Expansion float valve device

Abstract

A float valve arrangement (13) is described, comprising a housing (14, 15), a first liquid port (8), a second liquid port (9), a balancing gas inlet (6), and a balancing liquid inlet (7), where the balancing gas inlet (6) and the balancing liquid inlet (7) are connected to a float chamber (5) in which a float (4) is arranged, the float (4) acting on a valve (3) outside the float chamber (4), the valve (3) is arranged between the first liquid port (8) and the second liquid port (9). The valve (3) comprises a cylindrical inner valve element (20) comprising a hollow (23) and a cylindrical outer valve element (21) rotatable about the inner valve element (20), where the float (4) acts on the outer valve element (21) and the first liquid port (8) is connected to the hollow (23) of the inner valve element (20). The float-controlled valve device can easily process high pressure difference. For this purpose, the valve (3) is arranged in the expansion chamber (26).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a float valve device, which includes a housing, a first liquid port, a second liquid port, a balance gas inlet, and a balance liquid inlet. Among them, the balance gas inlet and the balance liquid inlet are connected to a float chamber where a float is arranged, and the float acts on a valve outside the float chamber, and the valve is arranged between the first liquid port and the second liquid port. Background Art

[0002] Such a float valve device is used, for example, as an expansion valve in a cooling or refrigeration device that uses CO 2 as a heat-carrying medium. CO 2 has a high absolute pressure and also requires a large pressure difference. However, the float valve device can also be used with other refrigerants.

[0003] The expansion valve is used to regulate the refrigerant level in the evaporator. For this purpose, the gas side of the evaporator is connected to the balance gas inlet, and the liquid side of the evaporator is connected to the balance liquid inlet of the float chamber. Therefore, the liquid level in the float chamber is at the same height as the liquid level in the evaporator in the direction of gravity. The float valve device is used to regulate the liquid level in the evaporator. When the liquid level in the evaporator decreases, the liquid level in the float chamber decreases in the same way, and the float drops and opens the valve, so that the refrigerant from the first liquid port can flow to the second liquid port connected to the evaporator. This process continues until the liquid level in the evaporator reaches its set level. At this time, the float closes the valve.

[0004] The same is true when the float valve device is used with a CO 2 separator that operates under high pressure.

[0005] The high pressure combined with CO 2 will cause some problems related to leakage and wear. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a float valve device that can easily handle a large pressure difference.

[0007] This object is solved by the float valve device, because the valve includes a cylindrical inner valve element having a hollow portion and a cylindrical outer valve element that can rotate around the inner valve element. Among them, the float acts on the outer valve element, and the first liquid port is connected to the hollow portion of the inner valve element.

[0008] When the first liquid port is supplied with refrigerant under high pressure, this pressure is restricted within the hollow portion of the inner valve element. The inner valve element and the outer valve element together form a throttling device through which the refrigerant must flow to reach the second liquid port. Thus, outside the combination of the inner valve element and the outer valve element, there is a lower pressure that is easier to handle than the higher pressure at the first liquid port and in the chamber or space directly connected to the high-pressure port. Therefore, the risk of leakage remains low. The combination of the cylindrical inner valve element and the cylindrical outer valve element causes the following effect: the opening degree is determined by the rotational angle between the two cylindrical valve elements. Thus, the float drives the cylindrical outer valve element in the rotational direction around the cylindrical inner valve element.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner valve element includes a first cylindrical wall having a plurality of first openings, and the outer valve element includes at least a corresponding number of wall sections, wherein, in the closed position of the valve element, the first openings are covered by the wall sections of the outer valve element. When the outer valve element rotates around the inner valve element, the wall sections of the outer valve element open or close the openings in the first cylindrical wall of the inner valve element. Thus, the movement of the outer valve element is oriented perpendicular to the pressure direction, and the force required to regulate the opening degree of the valve can be kept low and is substantially independent of the pressure.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of the first openings is two or an integer multiple of two. Thus, the number of the first openings is even. This is a simple way to balance the forces on the outer valve element. The outer valve element can be held concentrically with the inner valve element.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first liquid port is connected to the hollow portion at the first front face of the inner valve element. Thus, the high-pressure refrigerant can be directly fed into the hollow portion without loading the other parts of the float valve device with high pressure.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hollow portion is closed at the end opposite to the first front face. Thus, the hollow portion forms a kind of blind hole, such that the high-pressure refrigerant is kept within the hollow portion. There is no need to seal the rotating parts.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the float is connected to the outer valve element on the side opposite to the first front face. Thus, this connection can be decoupled from the pressure at the first pressure port.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the float is connected to the outer valve element by a lever that can pivot around the longitudinal axis of the outer valve element. This is a simple way to convert the movement of the float (basically a linear movement in the direction of gravity) to the outer valve element.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, a valve is arranged in an expansion chamber. In this expansion chamber, the refrigerant passing through the valve can expand such that the refrigerant can leave the float valve device via a second liquid port at a pressure lower than that at the first liquid port.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the expansion chamber is arranged in an insert, and the insert is mounted in a hole of a housing. Thus, the insert separates the pressure of the refrigerant from the housing, such that the sealing problem in the housing can be kept low.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the insert includes sealing means, and the insert is sealed in the hole by the sealing means. These sealing means are provided for separating the refrigerant in the expansion chamber from the interior of the housing.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing means includes a first sealing ring at or near a first end of the insert and / or a second sealing ring at or near a second end of the insert. Thus, the insert is sealed relative to the housing at least at one end.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes a first part and a second part fixed to a mounting surface of the first part, wherein the hole includes a bottom wall opposite to the mounting surface, and the second liquid port is arranged in the bottom wall. In this case, the hole is in the form of a blind hole, i.e., the hole is closed at a side opposite to the mounting surface, and only the second liquid port is arranged in this bottom wall. This means that the insert can be mounted in the hole from the mounting surface. When the second part is fixed to the first part, the insert is reliably held within the hole.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, the valve is configured such that in the fully open position (in the fully open state) of the valve, all first openings are not covered (not covered by) by a wall section, to allow liquid to flow through the first openings, for example, from a hollow part to the expansion chamber.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, the valve is an expansion valve. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 A system in which a float valve device can be used is schematically shown,

