Float-controlled valve with high durability

Abstract

The invention discloses a high-durability float valve, and relates to the technical field of float valves, the high-durability float valve comprises a valve body, a cavity is arranged in the valve body, a water delivery channel used for draining water is arranged at the bottom in the cavity, an exhaust channel opened and closed through a thermosensitive element is arranged at the top of the cavity, and a floating ball is arranged in the cavity. The float ball drives the water delivery channel to be opened and closed, an exhaust groove is formed in the area, making contact with the float ball, of the inner wall of the valve body, and the other end of the exhaust groove communicates with the water delivery channel. And at the moment, high-temperature air in the cavity can enter the exhaust groove and is exhausted through the water delivery valve, so that the air resistance phenomenon is avoided under the condition that the exhaust channel is closed, and the water delivery valve is quickly opened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of float valves, and in particular to a float valve with high durability. Background Art

[0002] A float valve operates on the principle of buoyancy. Its core component is a float (ball). When liquid enters the valve, the float rises or sinks due to buoyancy, driving the valve to open or close. The most common float valve in the petrochemical industry is the ball float steam trap, which uses the buoyancy of the float to control the valve's opening and closing, utilizing the difference in specific gravity between steam and condensate.

[0003] The general working process of a float-type steam trap is as follows: initially, when the low-temperature air in the pipeline enters the trap, the thermistor on the exhaust valve senses the low temperature, the thermistor is in a contracted state, and the exhaust valve is opened, and the air in the pipeline is discharged from the exhaust valve. Subsequently, after the low-temperature condensate flows into the valve body, the liquid level inside the valve body rises, thereby driving the float up, and then opening the water supply valve to start draining. Finally, when steam enters the valve body, the steam causes the internal temperature to rise. At this time, the trap begins normal steam interception work, and the thermistor senses the temperature rise and closes the exhaust valve. The condensate will continue to remain at the bottom of the valve body. When it accumulates to a certain level, it drives the float up and opens the water supply valve to start draining. After the condensate is discharged, the exhaust valve is closed. The entire trap completes the accumulation of condensate and discharges the condensate after it reaches a certain liquid level. There will always be water at the bottom of the valve body to achieve a water seal inside the valve body.

[0004] For example, the patent with the authorization announcement number CN219013979U and the authorization announcement date May 12, 2023, entitled "A free-float type steam trap structure with impact resistance", discloses a free-float type steam trap structure with impact resistance, including: a valve body, a valve cover, an inlet pipe, a water retaining plate, an exhaust valve, a float, an outlet pipe, and a sewage outlet. The valve cover is fixed to the opening at the upper end of the valve body by bolts, and the valve cover and the valve body form a closed cavity. The inlet pipe is arranged on the upper front side of the valve body, and the water retaining plate is arranged on the upper front side of the valve body. It is located on the lower side of the inlet pipe, the exhaust valve is arranged on the valve cover, the float is movably arranged inside the valve body, the outlet pipe is arranged on the rear side of the valve body, the inlet end of the outlet pipe is connected to the outlet end at the lower rear side of the valve body, the sewage outlet is arranged at the bottom of the front side of the valve body, and a valve seat outlet end is provided at the bottom of the outlet pipe. A check valve is installed at the valve seat outlet end through a plug inside the valve seat. The valve seat part of the check valve is embedded in the outlet end of the valve body. This patent has the advantages of simple structure, safety, effectiveness, and good use effect.

[0005] The shortcomings of the above-mentioned patents are that the default working condition of the existing technology is that the air entering the pipeline at the beginning is generally of low or moderate temperature, and it is not fully heated by the steam. The temperature sensed by the thermistor is significantly lower than the temperature of the steam. Only then will it be in a contracted state and open the exhaust valve to quickly start the equipment. However, in some high-temperature conditions, such as when the front-end air has been fully heated before the hot steam is transported, the temperature of the air entering from the pipeline is high and close to the steam temperature. At this time, the thermistor of the exhaust valve senses the high temperature and will remain in a closed state, resulting in the inability to discharge high-temperature air. The air will occupy the condensate channel, hindering the flow of condensate, causing the float to fail to rise normally, and the water valve opening time to be prolonged (the high-temperature air slowly flows out of the water channel), thereby forming an air blockage phenomenon. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a float valve with high durability to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] A highly durable float valve comprises a valve body, wherein a cavity is provided in the valve body, a water supply channel for drainage is provided at the bottom of the cavity, an exhaust channel opened and closed by a thermal element is provided at the top of the cavity, a float is provided in the cavity, and the float drives the water supply channel to open and close, and an exhaust groove is provided on the inner wall of the valve body in the area in contact with the float, and the other end of the exhaust groove is connected to the water supply channel.

