Labyrinth regulating valve

Abstract

The invention relates to a labyrinth type regulating valve. A traditional regulating valve has a series of technical bottlenecks under the working conditions of high pressure difference, high flow speed, strong corrosion and strong cavitation. A basic pressure-bearing shell is composed of a sleeve forge piece valve body and a forge piece valve cover, a valve seat is installed in the sleeve forge piece valve body, and the labyrinth disc type butterfly valve is characterized in that a labyrinth disc piece assembly is arranged at the upper end of the valve seat, the labyrinth disc piece assembly is connected with a labyrinth type sleeve, and the labyrinth type sleeve is constructed in a multi-layer nesting mode and comprises an inner layer sleeve and an outer layer sleeve; a plurality of middle-layer sleeve runners which are arranged at staggered angles are arranged between the inner-layer sleeve and the outer-layer sleeve and are used for guiding a fluid medium in the inner-layer sleeve to the outer-layer sleeve. The problems that a traditional adjusting valve is serious in erosion, prone to cavitation, large in noise, low in adjusting precision, poor in structural adaptability and the like under the working conditions of high pressure difference and high flow speed can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fluid control equipment technology, specifically relating to a labyrinth-type regulating valve with optimized structure. It is suitable for fluid throttling and regulation control under high pressure differential, high flow velocity and cavitation-prone conditions, and is widely used in automated control systems in industrial processes such as power, petrochemical, and metallurgy. Background Technology

[0002] Control valves, as key components in industrial process control systems, are widely used for regulating the flow, pressure, and temperature of media such as liquids, gases, and steam. Traditional control valves, such as single-seat valves, double-seat valves, and sleeve valves, while simple in structure and convenient to control, face a series of technical bottlenecks under conditions of high pressure differential, high flow velocity, and strong corrosion or cavitation. 1. Limited throttling and pressure reduction capacity: Common control valves usually adopt a single-stage or limited-stage throttling structure. When facing high pressure differential conditions, the fluid energy is difficult to be effectively dispersed, which can easily cause severe erosion and cavitation, reducing the service life of the valve.

[0003] 2. High noise and vibration: When high-speed fluid passes through the throttling orifice, the traditional structure is prone to generating intense turbulence and high-frequency vibration, resulting in high noise and affecting the on-site operating environment and equipment operation stability.

[0004] 3. Limited adjustment accuracy: Ordinary control valves do not provide stable flow changes at small openings, resulting in poor linearity and making it difficult to meet the control requirements of high flow accuracy and response speed.

[0005] 4. Lack of modular and multi-stage combination capabilities: Traditional valves have relatively fixed structures, making it difficult to flexibly adjust the number of throttling sections or the length of the path according to specific working conditions, and their versatility and adaptability are also poor.

[0006] 5. Existing labyrinth disk assemblies typically use multi-layer stacked planar disks, which presents problems such as high processing difficulty, insufficient assembly precision, and limited voltage reduction efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a labyrinth-type regulating valve, which aims to solve the problems of severe erosion, easy cavitation, high noise, low regulation accuracy, and poor structural adaptability of traditional regulating valves under high pressure differential and high flow velocity conditions. It can also solve the problems of low processing efficiency, complex structure, insufficient pressure reduction and noise reduction, and inconvenient assembly and maintenance of existing labyrinth disc assemblies.

[0008] This invention adopts the following technical solution: a labyrinth regulating valve, comprising a basic pressure-bearing shell composed of a sleeve forged valve body and a forged valve cover, with a valve seat installed inside the sleeve forged valve body. The valve seat is characterized by having a labyrinth disc assembly at its upper end. The labyrinth disc assembly and the labyrinth sleeve are integrally inserted. The labyrinth sleeve includes an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, with multiple middle sleeve flow channels arranged at staggered angles between them, used to guide the fluid medium in the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve. This invention, through the setting of multi-stage throttling components and a complex flow channel structure, allows fluid pressure to be released step by step, effectively reducing flow velocity and energy concentration, significantly improving regulating performance and durability. It is particularly suitable for applications such as power generation and petrochemicals where high stability and safety of fluid control are required.

