U.S. patent number 3,558,100 [Application Number 04/699,947] was granted by the patent office on 1971-01-26 for multiple orifice rotary control valve.
Invention is credited to Eldon E. Hulsey.
United States Patent |
3,558,100 |
Hulsey |
January 26, 1971 |
MULTIPLE ORIFICE ROTARY CONTROL VALVE
Abstract
A rotary control valve having a control member provided with a
plurality of circumferentially spaced, fixed area orifices having
their axes disposed at an angle to the axis of rotation for
selective registry with a flowway through the valve disposed at the
same angle to the axis of rotation, whereby to provide
straight-line flow through the valve at all orifice settings.
Inventors: |
Hulsey; Eldon E. (Houston,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
24811592 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/699,947 |
Filed: |
January 23, 1968 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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604414 |
Dec 23, 1966 |
3443793 |
May 13, 1969 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
251/207;
251/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K
5/0435 (20130101); F16K 5/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F16K
5/10 (20060101); F16K 5/00 (20060101); F16K
5/04 (20060101); F16k 005/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;251/205--209,304,309--312 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Klinksiek; Henry T.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending
application, Ser. No. 604,414, filed Dec. 23, 1966 now U.S. Pat.
No. 3,443,793, issued May 13, 1969 for VARIABLE AREA ORIFICE,
ROTARY CONTROL VALVE.
Claims
I claim:
1. A rotary valve comprising:
a. a casing defining a chamber having a main axis for receiving a
flow-control member and having openings communicating with said
chamber at spaced points to define a flowway therethrough on an
axis disposed at an acute angle to said main axis of said chamber;
and
b. a flow-control member rotatably disposed in said chamber
comprising:
i. a tubular body shaped to fit said chamber and having an axis of
rotation coaxial with said chamber axis;
ii. a flow passage extending through opposite walls of said body
generally at said acute angle with respect to said axis of rotation
whereby to be in register with said openings at the flowway-open
position of said flow-control members; and
iii. cylindrical trunnion members carried by the opposite ends of
said body and journaled in said casing,
iv. each end of said flow passage being defined by an elongate slot
in said body extending circumferentially of said body and defined
by convergent walls inclined inwardly of said body to intersect
said flow passage parallel to the flow axis thereof.
2. A rotary valve according to claim 1 wherein said flow-control
member includes:
a. plug members removably closing the opposite ends of said
flow-control member and carrying said trunnion members;
b. at least one of said trunnion members being constructed to
function as an operating stem for said flow-control member.
3. A rotary valve according to claim 1 wherein said slot has an
arcuate length from about 90.degree. to about 270.degree..
4. For use in a rotary valve including a casing defining a
closure-receiving chamber having a main axis and having openings
communicating with said chamber at spaced points to define a
flowway therethrough disposed at an acute angle to said main axis,
a closure member comprising:
a. a body shaped to fit said chamber and having an axis of rotation
coaxial with said chamber axis;
b. a flow passage extending through opposite walls of said body
generally at said acute angle with respect to said axis of rotation
whereby to be in register with said openings at the full
flowway-open position of said closure e member;
c. each end of said passage defining an elongate slot extending
circumferentially of said body and defined by convergent walls
inclined inwardly of said body to intersect said passage parallel
to the flow axis of said passage;
d. said body having a non-slotted portion between the opposite ends
of said slot defining a closure portion adapted to close off a
flowway opening in the flowway-closing position of the closure
member; and
e. means carried by the ends of said body for journaling said body
in said casing.
5. A rotary valve, comprising:
a. a casing defining a chamber having a main axis for receiving a
flow-control member and having openings communicating with said
chamber at spaced points to define a flowway therethrough on an
axis disposed at an acute angle to said main axis of said chamber;
and
b. a flow-control member rotatably disposed in said chamber
comprising:
i. a tubular body shaped to fit said chamber and having an axis of
rotation coaxial with said chamber axis and having one end in open
communication with one of said openings;
ii. a plurality of circumferentially spaced orifices extending
through the wall of said body disposed generally in a plane normal
to said axis of rotation and intermediate the ends of said body,
each of said orifices having its axis at said acute angle whereby
to be coaxial with said flowway when rotated into register with the
other of said openings;
c. means connected to said body and journaled in said casing for
rotating said flow-control member;
d. a cylindrical operating stem extending to the exterior of said
casing; and
e. a plug member carried by the inner end of said operating stem
removably closing the adjacent end of said tubular body and secured
thereto against relative rotation.
