Compact, easily maintained hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522664005.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-12-16
AI Technical Summary
另外，现有技术的液动阀执行器在日常维护和阶段检修的时候拆装极其困难，需要拆掉体积和重量较重的缸体，方可维护内部的弹簧，密封件以及轴承等，这样要需要多人协助，增加人力和时间成本，效率较低
[0011]（1）执行器缸体采用组合式设计，外壳与油缸不是一体化结构，外壳与油缸之间增加了固定盘和压环结构，外壳与固定盘采用高性能安装方便的爱克母螺纹连接，压环与固定盘采用节约空间的内六角螺钉压紧，维护时只需要拧下内六角螺钉取下压环，就可以取出油缸，维护保养或者更换活塞密封件，其结构把执行器缸体重量分解到各个组合的零件上，减轻了原来采用单体零件的重量和体积，不需要多人操作，在空间受限的海上平台使得维护保养、更换零件较为便捷，节省人工成本和操作时间，进而提高工作效率；
Smart Images
Figure CN224886458U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to a compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms, belonging to the technical field of fluid control equipment for offshore platforms. Background Technology
[0002] Offshore platforms operate in extremely limited space and face harsh natural conditions such as high salt spray, high humidity, strong corrosion, and strong vibration and impact, placing stringent requirements on the size, weight, reliability, and corrosion resistance of fluid control equipment. Existing hydraulic valve actuators used on offshore platforms are large, heavy, poorly designed, and occupy significant space, making them unsuitable for the limited installation areas on platforms. The high spring preload in these actuators makes installation difficult. Furthermore, the pursuit of compact design sacrifices sealing performance and operational stability, leading to leaks and switching failures during wind, waves, vibrations, and the transport of high-pressure, highly corrosive media, severely impacting the safety and efficiency of offshore platform operations. In addition, the inconvenience of disassembling hydraulic valve actuators and the difficulty of on-site maintenance increase the operational and maintenance costs of offshore platforms.
[0003] Existing fluid control equipment includes hydraulic cylinder connectors, connecting sleeves, and transition sleeves, increasing the overall height of the hydraulic valve actuator. This poses a significant challenge for offshore platforms with strict installation space and weight requirements. Furthermore, existing hydraulic valve actuators are extremely difficult to disassemble and assemble during routine maintenance and periodic overhauls. The bulky and heavy cylinder must be removed to access internal springs, seals, and bearings, requiring multiple personnel and increasing labor and time costs, resulting in low efficiency. As the demands and costs of offshore oil and gas extraction continue to rise, the requirements for operational safety, ease of maintenance, and resource optimization of hydraulic valve actuators are becoming increasingly stringent. There is an urgent need for easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuators to replace existing equipment. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms. This hydraulic valve actuator has a compact structure, is easy to install and maintain, and is relatively lightweight, making it suitable for installation in confined spaces on offshore platforms.
[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms, comprising a housing, a transition sleeve at the bottom of the housing, a cylinder inside the housing, a piston inside the cylinder, a sealing ring on the outer wall of the piston sealing the outer wall of the piston and the inner wall of the cylinder, a push rod vertically mounted on the piston, an oil pipe connector on the cylinder communicating with the inside of the cylinder, a fixed plate on the upper outer side of the cylinder, an external thread on the outer circumference of the fixed plate, an internal thread matching the external thread on the fixed plate on the upper inner side of the housing, the fixed plate being threadedly connected to the upper part of the housing, a pressure ring between the upper part of the fixed plate and the cylinder, the pressure ring being fixed to the fixed plate by screws, and a valve stem connecting rod vertically mounted at the bottom of the piston.
[0006] Preferably, the valve stem connecting rod is a hollow tube, and the inner wall of the valve stem connecting rod is provided with an internal thread. The upper end of the valve stem in the hydraulic valve is provided with an external thread. The external thread at the upper end of the valve stem matches the internal thread of the valve stem connecting rod, and the valve stem connecting rod is connected to the upper end of the valve stem by a thread.
