Rotary valve for a pressurized cable laying device

Abstract

This invention discloses a rotary valve for a pressurized cable laying device, comprising: a valve body, inside which is a valve core with an outer cylindrical shape, the valve core rotating circumferentially around its axis to open and close the rotary valve; a cylindrical valve core chamber inside the valve body, the diameter of which is the same as the outer diameter of the valve core, the valve core being embedded in the valve core chamber and freely rotating clockwise or counterclockwise around the valve core chamber; a cable passage hole passing through the valve core chamber on the valve body; a first groove perpendicular to the valve core axis on the side surface of the valve core, the first groove being composed of an arc surface, the vertical distance from the central axis of the arc surface to the valve core axis being numerically the same as the vertical distance from the cable passage hole axis to the valve core chamber axis; a second groove smoothly transitioning from the first groove to the side surface of the valve core on the valve core, and third grooves starting from the first groove and gradually approaching along the sides of the second groove on both sides of the second groove. This invention overcomes the sealing problems existing in the prior art by designing a grooved cylindrical valve core.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pressurized cable laying technology for water supply pipelines, and more particularly to a rotary valve for pressurized cable laying devices. Background Technology

[0002] Distributed fiber optic monitoring technology is a technique that uses optical fibers as sensors for measurement and monitoring. Within water pipelines, this technology can monitor conditions such as temperature, pressure, and leaks by laying optical fibers. For operating water pipelines, pressurized cable laying technology is required for fiber optic cable installation. Pressurized cable laying technology can effectively prevent water outages and reduce the impact on the surrounding environment and users, showing broad application prospects. However, due to the immaturity of pressurized cable laying technology, many challenges remain in its implementation.

[0003] One of the pressing technical problems is the need for a special valve body that can both thread the cable and act as a valve during cable laying. Currently available valve bodies can only perform the opening and closing functions of ordinary valves. When threading optical cables, ordinary valves cannot completely close because the cable is clamped by the valve plate, leaving gaps that can lead to leakage. Attempting to reduce these gaps and further tighten the valve can easily damage the cable. Patent literature, "A Method and Apparatus for Pressurized Cable Laying" (CN202211239718.7), proposes a throttling device that uses two sets of valve cores to achieve the opening and closing functions of the valve body while simultaneously clamping the optical cable. However, the document does not further specify the details of the valve core structure. In actual use, the valve core solution proposed in the embodiment cannot achieve a complete seal. When clamping the optical cable, gaps always remain between the two sides of the cable and the two valve cores, making leakage unavoidable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device. The invention overcomes the sealing problems existing in the prior art by designing a grooved cylindrical valve core, as detailed below:

[0005] A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device, the rotary valve comprising: a valve body,

[0006] The valve body has a cylindrical valve core inside, which rotates around its axis to open and close the rotary valve. The valve body also has a cylindrical valve core chamber with the same diameter as the outer diameter of the valve core. The valve core is embedded in the valve core chamber and can rotate freely clockwise or counterclockwise around the valve core chamber.

[0007] The valve body is provided with a cable passage hole that passes through the valve core chamber; the valve core side surface is provided with a first groove perpendicular to the valve core axis. The first groove is composed of an arc surface, and the vertical distance from the center axis of the arc surface to the valve core axis is numerically the same as the vertical distance from the cable passage hole axis to the valve core chamber axis.

[0008] The valve core is also provided with a second groove that smoothly transitions from the first groove to the side surface of the valve core, and a third groove that starts from the first groove and gradually approaches along the two sides of the second groove on both sides.

[0009] The valve body has copy forest interfaces on both sides, and the cable passage hole passes through the middle of the copy forest interface. The diameter of the cable passage hole is smaller than the distance between the two end faces of the valve core chamber cylinder. The axis of the cable passage hole is set perpendicular to the axis of the valve core chamber. The cable passage hole passes through the cylindrical surface of the valve core chamber, and satisfies the condition that the perpendicular distance from the axis of the cable passage hole to the axis of the valve core chamber is equal to the radius of the valve core chamber minus the radius of the cable passage hole.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotary valve also includes a valve stem, on which an input handle, a rotating disk, and an eccentric bracket are provided. The input handle and the eccentric bracket are located on both sides of the rotating disk. The input handle is concentrically arranged with the rotating disk, and the eccentric bracket is located on the edge of the rotating disk away from the center for connection with the valve core.