6. A rotary valve according to claim 5 having annular seal means
disposed to seal between said body and said casing about said other
of said openings.
7. A rotary valve according to claim 5 wherein an annular seal
packing surrounds each of said orifices for sealing between said
body and said casing about said other of said openings.
8. A rotary valve according to claim 5 wherein at least some of
said orifices differ in cross-sectional area from others of said
orifices.
9. A rotary valve according to claim 5 wherein said body has at
least one imperforate portion between said orifices adapted when in
registry with said other of said openings to close off said
flowway.
10. A rotary valve according to claim 5 wherein the bore of said
other one of said openings has a cross-sectional area substantially
equal to that of the largest of said orifices and less than that of
said one opening.
11. A rotary valve according to claim 5 including a tubular adapter
removably positioned in the other of said openings, the inner end
of said adapter being shaped to effectively form a flush portion of
the interior wall of said chamber, said adapter having an axial
passage therethrough whose cross-sectional area is substantially
equal to that of the largest of said orifices.
12. A rotary valve according to claim 5 wherein said casing has an
end wall closing one end of said chamber and through which said one
of said openings communicates with said chamber, and a bonnet
member removably closing the other end of said chamber and having
an opening for journaling said means for rotating said flow-control
member.
13. For use in a rotary valve a closure member comprising:
a. a body having a central axis of rotation;
b. a flow passage extending through said body at an acute angle
with respect to said axis of rotation;
c. at least one end of said passage defining an elongate slot
extending circumferentially of said body and defined at least in
part by convergent walls inclined inwardly of said body to
intersect said passage parallel to the flow axis thereof;
d. said body having an a nonslotted portion between the opposite
ends of said slot defining a closure portion; and
e. means carried by the ends of said body for supporting the same
for rotation about said central axis.
14. A closure member according to claim 13 wherein said body is
tubular.
Description
In the aforesaid copending application, Ser. No. 604,414, I have
disclosed a form of rotary control valve which comprises a casing
defining a closure-receiving chamber having spaced openings in the
casing communicating with the chamber to define a flowway
therethrough disposed at an acute angle to a main axis of the
chamber, a closure member rotatably disposed in said chamber and
comprising a body shaped to fit the chamber and having an axis of
rotation coaxial with said chamber axis, and a flow passage
extending the through the closure body at said acute angle with
respect to said axis of rotation, whereby to be in register with
said openings at the position of the closure member.
The aforesaid control valve is further defined in that the flow
passage through the closure member is defined at one or both ends
by an elongate slot extending circumferentially of the body and
defined by convergent walls which are inclined so as to intersect
the flow passage through the closure member at an acute angle to
the axis of the passage. The slot or slots, so-shaped and inclined,
are designed when rotated to cooperate with the angularly disposed
flowway to vary the effective are cross-sectional area of the
flowway in accordance with the angular position of the slotted ends
of the flow passage relative to the flowway openings while
maintaining substantially straight line or through-conduit flow
through the flowway at all valve-open positions.
The present application discloses valve constructions embodying the
novel structural features disclosed in the aforementioned
application including a modification of one of the principal
embodiments of the earlier application, as well as a new multiple
orifice construction.
In a principal embodiment of the earlier application, the closure
member was in the form of a substantially solid body through which
a flow passage was formed having the disclosed novel configuration.
In one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, to be
described in detail hereinafter, the closure member is in the form
of a tubular sleeve or body having a flow passage therethrough
possessing the same characterizing features of the corresponding
embodiment of the earlier application. By employing a sleeve-type
body rather than a substantially solid body, it is found that
manufacture of the valve is greatly simplified, the weight and cost
correspondingly reduced, and the cost of replacement of the closure
member, when required, is greatly reduced, without sacrifice of the
novel flow characteristics of the valve.
