forward end of base frame 14 to the shell S, and the clamping mechanism 26 which clamps the base frame 14 to shell flange F.

The reason for distinguishing between parts of framework 10 is because the cradle portion 12 is longitudinally movable with respect to base frame 14. This is made apparent in FIG. 1 by the two positions shown for the vertical or tension bars 28 and the cross bars 32; the solid outlines of these members indicate one extreme position while the dashed or phantom outlines indicate the other extreme position of these members. The distance traveled by the cradle between its two extreme position is also indicated by the dimension labelled 30. The cradle framework includes a superstructure consisting of the pair of cross bars 32 and a pair of lengthwise bars 34, solidly secured together at their corners to form a rigid rectangle and the center brace 36 in the form of an I-beam to which is secured a crane ear 38. The balance of cradle 12 is made up of the four tension bars 28 secured to and extending downwardly from the corners of the superstructure rectangle, and a pair of beams 42 secured to the lower ends of the pair of tension bars 28 on either side of center line 20.

As particularly brought out in FIG. 2, the slide beams 42 are elongated and disposed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis or center line 20 of the tube bundle extractor, and are disposed within the pair of hollow rectangular outrigger beams 52 of base framework 14, outrigger beams 52 likewise extending parallel to longitudinal axis 20 between the lower ends of tension bars 28. At its opposed upper corners, each beam 52 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot'54, and on opposed ends each sliding beam 42 had secured an upwardly projecting ear 44 which extends through a slot 54 and is connected by appropriate pinning to the lower end of a tension bar 28.

To provide for relative movement, a linear actuator in the form of a hydraulic cylinder 56 is fixed to the outrigger beam 52 with its extensible piston 58 projecting longitudinally parallel to axis 20. At its free end piston 58 is connected to an ear 46 rigidly secured to sliding beam 42. Thus, when the tube bundle extractor 1 is hanging free from crane hook C and ring 40, actuation of hydraulic cylinder 56 to move piston 58 causes beams 42 to slide within outrigger beam 52, moving the four tension bars 28 and the entire upper framework or superstructure including the crane ear 38 in the same direction. Since the crane ear and the hook itself will be static at such moment, the actual movement relative to the ground is a movement of the base frame 12, together with any load it may then be supporting. By thus shifting the load supported by the cradle, the center of gravity of the entire suspended assembly, both tube bundle extractor and any tube bundle it is then supporting, may be shifted to lie directly below crane hook C, averting any possibility of tipping the assembly and permitting the load to slide along the rails of the base frame. Similar adjustments may be made when the base frame is tightly connected to a heat exchanger, as by first moving the crank hook chain (not shown) to a new location and then actuating cylinder 56 to cause movement of the cradle and hook to a position directly below the chain.

A slightly modified form of the frame balancing structure is shown in FIG. 3. Here the hydraulic cylinder is disposed on and secured to the top surface of outrigger beam 52, and one of the ears of sliding beam 42 is elongated at 44' to provide means for securing the sliding beam to the piston 58 of the linear actuator. The only modification required in the outrigger beam 52 is to somewhat lengthen the slot 54 which accommodates the ear 44. The alternate construction is somewhat simpler to manufacture, and makes cylinder 56 more readily available for servicing.

A more completely different embodiment of the frame balancing structure is shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment the ear 38 which is used as the point of suspension from a crank hook is welded or otherwise firmly secured to a member 62 which is slidable along the top flange of the I-beam brace 36 of the framework superstructure. The sliding member 62 is shaped generally like a hollow rectangle having its bottom wall slotted to receive the vertical web of the I-beam 36. This same bottom member is bent up, on both sides of the slot adjacent to the web of the I-beam, to provide an inner support or journal for the rollers 64 which are also joumalled to the outer legs of the rectangle. Such rollers 64 serve the usual purpose of reducing the frictional force between the sliding member 62 and the I- beam 36. Sliding of the member 62 and ear 38 is accomplished through a hydraulic cylinder 66 fixed to the

frame members

32 and 36 and a piston 68 extending out of the cylinder and actuated by it.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 1,6,7,9 and 10, the base frame 14 includes the pair of outrigger beams 52, a plurality of cross beams 59 extending between and secured to the outrigger beams, a pair of parallel rails 50 which are elongated parallel to the axis and project beyond outrigger rails 52 at both ends, and a number of shorter crossbeams 57 tying the projecting portions of rails to each other. The rails 50 rest on crossbeams 59 and are rigidly secured to it, as by welding. As indicated in FIG. 9, each crossbeam 59 consists of two parts which are telescopic with respect to one another. The larger crossbeam 60 is a hollow rectangular member receiving a slightly smaller rectangular member 61 in sliding relationship. A series of aligned, pin-receiving holes 71 in the two members permit stepwise movement of telescopic sections 61 and thus of the outrigger beams 52 to adjust the width between the outrigger beams. Since the tension members 28 extend directly up from the outrigger beams and these members 28 determine the width of tube bundle that can be accommodated on the tube bundle extractor, it will be apparent that the flexibility afforded by the telescopic arrangement of the crossbeams makes it possible to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters without any radical reorganization of the supporting structure.

