U.S. patent application number 12/925261 was filed with the patent office on 2012-04-19 for on-off valves for high pressure fluids.
Invention is credited to Gene G. Yie.
Application Number | 20120091382 12/925261 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45933339 |
Filed Date | 2012-04-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120091382 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yie; Gene G. |
April 19, 2012 |
On-off valves for high pressure fluids
Abstract
An on-off valve that can operate between an open position and a
closed position. The on-off valve has a valve body with a
cylindrical valve cavity, an inlet, an outlet, and in an open
position the inlet is in communication with the outlet. A
cylindrical valve cartridge is sealably mounted within a chamber of
the valve cavity and has a central cavity facing the valve cavity
and a bore forming communication with an atmosphere external to the
valve cartridge. A pin extension is movably mounted within the
bore. A pin bushing and a pin seal are mounted within the central
cavity, and an actuating pin is movably mounted at least partially
within the central cavity. A valve poppet is slidably mounted
within the valve cavity. In a closed position a first end portion
of the valve poppet closes the first outlet, and in an open
position the first end portion opens the first outlet. A bias
element is mounted to exert a bias force to and urge the valve
poppet against the valve cartridge. An actuator is mounted with
respect to the valve body and operates the actuating pin between
the open position and the closed position of the on-off valve.
Inventors: |
Yie; Gene G.; (Grants Pass,
OR) |
Family ID: |
45933339 |
Appl. No.: |
12/925261 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
251/337 ;
251/336 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K 31/3835
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
251/337 ;
251/336 |
International
Class: |
F01L 3/10 20060101
F01L003/10 |
Claims
1. An on-off valve operable between an open position and a closed
position, the on-off valve comprising: a valve body having a
cylindrical valve cavity, a first inlet, a first outlet, a first
chamber and a second chamber, in the open position said first inlet
in communication with said first outlet; a cylindrical valve
cartridge sealably mounted within said second chamber of said valve
cavity, said valve cartridge having a central cavity facing said
valve cavity and a bore forming communication between said central
cavity and an atmosphere external to said valve cartridge, a pin
extension movably mounted within said bore, a pin bushing and a pin
seal mounted within said central cavity, an actuating pin movably
mounted at least partially within said central cavity and passing
through said pin bushing and said pin seal, said actuating pin
having a first end abutting said pin extension and a second end
positionable within said central cavity, said pin extension having
an end movably mounted within said bore; a cylindrical valve poppet
slidably mounted within said valve cavity and having a first end
portion at least partially positioned within said first chamber of
said valve cavity and a second end portion at least partially
positioned within said second chamber of said valve cavity, said
valve poppet having a passage extending from said first end portion
to said second end portion, in the closed position said first end
portion of said valve poppet closing said first outlet, in the open
position said first end portion of said valve poppet opening said
first outlet, said actuating pin moveable to be sealably mounted
within said second end portion of said valve poppet; a bias element
mounted to exert a bias force to and urge said valve poppet against
said valve cartridge; and an actuator mounted with respect to said
valve body, and said actuator operating said actuating pin between
the open position and the closed position.
2. A valve body having two inline cylindrical cavities connected by
a central bore, a first chamber having a first inlet and a first
outlet, and a second chamber having a bleed bore in communication
with an atmosphere external to said valve body; a valve cartridge
sealably mounted in said second chamber of said valve cavity and
having a cartridge cavity facing said valve cavity and a bore
forming communication with said atmosphere, said cartridge cavity
housing a centrally and slidably mounted actuating rod, a rod seal,
and a rod bushing, said actuating rod having a first rod end within
said valve cavity and a second rod end extending to said atmosphere
through said bore of said valve cartridge; a valve poppet slidably
mounted within said valve cavity through said central bore with a
first end portion positioned within said first chamber and a second
end portion positioned within said second chamber facing said
cartridge cavity, said valve poppet movable between a first
position in which said first end portion of said valve poppet
closing said first outlet and a second position in which said valve
poppet abuts said cartridge cavity, said valve poppet having a
center shuttle cavity housing a slidably mounted shuttle, a shuttle
biasing element, and a shuttle seal, said shuttle having a first
shuttle end, a middle shoulder and a second shuttle end, and a
passage extending from the said first shuttle end to said second
shuttle end, said first shuttle end of said shuttle extending to
outside of said second end portion of said valve poppet, said
second shuttle end of said shuttle communicating with said shuttle
seal inside said shuttle cavity of said valve poppet, said shuttle
biasing element urging said shuttle shoulder toward said second end
portion of said valve poppet, said shuttle cavity having a bleed
hole leading to a shuttle exterior of said shuttle, a check valve
positioned inside said first end portion of said valve poppet and
communicating with said shuttle central passage and said shuttle
exterior allowing fluid passage only from said shuttle central
passage to said shuttle exterior; a seal bushing assembly mounted
with respect to said first chamber of said valve cavity and having
a central bore accommodating said first end portion of said valve
poppet; a spacer bias element urging said seal bushing assembly
toward said second chamber of said valve cavity; and an actuator
mounted with respect to said valve body, and said actuator
operating said actuating rod between said open position and said
closed position.
3. The on-off valve of claim 1 wherein said valve poppet has a
monolithic body with a centrally positioned said passage.
4. The on-off valve of claim 1 wherein said second end portion of
said valve poppet is larger than said first end portion, and said
valve poppet comprises a ball check valve mounted with respect to
said valve poppet to allow fluid to flow through said passage only
from said second end portion to said first end portion.
5. The on-off valve of claim 3 wherein the said valve poppet and
said valve cartridge are separate elements.
6. The on-off valve of claim 3 wherein said valve poppet and said
valve cartridge are integrated to form a sealed valve cartridge
that solely occupies said valve cavity, said sealed valve cartridge
has a first outlet end and a second actuator end, said first outlet
end of said sealed cartridge communicates with said first outlet of
said on-off valve, and said second end of said sealed valve
cartridge communicates with said actuator of said valve.
7. The on-off valve of claim 6 wherein said sealed valve cartridge
has a conical first end communicating with a tapered said valve
outlet and a flat second end communicating with said actuator, and
said flat second end of said valve cartridge has a diametrical seal
assembly to seal off said valve cavity from an exterior.
8. The on-off valve of claim 6 wherein said sealed valve cartridge
has a conical first end communicating with a tapered said valve
outlet and a conical second end communicating with said actuator
through a tapered said second chamber of said valve cavity.
9. The on-off valve of claim 5 wherein said actuating pin has a
diameter of less than 0.065 inches and has a flat first end and a
sharp second end.
10. The on-off valve of claim 7 wherein said actuating pin has two
or more diameters of less than 0.065 inches.
11. The on-off valve of claim 2 wherein said valve cartridge and
said valve poppet are separate parts.
12. The on-off valve of claim 2 wherein said valve cartridge and
said valve poppet are integrated to form a sealed valve cartridge
having a conical first outlet end and a flat second actuator end,
said sealed valve cartridge solely occupies said valve cavity of
said on-off valve, and said flat second actuator end of said sealed
valve cartridge has a diametrical seal assembly to seal off said
second chamber of said valve cavity of said on-off valve.
13. The on-off valve of claim 2 wherein said valve cartridge and
said valve poppet are integrated to form a sealed valve cartridge
having a conical first outlet end communicating with a tapered said
valve outlet of said valve cavity and a conical second actuator end
communicating with said actuator, and said sealed valve cartridge
solely occupying said valve cavity.
14. The on-off valve of claim 13 wherein said shuttle has two or
more diameters.
15. The on-off valve of claim 14 wherein a first shuttle end of
said shuttle communicates with said first end of said actuating
rod, a shuttle diameter of said first shuttle end of said shuttle
corresponds to a rod diameter of said first end of said actuating
rod, said passage of said first end of said shuttle forming a seal
by said first end of said actuating rod when said valve is closed,
said seal positioned about an entire circumference of said first
shuttle end of said shuttle, and said first rod end of said
actuating rod has an enlarged head to form said seal.
16. The on-off valve of claim 13 wherein an actuator is attached to
said on-off valve, said actuator comprises a cylinder, a cylinder
cap, a compression spring, a piston with a diametrical seal, a
piston rod, an air inlet, a coupler, and a locking collar, said
compression spring positioned between said cylinder cap and said
piston, said coupler attached to said cylinder and maintaining said
locking collar in a middle, and said locking collar attached to
said valve body with said coupler abutting said valve cartridge or
said valve body.
17. The on-off valve of claim 16 wherein said compression spring
urges said piston to push down said piston rod, and said piston rod
urges said actuating pin of said valve body to move into said valve
body to close said valve.