[0024] Figure 2 A cross-section through the float valve device is schematically shown,

[0025] Figure 3 A cross-section perpendicular to Figure 2 the mid-section is schematically shown, and

[0026] Figure 4Shows details of the valve within the insert. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figure 1 System 1 is schematically shown and includes an evaporator 2 (which can also be a liquid separator for a CO 2 device) and an expansion valve 3, which will hereinafter be simply referred to as the "valve". The valve 3 is actuated by a float 4 disposed in a float chamber 5.

[0028] The float chamber 5 is connected to the evaporator 2 by a gas balance pipe 6 that connects the gas side of the evaporator 2 to the gas side of the float chamber 5, and a liquid balance pipe 7 that connects the liquid side of the evaporator 2 to the liquid side of the float chamber 5.

[0029] The valve 3 is disposed between Figure 1 a first liquid port 8 and a second liquid port 9 in the system 1 shown. The first liquid port 8 is supplied with liquid at high pressure, such as CO at a pressure of 60 bar to 70 bar. 2 The second liquid port 9 is connected to the evaporator 2 by an expanded liquid pipe 10.

[0030] However, it should be noted that the valve 3 can also operate in the opposite direction. In this case, the pressure within the valve 3 is lower than the pressure in the case shown above.

[0031] The liquid level 11 in the evaporator 2 is determined by the liquid level 12 in the float chamber 5. The liquid level 12 in the float chamber 5 is detected by means of the float 4. The float 4 in turn actuates the valve 3.

[0032] When the liquid level 11 in the evaporator 2 rises, the liquid level 12 in the float chamber 5 rises in the same manner. The two liquid levels 11, 12 always have the same height in the direction of gravity. When the liquid level 12 in the float chamber 5 rises, the float 4 is lifted and closes the valve 3. Thus, less liquid is supplied to the evaporator 2. When the liquid level 11 in the evaporator 2 drops, the liquid level 12 in the float chamber 5 also drops, and the float 4 moves downward in the direction of gravity and opens the valve 3, such that liquid having a pressure lower than the pressure at the first liquid port 8 is supplied to the evaporator 2 through the expanded liquid pipeline 10.

[0033] The float chamber 5 and the valve 3 are disposed in a common float valve device 13. The float valve device includes a housing having a first portion 14 and a second portion 15. The second portion 15 is fixed to the mounting surface 16 of the first portion 14.

[0034] The first portion 14 includes a hole 17 in which an insert 18 is disposed. Figure 4 The insert 18 is shown in more detail in. The hole 17 is a blind hole having a bottom wall 19 in which the second liquid port 9 is disposed.

[0035] The valve 3 is arranged within the insert 18. The valve 3 includes a stationary cylindrical inner valve element 20 and a cylindrical outer valve element 21 that can rotate around the inner valve element 20. The movement of the cylindrical outer valve element 21 is caused by the float 4, which is connected to the cylindrical outer valve element 21 by means of a lever 22.