The construction and operation of the movable car 16 are seen to best advantage FIGS. 1,9,16,17 and 18. From these figures will been seen that the framework of the car consists of a top plate 74 bent over at the sides to form side plates 76, a pair of end plates 78, an interior U-shaped plate 82 secured to the under side of top plate 74 and having the pair of bent over and depending side plates 84 and an L-shaped plate 86 secured to a portion of the U-plate 82 and having a depending vertical arm 88. The car is supported on the main rails 50 through the medium of four rollers rotatably supported on idler shafts 81 journaled in journal blocks 77 and 85, block 77 being secured to the inner surface of side member 76 and block being secured to the vertical plate member 84. Also journaled in block 85 is the long idler shaft or pivot pin 91, which extends through vertical plates 84 and 88 at either side of the car, and is also supported in journal blocks 89. Pivotally mounted on pin 91 are the depending dogs and 92 which, as shown FIG. 16, have their free ends squared off to be received in the angle formed by the upper surfaces of

crossbeams

57 and 59 and the transverse block 53 secured to the same upper surfaces. 5 The dog members are raised and lowered by springbiased air cylinders 96, one at each end of the car 16, each being pivotally mounted to the under side of plate 82 and pivotally linked to one of the transverse links 94 which also extends through the

dogs

90 and 92. Each air cylinder 96 is open at the top, air being admitted between the closed lower end of the cylinder and the sliding head of the piston within the cylinder bore. The bias is to the downward position as shown for the right hand dog 90 in FIG. 16, Le, this is the position the dog is forced into by the action of the spring when there is no air pressure within the cylinder 96. The two cylinders are hydraulic interlinked at the control valve (not shown) so that when air is supplied to one cylinder to raise the dog clear of block 53, the air is bled from the cylinder at the opposed end to cause the spring of the cylinder to push the dog into its lower, engaged position. The safety features require that one or both dogs be lowered at all times, thus preventing the car from experiencing an uncontrolled movement greater than the distance between a pair of blocks 53.

The prime mover 18 is a linear actuator disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis 20 of the framework and axis 21 of the heat exchanger shell S. Its cylinder portion 100 is rigidly secured in the top plate 74 of car 16, with its piston 102 extendable in the longitudinal direction toward or away from tube bundle T. Mounted on the free end of piston 102 is a clevis 104 for connection to the connector of assembly 22 of FIG. 1 or the connector plate of FIG. 5. In either event horizontally aligned transverse openings through the arms of clevis 106 receive a pin also extending through an element of the connector means, which in the case of the FIG. 5 connector is an ear 112 rigidly secured to connector plate 110 and extending away from the tube sheet E5. It will also be noted that the linear actuator 18 is disposed well below the center line of the tube bundle T: this has been done deliberately because the center of gravity of the tube bundle does not lie on its geometric center line, as might be supposed. Because of the products of corrosion that accumulate within a heat exchanger, the center of gravity is actually well below the center of the tubes themselves.

The tube bundle connector 22 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1,6,7 and 8, the latter being an enlarged isometric view of the connector apart from its setting. These figures show a connector 22 especially adapted for use with bundles of U-tubes, those in which a pair of tubes are open at the forward end, as seen in the figures, but are paired together by a connector neck at the rear, making it impossible to push a tie rod all the way through any one tube, as in the FIG. 5 embodiment. When U-tubes are employed in the heat exchanger, the forward end sheet E1 is provided with a number of tapped and threaded holes clustered about the geometric center of the end sheet, and the connector must be tied to the end sheet through these holes. In the connector 22 this is accomplished by screwing into such holes a structural element herein dubbed T member 1 13, consisting of a transverse plate 114 integrally secured at its center to a longitudinally extending leg 116 which meets plate 114 at right angles and bisects it at its center line. The leg 116 extends between a pair of parallel vertical links or tie rods 118, and has a projection rearwardly of the same provided with a transverse opening receiving a pin 120 having thereon a flat surface 122 designed to press against the rear edges of link bars 118. At their upper and lower extremities, the pair of link rods 118 are pivotally connected to two additional T-members 124 and 125, each of which is connected by four jackscrews 126 to a spacer block 128 preferably made of a hard, dense wood such as rosewood. The pivot pin used to connect the lower T-member 125 to the link bars 118 is also used to connect the clevis 104 to the connector 22, as indicated in FIG. 1.