[0009] Preferably, the valve body of the sleeve forging is internally divided into upper and lower chambers. The lower chamber is the fluid inlet, with its flow channel designed to be horizontally inclined downwards at 12°. The upper chamber is the outlet, with its flow channel inclined downwards at 50° before turning horizontally, and a near-horizontal guide channel is provided at the outlet. The horizontal flow channel can guide the fluid to exit smoothly, reducing impact and flow interference. This structure helps to achieve a stable transition and uniform distribution of fluid inside the valve body, improving the stability of flow control and erosion resistance.

[0010] Preferably, the maze disc assembly consists of multiple stacked maze discs, each group including an inner disc, a spacer disc, and two outer discs. The outer discs are attached to the spacer discs, and the inner disc is located between the two outer discs. The inner and outer discs are provided with multiple vertically connected maze channels. The upper and lower walls of the spacer discs form the top and bottom walls of the maze channels. The ratio of the number of inlet channels to the number of outlet channels in the maze channels is 2:1.

[0011] Preferably, the inlet and outlet channels adopt a non-uniform cross-section layout, with a gradually shrinking or expanding cross-sectional area gradient along the hierarchy. The channel includes four upper and lower inlet channels and two outlet channels arranged in any radial direction along the circumference. At the end of the middle channel, the two channels in the same group merge and counteract each other.

[0012] Preferably, a labyrinth valve core is installed on the valve seat, and the labyrinth valve core is located inside the labyrinth sleeve. The valve stem is connected to the labyrinth valve core via a heavy-duty elastic cylindrical pin. This effectively transmits the force generated during the up-and-down movement of the valve stem to the labyrinth valve core, thereby realizing the valve's opening and closing control function.

[0013] Preferably, the end of the labyrinth valve core is provided with a groove for mounting a sealing ring, and radial limiting and axial constraint are achieved by two open rings and a retaining spring.

[0014] Preferably, a C-ring flange is also included, wherein a metal C-ring is installed between the C-ring flange and the inner sleeve of the labyrinth sleeve, and the C-ring flange and the outer sleeve of the labyrinth sleeve are fixedly connected by hexagonal head screws.

[0015] Preferably, the forged valve cover is directly connected and fixed to the sleeve forged valve body by a fully threaded stud, a hexagonal nut, and a flat washer located between the fasteners.

[0016] Preferably, the sleeve forged valve body and the forged valve cover are sealed by a metal spiral wound gasket. The sleeve forged valve body is provided with a groove for installing the metal spiral wound gasket, which forms a sealing structure with the valve seat.

[0017] Preferably, a round nut is installed on the forged valve cover, and a stuffing box assembly is provided between the forged valve cover and the round nut; the round nut is connected to the pneumatic actuator, the pneumatic circuit accessory and the pneumatic power amplifier respectively; the pneumatic actuator is connected to the valve stem through a hexagonal thin nut to realize the driving control of the valve stem.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. Significantly reduces fluid erosion and noise: By setting up multi-layered staggered labyrinth disc assemblies and multi-stage intermediate sleeve flow channels, multi-stage throttling and pressure reduction of high-pressure fluids can be achieved, effectively dispersing energy impact, reducing flow velocity and turbulence intensity, thereby significantly reducing erosion and wear of valve internals and noise generation.

[0019] 2. Enhanced sealing performance and structural reliability: The multi-point sealing design, including metal spiral wound gaskets, metal C-rings and sealing rings, effectively improves the sealing stability of various connection parts of the valve body, ensuring long-term stable operation under high temperature, high pressure or corrosive conditions.

[0020] 3. Modular design facilitates maintenance and replacement: Key components such as the labyrinth disc assembly, inner and outer sleeves, and valve core adopt a split structure, which is connected to each other by threads, snap rings, or positioning grooves. This makes disassembly and assembly convenient, facilitates later maintenance, cleaning, or replacement of worn parts, and reduces operating and maintenance costs.

[0021] 4. High adjustment accuracy and strong adaptability: The multi-stage throttling structure can realize linear or equal percentage flow control, and the adjustment process is more stable. It is suitable for complex working conditions with high adjustment accuracy requirements or large pressure fluctuations, and is widely used in high-requirement industrial applications such as power, petrochemical, and metallurgy.