[0007] Preferably, a spring seat is provided inside the outer casing. The spring seat includes a top plate and a cylindrical part. A bottom plate is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical part. A needle roller bearing is provided between the bottom plate and the lower end of the valve stem connecting rod. An opening is provided in the middle of the top plate. The lower part of the oil cylinder passes through the opening and enters the cylindrical part. A spring is provided between the outer wall of the cylindrical part and the inner wall of the outer casing. The upper end of the spring is fixed to the top plate, and the lower end of the spring is fixed to the transition sleeve.
[0008] Preferably, the upper part of the outer casing is provided with a threaded hole, and a set screw is provided in the threaded hole, the set screw locking the fixing plate together with the upper part of the outer casing.
[0009] Preferably, the housing and the cylinder are separate installation assemblies, and a detachable fixing plate and a pressure ring are provided between the housing and the cylinder for connection.
[0010] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0011] (1) The actuator cylinder body adopts a modular design. The outer shell and the cylinder are not an integrated structure. A fixed plate and a pressure ring structure are added between the outer shell and the cylinder. The outer shell and the fixed plate are connected by high-performance and easy-to-install Acrylic thread. The pressure ring and the fixed plate are tightened by space-saving internal hexagon screws. During maintenance, you only need to unscrew the internal hexagon screws and remove the pressure ring to take out the cylinder for maintenance or replacement of the piston seal. Its structure distributes the weight of the actuator cylinder body to the various combined parts, reducing the weight and volume of the original single parts. It does not require multiple people to operate. On the space-constrained offshore platform, it makes maintenance and replacement of parts more convenient, saving labor costs and operating time, thereby improving work efficiency.
[0012] (2) The actuator is equipped with a force-saving mechanism. The force-saving mechanism is a needle roller bearing with a small radial cross-sectional height and a compact structure. It can provide a large radial load capacity in the smallest radial space. During the installation of the hydraulic valve actuator, the spring needs to be pre-tightened. Its pre-tightening force is relatively large. By rotating the valve stem, the valve stem connecting rod is pulled to rotate and descend, which drives the spring seat to descend and compress the spring, thus applying a pre-tightening force to the spring. Without a bearing, the friction between the lower end of the valve stem connecting rod and the bottom plate of the spring seat is very large, and it is very difficult to rotate the valve stem connecting rod. Adding a needle roller bearing makes the valve stem connecting rod rotate flexibly, which can effectively reduce the torque on the valve stem connecting rod during spring pre-tightening installation. There is no need to use a lever, and a single person can easily install it. Similarly, on the space-constrained offshore platform, it makes maintenance and replacement of parts more convenient, saves labor costs and operation time, and thus improves work efficiency.
[0013] (3) The actuator has added a spring preload protection measure. The spring preload protection part is the valve stem connecting rod, which is threaded to the valve stem. When the spring is installed, the valve stem connecting rod is lowered by rotating the thread between the valve stem connecting rod and the valve stem. The valve stem connecting rod presses down on the bottom plate of the spring seat. The bottom plate presses down to compress the spring and apply a preload force to the spring so that the spring reaches the preload position required by the design. Since the valve stem connecting rod and the valve stem are protected by thread locking, other parts of the actuator such as piston, sealing ring, oil cylinder, push rod, etc. can be maintained and serviced normally. The valve stem is pulled by the thread to prevent it from moving up instantly, and the spring will not pop out instantly. This protects the safety and convenience of personnel operation and can also prevent damage to the actuator parts. Attached Figure Description
[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein:
[0015] Figure 1 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to this utility model.
[0016] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the upper part of the compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to this utility model.
[0017] Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the lower part of the compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to this utility model.
[0018] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of the lower part of an embodiment of the compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.