[0009] The high-durability float valve has inlet pipes for the condensed water and air to enter and outlet pipes for the condensed water and air to be discharged, which are arranged on both sides of the valve body.

[0010] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, the water delivery channel and the exhaust channel are both connected to the outlet pipe.

[0011] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, when air enters the cavity through the inlet pipe, the float is located at the bottom end of the cavity and is close to the valve port of the water supply valve. At this time, the water supply valve is in a closed state. When air is discharged through the outlet pipe, condensed water enters the cavity. At this time, the float floats up, the water supply valve is in an open state, and the condensed water is discharged through the water supply channel.

[0012] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, the top end of the exhaust groove is slightly higher than the radial position of the float when it is at the bottom end.

[0013] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, a cavity is additionally provided at the bottom of the cavity, an annular body is provided in the cavity, and the float is overlapped on the annular body.

[0014] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, the annular body is provided with an exhaust hole, the exhaust groove is connected to the exhaust hole, and the other end of the exhaust hole is connected to the water delivery channel.

[0015] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, a drainage groove is provided at the bottom end of the valve body, and the drainage groove is used to drain condensed water.

[0016] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, the annular body is in an inclined state in the cavity, and the height position of the side of the annular body close to the water delivery valve is lower than the height position of the side away from the water delivery valve.

[0017] In the above-mentioned high-durability float valve, the valve port of the water delivery valve is an elastic member.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the present invention provides a high-durability float valve. When high-temperature air enters the cavity, the thermistor senses the temperature rise and closes the exhaust channel. At this time, the high-temperature air in the cavity will enter the exhaust groove and be discharged through the water valve. After the high-temperature air is discharged, condensed water enters the cavity, the float rises and the water valve opens. In this way, by arranging the exhaust groove on the inner wall of the valve body and connecting the water channel, air blockage is avoided when the exhaust channel is closed, and the water valve is opened quickly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments described in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a float valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a float valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a float valve provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a float valve provided in yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a float valve provided in yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a float valve provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 A front view of a float provided in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Description of reference numerals:

[0028] 1. Valve body; 2. Cavity; 3. Water supply channel; 4. Exhaust channel; 5. Float; 6. Exhaust groove; 7. Water supply valve; 8. Inlet pipe; 9. Outlet pipe; 10. Valve cover; 11. Thermistor; 12. Cavity; 13. Ring body; 14. Exhaust hole; 15. Drain groove; 16. Ball cover; 17. Auxiliary hole; 18. Float; 18.1. First sealing part; 18.2. Second sealing part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Reference Figure 1-7 An embodiment of the present invention provides a highly durable float valve, comprising a valve body 1, wherein a cavity 2 is provided within the valve body 1, a water supply channel 3 for drainage is provided at the bottom of the cavity 2, an exhaust channel 4 opened and closed by a thermal element 11 is provided at the top of the cavity 2, a float 5 is provided within the cavity 2, and the float 5 drives the water supply channel 3 to open and close, an exhaust groove 6 is provided on the inner wall of the valve body 1 in the contact area with the float 5, and the other end of the exhaust groove 6 is connected to the water supply channel 3.