In assembling connector 22, the T-member 113 is first connected to the end sheet E1 of the tube bundle, and the pair of link bars 118 are connected to the clevis 104, with lowermost T-member 125 in place. The bars 118 are swung to the illustrated vertical position, spanning leg 116 of T-mernber 113. The upper T-member is then assembled to the link bars 118, after which pin 120 is inserted in the opening of leg 116 of center T- member 112 with its flat 122 facing toward the rear edges of link bars 118. Both sets of jackscrews 126 are then adjusted so that both of the spacer blocks 128 press against end sheet, E1 of the tube bundle. As the jackscrews are tightened, they push link bars 118 away from the tube sheet and cause them to press tightly against pin 120 until the pin is tightly jammed between the link bars and leg 116. With this arrangement, a pulling force exerted through the power piston and its clevis 104 in the direction away from the end sheet is transmitted to the tube bundle through lowermost pivot pin 127, link bars 118, pin 120, leg 116 and its attached plate 114, and through the screws holding the plate 114 to the end sheet. It should be noted that in so doing the pulling force must pass through the flat surface 122 of the pin and then through the curved surface of the pin to the similarily curved surface of the opening in leg 116 which accommodates it. In this manner the pulling force is first concentrated in a very small central area and then destributed equaly to the four or more screws holding plate 114 to the end sheet.

The general scheme for obtaining proper vertical and transverse orientation of the tube bundle extractor 1 with respect to the heat exchanger is first to adjust the position of the extractor by means of the crane until rails 50 are approximately tangent to flange F of the heat exchanger shell, then fix the vertical location of the forward ends of the rails in contact with flange F, by means of the alignment mechanism 24, and finally adjust the vertical position of crane hook C until the axis 20 of the tube bundle extractor is parallel to the axis 21 of the heat exchanger. At the same time that this is being done, of course, the longitudinal position of the extractor is determined by causing the forward annular surface of the flange F to contact the vertical surfaces of the pair of blocks 142 which are fixed on the forward ends of rails 50 and serve as the fixed jaws of the shell clamps 26.

The vertical alignment and securing mechanism 24 is shown in FIGS. 1,6,7 and 12. It consists primarily of a hydraulic cylinder 130 secured on the outside wall of rail 50 adjacent its forward end, the cylinder and its extensible piston 132 being disposed longitudinally so that the piston may be extended toward end sheet E or retracted from it. The other components are the sheave 134 mounted on the outer wall of block 142 on a horizontally disposed idler shaft, the cable 136 having one end secured to the free end of the piston, bent around sheave 134 and extending upwardly to join a connecting bolt 138 through one of the bolt openings in flange F of the shell. The cable is shown attached to the portion of the connector 138 petruding from the back face of the flange F simply because there is more room available in the back than on the front side of the flange. It will be apparent that retraction of the piston 132 from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 will cause the cable to tighten, tending to lift the forward end of the framework upwardly with respect to the heat exchanger. Since there is an alignment mechanism 24 on each of the rails 50, adjustment of both of them can be used to correct any roll of the extractor framework, i.e., the alignment mechanism may be used to insure that the rails 50 lie in a common horizontal plane. What is not so apparent is that these mechanisms may also be used to rotate the tube bundle within its shell, alternately pulling down on one side and then on the other when the tube bundle has become so tightly corroded to its shell that some twisting is in order in an attempt to loosen the tube bundle for more ready extraction.

The shell clamping mechanism 26 serves two functions, one being to orient the tube bundle extractor in the longitudinal relationship to the heat exchanger and the other to serve as a means for transmitting the unavoidably produced thrust; there must be something tied to the earth to push against before the pulling mechanism of the extractor can effectively pull the tube bundle out of its shell. A remotely controlled form of shell clamp is pictured in FIGS. l,6,7,ll and 12, the last two figures showing particular details. As illus' trated, the clamp includes fixed jaw 142 rigidly secured to rail 50, movable jaw 140, a telescopic inner beam 144 slidably within rail 50, a hydraulic cylinder 145 disposed inside of rail 50 and secured thereto with a longitudinal disposition, and the piston 146 extensible from and retractable into cylinder 145. The movable jaw 140 is pivotally mounted on an idler pin 148 journaled to the side walls of extensible rail 144, and has an angular portion pivotally attached to the end of piston 146 at the pinned connection 152. A stop block 150 is secured to the top of the otherwise open telescopic member 144 to prevent further clockwise rotation of pivoted jaw 140 than indicated in FIGS. 11 and 12.