[0036] The cylindrical inner valve element 20 includes a hollow portion 23 that is directly connected to the first liquid port 8. In addition, the cylindrical inner valve element 20 includes a plurality of first openings 24 that are covered by a wall section 25 of the cylindrical outer valve element 21 when the valve 3 is closed. However, when the cylindrical outer valve element 21 rotates relative to the cylindrical inner valve element 20, the wall section 25 moves away from the opening 24, such that there is a connection between the first liquid port 8 and the expansion chamber 26 arranged within the insert 18. The expansion chamber 26 is connected to the second liquid port 9. The first liquid port 8 is connected or arranged in the front face 19 of the cylindrical inner valve element 20. The hollow portion 23 is closed at the end opposite to the first front face 29.

[0037] The number of openings 24 is two, and the number of wall sections 25 is also two, such that there is always pressure balance in the radial direction between the two wall sections 25, and the risk of the cylindrical outer valve element 21 getting stuck on the cylindrical inner valve element 20 remains low.

[0038] The insert 18 is mounted from the mounting face 16 to the first housing part 14. When the second housing part 15 is fixed to the first housing part 14, the insert 18 is securely held within the float valve device 13.

[0039] The insert 18 is sealed within the hole 17 by means of a first sealing ring 27 adjacent to the end of the insert 18 near the mounting face 16 and a second sealing ring 28 near the other end (i.e., near the second liquid port 9).

[0040] The high pressure supplied to the first liquid port 8 is retained within the hollow portion 23. Therefore, it is sufficient to dimension the cylindrical inner valve element 20 such that it can withstand the high liquid pressure at the first liquid port 8.

[0041] When the valve 3 is open and liquid flows through the openings 24 that are partially covered by the cylindrical outer valve element 21, there is a pressure drop, such that the pressure in the expansion chamber 26 is much lower than the pressure at the first liquid port 8, and the dimensions of the other components of the float valve device 13 must be determined only for these lower pressures.

[0042] The hollow portion 23 within the cylindrical inner valve element 20 is closed from the side where the cylindrical outer valve element 21 is mounted. Therefore, the connection between the float 4 and the cylindrical outer valve element 21 can remain unaffected by the high pressure at the first pressure port 8.

Claims

1. A float valve device (13), the float valve device comprising a housing (14, 15), a first liquid port (8), a second liquid port (9), a balancing gas inlet (6), and a balancing liquid inlet (7), wherein, the balancing gas inlet (6) and the balancing liquid inlet (7) are connected to a float chamber (5) in which a float (4) is arranged, the float (4) acting on a valve (3) outside the float chamber (5), the valve (3) being arranged between the first liquid port (8) and the second liquid port (9), wherein the valve (3) comprises a cylindrical inner valve element (20) having a hollow portion (23) and a cylindrical outer valve element (21) rotatable around the inner valve element (20), wherein the float (4) acts on the outer valve element (21), and the first liquid port (8) is connected to the hollow portion (23) of the inner valve element (20), characterized in that the valve (3) is arranged in an expansion chamber (26).

2. The float valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the inner valve element (20) comprises a first cylindrical wall having a plurality of first openings (24), and the outer valve element (21) at least comprises a corresponding number of wall sections (25), wherein, in the closed position of the valve (3), the first openings (24) are covered by the wall sections (25) of the outer valve element (21).

3. The float valve device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the number of the first openings (24) is two or an integer multiple of two.

4. The float valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the first liquid port (8) is connected to the hollow portion (23) at a first front face (29) of the inner valve element (20).

5. The float valve device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the hollow portion (23) is closed at an end opposite to the first front face (29).

6. The float valve device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, the float (4) is connected to the outer valve element (21) on a side opposite to the first front face (29).

7. The float valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the float (4) is connected to the outer valve element (21) by a lever (22), the lever being pivotable around the longitudinal axis of the outer valve element (21).

8. The float valve device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the expansion chamber (26) is arranged in an insert (18), the insert being mounted in a hole (17) of the housing (14, 15).

9. The float valve device according to claim 8, characterized in that, the insert (18) comprises sealing means (27, 28), the insert being sealed to the hole (17) by the sealing means.

10. The float valve device according to claim 9, characterized in that, the sealing means comprises a first sealing ring (27) at a first end of the insert (18) and / or a second sealing ring (28) at a second end of the insert (18).

11. The float valve device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, the housing includes a first part (14) and a second part (15) fixed to the mounting surface (16) of the first part (14), wherein the hole (17) includes a bottom wall (19) opposite to the mounting surface (16), and the second liquid (9) port is arranged in the bottom wall (19).

12. The float valve device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the valve (3) is an expansion valve.

13. The float valve device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, the first liquid port (8) is configured to be supplied with refrigerant under high pressure, wherein the inner valve element (20) and the outer valve element (21) together form a throttling device through which the refrigerant must flow to reach the second liquid port (9).

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