18. The on-off valve of claim 17 wherein said compression spring is
designed and compressed to produce a selected force transferred to
move said on-off valve into said closed position and form a force
equilibrium between said spring force and a fluid force inside said
on-off valve to keep said on-off valve in said closed position.
19. The on-off valve of claim 18 wherein said on-off valve is moved
into said open position by disrupting said force equilibrium
between said spring force and said fluid force inside said on-off
valve using compressed air sent into said actuator to lift said
piston.
20. The on-off valve of claim 18 wherein said on-off valve is moved
into said open position by disrupting said force equilibrium
between said spring force and said fluid force inside said on-off
valve caused by a sudden rise of said fluid pressure.
21. The on-off valve of claim 5 wherein said valve body is attached
to an actuator assembly comprising an actuator body, a pivotally
mounted trigger lever, a bias spring, a spring piston, a piston
rod, a grip handle, a trigger guard, a fluid inlet tube, an inlet
adapter, and at least one outlet adapter, and said actuator body
having a spring cavity to accommodate said bias spring and said
spring piston and to provide a necessary force to counter a hand
force produced through said pivotally mounted trigger lever.
22. The on-off valve of claim 21 wherein said valve body has two
outlet tubes including a dump tube in communication with said valve
cartridge, said actuator body is attached to said valve body so
that pulling said pivotally mounted trigger lever toward said grip
handle produces a pushing force against said actuating pin or
actuating rod of said valve cartridge and causes said dump port of
said on-off valve to close, and releasing said hand grip on said
pivotally mounted trigger lever and said bias spring returning said
valve cartridge to said open position.
23. The on-off valve of claim 21 wherein said valve body has only
one outlet tube and said valve actuator has a bias spring urging
said spring piston and said piston rod against said valve cartridge
within said valve body to keep said on-off valve in said closed
position, and moving said pivotally mounted trigger lever toward
said grip handle compresses said bias spring and releases said
force on said valve cartridge and moves said on-off valve to said
open position.
24. The on-off valve assembly of claim 16 wherein said actuator
spring is compressible by a hand-operated cam assembly of said
actuator to change a status of said valve.
25. The on-off valve assembly of claim 24 wherein said cam assembly
is attached to said actuator to provide a force to compress said
actuator spring from below said spring piston so that a hand force
pulling said cam lever moves said on-off valve to said open
position.
26. The on-off valve assembly of claim 24 wherein the said cam
assembly is mounted on a top of said cylinder of said actuator to
compress said actuator spring from said top so that a hand force
pulling said cam lever moves said on-off valve to said closed
position.
27. The on-off valve assembly of claim 24 wherein an electrical
solenoid is mounted on top of said actuator and is used with a
cantilever device or a hydraulic pressure intensification device to
produce a sufficient force to counter said spring force from said
actuator to change a status of said on-off valve.
28. The on-off valve assembly of claim 18 wherein at least one of
said valve assemblies is mounted on a common manifold in
communication with a pump applicator system to maintain a system
pressure at a desired level, and said valve assemblies have
actuators adjusted to a desired spring force to maintain said
on-off valves closed at a desired pressure level and an over
pressurization of said system pressure resulting in releasing a
predetermined amount of fluid from said valves by incorporating
precise orifice nozzles in said valves.
29. The on-off valve assembly of claim 1 wherein said first inlet
is positioned at a side of said valve body.
30. The on-off valve assembly of claim 1 wherein a second end
portion of said valve poppet abuts said valve cartridge assembly.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] On-off valves are important components to all fluid power
systems. There are many types of known valves to choose when the
fluid system pressure is low because there are many suitable
valving mechanisms. When fluid pressure is very high, the selection
of suitable valving mechanism is drastically reduced because of the
stressful conditions imposed on the valving elements. For example,
the water pressure involved in known industrial water jetting
processes is frequently greater than 20,000 pounds per square inch
(psi), and at such pressures the valving elements responsible for
opening and closing a valve outlet port are under very high
fluid-induced stresses and their selection is limited in terms of
shape, size, design, material of construction, and operation. The
selection of suitable known valves is limited to stem valves,
needle valves, poppet valves, and ball valves. The conventional
names of these valves denote the key valving element responsible
for opening and closing the valve port. These valving elements are
typically operated by an external force such as a hand force
through a push or pull, or in turning, or a push/pull force
provided by a pneumatic/hydraulic actuator. Thus, a typical on-off
valve has valving elements partly situated inside a valve cavity
and partly outside the valve cavity. The part situated inside the
valve cavity is exposed to all detrimental conditions involved in
controlling the flow of a high-pressure fluid.
[0002] One of the detrimental elements in high-pressure valving is
the erosion of fluid on critical valving parts, namely the valve
needle or stem and the mating valve port seat. A hand-operated
needle valve generally has a threaded arrangement and a valve
needle is moved slowly in and out of a tapered valve port so that
the fluid starts to flow as soon as the seal is broken. This early
flow is extremely erosive despite its low flow rate and can damage
the valve needle or the valve seat, or both. Once damaged, the hand
force required for closing the valve is increased, thus
exacerbating the damage. It is known that a new needle valve can be
damaged and need replacement parts after only one operation. It is
also known that a slow valve should not be used for adjusting the
flow rate of a high-pressure fluid, such as water that has
relatively poor lubricity. It is extremely desirable to employ a
fast on-off action with a suitable valving mechanism to open and
close an outlet port to minimize the possibility of fluid erosion.
If adjustment of flow rate is desired, it should be done by
controlling the flow with multiple orifices positioned downstream
from the valve. Also, the multiple orifices should open and close
with fast action. These orifices are either opened or closed, and
not in a position between.
[0003] To provide the desired motion in a valving element inside a
valve cavity, a suitable arrangement in the external valving
elements is required to handle the available force. The required
external force is a function of the fluid pressure and the design
of the valving element exposed to the fluid. For example, a
straight valve stem of 0.250 inches in diameter is pushed out by
the fluid with a force of 981 pounds at a pressure of 20,000 psi,
1963 pounds at 40,000 psi, and 3928 pounds at 80,000 psi. These are
normal static pressures applied in known water jetting processes.
The magnitude of the force exerted on the valve stem presents many
problems in designing a suitable on-off valve. First, the valve
stem must be strong enough and well supported to withstand the
fluid induced forces. The valve stem must be properly sealed to
prevent the fluid leakage. The provided external force must be
strong and fast to move the valve stem and to seal the valve port
properly and continuously. The impact between the valve stem and
the valve seat should be kept low to avoid impact damage on the
sealing surface. The opening of the valve outlet must also be fast
to avoid erosion. All these conditions inside a valve cavity must
be met in designing a suitable valve.
[0004] Another concern in valve design is the external force needed
to operate the valving elements. The 981 pounds force required for
operating a 0.250-inch-diameter valve stem is considered relatively
high and beyond forces that can be provided by a human body. The
required forces are considered high even with pneumatic actuators.
The necessary size of the actuator and an air pressure needed to
move the air piston should be considered. A bulky and heavy air
actuator can present problems in many water jetting applications.
As a result, efforts are directed to minimizing the diameter of the
valve stem involved. Consequently, the diameter of the air piston
is reduced and the required air pressure is also reduced.
Unfortunately, reducing the diameter of the valve stem requires a
corresponding reduction in the diameter of the valve port because
the mating surface between the valve stem and a corresponding valve
seat is typically in a coned arrangement. Thus, the outlet port is
sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the valve stem. As a
result, the flow capability of a high-pressure valve is often
limited, unless the valve size is of no concern.
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, a known basic design of a fast acting
on-off valve commonly employed in a waterjet factory cutting
processes is quite simple. The known design employs a spring-loaded
air piston to impose a valve-closing force on a small valve stem
which has a flat end outside the valve cavity and a tapered end
inside the valve cavity, to mate with a concave valve outlet. The
valve is normally closed by the spring force. To open the valve,
compressed air of specified pressure enters into the actuator and
to a side of an air piston opposite to the compression spring. The
compressed air exerts a lifting force on the piston and moves it up
against the compression spring, thus relieving the force on the
valve stem. The pressurized water inside the valve cavity quickly
pushes the valve stem upward, thus breaking contact with the valve
seat and opening the outlet port. To close the valve again, the
compressed air is vented from the actuator and the compression
spring takes over again and pushes the valve stem down to seal the
valve outlet.
