U.S. patent number 3,834,621 [Application Number 05/297,216] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-10 for fluid delivery system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Partek Corporation of Houston. Invention is credited to Hubert E. Magee, Jr., Amos Pacht.
United States Patent |
3,834,621 |
Pacht , et al. |
September 10, 1974 |
FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEM
Abstract
A high pressure fluid delivery system is disclosed in which two
or more guns, each having a high pressure nozzle outlet and a low
pressure dump outlet, may be connected to and operated from the
same pump. Pressure responsive control apparatus is provided in the
flow line between each gun and the pump and each such apparatus
includes a valve responsive to the fluid pressure at its respective
gun for directing fluid either directly to such gun when flow is
through the gun nozzle, or through an orifice in said apparatus
substantially the same size as the nozzle orifice of such gun when
the gun is dumping.
Inventors: |
Pacht; Amos (Houston, TX),
Magee, Jr.; Hubert E. (Houston, TX) |
Assignee: |
Partek Corporation of Houston
(Houston, TX)
|
Family
ID: |
23145355 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/297,216 |
Filed: |
October 13, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/76; 137/110;
239/444 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60S
3/00 (20130101); B63B 59/06 (20130101); B05B
9/0423 (20130101); Y10T 137/2562 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B63B
59/00 (20060101); B63B 59/06 (20060101); B60S
3/00 (20060101); B05B 9/04 (20060101); F16k
021/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/76,304,312,442,443,444,446,447,533 ;137/110,599 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: King; Lloyd L.
Assistant Examiner: Kashnikow; Andres
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hubbard, Thurman, Turner &
Tucker
Claims
The invention having been described, what is claimed is:
1. In a fluid system for supplying a high pressure stream of fluid,
including a pump having a low pressure inlet adapted to be
connected to a source of fluid and a high pressure outlet, and at
least one nozzle gun having an inlet, a high pressure discharge
nozzle, a relatively low pressure dump outlet, and actuating means
for diverting flow between said nozzle and said dump outlet, the
improvement in said system comprising at least one fluid pressure
control apparatus having an inlet adapted to be connected to the
outlet of said pump, an outlet adapted to be connected to the inlet
of one of said guns, a first flow passageway connected between its
inlet and outlet, a second flow passageway connected between its
inlet and outlet for bypassing said first passageway, valve means
in said first passageway responsive to the fluid pressure at its
outlet to move between a first position permitting flow through
said first passageway when the gun connected thereto is actuated to
discharge fluid through its nozzle, and to a second position
wherein flow through said first passageway is interrupted and
diverted through said second passageway when said gun is dumping,
and orifice means mounted in said second passageway and having an
opening therethrough that is substantially the size of the nozzle
opening of the gun connected to the outlet of said control
means.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said control apparatus
includes pressure responsive means for moving said valve means
between said first and second positions, and a third flow
passageway connected to the outlet of said control means and
conducting fluid from said outlet to said pressure responsive
means.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein said first passageway includes a
valve chamber therein and said apparatus includes a piston chamber
to which said third flow passageway is connected, and wherein said
valve means includes a valve seat in said valve chamber and a valve
member having a disk member in said chamber and a stem portion
extending from said valve chamber into said piston chamber, and
further including a movable piston in said piston chamber connected
to said stem portion and responsive to fluid pressure in said third
passageway to move said valve member out of sealing engagement with
said valve seat, and means for urging said piston against such
fluid pressure to cause said valve member to be seated on said
valve seat.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein said last mentioned means is a
spring and said apparatus includes a removable cap for compressing
said spring and urging it against said piston, said cap also
serving as a stop for the movement of said piston against the force
of said spring.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said orifice means is provided by
a removable insert in said second passageway.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein at least two such pressure control
apparatus are provided in a unitary assembly having a common fluid
inlet.