Operation of the clamp 26 can best be understood by looking at FIGS. 11 and 12 together, and then starting from the position shown in FIG. 12, where the movable jaw 140 is spaced from fixed jaw 142 a considerably greater distance than the thickness of a shell flange F. Since the movable jaw 140 is shown in FIG. 12 is already in its upright, operative position, it will be apparent that retraction of piston 146 into its cylinder 144 will merely pull the slidable telescopic member 144 within rail 50 until jaw 140 meets with resistance, as by contacting the rear surface of flange F as shown in FIG. 11. As long as the retraction pressure is maintained on the piston, the flange F will be tightly gripped between the

jaws

142 and 140. On the other hand, if the pressure in the cylinder 144 is reversed to cause the piston 146 to be extended further from its cylinder, it will be apparent that two things will happen: first, telescopic section 144 will be moved out of rail 50, in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 11 and 12, and secondly, the movable jaw will be rotated about its pivot 148 until it is wholly contained within the hollow enclosure defined by member 144. In this nonoperative position, the tube bundle extractor can be assembled to or disassembled from the heat exchanger withoutinterference from the jaws 140.

An alternate form of shell clamp 26' is illustrated in FIG. 13, one requiring some manual adjustment in tightening or loosening the movable jaw 156. It is similar to the previously described embodiment in that it includes a telescopic member 154 slidable within the rail and actuated by a hydraulic cylinder and piston like those indicated in the FIG. 11, but differs therefrom in that in the manual embodiment of FIG. 13 the piston is linked directly to sliding member 154. A hearing plate 158 is welded or otherwise secured within the enclosure defined by beam 154, at a spacing from the end thereof. The movable jaw 156 is rigidly secured to one end of a shaft 160 rotatably mounted in the end plate (not shown) of telescopic beam 154 and extends longitudinally to a reduced diameter shoulder which butts against plate 158. The small diameter portion of shaft 160 extends through an opening in bearing plate 158, and is threaded to receive a nut 162 welded to plate 158 concentric with the opening therethrough. Thus the assembly may be completed by tightening the threaded engagement between shaft 160 and nut 162, then loosening the same during an inoperative period just enough to let shaft 160 rotate until the jaw 156 hangs downwardly, out of the way. When the clamp is to be engaged, it is not essential that the threaded engagement be made up tightly, as the clamping pressure is obtained through the hydraulic cylinder rather than the mechanical interlock of the threads. All that is necessary is to have some of the threads engaged and the jaw in its upright position, as illustrated, when the sliding member 154 is pulled in the direction to cause jaw 156 to contact the back surface of the shell flange.

The highest levels of pull strength are required when first pulling a tube bundle loose from the heat exchanger, and perhaps for a few feet thereafter, because usually at this time the tube bundle is tightly corroded to the shell. During the initials movements the prime mover 18 on car 16 is used to apply the necessary force, and at such times the dogs are set in the positions indicated in FIGS. 14 and 16 in order that the necessary reaction force can be applied to the framework and the heat exchanger shell. If the tube bundle is still tight within the heat exchanger shell after a complete retraction stroke of the piston 102, the car 16 is moved away from the tube sheet by reversing the flow of hydraulic fluid through cylinder to extend the piston rod 102 toward the tube sheet (after first reversing the dogs 90 from the position illustrated). Since the car is much lighter than the tube bundle, and is mounted on rollers 80 to reduce friction, the car is moved away from the tube sheet for the length of a piston stroke, after which the dogs can be restored to the FIG. 14 position and the pulling stroke repeated.

Once a tube bundle is broken loose, the remaining part of the extraction requires a relatively small pull, and this can be accomplished by the auxiliary prime mover illustrated in the drawing figures. One such a auxiliary prime mover is shown in drawing FIGS. 1,6,7,l4 and 15, and consist primarily of chain 166 centered between rails 50 and below the path of car 16, driving motor end sprockets 168 located at the rear of base frame 14, and the idler and guide sprockets 170,172 and 174. The chain 166 is preferably secured to the undercarriage of car 16 by a clamp 176 having teeth not shown which enter between links of the chain to prevent all relative movement. This is depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15, which also show a pair of guide members 178 for the chain. This structure on car 16 is rigidly linked to chain 166, but power need never be applied through the motor 168 during the periods when it is necessary to use the prime mover 18 on the upper side of car 16.