[0022] 5. Compact structure and high safety: The overall valve design is compact and reasonable. The precise fit between the forged valve body, valve cover and labyrinth assembly enhances the structural strength and system stability. At the same time, the use of pneumatic actuators and air source amplifiers ensures fast response and reliable control, which helps to improve the overall safety performance of the system. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing structure of the labyrinth sleeve of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing structure of the labyrinth valve core of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the labyrinth disk assembly of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of a single spatial flow channel according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a single spatial flow channel of the present invention.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Forged valve body, 2. Forged valve cover, 3. Valve seat, 4. Labyrinth valve core, 5. Labyrinth disc assembly, 6. C-ring flange, 7. Metal C-ring, 8. Socket head cap screw, 9. Labyrinth sleeve, 10. Valve stem, 11. Heavy-duty elastic cylindrical pin, 12. Double-ring, 13. Snap ring, 14. Sealing ring, 15. Spiral wound gasket, 16. Metal spiral wound gasket, 17. Fully threaded stud, 18. Hex nut, 19. Flat washer, 20. Stuffing gland assembly, 21. Pneumatic actuator, 22. Round nut, 23. Pneumatic accessories, 24. Hex thin nut, 25. Air source amplifier, 501. Outer disc, 502. Inner disc, 503. Spacer disc, 504. Labyrinth flow channel, 505. 506. Upper inlet channel, 507. Lower inlet channel, 508. Middle channel, 509. Upper outlet channel, 510. Lower outlet channel, 511. Locating pin hole, 512. Locating bolt hole. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0031] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the labyrinth regulating valve of the present invention consists of a sleeve forged valve body 1 and a forged valve cover 2 forming a basic pressure-bearing shell. The two are connected by multiple sets of fully threaded studs 17, type 1 hexagonal nuts 18, and flat washers 19, forming a high-strength bolt connection. The sealing structure uses a metal spiral wound gasket 16 to achieve a high-temperature, high-pressure seal at the end face. The sleeve forged valve body 1 has a groove for installing the spiral wound gasket 15, forming a sealing structure between it and the valve seat 3.

[0032] Specifically, the internal structure of the sleeve forged valve body 1 can be divided into upper and lower chambers: the lower chamber is the fluid inlet, with its flow channel designed to slope downwards at 12°; this helps to reduce the velocity gradient of the fluid as it enters the valve body, avoiding turbulence. The upper chamber is the outlet, with its flow channel sloping downwards at 50° before turning horizontally; this horizontal guiding channel guides the fluid to exit smoothly, reducing impact and flow interference. This structure helps to achieve a stable transition and uniform distribution of fluid within the valve body, improving the stability of flow control and erosion resistance.

[0033] The valve seat 3 is fixedly installed in the cavity of the sleeve forging valve body 1 and serves as the carrier of the labyrinth disc assembly 5. The labyrinth disc assembly 5 and the labyrinth sleeve 9 are integrally inserted. The labyrinth sleeve 9 adopts a multi-layer nested structure with staggered middle-layer sleeve flow channels inside. When the fluid passes through this structure, it must successively undergo multiple directional abrupt changes, volume compression, and re-expansion processes, achieving multi-stage throttling and energy dissipation, thereby achieving the technical effects of controlling flow rate, reducing noise, and reducing pressure.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, in terms of sealing and fixing, the C-ring flange 6 is used to support and position the labyrinth sleeve assembly. A radial metal seal is provided between the inner sleeve and the C-ring flange 6 by means of a metal C-ring 7, while a firm connection with the outer sleeve is achieved by means of an internal hexagonal head screw 8, thereby forming a stable integral module.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, the labyrinth valve core 4 is nested within the labyrinth sleeve 9. The upper end of the labyrinth valve core 4 is connected to the valve stem 10 via a heavy-duty elastic cylindrical pin 11, ensuring reliable load transmission and providing a certain degree of floating compensation capability. The end of the labyrinth valve core 4 is provided with a groove for mounting a sealing ring 14. Radial limiting and axial restraint are achieved through two open rings 12 and a snap ring 13, ensuring its stability and sealing performance under high-frequency vibration or throttling impact conditions.

[0036] The actuator consists of a pneumatic actuator 21, which is assembled on the forged valve cover 2 in conjunction with a round nut 22 and a stuffing box assembly 20. The lower part of the actuator is connected to the valve stem 10 via a hexagonal thin nut 24, enabling linear drive of the labyrinth valve core 4. The control air source is input through the air circuit accessory 23 and the air source amplifier 25, thereby ensuring sensitive response and high control accuracy in the adjustment action.