[0020] Embodiment of this utility model:
[0021] This utility model provides a compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1 to 4 The system includes an outer shell 1, a transition sleeve 2 at the bottom of the outer shell 1, the transition sleeve 2 being connected to the valve cover (not shown) of the hydraulic valve, an oil cylinder 3 inside the outer shell 1, a piston 4 inside the oil cylinder 3, a sealing ring 5 on the outer wall of the piston 4 sealing the outer wall of the piston 4 with the inner wall of the oil cylinder 3, a push rod 6 vertically mounted on the piston 4, an oil pipe connector 7 on the oil cylinder 3 communicating with the inside of the oil cylinder 3, a fixed plate 8 on the upper outer side of the oil cylinder 3, an external thread on the outer circumference of the fixed plate 8, an internal thread matching the external thread on the fixed plate 8 on the upper inner side of the outer shell 1, the fixed plate 8 being threadedly connected to the upper part of the outer shell 1, a pressure ring 9 between the upper part of the fixed plate 8 and the oil cylinder 3, the pressure ring 9 being fixed together with the fixed plate 8 by screws, and a valve stem connecting rod 10 vertically mounted at the bottom of the piston 4. A sealing ring is provided between the outer wall of the hydraulic cylinder 3 and the inner wall of the fixed plate 8, a sealing ring is provided between the outer wall of the fixed plate 8 and the inner wall of the outer shell, and a sealing ring is provided between the upper part of the push rod 6 and the upper inner wall of the hydraulic cylinder 3.
[0022] Preferably, the valve stem connecting rod 10 is a hollow tube, and the inner wall of the valve stem connecting rod 10 is provided with an internal thread. The upper end of the valve stem 11 in the hydraulic valve is provided with an external thread. The external thread at the upper end of the valve stem 11 matches the internal thread of the valve stem connecting rod 10. The upper end of the valve stem connecting rod 10 and the valve stem 11 are connected by threads.
[0023] Preferably, a spring seat 12 is provided inside the outer casing 1. The spring seat 12 includes a top plate 13 and a cylindrical part 14. A bottom plate 15 is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical part 14. A needle roller bearing 16 is provided between the bottom plate 15 and the lower end of the valve stem connecting rod 10. An opening is provided in the middle of the top plate 13. The lower part of the oil cylinder 3 passes through the opening and enters the cylindrical part 14. A spring 17 is provided between the outer wall of the cylindrical part 14 and the inner wall of the outer casing 1. The upper end of the spring 17 is fixed on the top plate 13, and the lower end of the spring 17 is fixed on the transition sleeve 2.
[0024] Preferably, the upper part of the outer casing 1 is provided with a threaded hole, and a set screw 18 is provided in the threaded hole. The set screw 18 locks the fixed plate 8 and the upper part of the outer casing 1 together to further prevent the connection between the fixed plate 8 and the outer casing 1 from loosening.
[0025] When the hydraulic valve actuator of this utility model, which is compact and easy to maintain, is operating on an offshore platform, the oil pipe connector 7 connects to the oil pipe, and the external hydraulic power source is turned on, allowing hydraulic oil to be injected into the oil cylinder 3 through the oil pipe and oil pipe connector 7. This pushes the piston 4 downward, causing the valve stem connecting rod 10 and valve stem 11 assembly to move downward, which in turn causes the gate of the hydraulic valve (not shown in the figure) to move downward, thereby opening or closing the hydraulic valve. At the same time, the spring seat 12 moves downward, and the spring 17 is compressed. In case of an emergency, if the pressure source of the hydraulic valve actuator is cut off, the spring 17 will instantly reset, pushing the spring seat 12 upward, causing the valve stem connecting rod 10 and valve stem 11 assembly to move upward, thereby closing or opening the hydraulic valve.