[0011] The valve core end face is provided with an eccentrically positioned drive groove for connection with an eccentric bracket, and the shape of the drive groove is the same as that of the eccentric bracket. A recessed circular sealing surface is provided on the outer side of the valve core cavity.

[0012] A valve cover is provided on the sealing concave surface of the valve body. The valve core and valve stem are installed in sequence in the valve core cavity. The valve stem and valve cover are sealed with a first sealing ring, and the valve cover and valve body are sealed with a second sealing ring. Both the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring are O-rings.

[0013] Furthermore, the third groove merges into a sealing groove with a semi-circular cross-section when it approaches the valve core side surface.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided by this invention are:

[0015] 1. This rotary valve can achieve the closing and opening functions of a regular valve; the rotary valve uses a valve core with a sealing groove, which can close the valve to achieve a sealing function even when a cable is in the cable hole.

[0016] 2. The rotary valve uses a grooved valve core. No matter where the optical cable starts in the cable hole, the groove on the side surface of the valve core always pushes the optical cable into the sealing groove as the valve core rotates.

[0017] 3. After the pressurized cable laying is completed, after the rotary valve is closed, its valve core tends to rotate counterclockwise under the pressure of the high-pressure liquid in the pipeline. The torque generated by this hydraulic pressure further enhances the clamping force and sealing performance of the sealing groove on the optical cable, playing a self-pre-tightening role. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is an external view of the rotary valve;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a rotary valve;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the valve core chamber and the cable passage hole;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the valve stem structure.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram of the valve core's appearance.

[0023] Figure 6 Side view and sectional view of the valve core;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a rotary valve;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the valve core rotation process;

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a rotary valve.

[0027] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0028] 1: Valve body; 2: Valve cover; 3: Valve stem; 4: Valve core; 5: Optical cable;

[0029] 10: Valve core chamber; 11: Cable passage hole; 12: Sealing concave surface; 13: Copying interface;

[0030] 30: Input handle; 31: Rotating disc; 32: Eccentric bracket; 33: First sealing ring; 34: Second sealing ring;

[0031] 40: Drive groove; 41: First groove; 42: Second groove; 43: Third groove; 44: Valve core side surface; 45: Sealing groove;

[0032] 100: Sealing point; 110: Upper chamber; 111: Lower chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below.

[0034] A throttling device is required during live cable laying operations for deploying and retrieving traction cables and inspecting optical cables. This throttling device needs a valve that can maintain a seal even when the cable passes through it. In existing technology, the valve uses two sets of valve cores to achieve its opening and closing functions. However, in practical use, the proposed valve core design cannot achieve a complete seal. When clamping the optical cable, gaps always remain between the cable and the two valve cores, making leakage unavoidable. Therefore, a valve body design with a good seal is needed.

[0035] To achieve the above objectives, see Figures 1 to 9 The present invention provides a rotary valve for a pressurized cable laying device, comprising: a valve body 1, a valve cover 2, a valve stem 3, and a valve core 4.