The multiple orifice embodiment of a rotary control valve in
accordance with the present invention, likewise employs a tubular
or sleeve-type body as the control member which is mounted in the
valve body for rotation about an axis which is mounted in the valve
body for rotation about an axis which is disposed at an acute angle
to the axis of the flowway through the valve. However, instead of
elongate slots, the present embodiment employs a plurality of fixed
area orifices, which may be of the same or differing
cross-sectional areas, disposed in circumferentially spaced
relation about the control body, all of the orifices being disposed
generally in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the body of
the control member and intermediate the ends of the body. Each of
the orifices extend through the wall of the body at an angle such
that its axis will coincide with the axis of the flowway through
the valve when the orifice is rotated into registry with the
flowway. With this arrangement, fluid flow through each orifice
will be straight-flow, thereby eliminating changes in direction and
obviating the erosion and abrasion which occur in more conventional
designs of multiple orifice, or so-called "variable choke" valves,
particularly under the high pressure, high velocity flow conditions
to which such control devices are commonly subjected.
Another advantageous feature of the present invention is the use
with the sleeve-type control member of separable end members
carrying trunnions by means of which the opposite ends of the
control member may be rotatably journaled in the valve casing in a
manner to effectively balance the control member, enabling greater
ease of operation and reduction in operating torque
requirements.
Other and more specific objects and advantages of this invention
will become more readily apparent from the following detailed
description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing
which illustrates useful embodiments in accordance with this
invention.
In the Drawing:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, partly sectional view of a control valve
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the
valve being shown in the closed position;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view, partly in section, of the closure
member employed in the valve illustrated in FIG. 1, the closure
member being shown rotated at an angle of 90.degree. from that
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view of a multiple orifice
control valve in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.
3;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view in perspective of the control member
employed in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the valve
structure.
Referring first of FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve includes a casing 10
having a generally cylindrical bore defining a closure-receiving
chamber 11. The ends of casing 10 are closed by means of bonnet
members 12 and 12a removably secured thereto in any conventional
manner (not shown). Chamber 22 11 is adapted to receive a closure
member, designated generally by the numeral 13, and comprising a
tubular sleeve 14, having an axial bore 15, snugly fitting the bore
wall of chamber 11 and disposed for rotation therein, the wall
forming a seat for the closure member.
The opposite ends of sleeve 14 are closed by removable end plugs 16
and 17 having external diameters to be flush with the exterior of
sleeve 14 and having reduced diameter cylindrical extensions 18 and
19, respectively, dimensioned to have a snug sliding fit in bore 15
of the closure sleeve, and defining the inwardly facing annular
shoulders 20 and 21, respectively, adapted to abut the adjacent
ends of the closure sleeve. With the end plugs in place, the
overall length of closure member 13 will be made such as to fit
snugly between the opposed inner faces of bonnet members 12 and
12a.
End plugs 16 and 17 are provided with oppositely extending
cylindrical stems or trunnions 22 and 23, respectively, of
identical cross section, coaxial with each other and with the
longitudinal axis of sleeve 14. Trunnions 22 and 23 are journaled
in coaxial openings 25 and 26 of the respective bonnet members 12
and 12a. Seal packings 27 and 27a are mounted in openings 25 and
26, respectively, to seal about the respective trunnions.
One of the end plugs, plug 16 for example, may be constituted the
drive member for rotating closure member 13, and to this end may be
provided with one or more dowel pins or keys 30 (FIG. 2) projecting
from shoulder 20 alongside extension 18 for reception in matching
slots 31 provided the adjacent end of closure sleeve 14. Trunnion
22 functions as a drive stem and is separably connected to plug 16
by means of a connection including a socket 32 in the outer end of
plug 16 into which the inner end of stem 22 slidably extends. Dowel
pins 33 project upwardly from the bottom of socket 32 and are
disposed for sliding reception in matching grooves or slots 34 in
the inner end of stem 22, whereby to lock the stem against rotation
relative to the plug. Spaced from its inner end, stem 22 carries an
annular flange 35 which fits into a counterbore 36 in the outer end
face of plug 16 to be flush therewith. With the bonnet member in
place about the stem, flange 35 functions to prevent the stem from
pulling out of the valve casing while permitting free rotation of
the stem in opening 25. The outer end of stem 22 carries means,
such as the flats 37, for connection to the stem of any
conventional type of operator to be employed for rotating the
closure member.
Plug 17, while it may be of identical construction to plug 16, is
illustrated in a form in which trunnion 23 is made integral with
the plug. By providing the closure sleeve with the separable end
plugs, it will be seen that replacement of the closure sleeve is
greatly simplified and the cost reduced.
Casing 10 is provided with registering openings 40-40 spaced
180.degree. apart and disposed on an axis extending at an acute
angle to the longitudinal axis of casing 10. Openings 40-40 define
the inlet and outlet flow ports for the valve to which are
connected the coaxial nozzles 41-41 defining the flowway through
the valve by means of which the valve may be connected into a flow
conduit to be controlled by the valve. As so arranged the valve is
of the so-called "angle" type, in that the main axis of the valve
casing is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the
longitudinal axis of the flow conduit in which it is mounted.
Closure member 13 is, as previously noted, of cylindrical, tubular
shape and, as indicated in FIG. 2, has a flow passage 42 extending
along an axis b-b at an acute angle x, with respect to the
longitudinal axis of the closure member, indicated by the line a-a,
so as to be coincident with the axis of the flowway through the
valve when the closure member is in the valve-closing position. The
opposite ends of the flow passage through the closure member are
defined by orifice slots 43-43 of identical, generally convergent
shape, but oppositely oriented, as will appear subsequently.
Slots 43 extend generally circumferentially of the closure member
and are defined by convergent walls 44--45 which are inclined
inwardly of the body of the closure member, so as to intersect the
flow passage at an acute angle y, which is preferably equal to, but
opposite, angle x of the flow passage, as indicated by the line c-c
indicating the angle of inclination of walls 44 and 45. In
development, slots 43 will have an elongate, generally triangular
configuration with arcuate bases and will be oriented to extend in
opposite directions about the closure body and to be angularly
offset, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The nonslotted portions of
the body between the opposite ends of slots 43 define closure
portions 46 adapted to register with the related flow ports 40 in
the flowway-closing position of the closure member, as seen in
FIGS. 1 and 2. Closure portions 46 may be enclosed by seal rings
47, such as conventional O-rings, seated in elliptically shaped
grooves 48 to form fluid-tight seals around each of the flow ports
40 when the closure member is in the flowway-closing position (FIG.
1). An annular seal ring 49 is seated in a suitable groove 50
extending circumferentially about the closure member at its
midpoint, whereby to seal off the chamber 11 between the inlet and
outlet ends thereof.
In general, the arcuate length of each slot 43 will be greater than
90.degree. and preferably from about 180.degree. to 270.degree..
This extended length of the slot will permit rotation of the
closure member through an angle up to 270.degree. between its fully
closed and fully opened positions, thereby providing an extends
extended range of variation in the orifice area for accurately
controlling the flow of fluid through the valve.
By the described inclination of the walls defining slots 43 to the
longitudinal axis of the closure member and to the axis of the
flowway, it is found that at any open position of the closure
member throughout the angular length of the slots, the flow path
through the valve will be substantially coaxial with the flowway
through the valve, thus providing straight line flow through the
valve at any opening.
Angles x and y are, as previously note, acute angles and preferably
will be in the range from about 30.degree. to slightly less than
45.degree. 45.degree., depending on the size of the valve; that is,
the diameter of the flowway through the valve. In general, the
larger the flowway diameter, the larger the angle. For example, in
a nominal 2 inch valve, angles x and y will be approximately
37.degree., while in a nominal 20 inch valve, these angles will be
approximately 45.degree..
With the balanced symmetrical construction heretofore described,
not only will the flow passage be straight line or through-conduit
flow at all valve open positions of the closure member, but by
reason of the identical configuration and dimensions of both, the
inlet and outlet orifice slots and their reversed relationship with
respect to one another, the orifice areas, both at the inlet and
outlet ends of the flow passage, will be identical at all open
positions, with the result that there will be substantially no
pressure drop across the valve. The straight line character of the
flow will, of course, reduce turbulence to a minimum at any
opening. This is a highly desirable and important characteristic in
a control valve, since it eliminates many of the problems
encountered in many conventional types of control valves.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 6, inclusive, which illustrate the
multiple orifice embodiment in accordance with this invention,
there is shown a valve casing 60 having a cylindrical bore 61
defining a seat for a tubular control member 62 mounted for
rotation in chamber 61. The lower end of casing 60 is closed by an
end wall 63 through which is formed an inlet opening 64 coaxial
with an outlet opening 65 provided through the sidewall of casing
60 at a point such that the axis of the flowway defined by openings
64 and 65 will be disposed at an acute angle with respect to the
main longitudinal axis of chamber 61 and control member 62, as
indicated by the intersecting lines a and b in FIG. 3. Tubular
nozzles 66 and 67 are connected into communication with openings 64
and 65 to define the flowway through the valve and for connection
into a pipe line to be controlled by the valve. Control member 62
is, as previously noted, constructed in a form of a cylindrical
sleeve, having an axial bore 68 and disposed in chamber 61 with its
lower end seated against the inner face of bottom wall 63. An end
plug 69, generally similar to end plug 16 of the previously
described embodiment, is removably connected to the upper end of
sleeve 62 by means of dowel pins 70, as in the previously described
embodiment, and an operating stem 71 is likewise separably secured
to the plug by means of dowel pins 72. Stem 71 extends through an
opening 73 in a bonnet member 74 which closes the upper end of
casing 60, being removably secured thereto by cap screws 75. Stem
71 is journaled in openings 73 coaxially with respect to control
member 62 and spaced apart seal packings 76-76 are disposed in
opening 73 about the stem. A channel 77 may be drilled laterally
through bonnet member 74 to communicate with opening 73 between
packing 76, and may be employed for injecting grease or other
lubricant through a fitting 78, if desired or necessary to prevent
fluid leakage past stem 71.
The wall of control member 62 is provided with a plurality of
openings, each designated by the numeral 80, which may be of the
same or different cross-sectional areas and which are arranged in
angularly spaced relationship on a common plane normal to the axis
of control member 62 intermediate the ends thereof. The axis of
each of the openings or orifices 80 is inclined at an acute angle
to the longitudinal axis of control member 62, which is, of course,
the axis of rotation of the latter, the angle being the same as the
angle between axes a and b, as seen in FIG. 3. Thus, when any of
the orifices is rotated to a position coaxial with axis a of the
flowway, the flow path for fluid passing through the valve will be
along a straight line path coincident with the axis of the flowway,
the flow directions being indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3. The
control member will be provided with at least one blank portion,
indicated at 82, designed to provide a flowway-closing portion of
the control member.
Since the several orifices will usually be considerably smaller in
area than inlet opening 64, outlet opening 65 may be fitted with an
adapter 85 having an axial bore 86 whose cross-sectional area will
be substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the largest
of the several orifices 80. Adapter 85 will normally be in a form
of a short cylinder which can be inserted into the inner end of
nozzle 67 from chamber 61 and seated in the nozzle against a
shoulder 88 to prevent its being expelled from nozzle 67 by the
force of fluid flowing through the valve. The inner end of adapter
68 is cut at an angle and arcuately curved to provide a surface 89
which will be flush with the inner surface of bore 61 and
effectively constitute a portion of the seat for control member 62.
Adapter 85 may be provided with an annular seal packing 90 to seal
off between the adapter and the wall of nozzle 67.
Each of the orifices 80, as well as imperforate closure portion 82,
will be enclosed by an annular seal packing 81 seated in the
exterior of control member 62. Because of the angular disposition
of the orifices, their inlet and outlet ends will take the general
form of ellipses, as will the surrounding seal packings. Each of
the latter will be dimensioned to form a seal about its respective
orifice with the inner end face 89 of the adapter when the orifice
is aligned with bore 86 of the adapter.
With the above-described arrangement, as each orifice is disposed
on the flow axis, it will define a portion of a flow path which, in
each instance, will be straight line and reduce the possibility of
abrasion and erosion by fluid flowing through the restricted area
defined by the several orifices.
As noted, orifices 80 may all be of the same cross-sectional area
or each may be of a different area. Also, the invention
contemplates that there may be several groups of orifices, the
orifices in each group being of equal dimension, but differing from
the orifices of another group. Thus, any combination of orifices
may be employed as may be desired. Also, as noted, one or more
spaces may be left imperforate to permit the control member to
operate as a closure member for the flowway through the valve.
With a valve constructed as described, a very simple form of
variable choke is provided which is readily adaptable for all types
of fluid flow systems. The control member may be readily replaced,
since it constitutes only a simple sleeve, whenever conditions of
wear require a change to be made, although the degree of wear to
which the closure member herein described may be subjected is
considerably less than in other types of chokes. Suitable and
well-known indexing devices may be provided between stem 71 and
bonnet 74, or other parts of the valve, to permit alignment of
selected orifices or closure portions with the outlet of the
flowway, in accordance with the angular movement of the stem.
* * * * *