[0026] The actuator cylinder of this utility model adopts a modular design. The outer shell and the fixed plate are connected by a high-performance, easy-to-install Acrylic thread. The pressure ring 9 and the fixed plate 8 are clamped by a space-saving hexagon socket screw. To prevent loosening, the fixed plate 8 is locked to the upper part of the outer shell 1 with a set screw 18. During maintenance, it is only necessary to unscrew the hexagon socket screw, remove the pressure ring 9, and loosen the set screw 18 to remove the cylinder 3 for maintenance or replacement of the piston seal (sealing ring). Its structure distributes the weight of the actuator cylinder to the various assembled parts, reducing the weight and volume of the original single parts. It does not require multiple people to operate, making maintenance and replacement of parts more convenient on the space-constrained offshore platform, saving labor costs and operating time, thereby improving work efficiency.
[0027] The actuator incorporates a compact needle roller bearing 16 with a small radial cross-sectional height, which provides a large radial load capacity within a minimal radial space. During the installation of the hydraulic valve actuator, the spring 17 requires pre-tensioning, and its pre-tensioning force is relatively large. This structure effectively reduces the torque during spring pre-tensioning installation, eliminating the need for a lever and allowing for easy installation by a single person. Similarly, on space-constrained offshore platforms, this makes maintenance and parts replacement more convenient, saving labor costs and operating time, thereby improving work efficiency.
[0028] A spring preload protection measure has been added to the actuator. The spring preload protection component is the valve stem connecting rod 10, which is threadedly connected to the valve stem 11. When the spring 17 is installed, the valve stem connecting rod 10 is lowered by rotating the thread between the valve stem connecting rod 10 and the valve stem 11. The valve stem connecting rod 10 presses down on the bottom plate 15 of the spring seat 12, and the bottom plate 15 presses down to compress the spring 17, applying a preload force to the spring 17 so that the spring 17 reaches the preload position required by the design. Since the valve stem connecting rod 10 and the valve stem 11 are protected by thread locking, the spring 17 will not pop out instantly during normal maintenance and upkeep of other parts of the actuator, such as the piston, sealing ring, cylinder, and push rod. This protects the safety and convenience of personnel operation and can also prevent damage to actuator parts.
[0029] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and does not limit the patent scope of this utility model. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this utility model specification, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms, comprising a housing, a transition sleeve at the bottom of the housing, a hydraulic cylinder inside the housing, a piston inside the hydraulic cylinder, a sealing ring on the outer wall of the piston sealing the outer wall of the piston with the inner wall of the hydraulic cylinder, and a push rod vertically mounted on the piston, characterized in that... The cylinder is equipped with an oil pipe connector that communicates with the inside of the cylinder. A fixed plate is provided on the upper outer side of the cylinder, and an external thread is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the fixed plate. An internal thread that matches the external thread on the fixed plate is provided on the upper inner side of the outer shell. The fixed plate is connected to the upper part of the outer shell by threads. A pressure ring is provided between the upper part of the fixed plate and the cylinder. The pressure ring is fixed to the fixed plate by screws. A valve stem connecting rod is vertically provided at the bottom of the piston.
2. The compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve stem connecting rod is a hollow tube with an internal thread on its inner wall. The upper end of the valve stem in the hydraulic valve has an external thread on its outer circumference. The external thread at the upper end of the valve stem matches the internal thread of the valve stem connecting rod. The valve stem connecting rod is connected to the upper end of the valve stem by a thread.
3. The compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to claim 2, characterized in that, A spring seat is provided inside the outer casing. The spring seat includes a top plate and a cylindrical body. A bottom plate is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical body. A needle roller bearing is provided between the bottom plate and the lower end of the valve stem connecting rod. An opening is provided in the middle of the top plate. The lower part of the oil cylinder passes through the opening and enters the cylindrical body. A spring is provided between the outer wall of the cylindrical body and the inner wall of the outer casing. The upper end of the spring is fixed to the top plate, and the lower end of the spring is fixed to the transition sleeve.
4. The compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper part of the outer casing is provided with a threaded hole, and a set screw is installed in the threaded hole. The set screw locks the fixing plate together with the upper part of the outer casing.
5. The compact and easy-to-maintain hydraulic valve actuator for offshore platforms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell and the hydraulic cylinder are separate installation assemblies.