[0036] The valve core 4 is cylindrical and located inside the valve body 1. The valve core 4 can rotate around its axis to realize the opening and closing function of the rotary valve. The valve stem 3 is a power input element. Part of it is exposed outside the valve body 1 for external rotary input, and part of it is located inside the valve body 1 and fixed to the valve core 4 to transmit the external rotary input to the valve core 4.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the valve body 1 has a cylindrical valve core chamber 10 inside, with the same diameter as the outer diameter of the valve core 4, for installing and fixing the valve core 4; the cylindrical valve core 4 can be just embedded in the valve core chamber 10 and can rotate freely around the valve core chamber 10 clockwise or counterclockwise; the outer side of the valve core chamber 10 has a recessed circular sealing surface 12, which is used to position and install the valve cover 2, and has a circular groove on it for installing O-ring seals. The valve body 1 is provided with a cylindrical cable passage hole 11. The cable passage hole 11 passes through the copy forest interface 13 located on both sides of the valve body 1. The copy forest interface 13 is used to connect with other devices. The cable passage hole 11 is mainly used for cable threading. The diameter of the cable passage hole 11 is smaller than the distance between the two end faces of the cylinder of the valve core chamber 10. The axis of the cable passage hole 11 is perpendicular to the axis of the valve core chamber 10. The cable passage hole 11 passes through the cylindrical surface of the valve core chamber 10 (without intersecting the two end faces of the valve core chamber 10), and satisfies the following condition: the perpendicular distance h from the axis of the cable passage hole 11 to the axis of the cylindrical valve core chamber 10 is equal to the radius R of the valve core chamber 10 minus the radius r of the cable passage hole 11. Figure 3 As shown in (b); in Figure 3(a) shows that the intersecting curves of the two cylindrical surfaces (the cylindrical surface of the cable passage 11 and the cylindrical surface of the valve core chamber 10) intersect at a single point, which is temporarily referred to as the sealing point 100. The purpose of the cable passage 11 passing through the valve core chamber 10 is to allow the connection state of the cable passage 11 to be controlled by rotating the valve core 4 located inside the valve core chamber 10, thereby realizing the basic function of the valve, namely opening and closing. The reason for setting the bottom cross-sections of the valve core chamber 10 and the cable passage 11 to overlap is that when there is an optical cable 5 inside the cable passage 11, the cable passage 11 can still be closed by rotating the valve core 4 without damaging the optical cable 5. See below for details.

[0038] In fact, when an optical cable 5 passes through the cable hole 11, rotating the valve core 4 can push the optical cable 5 to the sealing point 100, thus achieving the sealing function. Figure 9 As shown. Assume the cable hole 11 is located slightly closer to the center of the valve core chamber 10 relative to the position shown in the diagram (refer to...). Figure 3 If the valve core chamber 10 and the cable passage 11 intersect, the lines will be two independent closed curves (not shown in the figure). In this case, without the optical cable 5 in the cable passage 11, valve opening and closing are not problematic. However, with the optical cable 5 present, during valve closing, the optical cable 5 will be squeezed to the edges of the two closed curves (not shown in the figure) formed by the intersection of the valve core chamber 10 and the cable passage 11. This will cause the optical cable 5 between the two closed curves to bend away from the center of the valve core chamber 10, and this bending deformation can easily damage the optical cable 5. Conversely, assuming the cable passage 11 is further away from the center of the valve core chamber 10 relative to the position shown in the figure (see reference...), Figure 3 If the intersection line of the valve core chamber 10 and the cable hole 11 is a closed curve that does not intersect itself (not shown in the figure), it means that there will always be a part of the cable hole 11 outside the valve core chamber 10 that does not pass through the valve core chamber 10. At this time, no matter how the valve core 4 rotates in the valve core chamber 10, it will not be able to completely cut off the cable hole 11 and will not be able to realize the valve closing function.

[0039] The rotation of valve core 4 is mainly provided by valve stem 3, such as Figure 4As shown, the valve stem 3 is equipped with an input handle 30, a rotating disk 31, and an eccentric bracket 32. The input handle 30 and the eccentric bracket 32 ​​are located on both sides of the rotating disk 31, with the input handle 30 and the rotating disk 31 being concentrically arranged. The eccentric bracket 32 ​​is located on the edge of the rotating disk 31 away from the center and is used to connect with the valve core 4. The input handle 30 has a hexagonal cross-section, making it easy to clamp and rotate with a hexagonal socket wrench. The rotating disk 31 is set up to install the eccentrically arranged eccentric bracket 32 ​​and to fit snugly against the surface of the valve core 4 for a more secure fixation. The reason for the eccentric arrangement of the eccentric bracket 32 ​​is to adapt to the structure of the valve core 4. Since a cylindrical hole corresponding to the cable hole 11 needs to be opened on one side of the valve core 4 (which will be explained in detail later), the valve stem 3 that drives the rotation of the valve core 4 can only be connected to the other side of the valve core 4 through the eccentric branch, i.e., the eccentric bracket 32, to achieve the purpose of transmitting power. When the valve stem 3 is rotated by the input handle 30, the eccentric bracket 32 ​​will rotate around the center of the rotating disk 31. The eccentric bracket 32 ​​is connected to the valve core 4 and can drive the valve core 4 to rotate.