[0006] FIG. 1 shows on-off valves of this basic design that are
known in waterjet cutting operations at water pressures up to
80,000 psi. The valve stem has a typical diameter of 0.076 inches
and is made of hardened stainless steel. The valve seat is also
made of hardened stainless steel and has an outlet of 0.035 inches
in diameter, in general. The valve stem is generally centered with
the help of a machined slotted shoulder, as shown in FIG. 1. A
polymeric seal assembly and a metal backup disk seal the outside
diameter of the valve stem. This valve design has been known in the
waterjet industry for many years but its shortcomings become more
apparent as the water pressure steadily increases. The poor
reliability of the known valve stem and its valve seat, and the
seal assembly is one major problem. The small outlet port and its
associated fluid turbulence are other problems. Downstream fluid
turbulence generated by a known small port can cause quality
deterioration in the fluid jet generated at a downstream
nozzle.
[0007] Various attempts have been made to improve the capability of
on-off valves used in water jetting processes. One of the more
recent efforts is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,724 B2, the entire
disclosure of which is incorporated into this specification by
reference thereto, such as shown in FIG. 2. This known valve stem
is divided into two parts, a floating cylindrical valve poppet
completely immersed in the fluid and an actuating pin that engages
the poppet in one end inside the valve cavity and the other end
engages a force generator outside the valve cavity. The valve
poppet has a central fluid passage that is advantageously utilized
to control the flow of fluid between two cavities formed by the
snugly fitted valve poppet inside a cylindrical valve cavity. By
creating pressure imbalance between these two cavities with the
actuating pin, the valve poppet is moved to seal or open the outlet
port. The fluid force is advantageously used to move the valve
poppet. This on-off valve represents a significant improvement over
other prior conventional on-off valves and several shortcomings
were eliminated. The floating valve poppet is significantly larger
than the conventional valve stem and yet very easy to move with
assistance from the pressurized fluid. A small valve poppet of this
known on-off valve is typically 0.250 inches in diameter and its
associated outlet port is generally 0.125 inches in diameter. Thus,
there is no fluid erosion or turbulence. The valve poppet opens and
closes the outlet by a water force, and thus the seating and
lifting are both powerful but without impact. The actuating pin
controls only the drain passage on the valve poppet and this
passage is involved only in draining a very small amount of
high-pressure fluid situated on top of the valve poppet. Thus, this
valve would not have a fluid erosion problem. The external force
required for sealing this drain passage on the valve poppet is
considerably smaller than that of conventional valves. As a result,
the overall reliability of this valve taught in the cited prior art
is significantly improved. However, the external force required to
move the actuating pin is still considerably higher than that
available from a human hand. For example, the actuating pin taught
by this prior art is typically 0.078 inches in diameter. This
represents an external force of 96 pounds that is provided by a
compression spring in order to close the valve at a water pressure
of 20,000 psi, and a greater hand force is required to open the
valve. This problem and a few other considerations prevented
commercialization of this prior art despite its many good
features.
[0008] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, some of the most popular
applications of high-pressure waterjet relate to material removal
such as industrial cleaning, coating removal, concrete
scarification, concrete repair and removal, and other geotechnical
operations. In these processes, a waterjet is generally applied
with a handheld lance having a hand-operated on-off valve.
Currently, there are two types of valves in use in these lances.
One is referred to as a "dump gun" and the other as a "shutoff
gun". In dump guns, the lance has two outlets, one that leads to
the nozzle and the other that leads to a dump port. The
hand-operated valve controls the dump port and is normally open.
Water flows out the lance from both the nozzle and the dump port
without much force. When the lance in put to work, the operator
closes the dump port and the water pressure inside the valve cavity
increases to the designed operating pressure. A powerful waterjet
is then issued at the nozzle. The operator must keep the dump port
closed to do the water jetting work and this task can be difficult
in view of the design of the valve. The dump port is generally
relatively large and the valve stem must also be relatively large.
Thus, the sealing surface between the valve stem and the valve seat
is very delicate and critical. Otherwise, the required hand force
is unmanageable. The valve sealing must be positive and without
leakage, otherwise high-pressure water gets into the sealing
surface and creates powerful forces against the valve stem. This
dump valve has one advantage that water pressure inside the valve
cavity is generally low when the dump gun is in a standby mode so
that no great force is needed to initiate the valve closing.
Keeping the dump port closed is troublesome. Despite this well
known shortcoming, dump guns are in wide use today because of the
absence of alternatives.
[0009] Referring to FIG. 4, the other type of popular known
handheld waterjet lance is the shutoff gun. This type of lance has
only one outlet port and is normally closed by spring force acting
on a slim valve stem and is opened by a hand force acting on a
trigger lever to force back the spring. A cam or piston transfers
the force from the lever to the spring. Similar to an air-operated
on-off valve discussed earlier, the external force required to open
this type of lance valve is a function of the fluid pressure and
the diameter of the valve stem involved. As the fluid pressure
increases, the practicality of this type of valve decreases because
the force requirement exceeds what the human hand can provide,
despite the desirability of this type of valves. With the increased
concern of conservation and scarcity of water in many parts of the
world, a shutoff gun is preferred.
[0010] There are other types of high-pressure on-off valves that
are desirable if they can be operated by hand. A fast acting toggle
valve, either momentary or definite, is one of these valves that
could be particularly useful in laboratories and pilot operations,
and can serve as a safety drain valve. Simple spring operated
pressure regulating valves are highly desirable if they are
sensitive to the fluid pressure involved but with the present valve
technology, they are not available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is one object of this invention to provide on-off valves
that reduce or eliminate the shortcomings identified earlier. It is
another object of this invention to provide on-off valves that are
particularly useful in known high-pressure water jetting processes.
This invention provides improved aspects of valve performance,
including pressure capability, flow capability, reliability, ease
of operation, ease of maintenance, and versatility.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] This invention is explained in greater detail below in view
of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fast acting
on-off valve according to the prior art;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an on-off valve
having a floating cylindrical valve poppet, according to the prior
art;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a handheld lance
having a hand-operated on-off valve for generating a high-pressure
waterjet, according to the prior art;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a handheld lance
having a hand-operated on-off valve, also according to the prior
art;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a
spring-to-close air-to-open on-off valve, according to one
embodiment of this invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly having
a valve poppet and a valve cartridge, according to one embodiment
of this invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a valve assembly
similar to the valve assembly shown in FIG. 6 but with a different
valve poppet assembly;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a valve cartridge
assembly similar to but different from the valve assembly shown in
FIG. 6;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly having
a valve cartridge similar to but different from the valve cartridge
as shown in FIG. 8;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of an on-off valve
assembly, according to another embodiment of this invention;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a valve
assembly, according to another embodiment of this invention;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of an on-off valve
assembly, according to another embodiment of this invention;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a valve cartridge that
can be used with the on-off valve as shown in FIG. 12;
[0026] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a valve cartridge
having two tapered ends, according to one embodiment of this
invention;
[0027] FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of a hand-operated
on-off valve used with a dump gun, according to one embodiment of
this invention;
[0028] FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shutoff gun,
according to one embodiment of this invention;
[0029] FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a hand-operated
toggle valve, according to one embodiment of this invention;
[0030] FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view of an on-off valve
that can be operated with a solenoid, according to one embodiment
of this invention;
[0031] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a fluid pressure
intensifier, according to one embodiment of this invention;
[0032] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure regulating
valve, according to one embodiment of this invention; and
[0033] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a pressure
regulating valve system, according to one embodiment of this
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] The apparatus and method of this invention successfully
widens the participation of the pressurized fluid in operating an
on-off valve. The water-induced force inside the valve cavity is
advantageously utilized in both opening and closing the valve port,
and in keeping the valve port opened or closed. As a result, the
required external force in operating the valve is kept at a
relatively low level, thus improving many aspects of valve
performance and versatility. Referring to FIG. 5, one embodiment of
this invention is a spring-to-close-air-to-open on-off valve of
significantly improved performance as compared to known on-off
valves. Valve assembly 100 comprises two basic parts, a valve
cylinder assembly 101 and an air actuator assembly 131 connected
together by a threaded collar arrangement that allows the two parts
to be separated or connected quickly, such as for easy maintenance.
The valve cylinder 101 has a side fluid inlet 102, a bottom fluid
outlet 103, a central cylindrical valve cavity 104 that contains or
houses a valve poppet 105, a poppet spring 106, a valve cartridge
107 and a valve inlet adapter 108 for use with a cylindrical valve
cylinder. The actuator assembly comprises an actuator cylinder 131,
an upper end cap 132, an air piston 133 with a diametrical seal
134, a piston rod 135, a compression spring 136, an air inlet 137,
a cylinder coupler 138 with a seal 139, and a coupling collar 140.