7. Pressure control apparatus for connection in a high pressure
fluid delivery system between a pump and a gun assembly having a
high pressure nozzle outlet and a dump outlet, for maintaining a
substantially constant load on the pump, said apparatus comprising,
in combination: an inlet adapted to be connected to the outlet of
such a pump, an outlet adapted to be connected to such a gun, a
main passageway connected between said inlet and said outlet; valve
means in said passageway for permitting or interrupting flow of
fluid from said inlet through said main passageway to said outlet,
a by-pass passageway connected between said inlet and said outlet
for permitting flow of fluid from said inlet to outlet to by-pass
said main passageway, orifice means in said by-pass passageway for
providing a restriction to fluid flow substantially the same size
as the nozzle on said gun, and means responsive to fluid pressure
at the outlet of said apparatus for causing said valve means to
interrupt flow through said main passageway when the fluid pressure
at said output is relatively low, whereby such flow is through said
by-pass passageway, and for causing said valve means to permit flow
through said main passageway when the pressure at said outlet is
relatively high.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said valve means includes a
valve member having a flat seating disk and a valve seat having a
flat seating surface.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said valve seat is a removable
member.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said main passageway includes
a valve chamber therein and further including a piston chamber and
a third flow passageway connected between said piston chamber and
said outlet, and wherein said valve means includes a valve seat in
said valve chamber and a valve member having a disk member in said
chamber and a stem portion extending from said valve chamber into
said piston chamber, and further including a movable piston in said
piston chamber connected to said stem portion and responsive to
fluid pressure in said third passageway to move said valve member
out of sealing engagement with said valve seat, and means for
urging said piston against such fluid pressure to cause said valve
member to be seated on said valve seat.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein said last mentioned means is a
spring and said apparatus includes a removable cap for compressing
said spring and urging it against said piston, said cap also
serving as a stop for the movement of said piston against the force
of said spring.
Description
This invention relates to a high pressure fluid delivery system and
in one of its aspects to pressure control apparatus for providing
substantially constant pressures from a pump delivering fluid to
the system.
In the prior art, fluid systems are provided in which a high
pressure stream of water, i.e., at pressures of 6,000 - 10,000
pounds or more, are used for many cleaning applications. In these
systems one or more hand-held valve assemblies or guns are
provided, and are connected by a hose to a common outlet of a pump.
The guns generally include a housing having a valve therein, a
barrel extension for directing the high pressure stream of water
through a nozzle to the object to be cleaned, a handle or trigger
mechanism for operating the valve, and a relatively unrestricted
pressure relief or "dump" outlet for relieving pressure in the
assembly when flow through the high pressure nozzle outlet is
interrupted by operation of the valve. When the gun is dumping
water, pressures are generally no more than a few hundred pounds,
and a sudden reduction on the load or the pump occurs.
Because of the wide differential between water pressures when water
is dumped and when it is being discharged through the gun nozzle,
apparatus have been suggested for automatically decreasing the pump
engine speed during dumping, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.
3,335,962. However, where two or more nozzle guns are employed in
random operation, such apparatus is generally not practical. When
two or more guns are used from a single source, it is highly
desirable that a constant inlet pressure to the guns be provided
independent of the operation of the guns. In U.S. Pat. No.
3,375,980, a system is provided wherein when a nozzle gun is not
discharging high pressure fluid, the fluid is passed through an
orifice that was substantially the same size as the gun's nozzle
orifice. Thus, whether a gun is discharging through its nozzle or
not, a substantially constant pressure is provided by the pump.
However, this system requires the use of a separate source of
compressed air, a diaphragm valve assembly for each gun for
switching between the gun and the added orifice, pneumatic control
means on each gun for operating the diaphragm valve, and a
considerable amount of additional piping. The addition of the
additional pneumatic system thus represents a substantial added
expense, a source of frequent maintenance and leakage problems, and
generally unduly complicates the fluid delivering system. Also, the
guns employed are of special design and are not "dump" guns which
are readily available and generally preferred since the operator is
always assured that the high pressure is being relieved.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a high
pressure fluid delivery system in which two or more "dump" guns of
standard design may be supplied fluid by a single pump, and in
which a substantially constant pressure is provided by the pump
during dumping operation of any of the guns.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a system which
does not require an added pneumatic control system or specially
designed guns.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a system in
which control apparatus for a plurality of guns may be provided in
one unitary assembly installed in the flow line between the pump
and the nozzle guns to accomplish above mentioned objects, and in
which no additional piping need be installed.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a system in
which a plurality of guns with different size nozzle openings can
be used at the same time, and the nozzle sizes of each gun can be
easily changed.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a system in
which different flow rates from the pump, or from different pumps
used with the system, can be compensated for without substantially
altering the system.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a system in
which the above objects can be accomplished without the need for
the addition of relatively expensive, complicated, or large
components.