A somewhat different type of auxiliary prime mover is illustracted in FIGS. 16,17 and 18. In 17 half of the upper plate 74 of car 16 has been cut away to show the arrangements of power components. In this form a pair of rotary motors 180 secured to the nether side of car 16 have a common shaft on which is mounted the necessary sprockets 182 to engage the chain 184. The idlers sprockets 185 simply fix the position of the chain, which is secured against rotation by an anchor 186 at the rear end of the base frame and a similar anchor 188 which secures it to the framework at the forward end of the base frame. Thus, the mode of travel when using this form of auxiliary prime mover is to rotate the motor 180 and let the motor pull the car through the chains: the car walks on the chain.

FIGS. 19,20 and 21 illustrate another form of auxiliary prime mover, one in which a pair of motors 190 mounted on the upper plate 74 of car 16 have vertical depending shafts 192 with appropriate reduction gearing 194 and pinions 196 at their lower ends. The pinions 196 and mesh with and rotate over the longitudinally extending racks 198 on the inside walls of the main rails 50. It will be noted that in this form the rack and pinion teeth extend vertically. As the motor 190 is acutated to rotate shaft 192 and pinion 196, pinion walks along the rack 198, earring the car 16 with it.

The alternate form of auxiliary prime mover shown in FIG. 22 is virtually the same as that shown in FIGS. 19-21, with the exception of using a single drive motor 202 which has on the lower end of its vertical shaft 204 a gear 206 which meshes directly with the first of a pair of

intermeshing pinions

208 and 210. The

pinions

208 and 210 mesh directly with racks 212 on the inner walls of main rails 50.

FIG. 23 illustrates yet another form of rack and pinion drive, this one employing racks in which the teeth edges of the rack 216 are horizontally oriented and the matching pinions 218 rotate on a horizontal shaft 220. At the center of shaft 220 is a large gear 222 meshing with a small worm gear 224 driven by the motor and gear reducer 226. With this structure a large gear reduction will be accomplished, and a large amount of power may be applied to move the car along the direction parallel to the racks 216.

What is claimed is:

1. A tube bundle extractor comprising a framework elongated along its longitudinal direction and including both means for suspending the extractor from a support and a base portion adapted to support a tube bundle, said framework comprising a pair of portions selectively slidable with respect to each other along the longitudinal direction but otherwise secured together, a car supported on and movable along the longitudinal direction of the base of the framework, means for detachably securing one end of the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger so that the two members (frame work and heat exchanger) are vertically and longitudinally aligned and the base of the extractor is in position to receive and support a tube bundle being pulled from or inserted into the shell, power means on said car to pull said tube bundle from the shell or insert it therein, and hydraulic means on said framework to shift one portion thereof in the longitudinal direction relative to the other, whereby the center of gravity of said extractor and any tube bundle supported thereon may be disposed approximately directly below said support, said hydraulic means comprising a linear actuator having its cylinder secured to one of the portions of the framework and its extensible piston secured to the other said portion, said linear hydraulic actuator being disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the framework.

2. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said pair of framework portions are a base framework and a cradle, said cradle interlockingly supporting said base framework and including said suspension means, and in which said cylinder of the linear hydraulic actuator is secured on one of said framework portions, either said cradle or said base, and its extensible piston secured to the other framework portion, said hydraulic cylinder and piston being disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the framework so that movement of the piston out of or into its cylinder moves the cradle relative to the base framework.

3. A tube bundle extractor framework elongated along a longitudinal axis and comprising a cradle, a base frame, and alinear said cradle comprising (a) a superstructure including means above the longitudinal axis for suspending the extractor from a support such as a crane hook, (b) two pairs of tension bars pendent from the superstructure, one pair on each side of said axis, and (c) a link beam extending longitudinally and connecting the lower ends of each pair of link bars, said base frame comprising (d) a pair of longitudinally extending outrigger beams disposed in transversely spaced relationship at substantially the same locations as said link bars, said outrigger beams being hollow and receiving said link beams within themselves in slidable relationship, there being longitudinal slots in the upper wall of each outrigger beam receiving the connections between each tension bar and the sliding link bar, (e) a multiplicity of longitudinally spaced crossbeams extending transversely between and secured at their ends to said outrigger beams, and (f) a pair of parallel, longitudinally extending main rails supported by and secured to said crossbeams, said main rails being capable of supporting a tube bundle and means movable along the rails to push or pull such a bundle,

said linear actuator comprising (g) a hydraulic cylinder and (h) mating linearly extensible piston, one of which is secured to the base frame and the other to the slidable link beam, said linear actuator being disposed so that extension or retraction of the piston slides the cradle longitudinally relative to the base frame.

4. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary prime mover in the form of an endless chain and a motor on same framework, together with a chain clamp secured to the nether side of the car to engage the teeth of said chain, said chain being disposed beneath the path of travel of the car from the rear end of the framework to approximately the forward end thereof and about midway between said rails, said auxiliary chain and motor having the capacity to move said car and attached tube bundle when the tube bundle is not tightly bound to its shell by corrosion or friction.

5. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary prime mover in the form of chain on said framework and a motor on said car, said motor driving a sprocket having teeth engaging the chain, said chain being disposed longitudinally parallel to the center line of the extractor centered between said rails, the ends of the chain being fixed to the framework so that operation of the motor and sprocket causes the car to walk along the chain.

6. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary prime mover in the form of a rack and pinion drive, there being racks being mounted on the base framework and corresponding pinions being mounted on shafts depending from the car and driven by one or more motors mounted on the car.

7. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which the power means on said car comprise a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the car and an extensible-retractable piston extending longitudinally from said cylinder, said extractor further including means for connecting said piston to a bundle of U-tubes, said connecting means comprising a. a T-shaped attachment member having for the crossbar a connecting plate with openings therethrough for the passage of threaded connectors to be received in tapped holes in the end sheet of such a tube bundle,

b. a leg or base secured to and projecting rearwardly from the crossbar and having a transverse opening therethrough,

c. a pin having a flat surface extending through said transverse opening,

d. a pair of parallel vertical links spanning the base of the T-member and partially blocking the opening therethrough,

e. a pair of T-members disposed at opposite ends of said pair of levers and each pivotally secured thereto, and

f. a spacer block parallel and adjacent the crossbar of each end T-member, said spacer blocks each presenting a vertical surface facing forwardly of the levers to contact the vertical surface of said tube sheet, and

g. a number of jackscrews connecting each spacer block to the adjacent T-member crossbar for adjusting the position of said block,

whereby when said pin is passed through the leg open ing of the center T-member with its flat surface contacting the back edges of the levers said jackscrews may be adjusted to form a rigid connection to the tube bundle, the lower of said jackscrew spacers also being pivotally secured to a clevis secured to the end of said piston.

8. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachable securing means includes means for aligning and securing said framework to the heat exchanger from which a tube bundle is to be withdrawn or into which it is to be inserted, said alignment and securing means comprising a matching pair of subassemblies on each side of the base framework to be coupled to points on the front flange of the heat exchanger shell at opposed points thereon, each subassembly including a linear hydraulic actuator having a cylinder secured to the base frame and a piston extending longitudinally forwardly therefrom, a sheave rotatably mounted on the base frame forwardly of the cylinder on a horizontal axle, and'a cable secured to the free end of the piston and passing through the sheave to be secured to an opening in the flange, said actuators being remotely controlled to lift or lower the forward end of the framework relative to the heat exchanger flange.

9. The tube bundle'extractor of claim 1 in which said means for detachably securing the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger comprises fixed jaws and pivoted jaws, one of each forming a pair on opposite sides of the framework, said fixed jaws being secured to and projecting upwardly from the base framework near the forward end thereof in a common transverseplane, said pivoted jaws each being mounted on pins passing through the base framework on opposite sides thereof and in a common transverse plane spaced forwardly of the fixed jaws, each said jaw being linked to a hydraulic piston which pivots the jaw between an inoperative position in which it is received in a recess in the base and an operative position in which it projects upwardly from the base and is spaced forwardly of the fixed jaw by the thickness of the heat exchanger shell.

10. The tube bundle extractor of claim 9 further improved by mounting each of said pivoted jaws on a pin passing through an inner rail of a telescoping pair of rails forming a part of said base framework, and in which said hydraulic piston is linked to said pivoted jaw while the cylinder from which it extends is secured to the outer or fixed rail, whereby said clamp amy be used to accommodate various thicknesses of shells by extending the piston to simultaneously extend the inner rail and pivoted jaw until the latter is positioned behind the shell when the fixed jaw abuts the front of the shell, then retracting the piston to both raise the pivoted jaw to its upwardly projecting position and retract both inner rail and pivoted jaw until the latter engages the back surface of the shell.

11. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachable securing means includes a pair of shell clamps on opposed sides of the framework, each clamp comprising a fixed jaw projecting upwardly from the forward end of the framework in a common transverse plane, a linear hydraulic actuator having its cylinder secured longitudinally to the framework abaft of the end thereof and its piston extending forwardly toward the end of the framework, a sliding framework member telescopically disposed within the base frame and secured to said piston for longitudinal movement thereity of .crossbeams joined to said outrigger beams while said cradle comprises a superstructure of crossbeams and longitudinal beams joined at their corners, together with a multiplicity of vertical tension bars extending upwardly from the outrigger beams to the superstructure, both said crossbeams between" the outrigger beams and said crossbeams of the superstructure being made of telescoping partsdetachably pinned together by pins extending through aligned openings in the telescoping parts, whereby the distance between said-tension bars over the rails may be adjusted to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters.- 1

13. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 further comprising improved dog means for securing said car to the base portion of the frame during apower stroke of the car-mounted power means, said dog means comprising a number of dogs pivotally secured to the underside of the car and having both a lowermost operative position in which it engages members of the base frame to preventlongitudinal movement of the car in one direction, and an uppermost non-operative position in which it is free of contact with the base frame, said dog being moved between said positions by a remotely controlled linear hydraulic actuator having its cylinder pivotally secured to the underside of the car and its extensible piston pivotally connected to the dog, said actuator being spring-biased so that the piston will be extended to push the dog to its lowermost position in the absence of hydraulic pressure in the cylinder.

14. The improved tube bundle extractor of claim 13 in which there are two said sets of dogs and hydraulic actuators, one said set of dogs being disposed so that in their lowermost position they prevent forward movement of the car while the other set is disposed so that in their lowermost position they prevent rearward movement of the car, the actuators being hydraulically interlinked so that when one set of dogs is in its uppermost position the other set is in its lowermost position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 5 Dated pt mber 17, 197

Inventor(s) Bobby J. Travis It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Abstract, column 2, line 2, "holow" should read hollow Column 6, line 57, "crank" should read crane ColumnlO, line 36, "slidably" should read slidable In the claims;

Claim 5, line 3, actuator, should be inserted after "linear".

Signed and sealed this 31st day of December 1974.

(SEAL) Attest v McCOY M. GIBSON JR; c. MARSHALL DANN- Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM'DC GOSTG-PGQ u 5, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: a 93 o

Claims

1. A tube bundle extractor comprising a framework elongated along its longitudinal direction and including both means for suspending the extractor from a support and a base portion adapted to support a tube bundle, said framework comPrising a pair of portions selectively slidable with respect to each other along the longitudinal direction but otherwise secured together, a car supported on and movable along the longitudinal direction of the base of the framework, means for detachably securing one end of the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger so that the two members (framework and heat exchanger) are vertically and longitudinally aligned and the base of the extractor is in position to receive and support a tube bundle being pulled from or inserted into the shell, power means on said car to pull said tube bundle from the shell or insert it therein, and hydraulic means on said framework to shift one portion thereof in the longitudinal direction relative to the other, whereby the center of gravity of said extractor and any tube bundle supported thereon may be disposed approximately directly below said support, said hydraulic means comprising a linear actuator having its cylinder secured to one of the portions of the framework and its extensible piston secured to the other said portion, said linear hydraulic actuator being disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the framework.

3. A tube bundle extractor framework elongated along a longitudinal axis and comprising a cradle, a base frame, and a linear said cradle comprising (a) a superstructure including means above the longitudinal axis for suspending the extractor from a support such as a crane hook, (b) two pairs of tension bars pendent from the superstructure, one pair on each side of said axis, and (c) a link beam extending longitudinally and connecting the lower ends of each pair of link bars, said base frame comprising (d) a pair of longitudinally extending outrigger beams disposed in transversely spaced relationship at substantially the same locations as said link bars, said outrigger beams being hollow and receiving said link beams within themselves in slidable relationship, there being longitudinal slots in the upper wall of each outrigger beam receiving the connections between each tension bar and the sliding link bar, (e) a multiplicity of longitudinally spaced crossbeams extending transversely between and secured at their ends to said outrigger beams, and (f) a pair of parallel, longitudinally extending main rails supported by and secured to said crossbeams, said main rails being capable of supporting a tube bundle and means movable along the rails to push or pull such a bundle, said linear actuator comprising (g) a hydraulic cylinder and (h) mating linearly extensible piston, one of which is secured to the base frame and the other to the slidable link beam, said linear actuator being disposed so that extension or retraction of the piston slides the cradle longitudinally relative to the base frame.

7. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which the power means on said car comprise a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the car and an extensible-retractable piston extending longitudinally from said cylinder, said extractor further including means for connecting said piston to a bundle of U-tubes, said connecting means comprising a. a T-shaped attachment member having for the crossbar a connecting plate with openings therethrough for the passage of threaded connectors to be received in tapped holes in the end sheet of such a tube bundle, b. a leg or base secured to and projecting rearwardly from the crossbar and having a transverse opening therethrough, c. a pin having a flat surface extending through said transverse opening, d. a pair of parallel vertical links spanning the base of the T-member and partially blocking the opening therethrough, e. a pair of T-members disposed at opposite ends of said pair of levers and each pivotally secured thereto, and f. a spacer block parallel and adjacent the crossbar of each end T-member, said spacer blocks each presenting a vertical surface facing forwardly of the levers to contact the vertical surface of said tube sheet, and g. a number of jackscrews connecting each spacer block to the adjacent T-member crossbar for adjusting the position of said block, whereby when said pin is passed through the leg opening of the center T-member with its flat surface contacting the back edges of the levers said jackscrews may be adjusted to form a rigid connection to the tube bundle, the lower of said jackscrew spacers also being pivotally secured to a clevis secured to the end of said piston.

8. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachable securing means includes means for aligning and securing said framework to the heat exchanger from which a tube bundle is to be withdrawn or into which it is to be inserted, said alignment and securing means comprising a matching pair of subassemblies on each side of the base framework to be coupled to points on the front flange of the heat exchanger shell at opposed points thereon, each subassembly including a linear hydraulic actuator having a cylinder secured to the base frame and a piston extending longitudinally forwardly therefrom, a sheave rotatably mounted on the base frame forwardly of the cylinder on a horizontal axle, and a cable secured to the free end of the piston and passing through the sheave to be secured to an opening in the flange, said actuators being remotely controlled to lift or lower the forward end of the framework relative to the heat exchanger flange.

9. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said means for detachably securing the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger comprises fixed jaws and pivoted jaws, one of each forming a pair on opposite sides of the framework, said fixed jaws being secured to and projecting upwardly from the base framework near the forward end thereof in a common transverse plane, said pivoted jaws each being mounted on pins passing through the base framework on opposite sides thereof and in a common transverse plane spaced forwardly of the fixed jaws, each said jaw being linked to a hydraulic piston which pivOts the jaw between an inoperative position in which it is received in a recess in the base and an operative position in which it projects upwardly from the base and is spaced forwardly of the fixed jaw by the thickness of the heat exchanger shell.

11. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachable securing means includes a pair of shell clamps on opposed sides of the framework, each clamp comprising a fixed jaw projecting upwardly from the forward end of the framework in a common transverse plane, a linear hydraulic actuator having its cylinder secured longitudinally to the framework abaft of the end thereof and its piston extending forwardly toward the end of the framework, a sliding framework member telescopically disposed within the base frame and secured to said piston for longitudinal movement therewith, and a jaw mounted on said sliding framework member, said jaw and member being adjustably connected so that the jaw has a disengaged position in which it lies below the upper edges of the sliding member and an engaged position it which it projects above said sliding member, in position to engage the back side of the heat exchanger shell.

12. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said framework includes both a cradle and a base framework, the base framework including a pair of longitudinally elongated outrigger beams and a multiplicity of crossbeams joined to said outrigger beams while said cradle comprises a superstructure of crossbeams and longitudinal beams joined at their corners, together with a multiplicity of vertical tension bars extending upwardly from the outrigger beams to the superstructure, both said crossbeams between the outrigger beams and said crossbeams of the superstructure being made of telescoping parts detachably pinned together by pins extending through aligned openings in the telescoping parts, whereby the distance between said tension bars over the rails may be adjusted to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters.

13. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 further comprising improved dog means for securing said car to the base portion of the frame during a power stroke of the car-mounted power means, said dog means comprising a number of dogs pivotally secured to the underside of the car and having both a lowermost operative position in which it engages members of the base frame to prevent longitudinal movement of the car in one direction, and an uppermost non-operative position in which it is free of contact with the base frame, said dog being moved between said positions by a remotely controlled linear hydraulic actuator having its cylinder pivotally secured to the underside of the car and its extensible piston pivotally connected to the dog, said actuator being spring-biased so that the piston will be extended to push the dog to its lowermost position in the absence of hydraulic pressure in the cylinder.