[0040] The outer shape of valve core 4 is cylindrical, such as Figure 5 and 6 As shown, the end face is provided with an eccentrically positioned drive groove 40 for connection with the eccentric bracket 32. The shape of the drive groove 40 is the same as that of the eccentric bracket 32. During installation, the eccentric bracket 32 ​​is simply inserted into the drive groove 40. The side surface of the valve core 4 is provided with a first groove 41 perpendicular to the axis of the valve core 4. The first groove 41 is composed of an arc surface. The radius of the arc surface is preferably the same as the radius of the cable hole 11. The perpendicular distance from the center axis of the arc surface to the axis of the valve core 4 is h, which is numerically the same as the perpendicular distance from the axis of the cable hole 11 to the axis of the valve core chamber 10. This ensures that when the valve core 4 rotates, the arc surface on the first groove 41 can always rotate to a position coaxial with the cable hole 11. Therefore, when the valve core 4 is rotated so that the first groove 41 coincides with the cable hole 11, the rotary valve will be in a fully open state. Figure 8 and 9 As shown in Figure (a). The valve core 4 is also provided with a second groove 42 that smoothly transitions from the first groove 41 to the valve core side surface 44, as shown in Figure (a). Figure 6 As shown in (b), the cross-section of the second groove 42 is a smoothly transitioning curve. On both sides of the second groove 42, there are third grooves 43 that begin in the first groove 41 and gradually approach along the sides of the second groove 42. The third grooves 43 converge near the valve core side surface 44 to form a semi-circular sealing groove 45. The initial radius of the sealing groove 45 is the same as the radius of the optical cable 5, and its radius gradually becomes zero as it approaches the valve core side surface 44. The main purpose of the second groove 42 and the third groove 43 is to push the optical cable 5 gradually closer to the sealing point 100 on the cable hole 11 by rotating the valve core 4, and finally push the optical cable 5 into the sealing groove 45. Figure 9As shown in (b) and (c), this design allows the entire valve to be closed even when the optical cable 5 is present in the cable passage 11. Regardless of the starting position of the optical cable 5 in the cable passage 11, the second groove 42, which gradually transitions towards the valve core side surface 44, and the two gradually closing third grooves 43 consistently push the optical cable into the sealing groove 45. Furthermore, the sealing groove 45 on the valve core 4 serves to clamp and seal the optical cable 5.

[0041] Furthermore, the valve core 4 is made of rubber, and is not limited to injection molding or machining. In this embodiment of the invention, injection molding is used, and the material is nitrile rubber with a hardness of 85 degrees. Alternatively, the material can also be, but is not limited to, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc.

[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, the valve cover 2 is installed on the sealing concave surface 12 of the valve body 1. The valve core 4 and valve stem 3 are installed in sequence in the intermediate valve core chamber 10. The valve stem 3 and the valve cover 2 are sealed with a first sealing ring 33, and the valve cover 2 and the valve body 1 are sealed with a second sealing ring 34. Both the first sealing ring 33 and the second sealing ring 34 are O-rings.

[0043] Figure 8 The diagram shows a side sectional view of the rotary valve, illustrating the process of the rotary valve moving from fully open to closed during the counterclockwise rotation of the valve core 4. When there is an optical cable 5 in the cable passage 11, the sealing groove 45 clamps the optical cable 5 after it is fully closed. At the same time, after it is fully closed, the cable passage 11 is divided into an upper chamber 110 and a lower chamber 111 by the valve core 4. When there is high-pressure liquid in the lower chamber 111, the valve core 4 tends to rotate counterclockwise under the action of the high-pressure liquid. The torque generated by this hydraulic pressure further enhances the clamping force and sealing performance of the sealing groove 45 on the optical cable 5, playing a self-pre-tightening sealing role.