[0031] Specifically, the top of the valve body 1 is fixedly connected to the valve cover 10 by bolts, and a cavity 2 is provided in the valve body 1, that is, a closed cavity 2 is formed between the valve body 1 and the valve cover 10, and an inlet pipe 8 and an outlet pipe 9 are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the valve body 1, the inlet pipe 8 is used to enter condensed water and air, and the outlet pipe 9 is used to discharge condensed water and air, and an exhaust channel 4 opened and closed by a thermal element 11 is provided on the top of the cavity 2. The exhaust channel 4 opened and closed by the thermal element 11 is a prior art and will not be repeated. The exhaust channel 4 is connected to the outlet pipe 9, and a water supply channel 3 for drainage is provided at the bottom of the cavity 2. One end of the water supply channel 3 is connected to the outlet pipe 9. The water delivery valve 7 (the water delivery valve 7 in the prior art is mainly used to adjust the opening and closing amplitude of the water delivery channel 3 and the outlet pipe 9. This function is not involved in the embodiments of the present invention and can be directly assumed to be a channel structure) is connected to the outlet pipe 9, that is, the other end of the water delivery channel 3 is connected to the outlet pipe 9. The water delivery valve 7 is arranged at the bottom of one side of the cavity 2. A float 5 is arranged in the cavity 2. The float 5 drives the water delivery channel 3 to open and close. In the non-working state, the outer surface of the float 5 is in close contact with the valve port of the water delivery valve 7 to seal the water delivery valve 7. When air enters the cavity 2 through the inlet pipe 8, the float 5 is located at the bottom of the cavity 2 and in close contact with the valve port of the water delivery valve 7. In this way, At this time, the water supply valve 7 is in a closed state. After the air is discharged through the exhaust channel 4 and the outlet pipe 9 in the conventional order, the condensed water enters the cavity 2. At this time, the float 5 floats up, the water supply valve 7 is in an open state, and the condensed water is discharged through the water supply channel 3. A ball cover 16 is provided in the cavity. The ball cover 16 is usually designed as a mesh. The function of the mesh is to allow condensed water to enter or discharge. The ball cover 16 is used to guide and protect the float. The above are all prior arts. In this embodiment, an exhaust groove 6 is provided on the inner wall of the valve body 1 in the contact area with the float 5. The other end of the exhaust groove 6 is connected to the water supply channel 3. The structure can be directly from the inlet area of ​​the water supply channel 3. A hole is opened to connect the exhaust groove 6, thereby avoiding the influence of the float 5 being close to the valve port of the water supply valve 7. Preferably, the top of the exhaust groove 6, that is, the air inlet, is slightly higher than the radius position of the float 5 when it is at the bottom. In this way, when steam enters the valve body 1, the condensed water will cover the air inlet and will not be discharged through the exhaust groove 6 to cause steam leakage. The purpose of setting the exhaust groove 6 in this way is that in some high-temperature conditions, the temperature of the air entering from the pipeline is high and close to the steam temperature. The thermal element of the exhaust valve will close the exhaust channel 4 so that it is always in a closed state. At this time, the high-temperature air can pass through the exhaust groove 6 and be discharged through the water supply valve 7, thus avoiding air blockage. However, when the steam enters later, since the exhaust groove 6 is completely covered by condensed water, it will not cause steam leakage. That is, the exhaust groove 6 only discharges high-temperature air, not high-temperature steam.

[0032] In this embodiment, the exhaust groove 6 has two options, one of which is based on the consideration of ease of processing, such as Figure 4 As shown, it is a groove opened on the inner wall of the cavity 2, and the second is based on the consideration of protecting the float (the float in the prior art is a sphere with extremely high surface precision), as shown Figure 2 As shown, it is a hole set in the valve body 1, one end of the hole is opened on the inner wall of the valve body 1 in the contact area with the float 5, and the other end is opened on the inner wall of the valve port of the water supply valve 7.

[0033] This embodiment provides a high-durability float valve. When high-temperature air enters the cavity 2, the thermistor 11 senses the temperature rise and closes the exhaust channel 4. At this time, the high-temperature air in the cavity 2 will enter the exhaust groove 6 and be discharged through the water valve 7. After the high-temperature air is discharged, condensed water enters the cavity 2, the float 5 rises, and the water valve 7 opens. In this way, by providing the exhaust groove 6 on the inner wall of the valve body 1 and connecting it to the water channel 3, air blockage is avoided when the exhaust channel 4 is closed, and the water valve 7 is quickly opened.

[0034] In another embodiment provided by the present invention, Figure 3 As shown, in a cold environment, the float 5 and the valve body 1 may freeze and stick together. The main reason is that the contact area between the float 5 and the valve body 1 is too large. In order to solve the problem of frozen connection, the prior art provides an electric heating structure for the valve body. In this embodiment, a cavity 12 is additionally formed at the bottom end of the valve body 1, and an annular body 13 is provided on the inner wall of the valve body 1. The float 5 overlaps the annular body 13, that is, the bottom of the float 5 is not in contact with the inner wall of the valve body 1. At this time, the space between the bottom of the float 5 and the inner wall of the valve body 1 is called the cavity 12. At the same time, the valve port of the water transfer valve 7 is also opened in the annular body 13 to reduce the impact on the sealing of the water transfer valve 7. An exhaust hole 14 is provided on the annular body 13. There are two options for the exhaust hole 14. Preferably, the exhaust hole 14 is a vertical hole that passes through the annular body 13. One end of the exhaust groove 6 is connected to the exhaust hole 14, that is, the exhaust hole 14 is connected to the The exhaust groove 6 and the cavity 12 are connected, and the cavity 12 is connected to the valve port of the water supply valve 7 through a connecting hole. Or, to be precise, the cavity 12 and the connecting hole constitute a part of the exhaust groove 6. Secondly, the exhaust hole 14 is arranged along the annular body, that is, one end of the exhaust hole 14 is connected to the exhaust groove 6, and the other end is directly connected to the water supply channel 3. In this way, when high-temperature air enters the exhaust groove 6, it can enter the water supply valve 7 through the exhaust hole 14 on the annular body 13, and then be discharged through the water supply channel 3. A drain groove 15 is provided at the bottom end of the valve body 1. A valve is provided on the drain groove 15 to actively discharge condensed water through control. The purpose of providing the annular body 13 in this way is, first, to reduce or even avoid freezing and sticking by overlapping the float 5 so that the float 5 does not contact the valve body 1, and second, to discharge high-temperature air through the exhaust hole 14 on the annular body 13 to avoid air blockage.

[0035] In another embodiment provided by the present invention, Figure 4 As shown, the annular body 13 is in an inclined state in the cavity 12. Preferably, the height position of the side of the annular body 13 close to the water valve 7 is lower than the height position of the side away from the water valve 7. At the same time, the thickness of the side of the annular body 13 close to the water valve 7 is also greater than the thickness of the side away from the water valve 7, that is, the annular body 13 is thin at the top and thick at the bottom. At this time, the float 5 overlapped on the annular body 13 will also be biased towards the side close to the water valve 7. Due to gravity, the float 5 is pressed against the valve port of the water valve 7. The valve port of the water valve 7 is an elastic member such as an elastic circle, similar to the structure of a sealing ring. In this way, the float 5 will squeeze the valve port of the water valve 7, the elastic member is elastically deformed, and the float 5 and the water valve 7 are in contact with each other. It is tighter and improves the sealing effect. The reason is that although the edge of the annular body 13 can be processed into a smooth shape, the concentration of the ball support pressure is inevitable, which accelerates the wear of the ball. The sealing effect in the prior art is highly dependent on the surface accuracy of the ball. In the prior art, the gravity of the ball has little effect on the valve port and cannot be sealed by gravity. The annular body is introduced in this embodiment to concentrate the gravity of the ball, making it possible to seal by gravity. The elastic member is introduced to improve the sealing endurance while reducing the requirement for ball processing accuracy. The purpose of setting the annular body 13 is to avoid the air resistance phenomenon, avoid the adhesion between the float and the valve body, and improve the sealing endurance of the water supply valve 7.

[0036] Further, such as Figure 5 As shown, for the scheme in which the exhaust hole 14 is arranged along the annular body, further, an auxiliary hole 17 connecting the exhaust hole 14 and the cavity 12 is provided in the bottom end area of ​​the valve port of the water supply valve 7 provided on the annular body 13. In this way, in the two schemes of the exhaust hole 14, a part of the exhaust groove 6 is below the valve port area, and the valve port area is the lowest liquid level during the condensate discharge process, which ensures that a part of the exhaust groove 6 is always submerged in the condensate during the condensate discharge process, and steam leakage will not occur when the condensate is at the lowest position.

[0037] In another embodiment provided by the present invention, Figure 6-7As shown, a strip-shaped float 18 is axially disposed within the auxiliary hole 17. (To accommodate the float 18, the valve body can be cast slightly thicker here to increase the radial dimensions of the auxiliary hole 17 and the vent hole 14 compared to the previous embodiment. This does not affect the effectiveness of the auxiliary hole 17 and the vent hole 14, and also allows for smoother operation of the float 18.) Preferably, the float is C-shaped, with one end of the float 18 positioned within the auxiliary hole 17 and the other end extending outside the water transfer valve 7 and into the interior of the valve opening. The two ends of the float are respectively formed by a first sealing portion 18.1 and a second sealing portion 18.2. The first sealing portion 18.1 is positioned within the auxiliary hole 17, a portion of the second sealing portion 18.2 is positioned within the valve opening of the water transfer valve 7, and the other portion of the second sealing portion 18.2 is positioned within a receiving groove defined on the inner wall of the valve opening. The top of the auxiliary hole 17 is shaped to accommodate the first sealing portion 18.1, and the receiving groove is shaped to accommodate the second sealing portion 18. 2, when there is no condensate, the float 18 moves downward, allowing the first sealing portion 18.1 to enter the auxiliary hole 17 to make way for the exhaust hole 14, without affecting the normal use of the exhaust hole 14. At this time, although most of the second sealing portion 18.2 has entered the inner side of the valve port, the lack of condensate discharge does not affect the performance of the condensate. When the condensate is fully discharged, the float 18 moves completely upward, the first sealing portion 18.1 seals the exhaust hole 14, reducing the possibility of steam leakage, and the second sealing portion 18.2 completely enters the receiving groove, without affecting the full discharge of condensate. The key function is that in the prior art, when the sealing ability of the float is not strict, steam often follows the condensate to be discharged. That is, at this time, the upper part of the valve port is steam and the lower part is condensate. At this time, the second sealing portion 18.2 comes into play. Since the condensate is not full, the float 18 is located between the upper and lower strokes, and the second sealing portion 18.2 will partially enter the valve port, thereby blocking a part of the valve port of the water transfer valve 7 and reducing steam leakage.

[0038] In short, when condensed water enters the cavity 2, the float 18 floats up under the action of the condensed water. At this time, the float 18 will move upward along the auxiliary hole 17, so that the first sealing portion 18.1 of the float 18 moves to the exhaust hole 14 to cover the exhaust hole 14. When steam enters the cavity, it will not leak through the exhaust groove 6. In this way, the float 18 is arranged in the auxiliary hole 17. It has two functions. One is to completely seal the exhaust hole when there is condensed water in the valve body 1, so that the steam entering through the exhaust groove 6 will not leak. The second is to seal the valve port when the water supply valve 7 is not sealed tightly and steam leaks. Both positions can prevent steam leakage in different situations.

[0039] The above description is merely illustrative of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It goes without saying that those skilled in the art will be able to modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above drawings and description are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A high-durability float valve, comprising a valve body, a cavity provided in the valve body, a water channel for drainage provided at the bottom of the cavity, an exhaust channel opened and closed by a thermal element provided at the top of the cavity, a float provided in the cavity, the float driving the water channel to open and close, characterized in that: An exhaust groove is provided on the inner wall of the valve body in the area in contact with the float, and the other end of the exhaust groove is connected to the water delivery channel.

2. The high-durability float valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: An inlet pipe and an outlet pipe are respectively provided on both sides of the valve body. The inlet pipe is used for the intake of condensed water and air, and the outlet pipe is used for the discharge of condensed water and air.

3. The high-durability float valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The water delivery channel and the exhaust channel are both connected to the outlet pipe.

4. The high-durability float valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: When air enters the cavity through the inlet pipe, the float is located at the bottom of the cavity and close to the valve port of the water supply valve. At this time, the water supply valve is in a closed state. When air is discharged through the outlet pipe, condensed water enters the cavity. At this time, the float floats up, the water supply valve is in an open state, and the condensed water is discharged through the water supply channel.

5. The high-durability float valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top end of the exhaust groove is slightly higher than the radius position of the float when the float is at the bottom end.

6. The high-durability float valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: An annular body is provided at the bottom of the cavity, and the float is overlapped on the annular body.

7. The high-durability float valve according to claim 6, characterized in that: An exhaust hole is provided on the annular body, the exhaust groove is connected to the exhaust hole, and the other end of the exhaust hole is connected to the water delivery channel.

8. The high-durability float valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom end of the valve body is provided with a drainage groove, and the drainage groove is used to drain condensed water.

9. The high-durability float valve according to claim 6, characterized in that: The annular body is in an inclined state in the cavity, and the height position of the side of the annular body close to the water delivery valve is lower than the height position of the side away from the water delivery valve.

10. The highly durable float valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve port of the water delivery valve is an elastic member.

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