[0037] During operation, when a regulating signal is input to the pneumatic actuator 21, causing the valve stem 10 to move, the labyrinth valve core 4 rises and falls accordingly. Within the multi-layered labyrinth flow channel structure, progressive throttling of the fluid and dissipation of kinetic energy are achieved, resulting in precise control of flow rate, pressure, or noise. This design effectively avoids problems such as cavitation, noise, and localized erosion failure that occur in traditional regulating valves under high pressure differential conditions, exhibiting excellent adaptability to operating conditions and service reliability.

[0038] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the maze disc assembly 5 consists of an outer disc 501, an inner disc 502, a spacer disc 503, and a maze flow channel 504. Specifically, the maze disc assembly 5 is composed of multiple stacked discs, each group including one inner disc 502, one spacer disc 503, and two outer discs 501, forming an "outer-inner-outer" structure. Multiple positioning pin holes 510 and positioning bolt holes 511 are provided between each disc for assembly positioning. The outer disk 501 is attached to the spacer disk 503, and the inner disk 502 is located on the outer disk 501. The inner disk 502 and the outer disk 501 are provided with multiple labyrinth flow channel holes that run vertically through each other. The upper and lower walls of the spacer disk 503 form the bottom and top walls of the labyrinth flow channel, thereby forming a multi-level labyrinth flow channel 504 with vertical bends. Each set of labyrinth disk assembly 5 is assembled to form several labyrinth flow channels 504, and each 504 can pass through a certain amount of medium.

[0039] The labyrinth channels 504 of the labyrinth disc assembly 5 all adopt a through-groove structure, which is convenient for processing. After precise positioning by cylindrical pins, the clamping force of the hexagonal head bolts presses each disc together, preventing overflow between the discs. The stacked structure of the discs facilitates assembly and disassembly, and is conducive to timely cleaning of sludge in the labyrinth disc assembly 5.

[0040] The labyrinth flow channel 504 within the labyrinth disc assembly 5 features several vertically arranged right-angle bends, increasing the resistance of the fluid medium through multiple stages of right-angle deflections. Depending on specific operating conditions, the number of bends can be precisely calculated to effectively control the flow velocity of the medium in each stage, achieving step-by-step pressure reduction. This ensures that the fluid pressure remains above its saturation vaporization pressure, preventing problems such as cavitation, localized corrosion, increased noise, and severe vibration, thereby improving the valve's operational safety and stability under high pressure differential conditions.

[0041] like Figure 6 As shown, the maze flow channel 504 includes an entrance channel, a middle channel 507, and an exit channel, with two entrance channels corresponding to one exit channel. The entrance channels include an upper entrance channel 505 and a lower entrance channel 506, and the exit channels include an upper exit channel 508 and a lower exit channel 509.

[0042] The innovation of this invention lies in: 1. Multi-stage labyrinth throttling structure design: The valve seat 3 and the labyrinth sleeve 9 adopt a layered design of inner and outer sleeves, combined with the middle sleeve flow channel arranged at staggered angles, to achieve multi-stage throttling of fluid and gradual release of energy, effectively reducing fluid impact and noise, and improving the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the valve.

[0043] 2. Special flow channel tilt angle optimization design: The sleeve forged valve body 1 is equipped with an inlet flow medium chamber and an outlet flow medium chamber. The flow channel openings are set to tilt downwards at 12° and 50° respectively. A near-horizontal guide channel is set at the outlet, which effectively improves the fluid flow path, enhances flow stability, and reduces turbulence and flow noise.

[0044] 3. Composite sealing structure improves sealing reliability: The valve body, valve cover, valve seat and labyrinth sleeve adopt a composite sealing design with multiple metal spiral wound gaskets, metal C-rings and sealing rings to achieve efficient sealing at the key connection of the valve and ensure long-term stable operation.

[0045] 4. Reliable force transmission and drive connection structure: The valve stem is connected to the labyrinth valve core through a heavy-duty elastic cylindrical pin, and the pneumatic actuator is connected to the valve stem through a hexagonal thin nut, ensuring the stability and responsiveness of the opening and closing action and improving the control accuracy of the regulating valve.

[0046] 5. Modular component structure facilitates disassembly and maintenance: The modular design adopts a sleeve forged valve body, forged valve cover, labyrinth disc assembly, labyrinth sleeve, snap ring, and two open rings. The components are stably connected by fully threaded studs, type 1 hexagonal nuts, internal hexagonal head screws and snap rings, which facilitates disassembly, inspection and replacement, and improves maintenance efficiency.