These and other objects of this invention, which will be apparent
upon consideration of the appended drawings and claims, and the
following detailed description, are accomplished in the preferred
embodiment illustrated by providing a fluid pressure control
apparatus between each gun of a fluid discharge system and the pump
of the system for maintaining a substantially constant load on the
pump. Each such control apparatus includes a main flow passageway
having a valve therein, and a by-pass flow passageway having an
orifice sized to provide substantially the same pressure drop
across the control apparatus, which is generally provided by
providing substantially the same size orifice as the discharge
orifice of the gun connected to the control apparatus. The valve is
responsive to the pressure of fluid flowing to the gun connected to
the control apparatus and when the gun is discharging fluid at high
pressure through its nozzle, flow in the control apparatus is
through its main passageway. However, when the gun is dumping, the
valve in the respective control apparatus responds to the change in
pressure at the outlet of said control apparatus to close the main
passageway and direct fluid through the orifice in the by-pass
passageway. One or more of the described control apparatus for
controlling one or more nozzle guns can be provided in a unitary
assembly connected at a common inlet to a pump, and at a plurality
of outlets to the respective guns, so that the assembly also
functions as a manifold for directing fluid to the various guns,
and no additional piping is needed. Also, since each of the control
apparatus described is actuated by back pressure from the guns, a
separate pneumatic or other fluid systems for control is not
required.
Also, the orifice in the by-pass passageway can be provided by a
threaded insert member which can be easily removed and replaced by
another such member with a different size orifice when the nozzle
of the gun is changed.
A pressure responsive piston is preferrably provided for moving the
valve member to open and close the main passageway, and the piston
is normally biased by a spring to cause the valve member to close
the main passageway. In order to compensate for different pumps
with different flow rates, a removable cap is provided on the
housing of the control apparatus to permit the size of the spring
biasing the valve member closed to be easily changed. Also, a
tell-tale pin may be provided on the piston, extending through the
cap, to provide an indication of the position of the valve
member.
An elbow or tee pipe member is preferrably provided at the outlet
of the control apparatus to prevent erosion of rubber hosing
connected between the control apparatus and its respective gun.
In the drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of this invention
is illustrated, and like numerals are used throughout to designate
like parts;
FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the fluid delivering system of
this invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view with certain parts in elevation,
taken at 2--2 in FIG. 1, and showing the fluid pressure control
apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 2A is an exploded view taken at 2A in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at 3--3 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at 4--4 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at 5--5 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at 6--6 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken at 7--7 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a partial view identical to FIG. 2, but with the valve
member shown unseated; and
FIG. 9 is a view in elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 2 with a
modified outlet connection.
Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 the fluid delivery system
of this invention is illustrated as including a pump P of
conventional design having a plunger assembly M driven by a prime
mover (not shown) and a high pressure fluid end F. Fluid end F has
an inlet 10 connected to a source of fluid (not shown) and an
outlet 11. A plurality of nozzle or "dump" guns, such as two guns
G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 illustrated, are generally connected through a
common manifold to outlet 11, however, according to the present
invention a unitary control assembly 12 including two fluid
pressure control apparatus 12A and 12B for maintaining a
substantially constant load on pump P is connected at an inlet to
out let 11, and guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 are each connected to the
outlets of assembly 12 by hoses 13 and 14 respectively. Guns
G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 may be any of many designs of dump guns,
however, for illustrative purposes they are shown as similar to the
gun disclosed in U.S. Pat. application of Amos Pacht, Ser. No.
278,113, filed Aug. 4, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,607, entitled
"High Pressure Fluid System and Nozzle and Valve Assembly
Therefor," and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 each include a valve housing 15 having a
valve threin, high pressure nozzle outlet 16, a low pressure dump
outlet 17, and a handle and trigger mechanism 18 for actuating the
valve and directing fluid between either nozzle 16 or dump outlet
17. Guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 typically may be used in high pressure
water blasting for cleaning applications, in which case the water
pressure at the guns may reach 10,000 psi and over when flow is
through nozzle 16, and only several hundred pounds or less when
water is dumped. The water pressures at guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2
are determined by the size of the orifices in nozzles 16, and the
flow rate of pump P.
The details of a preferred form of control assembly 12 are shown in
FIGS. 2-8, wherein for purposes of this description only reference
will be made to the parts as being up or down (or lower or upper)
because of the orientation of FIG. 2. Since apparatus 12A and 12B
of assembly 12 are identical (except as herein noted), only
apparatus 12A is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4-8. As illustrated in FIG.
1, control assembly 12 includes five smaller blocks or sub-housings
19, 20, 20', 21, and 21', suitably bored, bolted together to form
unitary control assembly 12 including the control apparatus 12A and
12B for both guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2. If desired, control
apparatus 12A and 12B can be provided as separate units each
connected between one of the guns of the fluid discharge systems
and the outlet of pump P, however, with the arrangement
illustrated, assembly 12 also serves as a manifold for delivering
water from pump P to a plurality of guns.