The air actuator assembly supplies the necessary force to move the
piston rod, which transfers this force to the valve cartridge and
to the valve poppet. The actuator assembly has a conventional setup
in which a loaded compression spring 136 exerts a constant force on
the air piston 133 and the piston rod 135 and ultimately to the
valve poppet 105 to keep the outlet port closed. When compressed
air of a specified pressure enters into the actuator cavity below
the air piston 133 it pushes the piston upward to relieve the
spring force on the valve poppet. The fluid force inside the valve
cavity 104 will then push up the valve poppet 105 and open the
outlet port.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 6, which shows a more detailed view of
valving parts of the valve assembly 100, the valve poppet 105 and
the valve cartridge 107 are separate parts. The valve poppet 105
can be a monolithic cylindrical body made of hardened stainless
steel or an assembly of three connecting parts, including a larger
upper shoulder 105, a smaller lower poppet end 110 and a middle
ball check valve 111. There is a central fluid passage 109 in both
upper poppet shoulder 105 and the lower poppet end 110. The poppet
spring 106 sits around the poppet end 110 and urges the poppet
assembly 105 to move up. The valve cartridge assembly 107 has a
tapered lower end 112 that mates with the valve cavity 122 to form
a fluid-tight seal, a flat other end 113 extended beyond the valve
cylinder 101, a centrally situated actuating pin 114 having a fluid
end 115 in contact with the poppet shoulder 105 and an intimate fit
with the central fluid passage 109 and a flat end 116 in contact
with a pin extension 117, a polymeric pin seal 118, and a pin
bushing 119. The valve actuating pin 114 and its seal 118, the
support pin bushing 119, and the pin extension 117 are all situated
in a central cavity 120, of the valve cartridge 107. The pin
extension 117 is trapped inside the central cavity 120 with one end
in contact with the actuating pin 114 and with the other end 121
extended outward. In its assembled form, the valve assembly 100 has
the pin extension end 121 in contact with the piston rod 135 of the
air actuator 131. The spring force from the actuator is passed onto
the poppet end 110 through the piston rod 135, the pin extension
117, and the actuating pin 114. In conventional valves, there is
generally only one rod that serves multiple roles of the piston
rod, the actuating pin, and the valve stem. By dividing this rod
into three separate segments, the required valve actuating force is
significantly reduced because the only part exposed to the
high-pressure fluid is the actuating pin 114, which can be made
with special materials, special precision, special support, and
with a minimal diameter. The valve poppet 105 fits inside the valve
cavity snugly but is free to slide up and down for a short distance
and divides the valve cavity into an upper cavity 122 and a lower
cavity 104. In a normal closed state, the high-pressure fluid fills
both cavities 122 and 104. Because the valve poppet 105 has a
tapered end 124 that is mated with the tapered outlet port 103, the
surface areas of the valve poppet 105 exposed to the fluid at the
two ends are different. The end in the cavity 122 has a greater
area exposed to the fluid than the end 124 in the cavity 104. Thus,
the fluid exerts a significant net force on the valve poppet 105 to
close the valve outlet 103. The fluid passage 109 in the center of
the valve poppet 105 is closed by the actuating pin 114 with the
external spring force. At this stage, the valve 100 is closed
firmly with assistance from the fluid inside the valve cavity. The
fluid force is relatively strong and can easily reach several
hundred pounds even with a relatively small valve poppet and outlet
port. For example, if the poppet has a diameter of 0.250 inches and
the outlet port is 0.125 inches in diameter, the valve seating
force is 245 pounds at a fluid pressure of 20,000 psi. A force of
this magnitude cannot be supplied easily with an external spring or
an actuator.
[0036] Still referring to FIG. 6, when the spring force on the
actuating pin 114 is lifted, the pressurized fluid in the cavity
122 lifts up the actuating pin 114, thus exposing the passage 109
and causing the fluid in the cavity 122 to flow out rapidly. The
check valve 111 is open in that direction. Thus, the cavity 122
loses the fluid pressure and the valve poppet 105 rapidly moves up
to open the valve outlet port. The valve assembly 100 is now open
and the high-pressure fluid flows in and out. The valve poppet 105
stays up with the help of spring 106 as the fluid pressure across
the valve poppet 105 is equalized. The actuating pin 114 stays
retracted as the fluid exerts a force to push it up to form a
stable open position as long as the actuating pin 114 stays
retracted. The check valve 111 in a two-part poppet construction
can prevent the high-pressure fluid from entering into the cavity
122 prematurely and maintain the pressure imbalance across the
valve poppet 105 a bit longer to assure complete poppet movement.
By having the check valve 111, the fluid has to move around the
valve poppet 105 and the flow velocity is slowed with the close fit
of the valve poppet inside the cavity 104. To close the valve 100,
the spring force from the actuator 131 is resumed and the actuating
pin 114 is again pushed down to move the valve poppet 105 downward
to close the outlet port 103.
[0037] FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of this invention in which
the valve assembly 200, which is similar to the valve assembly 100
except in the valve poppet assembly. In the valve 200, the valve
actuator can be any suitable actuator and can be the actuator
assembly 131 used in the valve assembly 100. In the valve assembly
200, all valving elements are integrated into one valve cartridge
210 that sits alone inside the valve cavity 204. This valve
cartridge 210 has a tapered outlet end 224 in contact with the
valve outlet port 203 and has a flat end 213 in contact with the
air actuator through a suitable coupler, such as the coupler 138 in
the valve 100. The valve cartridge 210 can be easily removed from
the valve cavity by disconnecting an air actuator locking collar
140. The cartridge end 213 has screwdriver slots to facilitate the
removal. Thus, the necessary maintenance of the valve 200 is
reduced to the replacement of the valve cartridge 210, which can be
a disposable item.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 8, the valve cartridge 210 contains
essentially the same components as that in the valve 100 except
that these components are grouped inside a sealed cylindrical
capsule. The capsule is made of a cartridge cylinder 210 and an end
plug 207. The cartridge cylinder 210 has a side fluid inlet 211, an
end fluid outlet 212, a cavity 223 that contains a snugly fitted
valve poppet 205, which can be a monolithic one-piece poppet with a
central fluid passage 209 or a 2-part poppet with a ball check
valve 225, similar to that of the valve 100, and a poppet spring
206. The check valve 225 allows fluid flow only in the direction
from the cavity 222 to the outlet 212. The cartridge end plug 207
has a central cavity 220 fitted with the valve actuating pin 214,
the pin extension 217, the pin seal 218 and the pin bushing 219.
The actuating pin 214 has one end 215 in contact with the central
fluid passage 209 of the valve poppet 205 and the other end 216 in
contact with the pin extension 217. The pin extension 217 has an
other end 221 extended outside the valve cartridge end plug 207
through an end hole 227. The valve cartridge 210 can have a tapered
outside diameter like that shown in the valve 100 to seal off the
fluid around the cartridge or an outside diameter of the seal
assembly 226 for the same purpose. The operation of the valve
cartridge 210 is essentially identical to that of the valve 100
except that the actuating pin 214 is now inside this cartridge and
all parts are made with high precision and positioned to provide an
exact movement in opening and closing the outlet 212. The actuating
pin 214 can be made with a minimal diameter and still be well
supported and centered inside the valve cartridge. The pin
extension 217 serves the purpose of trapping the actuating pin 214
inside the cartridge and of connecting it to the external spring
force. The valve cartridge 210 is designed for top insertion into
the valve assembly 200. However, in some valves the valve cartridge
is preferably inserted into a valve cavity from the front or the
bottom of a valve cylinder or a valve body and is preferably used
without an outside-diameter seal assembly. In such cases, the valve
cartridge 310 can be provided according to this invention, as shown
in FIG. 9. The valve cartridge 310 is essentially the same as the
valve cartridge 210 except that the cartridge end plug 307 has a
tapered end 313 and there is no outside-diameter seal assembly. By
having two tapered ends, the valve cartridge 310 can be installed
in a valve cavity with a minimal need for seals, as shown in other
valve assemblies of this invention. This practice improves the
maintenance of the valve assembly.
[0039] FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of this invention as an
on-off valve assembly that has a different way of moving the
valving elements and can have further advantages in minimizing the
external force required to operate the valve. The valve assembly
400 again comprises two major parts, an upper valve actuator
assembly 430 and a lower valve cylinder assembly 401. The valve
actuator can be any suitable actuator or the actuator assembly 131
used in the valve assembly 100 of this invention. The valve
cylinder assembly 401 has a side fluid inlet 402, an end fluid
outlet 403, a cylindrical outlet valve cavity 404 associated with
the outlet 403 and a cylindrical cocking cavity 405 at the opposite
end connected by a passage 406, a valve poppet 407 straddling
across the two cavities, an end plug 408 that seals the cocking
cavity 405, a spacer spring 409 around the valve poppet 407, and a
bushing/seal assembly 410 around the poppet 407 in the cavity 404.