[0047] 6. The labyrinth disc assembly combines inner and outer discs with spacer discs to create a multi-stage labyrinth flow channel that runs vertically through the flow. This allows the medium to experience multiple reversals, turbulence, and local throttling during its passage, thereby achieving continuous energy consumption, significantly reducing the flow velocity impact caused by high pressure differentials, improving valve operation stability, and avoiding cavitation and fluid noise problems.

[0048] 7. The flow channels exist in the assembly in the form of four inlets and two outlets arranged in any radial direction (the labyrinth flow channels in the same group branch into two channels), and the flow is split and counteracted multiple times between the discs, forming a complex turbulent flow path. This design enhances the energy dissipation effect of the fluid, reduces the velocity gradient, avoids scouring damage caused by local eddies and cavitation, and improves the durability of the bypass valve under high pressure differential conditions.

[0049] It should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that after reading the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various alterations or modifications to the invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A labyrinth regulating valve, comprising a basic pressure-bearing shell consisting of a sleeve forged valve body (1) and a forged valve cover (2), wherein a valve seat is installed inside the sleeve forged valve body (1), characterized in that... The upper end of the valve seat is provided with a labyrinth disc assembly (5), which is connected to a labyrinth sleeve (9). The labyrinth sleeve (9) is constructed in a multi-layer nested form, including an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve. Multiple middle sleeve flow channels are arranged at staggered angles between the two to guide the fluid medium in the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve.

2. The labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 1, characterized in that... The sleeve forging valve body (1) is divided into upper and lower chambers. The lower chamber is the fluid inlet chamber, and its flow channel is designed to be inclined downward at 12° in the horizontal direction. The upper chamber is the outlet chamber, and the flow channel is inclined downward at 50° and then turns horizontally. A nearly horizontal guide channel is set at the outlet.

3. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that... The maze disc assembly consists of multiple stacked maze discs, each including an inner disc (502), a spacer disc (503), and two outer discs (501). The outer discs (501) are attached to the spacer discs (503), and the inner disc (502) is located between the two outer discs (501). The inner discs (502) and the outer discs (501) are provided with multiple vertically connected maze channels (504). The upper and lower walls of the spacer discs (503) constitute the top and bottom walls of the maze channels (504). The ratio of the number of inlet channels to the number of outlet channels of the maze channels (504) is 2:

1.

4. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 3, characterized in that... The inlet and outlet channels adopt a non-uniform cross-section layout, and the cross-sectional area gradient is set along the level by gradually shrinking or expanding. The maze flow channel (504) includes four upper and lower inlet channels and two outlet channels arranged in any radial direction along the circumference. At the end of the middle channel, the two maze flow channels (504) in the same group merge and counteract each other.

5. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 4, characterized in that... A labyrinth valve core is installed on the valve seat. The labyrinth valve core is located inside the labyrinth sleeve (9). The valve stem (10) is connected to the labyrinth valve core (4) through a heavy-duty elastic cylindrical pin (11).

6. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 5, characterized in that... The labyrinth valve core (4) has a groove at its end for mounting a sealing ring (14), which is radially limited and axially constrained by two open rings (12) and a snap ring (13).

7. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 6, characterized in that... It also includes a C-ring flange, a metal C-ring (7) is installed between the C-ring flange and the inner sleeve of the labyrinth sleeve (9), and the C-ring flange (6) and the outer sleeve of the labyrinth sleeve (9) are fixedly connected by hexagonal head screws (8).

8. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 1, characterized in that... The forged valve cover (2) is directly connected and fixed to the sleeve forged valve body (1) by a fully threaded stud (17), a hexagonal nut (18) and a flat washer (19) located between the fasteners.

9. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 1, characterized in that... The sleeve forged valve body (1) and the forged valve cover (2) are sealed by a metal spiral wound gasket (16). The sleeve forged valve body (1) is provided with a groove for installing the metal spiral wound gasket (15) to form a sealing structure with the valve seat (3).

10. A labyrinth regulating valve according to claim 1, characterized in that... A round nut is installed on the forged valve cover (2), and a stuffing box assembly (20) is provided between the forged valve cover (2) and the round nut (22); the round nut (22) is connected to the pneumatic actuator (21), the pneumatic accessory (23) and the pneumatic amplifier (25) respectively; the pneumatic actuator (21) is connected to the valve stem (10) through the hexagonal thin nut (24) to realize the drive control of the valve stem (10).

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