For this purpose, block 19 includes a cylindrical bore 22
traversing it which functions as a water inlet and is connected by
a suitable coupling 23 and piping to outlet 11 of pump P. The other
end of bore 22 may be closed by a plug 23a. Block 19 is divided
into two identical side-by-side sections 19A and 19B as shown in
either side of an imaginary line 19C through FIG. 3, section 19A
being shown in cross-section in FIG. 2, and sections 19A and 19B
providing part of control apparatus 12A and 12B respectively. Each
such chamber 25 connected to inlet 22 by passageway 24, and a
central cylindrical valve actuator chamber 26 spaced from chamber
25 and connected therewith by a center bore 27. Block 19 also is
bored to include a part of a by-pass fluid passageway 28 connected
to inlet passageway 24 and a part of a fluid pressure sensing
passageway 29 connected to chamber 26. Block 20 (one identical such
block being provided for each of apparatus 12A and 12B) is bored to
include a fluid outlet passageway 30 communicating between the
bottom of chamber 25 and an outlet port 30A for sections 19A of
apparatus 12A, and continuations of each of passageways 28 and 29
connecting these passageways into outlet passageway 30. Outlet port
30A may be connected to an elbow 13A to which hose 13 connected to
gun G.sub.1 is connected. A valve seat 31 having a central bore 32
in line with outlet passageway 30 is mounted in chamber 25 and
extends between blocks 19 and 20. When block 20 is mounted on block
19, such as by bolts 33, valve seat 31 and a pin 34 may serve as
dowels for aligning the various flow passageways described. Chamber
25 in both block 19 and 20 is sealed about the periphery of valve
seat 31 by O-ring seals as shown in FIG. 2.
Valve chamber 25, formed when blocks 19 and 20 are bolted together,
includes lower portion 25A in which valve seat member 31 is
mounted, and a slightly smaller diameter upper portion 25B into
which a movable valve member 35 extends for seating and sealing
engagement with valve seat member 31, and into which inlet
passageway 24 connects. Valve member 35 and valve seat 31 form a
valve for permitting and interrupting flow of fluid through chamber
25 from inlet 22 to outlet 30A. Flow passageways 24 and 30 and
valve chamber 25 thus form a main flow passageway through which
water may flow from inlet 22 to outlet 30A except when valve member
35 is seated on valve seat member 31. When this occurs, flow from
inlet 22 to outlet 30A may be through by-pass passageway 28.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, block 20 includes a partially threaded
bore 36 extending from the exterior of block 20 to connect with
by-pass passageway 24, and a removable orifice means 37 is inserted
into bore 36 and extends therefrom into by-pass passageway 24 for
simulating the nozzle on gun G.sub.1. Orifice means 37 is
preferrably a threaded insert member which may be readily removed
and replaced by another such means having a different size orifice
when the nozzle of the gun is changed, and includes a threaded head
portion 37A, and an elongated orifice insert 37b having a plurality
of inlet ports 37c and an outlet orifice 37d for discharging water
into passageway 30. O-ring seals are provided as shown to seal
passageway 24 and bore 36 around the periphery of insert member
37.
Movable valve member 35 includes a flat seating disk 35a on its
lower end in chamber 25 for seating on valve seat member 31, and an
elongated stem portion 35b extending up through bore 27 with a
close sliding fit and into chamber 26. It is preferred that disk
35a of valve member 35 be flat to permit seating without
misalignment or problems of concentricity that may occur with a
tapered valve member and seat, and that disk 35a extend about the
periphery of the stem of member 35 in a manner to permit fluid
pressure to act on the top surface of the disk during seating. Bore
27 is sealed against flow of fluid from both chambers 25 and 26
along the periphery of stem 35b by the seal 38 shown in FIG. 2A,
which includes an O-ring with a backup ring on either side of it.
The upper end of stem 35b is threaded and includes a small pin 39
extending upwardly from it. A cylindrical, movable piston 40 having
a threaded bore 41 is provided in chamber 26 with a close sliding
fit and the upper end of stem 35b is threaded into bore 41 until
pin 39, which serves as a stop, abuts the upper end of bore 41. The
diameter of the lower end of piston 40 is larger than the diameter
of seat 35a so that the surface area of the lower end of piston 40
extending about stem 35b is greater than the surface area of the
top of disk 35a extending about stem 35b.