The end plug 408 has a tapered end 412 that seals the cavity 405
and a flat end 413 extended beyond the valve cylinder 401 to abut
the actuator coupler 138. The end plug 408 has a centrally situated
valve actuating pin 414 and a seal assembly 415 and has a
construction similar to that of the end plug 107 of the valve
assembly 100.
[0040] FIG. 11 shows another embodiment, a valve assembly 400 which
has a valve poppet 407 and in a position in the valve cavity 404.
The valve poppet 407 has a shoulder 416 and a shoulder seal
assembly 417 that divide the valve cavity into two parts, an upper
cavity 405 and a lower cavity 418 that has a small bleed hole 419
leading to the exterior of the valve cylinder 401. This arrangement
assures that the cross-sectional area of the poppet shoulder 416
remains larger than that of the poppet 407 inside the cavity 404.
When a pressurized fluid enters into both the cavity 404 and the
cavity 405, the fluid force exerting on the valve poppet 407 brings
it down to close the valve outlet 403. The seal assembly 416 on the
poppet shoulder 415 prevents the fluid flow across the shoulder to
the cavity 418. Any fluid that leaks into the cavity 418 will be
bled out of the valve assembly 400. The poppet assembly 407 allows
the fluid to be manipulated in and out of the cavity 405 to thus
move the poppet 407 up and down to open and close the valve outlet.
The actuating pin 414 is used to transmit an outside force from the
piston rod 135 to the poppet shuttle 420. The push-pull action of
this outside force causes the high-pressure fluid to flow in and
out of the cavity 405, which in turn will cause the valve poppet
407 to close and open the valve outlet 403.
[0041] Still referring to FIG. 11, the valve poppet 407 comprises a
poppet cylinder 407, a poppet shoulder 416, an end plug 426, a
poppet shuttle 420 with a central fluid passage 423, a shuttle
spring 425, a shuttle seal assembly 424, and a ball check valve
411. The poppet cylinder 407 has a central cavity 430 housing the
shuttle 420, the shuttle spring 420 and the shuttle seal 424. The
cavity 430 is sealed on one end by the poppet shoulder 416 and the
other end by the end plug 426. The poppet shoulder 416 has a
central hole 431 sized to accommodate one end 422 of the poppet
shuttle 420 allowing it to slide. The other end 421 of the poppet
shuttle 420 is in contact with the spring 425, the seal 424, and is
in contact with a fluid passage 432 situated at the end of the
poppet cylinder 407 that abuts the end plug 426. The end plug 426
has a central cavity 427 and an outlet 428. The cavity 427 contains
or houses a ball check valve 411 that allows fluid to flow only
from the passage 432 to the passage 428. The poppet shuttle 420 has
a shoulder 420 in the middle and two ends of smaller diameters, and
has a passage 423 through its entire length. The poppet spring 425
abuts the poppet shoulder 420 and urges it to stay up against the
poppet shoulder 416 and to seal the space around the passage 431
and the shuttle end 422. This space around the shuttle end 422 and
the poppet shoulder 416 allows fluid to pass from the cavity 430 to
the cavity 405 when the shuttle shoulder 420 is not abutting the
poppet shoulder 416. The poppet cylinder 407 has the bleed hole 429
linking the cavity 430 to an exterior of the poppet cylinder
407.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, in an assembled form, the
valve assembly 400 is in a closed form as the external spring force
pushes down the actuator piston, the piston rod, the actuating pin
414, and the poppet shuttle 420. The actuating pin 414 has an end
433 that engages the poppet shuttle 420. When the actuating pin 414
pushes down the poppet shuttle 420, the shuttle passage 423 is
closed. At the same time, the fluid passage around the poppet end
422 in the passage 431 is open. When a pressurized fluid flows into
the cavity 404 of the valve assembly 400, it flows into the poppet
cavity 430 and into the cavity 405, thus exerting a force on the
poppet shoulder 416 and pushes the valve poppet 407 down to close
the valve outlet 403. Because of the difference in cross-sectional
area of the poppet shoulder 416 and the poppet cylinder 407, the
fluid induced force is quite strong and keeps the valve poppet 407
down and keeps the valve 400 closed. To open the valve 400, one
needs only to withdraw the external force on the actuating pin 414
and the fluid in the cavity 405 will quickly lose its pressure and
the poppet 407 will quickly move up to open the valve outlet 403.
The poppet shuttle 420 will move up to abut the poppet shoulder 416
and to close the passage 431. In this open position, pressurized
fluid in the cavity 404 cannot flow into the cavity 405 because of
the check valve 411 and the poppet seal/bushing assembly 410. Thus,
the cavity 405 has no high-pressure fluid and the actuating pin 414
is not under fluid pressure. This fact is important in initiating
closure of the valve assembly 400 because a spring force large
enough to push down the poppet shuttle 420 is able to initiate the
valve closure. After that, fluid force will provide enough force to
keep the valve 400 closed. The ease of valve closure in the valve
assembly 400 of this invention separates it from other available
on-off valves. Reviewing the design of this valve of this invention
will show that success of the valve assembly 400 can depend on the
design of the valve poppet 407 and on the valve shuttle 420, in
particular. The valve shuttle 420 is preferably made with a hard
material and with high precision in its dimensions so that it can
be moved inside the poppet cavity 430 with a small external force,
even under a high fluid pressure.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 12, a further embodiment of this invention
is shown by the valve assembly 500 that is different from the valve
assembly 400 in that all valving elements are now contained inside
a valve cartridge 510 in a manner similar to that used in the valve
assembly 200. The valve assembly 500 has the valve cylinder 501
that has a central cylindrical cavity 504, which is open in the
actuator end and tapered in the outlet end, and has a side inlet
502 and an end outlet 503. The valve cartridge 510 sits inside the
valve cavity 504 with its tapered end 524 abutting the outlet 503
and its flat end 513 abutting an actuator coupler 540. The actuator
assembly 530 can be any suitable actuator or the actuator assembly
130 used in the valve assembly 100. The valve cylinder 501 can also
be similar to the valve cylinder 101 used in the valve assembly
100. In such case, only the valve cartridge 510 is different.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 13, the valve cartridge 510 used in the
valve assembly 500 is an integrated form of valving elements found
in the valve assembly 400. In the valve 500, a 3-part sealed
cartridge comprises a cartridge cylinder 510, an outlet end plug
524, and an actuator end plug 508. The three cartridge parts are
sealed together to form the cavity 504 at the outlet end and the
cavity 505 at the actuator end. The valve poppet 507 has a shoulder
end 516 in the cavity 505 and an outlet end 524 in the cavity 504.
The valve cartridge 510 also contains all other crucial valving
elements, such as an actuating pin 514, a pin seal assembly 515, a
poppet seal/bushing assembly 520, and a spacer spring 509. The
poppet shoulder 516 has an outside-diameter seal assembly 517 that
divides the cavity 505 into two parts, an upper cocking cavity 505
and a lower ambient cavity 518. A bleed hole 519 forms
communication between the cavity 518 and the ambient. When the
cartridge 510 is assembled inside the valve 500, a system fluid
flows into this valve from the inlet 502 into the valve cavity 504
and then flows into the valve cartridge 510 through the cartridge
inlet 511 and into the valve poppet 507. The system fluid can flow
out of the cartridge 510 through the outlet 512 if the valve poppet
507 is in an up position. Otherwise, the fluid flow is stopped
inside the cartridge cavity 504 if the valve poppet 507 is in a
down position.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 14, the valve cartridge 510 of this
invention can be made to have two tapered ends to facilitate its
use in certain applications. The result is the valve cartridge 610
has a tapered actuator end plug 613. The valve cartridge 610 can
have an outside-diameter seal assembly, such as in the case of the
valve cartridge 510 or a tapered cartridge cylinder 610 to isolate
the bleed hole 619 from the system fluid when the valve cartridge
610 is installed inside a valve cylinder. There are other ways to
shape the valve cartridges of this invention to suit the design of
a nozzle assembly, which is not critical to the operation of an
on-off valve. As indicated earlier, the critical part is the design
of the valving elements and how these elements work together. The
two basic valving schemes and the cartridge approach of this
invention can provide unique features to the valves. The cartridge
approach simplifies the construction of on-off valves for serving
different purposes.
[0046] FIG. 15 shows a further embodiment of this invention, a hand
operated on-off valve installed in a so-called dump gun that is
popular in known water jetting operations. The valve assembly 700
is similar to the prior art shown in FIG. 3 except that the valve
assembly 700 of this invention uses a valve cartridge of this
invention. Both the valve cartridge 310 and the valve cartridge 610
can be advantageously used in the valve assembly 700. The valve
assembly 700 comprises two basic parts, a valve body assembly 701
and a hand actuator assembly 730 tied together, such as by bolts.
The valve body assembly comprises a valve body 701 having a
threaded-on fluid inlet tube 702, a fluid inlet passage 703, a
fluid outlet passage 704, a valve cartridge cavity 705, a valve
cartridge 710, a dump tube 707, and a main tube 709. The actuator
assembly 730 can be in various forms because the hand force can be
applied through various pivoted-lever devices or approaches. In the
valve assembly 700 of this invention, the actuator assembly 300
comprises an actuator housing 730 equipped with cavities to
accommodate a pivoted hand trigger lever 734, an actuating piston
733 with a piston rod 735, a piston return spring 736, a hand grip
738, and mounting bolts. The valve assembly 700 can also have an
inlet adapter 739, a trigger guard 740, and a mounting bolt 741.
The selected valve cartridge 710 is pushed into the dump cavity 705
with the actuator end 713 first. The dump cavity 705 has a tapered
end to mate with the cartridge end 713 to form a fluid-tight seal
and has a central hole to allow the actuating pin 714 of the
cartridge 710 to make contact with the actuator piston rod 735 when
necessary. A dump tube 707 equipped with a proper seal assembly 708
and a tapered fluid inlet is threaded into the dump cavity 705 to
engage the cartridge outlet end 724 to form a fluid-tight seal. The
valve cartridge 710 is normally open as the actuator piston 733 is
pushed away by the return spring 735 from the valve body 701. When
a pressurized fluid enters into the valve assembly 700, it flows
out from both the dump tube 707 and the main tube 709 without much
force because both valve outlets are wide open. At this point, the
valve assembly 700 is at a standby stage. When a water jetting task
is to be performed, the operator applies a hand force to pull the
trigger lever 734 toward the handle 738. This action causes the
actuator piston to move toward the valve body 701 and the actuator
piston rod 735 engages the actuating pin 714 of the valve cartridge
710 and pushes it forward. The end result is the closure of the
dump port 707. Thus, the system fluid is routed to the main tube
709 to generate the desired waterjet at the nozzle, which is
generally situated or positioned at an end of the tube 709. To
maintain the waterjet pressure, the hand force on the trigger lever
734 is continued. When the water jetting is to be stopped, the
operator simply lets go of the trigger lever 734 and the valve
cartridge 710 opens again to reduce the fluid pressure inside the
valve. The hand force required for closing the valve cartridge 710
should ideally be minimized to avoid hand fatigue of the
operator.
[0047] One object of this invention is to reduce hand fatigue for
the operator. In fact, the hand force required to close the valve
cartridge 710 can be as little as a couple of pounds at a water
pressure of 40,000 psi if the valve cartridge 610 is used, which
cannot be accomplished with conventional dump guns.
[0048] FIG. 16 shows a further embodiment of this invention, a
shutoff gun that can be advantageously used in current water
jetting operations. The shutoff gun can be used to shut off water
flow at the gun completely and thus unloading or bypassing the
pressurized water inside the hose can be performed somewhere else.
The shutoff gun 800 is similar in construction to the dump gun
assembly 700 shown in FIG. 15 except that there is only one outlet
tube and the valve actuator employs a different actuating
mechanism. The shutoff gun 800 has a valve body 801, a hand
actuator assembly 830 attached to the valve body 801 by bolts, and
a handle 842 attached to the actuator assembly 830, such as also by
bolts. An actuator assembly 830 comprises a body 830, trigger lever
831 with an end pivot 832, a central through-chamber 833 housing a
front spring 834, a spring piston 835, a back spring 836, a back
spring piston 837, a threaded set screw 838 and a pin 839. A back
spring tension adjustment bolt 840 is situated in the handle 838
and abuts the back spring 836. The trigger lever 831 sits or is
positioned between the front spring piston 835 and the back spring
piston 837 and has a through hole 841 to accommodate the tension
adjustment pin 839. The trigger lever 831 is normally pushed toward
the valve body 801 by the back spring 836 into a stopped vertical
position. The back spring 836 exerts a known force on the front
spring piston 835 through the tension adjustment pin 839. The front
spring piston 835 exerts a known force on the front spring 833,
which in turn sends the force to the valve actuating pin 814 of the
valve cartridge 810 to close the valve outlet.
[0049] Still referring to FIG. 16, the front spring 834 and its
piston 835 can be used to create a constant force on the valve
actuating pin 814 to engage itself at all times to the valve poppet
inside the valve cartridge 810 so that the high-pressure water is
kept out of the valve poppet even when the valve poppet is pushed
away from the valve outlet by the pressurized water. Keeping the
high-pressure water out of the poppet results in the valve
actuating pin inside the valve cartridge 810 not always being
confronted by the high-pressure water. Thus, the external force
required to close the valve is reduced. In other words, the spring
force from the back spring 836 is reduced. One result is easing the
hand fatigue of the operator.
[0050] Still referring to FIG. 16, the shutoff gun 800 is normally
closed as the back spring 836 pushes the trigger lever 831 to a
neutral position and the front spring 834 exerts a necessary force
on the valve actuating pin 814 to push the valve poppet inside the
valve cartridge to close the valve outlet port. Thus, there will be
no water flow in the outlet tube. To open the shutoff gun assembly
800, the trigger lever 831 is pulled toward the handle 842 until
stopped by the stopper 843. This action compresses the back spring
836 and also lessens or reduces the tension of the front spring 834
and thus the force on the valve actuating pin 814. The reduction in
the force on the valve actuating pin 814 is enough to cause the
valve poppet to move away from the valve outlet port to open the
outlet of the shutoff gun. At this point, the tension in the front
spring 834 is reduced but not eliminated and thus allows the valve
actuating pin 814 to be engaged to the valve poppet inside the
valve cartridge. This feature is important in minimizing the hand
force required for operating the shutoff gun assembly 800. The hand
force on the trigger lever can be maintained to continue water
jetting and letting go of the trigger lever 831 will again shutoff
the valve. In this operation, the hand force required to keep the
valve open is a function of the back spring involved, which in turn
is a function of the force required to close the valve. In a
conventional shutoff gun, the required spring force is relatively
high at high water pressures despite the use of a very slim valve
stem, as discussed previously. In the shutoff gun assembly 800 of
this invention, the situation is very different and a shutoff gun
with a robust actuating pin and a relatively large outlet port is
possible, without causing hand fatigue. This is particularly true
if the valve cartridge 610 is used in the shutoff gun assembly 800
because a small force is needed for initiating valve closure as the
actuating pin is not exposed to relatively high-pressure water at
that moment. To keep the valve closed also needs no large external
force because of assistance from the water. Thus, the shutoff gun
assembly 800 is well suited for use in water jetting despite the
fact that most conventional pumps in water jetting are crankshaft
pumps that do not allow the output to be shutoff. A fast-actuating
bypass valve can be used to shutoff guns. However, on-off valves of
this invention can be advantageously used as a pressure-regulating
valve, as later discussed.
[0051] FIG. 17 shows a still further embodiment of this invention
as a hand operated toggle valve 900. A toggle valve is a hand valve
that uses a lever to open and close a valve. It can be a momentary
or a stable valve. Such valves are popular in low-pressure
operations much like the toggle switches in electrical systems. At
very high fluid pressures, toggle valves disappeared. It is one
object of this invention to employ toggle valves. The valve
assembly 900 of this invention can be momentary or stable, such as
momentary open or momentary close, depending on the design of the
cam mechanism. The valve assembly 900 shown in FIG. 17 is a
normally closed hand-to-open momentary valve. The valve 900
comprises of a valve cylinder assembly 910 and an actuator assembly
930. The valve cylinder assembly 901 is similar or identical to the
valve cylinder assembly 201. The actuator assembly 930 has a spring
cylinder 931 exerting a constant force on the piston 933 and the
piston rod 935, and to the actuating pin of the valve cartridge 210
inside the valve cavity. The spring cylinder 931 has a cam adapter
934 that provides a necessary force to push the piston 933 up
against the valve-closure spring 936 in order to relieve the force
on the valve cartridge 201. A hand lever 941 connected to the
pivotable cam 937 can be used in this invention, for this task.
When hand lever 941 is pulled down, the cam 937 lifts the piston
933. A small lift, such as 0.125 inches is sufficient to open the
valve. A lever of 3 to 4 inches on the valve 900 can handle water
at pressures up to 40,000 psi. If a momentary closed valve is
desired, this cam mechanism can be mounted on top of the actuator
cylinder 931. If a stable on-off toggle valve is desired, the cam
can be shaped to provide a stable open or close position and yet
can still be operated by hand. This ease of operation in
high-pressure on-off valves is possible with the minimal external
force required to operate on-off valves of this invention.
[0052] FIG. 18 shows a still further embodiment of this invention
as an on-off valve that can be operated with an electrical solenoid
and usable at very high fluid pressures. Because solenoids are not
known to generate strong force at ordinary voltages and amperages,
a solenoid-operated high-pressure on-off valve has not been
available or used in water jetting processes. Because of the much
reduced valve actuating force, an ordinary solenoid can be used in
conjunction with a force-enhancing mechanism such as the cantilever
employed in the valve assembly 900 of this invention. The valve
assembly 1000 of this invention places a solenoid adapter 1042 on
top of an actuator cylinder 931 and a selected electrical solenoid
1043 is employed to provide the necessary push force against a
lever 1041, which is connected to a pivotal cam 1037. The cam
arrangement is similar to that of the valve assembly 900. The valve
1000 is normally closed by spring force from the actuator 1030.
When this valve needs to be opened, the solenoid 1043 is energized
and a pushing force is generated in the solenoid piston 1044,
resulting in the pivoting movement of the lever 1041. This movement
is translated into a lifting force on the piston 1033, thus
relieving the force on the actuating pin of the valve cartridge
1010 opening the valve. A solenoid capable of generating 20 to 40
ounces of force and a travel of 0.125 inches or more can be
advantageously used in constructing the valve assembly 1000 of this
invention.
[0053] FIG. 19 shows that one alternative to a cantilever force
enhancement is a fluid pressure intensification that can also be
used in constructing a solenoid-operated high-pressure on-off
valve. The valve assembly 1100 of this invention can employ an
electrical solenoid 1143 mounted directly on top of a spring
actuator cylinder 1131. Inside the cylinder there is a compression
spring 1136 exerting a predetermined force on an actuator piston
1133 with a piston seal 1134. The piston 1133 has an attached upper
central cylinder 1144 with a cylindrical central cavity 1145 fitted
with a solenoid piston rod 1146 and a rod seal 1147. The cavity
1145 is connected to the actuator cylinder cavity 1148 below the
piston 1133. The piston rod 1135 is situated in the center of
cavity 1148, similar to other previously described actuators of
this invention. The solenoid piston rod 1146 is attached to the
solenoid piston 1149 and these two parts move together. The
cavities 1145 and 1148 are filled with a selected hydraulic fluid
to a pressure in balance with the force from the spring 1136. In an
assembled form, the spring 1136 applies a predetermined force on
the actuating pin 1114 of the valve cartridge 1110 to close a valve
outlet. To open the valve outlet, the solenoid 1143 is energized
and the solenoid piston 1149 moves down and exerts a force on the
fluid inside the cavity 1145, thus increasing the fluid pressure.
The increased fluid pressure is transmitted to the fluid inside
cavity 1148, thus creating a force pushing the piston 1133 upward.
The lifted piston 1133 relieves the force of the valve cartridge
1110, thus opening the valve outlet. By a difference in
cross-sectional area of the solenoid piston rod 1146 and the
actuator piston 1133, the solenoid force is significantly enhanced.
An area ratio determines the force enhancement.
[0054] A still further embodiment of this invention is a pressure
regulating valve shown in FIG. 20. Because of its relatively small
size, high flow capability, high precision, high pressure
capability, and high pressure sensitivity, the on-off valve of this
invention can be used advantageously in fluid pressure regulating
applications, particularly at high fluid pressures. By employing
the valve cartridges of this invention, the regulating valves can
be quite simple in construction, ideally suited for use in water
jetting with multiple jetting lances or nozzles. A pressure
relating valve is an on-off valve that is normally closed and is
quickly open at a predetermined pressure. Once opened, it lets go
or discharges with a predetermined amount of fluid, for example to
return the fluid pressure inside the valve cavity back to a
predetermined level. In water jetting with multiple hand-operated
shutoff guns, the operators will operate their guns independently,
thus affecting the fluid pressure in a supply hose. If all guns are
open, there must be sufficient water in the supply hose to maintain
the pressure. Likewise, if all guns are closed, the water inside
the hose must have a dump port for water to be dumped to avoid over
pressurization. Thus, a good pressure regulating valve is a
necessary component in water jetting operations. If there is only
one gun, one regulating valve will suffice. If there are four guns,
four or more regulating valves can be needed to regulate the water
pressure in the system.
[0055] Still referring to FIG. 20, the regulating valve assembly
1200 of this invention comprises a valve cylinder 1201 integrated
with the actuator cylinder 1231, a catcher cylinder 1220, and a
drain plug 1223. The valve actuator cylinder 1231 has a threaded-on
end cap 1232, the valve closure spring 1236, the spring piston
1233, the piston rod 1235, and a spring spacer disk 1237. The
cylinder cap 1232 is threaded on to compress the spring 1236 to a
predetermined compression so as to apply a predetermined force on
the piston 1233 so that in an assembled form this spring force is
transmitted to the actuating pin 1214 of the valve cartridge 1210
to keep the cartridge outlet closed. This spring force can be
adjusted by changing the spring spacer 1237 without changing the
spring. A thicker spacer disk 1237 will increase the spring force.
The valve cartridge 1210 is positioned inside a valve cavity 1204,
which is connected to the fluid inlet 1202. The fluid inlet 1202
can also be connected to outlets leading to nozzles or individual
jetting lances. The outlet end 1211 of the valve cartridge 1210
abuts the catcher cylinder 1220 and is connected to a nozzle cone
1221 in which a selected nozzle orifice is mounted. This nozzle
orifice is sized to match the nozzle size of a jetting lance, or
sized according to some other predetermined formula. Below this
nozzle cone is a catcher tube 1222 with a central cavity connected
to a drain plug 1223 and the drain passage 1224. The catcher tube
1222 catches fluid coming out of the nozzle cone 1221 and
dissipates its energy. Therefore, the catcher tube is made of very
hard materials and is capable of breaking up the fluid jet coming
out of the nozzle cone 1221.
[0056] When a pressurized system fluid flows into the valve 1200 of
this invention from a pump, it also flows to a nozzle or jetting
lance to do work. The valve 1200 can be closed to maintain a
constant system pressure. When the jetting nozzle is closed, the
valve 1200 must quickly open to let go of a certain amount of fluid
in the system and to restore the fluid pressure back to a
predetermined level. The valve cartridges will automatically open
or close according to the fluctuations of fluid pressure in the
system and will try to maintain the preset level. This fluid
pressure compensating operation should be performed inside a pump
such as in the case of fluid pressure intensifier pumps. In such
pumps, the hydraulic fluid is equipped with a pressure compensating
valve that automatically monitors the load and adjusts the oil flow
rate. Crankshaft pumps commonly used in conventional water jetting
processes do not have this capability. Therefore, an external
pressure sensing unloading valve is required and can be
accomplished with the valve assembly 1200 of this invention.
[0057] FIG. 21 shows a still further embodiment of this invention,
which is a pressure regulating valve system 1300 for maintaining a
pressure balance in a multiple-outlet high-pressure water jetting
system. In such systems, there will be multiple water jetting guns
that are operated independently. Thus, the water pressure can
fluctuate violently in the system unless there is a suitable
pressure regulating valve. For example, if there are four shutoff
guns in a water jetting system, the pump must supply a sufficient
amount of water to feed to all four guns in operations at a
predetermined pressure. If one gun is closed, the regulating valve
must release a certain amount of water to avoid over
pressurization. If all four guns are closed, the regulating valve
must let go of or discharge all of the water from the pump. Because
the water jetting guns are operated at random the regulating valve
must be able to meet the demand. One solution to this problem is to
employ the regulating valve assembly 1300 of this invention. The
valve assembly 1300 has multiple regulating valves mounted on a
common valve body 1301. The multiple actuators 1330 can have the
springs 1336 set at a same spring rate or at different spring
rates. The nozzle cones 1321 can have orifices matching, such as
used in jetting guns or can be sized according to some other
formula. By using a multiple pressure regulating valve of this
invention, the valve assembly 1300 can meet the demand of
conventional multiple-gun water jetting systems.