[0044] When performing pressurized cable laying operations, a rotary valve needs to be installed on the pipe wall. When the optical cable 5 has not passed through the cable hole 11, the rotary valve functions the same as other ordinary valves, realizing the valve's closing and opening functions, such as... Figure 8 In step (c), rotating the valve core 4 counterclockwise by a certain angle will achieve a complete seal. When there is an optical cable 5 inside the cable hole 11, such as... Figure 9 As shown, by rotating the valve stem 3 and the valve core 4, the optical cable 5 can be squeezed into the sealing groove 45, thereby achieving the closing function of the rotary valve. In actual use, when the pressurized cable laying operation is completed, the optical cable 5 will remain in the pipeline. In order to achieve better monitoring results, the optical cable 5 in the pipeline must always be in a taut state. The rotary valve in this embodiment of the invention can not only achieve sealing, but also achieve the function of self-pre-tightening the optical cable 5 under the action of water pressure in the pipeline, thereby preventing the optical cable 5 from loosening.

[0045] Unless otherwise specified, the model numbers of the various devices in this embodiment of the invention are not limited, and any device that can perform the above functions is acceptable.

[0046] Those skilled in the art will understand that the accompanying drawings are merely schematic diagrams of a preferred embodiment, and the sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device, characterized in that, The rotary valve includes: a valve body, The valve body has a cylindrical valve core inside, which rotates around its axis to open and close the rotary valve. The valve body also has a cylindrical valve core chamber with the same diameter as the outer diameter of the valve core. The valve core is embedded in the valve core chamber and can rotate freely clockwise or counterclockwise around the valve core chamber. The valve body is provided with a cable passage hole that passes through the valve core chamber; the valve core side surface is provided with a first groove perpendicular to the valve core axis. The first groove is composed of an arc surface, and the vertical distance from the center axis of the arc surface to the valve core axis is numerically the same as the vertical distance from the cable passage hole axis to the valve core chamber axis. The valve core is also provided with a second groove that smoothly transitions from the first groove to the side surface of the valve core, and a third groove that starts from the first groove and gradually approaches along the two sides of the second groove on both sides; The third groove merges into a semi-circular sealing groove when it approaches the valve core side surface. The initial radius of the sealing groove is the same as the radius of the optical cable, and its radius gradually becomes zero as it gets closer to the valve core side surface.

2. A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve body is provided with copy forest interfaces on both sides. The cable passage hole passes through the middle of the copy forest interface. The diameter of the cable passage hole is smaller than the distance between the two end faces of the valve core chamber cylinder. The axis of the cable passage hole is set perpendicular to the axis of the valve core chamber. The cable passage hole passes through the cylindrical surface of the valve core chamber and satisfies the condition that the perpendicular distance from the axis of the cable passage hole to the axis of the valve core chamber is equal to the radius of the valve core chamber minus the radius of the cable passage hole.

3. A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary valve also includes a valve stem, on which an input handle, a rotating disk, and an eccentric support are mounted. The input handle and the eccentric bracket are located on both sides of the rotating disk. The input handle is concentric with the rotating disk, and the eccentric bracket is located on the edge of the rotating disk away from the center, for connection with the valve core.

4. A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The valve core end face is provided with an eccentrically set drive groove for connecting with the eccentric bracket, and the shape of the drive groove is the same as the shape of the eccentric bracket.

5. A rotary valve for a pressurized cable-laying device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The valve core chamber has a recessed circular sealing concave surface on the outer side; A valve cover is provided on the sealing concave surface of the valve body. The valve core and valve stem are installed in sequence in the valve core cavity. The valve stem and valve cover are sealed with a first sealing ring, and the valve cover and valve body are sealed with a second sealing ring. Both the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring are O-rings.

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