The upper end of piston 40 is of smaller diameter than the lower
part thereof so that an annular shoulder 42 is formed on which a
coil spring 43 may be mounted. The upper end of chamber 26 is
closed by member 21 mounted on block 19 by bolts, and member 21
includes a cylindrical bore 44 which functions as an extension of
chamber 26. Member 21 thus serves as a cap, as an abutment for
compressing spring 43 and a stop for the upward movement of piston
40, so that disk 35a need not be used as a stop. Piston 40 may
include a tell-tale pin 45 extending from its upper end through
block 21 to give an indication of the position of piston 40, and
thus valve member 35, which moves with piston 40, in apparatus
12A.
Spring 43 must be large enough to force piston 40 down and thus
seat disk 35a on valve seat member 31 when the water pressure in
outlet 30A is low, i.e., when gun G.sub.1 is dumping, but not so
large that the spring cannot be overcome when the pressure in
outlet 30 rises in response to actuation of gun G.sub.1. Also,
since block 21 is movable, the size of spring 43 can be changed to
compensate for pumps of different flow rates and, if needed, a
larger block 21 can be used to accommodate a larger spring. By way
of example, if the pressure at outlet 30A is 100 pounds when gun
G.sub.1 is dumping, and 5,000 psi or high when discharge is through
its nozzle, spring 43 can be such that pressures of 1,000 pounds or
greater at outlet 30A will overcome it.
In operation, when gun G.sub.1 is dumping (this description of
operation also being applicable to apparatus 12B and gun G.sub.2),
so that the pressure at outlet 30A is low, then the valve in
chamber 25 is closed and flow from inlet 22 to outlet 30A is
through by-pass passageway 24 and orifice 37d, which as previously
noted, is the same size as the orifice in nozzle 16 of gun G.sub.1.
Thus, the pressure on the inlet side of passageway 24 rises to
substantially the same pressure it would be if flow were through
nozzle 16, and pump P has substantially the same load. The higher
pressure in inlet 24 is also communicated to the top of chamber 25
and acts on the top side of disk 35a to further aid in keeping the
valve in chamber 25 closed. However, when trigger 18 in gun G.sub.1
is activated, to direct water through nozzle 16, the water pressure
on the outlet side of orifice 37d also rises to a higher value and
water at this higher pressure passes through passageway 29 to the
lower end of chamber 26 where it acts on the lower end of piston
40, and it also passes up passageway 30 and bore 32 in valve seat
25 to act on the lower end of valve disk 35a. The pressures on
either side of valve disk 35a are offset against each other and the
pressure acting on piston 40 overcomes the force of spring 43 and
moves piston 40 up against block 21 as shown in FIG. 8, moving disk
35a off of and out of sealing engagement with valve seat 31. As
shown in FIG. 8 stem 35b stops in bore 41 of piston 40, and piston
40 stops against block 21 so that a clearance is provided between
the upper side of disk 35a and the upper wall of chamber 25. This
clearance helps to balance the pressure on either side of disk 35a
in chamber 25 so that the size of spring 43 can be smaller. Thus,
when trigger mechanism 18 is released and the pressure in outlet
30a is reduced to substantially the dumping pressure of gun
G.sub.1, spring 43 will again force valve member 35 to close on
seat 31.
When water is being discharged through orifice 37d a blast of water
will be present at outlet 30a and will possibly damage a rubber
hose connected to the outlet, such as hose 13. It is thus preferred
that some sort of means be connected to outlet to break up this
blast of water before it can damage the connecting hose. One such
means is the pipe elbow connection 13A shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 9
illustrates another such means which may be a standard tee joint of
pipe 46 connected to outlet 30a.
Thus, as can be seen from the above description, control apparatus
12 provides a substantially constant load to pump P and
substantially constant inlet pressures for guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2
despite the large pressure changes occuring at the guns, which may
occur in any sequence during actual use of the guns. This is true
whether both guns are dumping, providing a high pressure blast of
water, or one is dumping and the other blasting. Also, different
size nozzle openings in guns G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 can be simulated
by inserting different size orifices 37d in the respective
apparatus 12A and 12B, as required. Thus, if nozzles 16 are of
different size, then inserts 37 of different size can be provided
in apparatus 12A and 12B. Of course, only two guns with two control
apparatus are shown, but more than two guns and their respective
control apparatus can be provided.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well
adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set
forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which
are inherent to the apparatus.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are
of utility and may be employed without reference to other features
and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the
scope of the claims.
As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without
departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all
matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to
be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *