Feedthrough for High Temperature and High Pressure

Client – Contractor for Government Funded Nuclear Research

Application requirements:

• Electrical Feedthrough was required for connecting 9 foot conductor-cables inside a vessel.
• Extended ceramic isolator was required to clear 2.5” thick vessel wall and mount-flange.
• Assembly must be rated to 4160 VAC at 0.5 amps, while operating to 500 degrees F and 500 psi. 3X Safety factor required for pressure.

Critical Issues:

• Standard power feedthroughs would not meet the extended ceramic isolation, or the mechanical strength to hold the heavy cables. Safety requirements for pressure added complexity to the assembly design, requiring a custom adapter for the ceramic-to-metal seal as well as custom mount.

Design Basis:

• MPF designed custom adapters to produce a mechanical design sufficient to withstand the mechanical loads of the cables and internal pressure, even at high temperatures.
• The adapters were designed to mate with an existing ceramic, which offered confidence in the seal design since the ceramic was a known variable. This also saved significant build-time and costs.

Results:

• Modeling software allowed confirmation of the safety factor for pressure, and mechanical strength to hold heavy cable-connectors once installed.
• The use of an available ceramic allowed MPF to offer lower costs and faster delivery than anticipated by the customer.