Example I
[0058] A high-pressure on-off valve assembly was constructed
according to the valve assembly 200 of this invention. This valve
assembly comprised an air actuator part and a valve cylinder part
locked together by a coupler and a locking collar, as shown in FIG.
7. The actuator cylinder, made of stainless steel, was 2.200 inches
long, 1.250 inches in diameter, and had a 0.875-inch-diameter
central cavity. The actuator piston, also made of stainless steel,
was 0.875 inches in diameter and had an attached piston rod of
0.125 inches in diameter. The actuator piston was fitted with a
diametrical O-ring seal. The actuator spring was a medium-duty die
spring of 0.750 inches in diameter and 1.250 inches in length with
a spring rate of 80 pounds at 0.31 inches compression. This spring
was placed inside the actuator cylinder abutting the actuator
piston on one end and the actuator end cap on the other end. The
end cap was threaded into the actuator cylinder to compress the
spring to 1.100 inches in length to produce a force of about 40
pounds. The actuator piston rod thus extended out of the actuator
cavity. The coupler, made of stainless steel, was threaded into the
actuator cylinder with the locking collar attached. The coupler had
a locking shoulder of 0.800 inches in diameter and engaged a collar
made of a 1.250 inch stainless-steel hexagon bar. The O-ring seal
was provided to accommodate the piston rod. The actuator cylinder
had a side fluid inlet that was fitted with a quick-connect
nipple.
[0059] The valve cylinder, made of hardened stainless steel, was
1.250 inches in diameter, 3.600 inches in length, and had an
actuator end machined with external threads to engage the locking
collar and an outlet end machined with internal threads to accept
an outlet adapter. The valve cylinder had a central cavity of 0.375
inches in diameter and 2.450 inches in depth measured from the
actuator end. This central cavity had a tapered outlet hole of
0.094 inches in diameter leading to the threaded outlet adapter
cavity. The central cavity also had a side fluid inlet fitted with
an inlet adapter to accommodate a hose or tube fitting. This valve
cartridge was 2.600 inches long, 0.375 inches in diameter, and was
made with stainless steel except for the seals. The valve cartridge
case was made of two parts, a cartridge cylinder and an end plug.
The cartridge cylinder had a central cavity of 0.250 inches in
diameter and a side fluid inlet of 0.094 inches in diameter. This
cartridge cylinder has a straight open end to mate with the end
plug and had a tapered outlet end to mate with the outlet end of
the valve cylinder. This central cavity accommodated a valve poppet
with a 3-part construction, which had a shoulder of 0.250 inches in
diameter and an outlet end of 0.188 inches in diameter, and was 1.0
inch long. The outlet end of the valve poppet had a compression
spring of 0.750 inches in length and was compressed to urge the
valve poppet away from the outlet. This valve poppet had a through
fluid passage of 0.047 inches in diameter that was interrupted by a
ball check valve of 0.078 inches in diameter, which allowed one-way
fluid flow to the outlet. The tapered end of this valve poppet was
designed to mate with the tapered outlet end of the valve cartridge
to form a fluid tight seal. The valve poppet, although snugly
fitted inside the cartridge cavity, was free to slide for a
distance of about 0.100 inches. The end plug of valve cartridge
also had a central cavity and a through hole to accommodate a
centrally positioned valve actuating pin, a pin seal, a pin seal
backup bushing, and a pin extension. One end of this end plug was
cemented or adhered to the valve cylinder and the other end was
flat and abutted the actuator coupler when assembled. This flat end
of valve cartridge end plug had screwdriver slots to facilitate
removal of the valve cartridge from the valve cylinder. The valve
actuating pin had a diameter of 0.032 inches and a length of 0.85
inches, and was made of a relatively hard stainless steel. This
valve actuating pin was locked inside the valve cartridge by the
pin extension, which had one end extended outside the valve
cartridge to engage the actuator piston rod when assembled. When
assembled, the valve cartridge actuating pin extension had a length
of about 0.200 inches outside the valve cartridge. The pin
extension had a diameter of 0.094 inches. Pushing this pin
extension into the valve cartridge would force the valve actuating
pin to move the valve poppet toward the outlet and close the
valve.
[0060] In assembled form, the valve coupler was forced to abut the
flat end of the valve cartridge by the threaded locking collar.
Thus, the actuator piston rod forced the actuating pin to move the
valve poppet to close the outlet port. This spring force was about
40 pounds. This spring force was adequate for this valve assembly
to operate at a water pressure up to 45,000 psi. To open this valve
would require compressed air of about 75 psi.
[0061] Testing this valve with water at a pressure of 3,500 psi
showed the expected performance. The response of this valve was
fast and clean. There was no hesitation despite the relatively low
water pressure. Movement of the valve poppet of this valve was a
function of the fluid pressure, which determines the fluid force
acting on the valve poppet. The higher the fluid pressure, the
greater is the fluid force in seating the valve poppet and in
opening the valve outlet. This force is relatively powerful at high
water pressures and yet very gentle. There was absolutely no impact
between valve parts.
Example II
[0062] A hand-operated on-off valve was constructed according to
the valve assembly 700 of this invention. This valve assembly was
in the form of a dump gun commonly employed in conventional water
jetting operations, as shown in FIG. 15. This dump gun comprised
two major parts, the valve body assembly and the actuator assembly.
The valve body assembly comprised a rectangular stainless-steel
valve body 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick, and a
stainless-steel water inlet tube of 0.563 inches in diameter, 7
inches in length, and had threaded ends to engage the valve body
and an inlet adapter. A valve cartridge was designed as shown in
FIG. 9. A threaded-on short stainless-steel dump tube had an open
end. A threaded-on 4 feet long stainless-steel main tube had an end
nozzle.
[0063] The actuator assembly comprised an aluminum-alloy actuator
housing 1 inch thick, 2.5 inches wide, and 2 inches long. A
stainless-steel pivoted trigger lever was 0.5 inches in diameter
and 6.5 inches long. A stainless-steel actuating piston was 0.5
inches in diameter with a piston rod of 0.125 inches in diameter
and an overall length of 1.2 inches. A piston return spring was 0.5
inches in diameter and 1 inch in length. An aluminum-alloy handle
was 7.5 inches in length and 7/8 inches in diameter. There was also
a stainless-steel inlet adapter, a stainless-steel trigger guard,
and assorted stainless-steel mounting bolts.
[0064] The valve cartridge was 0.5 inches in diameter, 2.6 inches
in length, and had tapered ends, as shown in FIG. 9. The design of
this valve cartridge was similar to that used in Example I except
that it had greater dimensions but an absence of the outside seal
assembly. The valve actuating pin was identical, 0.032 inches in
diameter and 0.85 inches in length. When this valve cartridge was
assembled inside the valve body, the ends formed a fluid-tight seal
with the valve body on the actuator end and with a dump port
adapter at the outlet end. The dump port adapter had a diametrical
seal assembly on one end and a threaded cavity on the other end to
accommodate the dump tube. The valve cartridge had its actuating
pin extension exposed and positioned to engage the piston rod of
the actuator assembly. There was also a main tube adapter threaded
into the valve body on one end and engaged a main tube on the other
end. Both tubes were 0.563 inches in diameter. The valve body had
fluid passages connecting the inlet to the main-tube adapter and to
the cartridge cavity.
[0065] When assembled, the trigger lever was at a loose position
and both outlet tubes were open to the inlet. When pressurized
water flowed into the valve assembly, it flowed out of both tubes
without much force because of the relatively large opening of the
dump port. However, when the trigger lever was pulled toward the
handle by hand, the actuating piston was pushed toward the valve
body and the piston rod in turn pushed the valve actuating pin
inside the valve cartridge to push the valve poppet to close the
outlet. As a result, the dump port was closed and the water
pressure inside the valve cavity rose quickly, and a high-speed
waterjet was issued at the nozzle. The water jetting continued as
long as the trigger lever was held by hand. The hand force required
to hold the trigger lever was minimal, estimated at not more than 2
pounds at a water pressure of 40,000 psi. This hand force is
considerably smaller than that required by any dump guns in use
today, thus eliminating the hand fatigue problem.
[0066] Testing this dump gun at a water pressure of 3,500 psi
showed that this dump gun performed flawlessly. A similar result
can be expected with a dump gun according to this invention, even
at much higher water pressures.
[0067] While in the foregoing specification this invention has been
described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and
many details have been set forth for purpose of illustration, it
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is
susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the
details described herein can be varied considerably without
departing from the basic principles of this invention.
* * * * *