Patent ID: 6896004

Claim:
A spacer disposed within an outer casing for engaging and maintaining an inner carrier pipe in fixed position within said outer casing, said spacer comprising: first and second shell members each having respective flexible, arcuate inner portions disposed about and engaging 180° or less of an outer circumference of the inner carrier pipe and plural rigid risers disposed on and extending radially outward from the inner portion of the shell member, wherein distal ends of said risers engage an inner surface of the casing and each of said risers includes plural spaced tapered apertures; plural couplers inserted through aligned apertures in said first and second shell members, wherein said flexible, arcuate inner portions of said shell members allow said shell members to be drawn tightly about carrier pipes having a range of diameters when said couplers are tightened and said tapered apertures allow said couplers to assume various orientations relative to said shell members depending upon the carrier pipe's diameter; and first and second friction members disposed within and extending through the flexible, arcuate inner portions of said first and second shell members, respectively, for engaging the carrier pipe and maintaining the spacer in fixed position thereon, wherein said friction members are disposed between and protected from impact damage by adjacent risers on each of said shell members wherein in each of said first and second shell members includes a first pair of aligned risers disposed in a spaced manner along a center, outer portion of the shell member's flexible, arcuate inner portion, and wherein each friction member is disposed intermediate said first pair of aligned risers.