Regulating valve for water circulation systems

Description

[0001] The present invention lies in the field of regulating valves for water circulation systems. In particular, the present invention focuses on regulating valves that have a water temperature-controlled expansion element as a temperature sensor for a control element for water temperature-dependent regulation of a water flow rate through the valve, as well as an adjustment option for presetting a regulating gap.

[0002] A regulating valve with the preamble features of claim 1 is known, for example, from DE 103 13 278 A1, WO 2017 / 021789 A1, DE 10 2005 038 699 B4, DE 10 2006 059 577 B4 or EP 1 947 395 B1, which still leave room for improvement.

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide an improved regulating valve for regulating the water flow rate in water circulation systems. In particular, the present invention aims to provide a robust regulating valve whose regulating function is as reliable as possible and easy to handle.

[0004] To solve this problem, the present invention provides a regulating valve for water circulation systems having the features of claim 1.

[0005] It is characterized by a valve seat element forming the valve seat, which is axially penetrated by the control element during regulating operation and is held axially displaceably in the valve insert for presetting a regulating gap. The axial direction is generally predetermined by the longitudinal axis of the valve insert and / or the direction of movement of the control element. Typically, the longitudinal axis of the valve insert and the direction of movement of the control element coincide. The invention is particularly guided by the consideration that by presetting in the sense of rotating an upper part of a valve insert and / or a middle part of a valve insert relative to a lower part of a valve insert, the valve seat element arranged in the lower part of the valve insert can be axially displaced and the regulating gap formed by the valve seat element can be changed.The regulating gap is usually changed by positive guidance on a guide surface in the lower part of the valve insert, which is usually stationary with respect to the valve seat element and has an inclined and / or stepped profile, which determines the holding of the valve seat element and, in particular, limits the radial expansion of the valve seat element. This relative movement by turning on the outside of the regulating valve allows a pre-adjustment of the regulating gap and thus the Kv value. The guide surface for the positive guidance can be formed by the lower part of the valve insert or by a separate sliding shell, preferably made of plastic, which can be accommodated in the lower part of the valve insert and sealingly connected to the lower part of the valve insert.

[0006] Preferably, the regulating valve according to the invention is adapted to regulate a water flow in hot water pipes with hot water circulation.

[0007] Typically, a valve body, e.g., a valve cone, is provided, which is usually preloaded against the expansion element by means of a valve stem. The valve body and valve stem together typically form the control element. The valve body and valve stem can be designed as separate components that are connected to each other or as a single component.

[0008] In a conventional manner, the expansion element expands against the preload as the temperature rises, moving the control element axially toward the valve seat. As the temperature decreases, the expansion element contracts accordingly, and the control element moves axially away from the valve seat. To stabilize this adjustment movement, the valve insert can have a means for guiding the control element. These means can be formed by guide surfaces.

[0009] In regulating mode, the control element penetrates the valve seat formed by the valve seat element. The degree of penetration, i.e., the depth of penetration of the valve seat by the control element, varies with the water temperature, with a greater penetration depth resulting in a lower Kv value, and a smaller penetration depth resulting in a higher Kv value. In regulating mode, the water temperatures in a hot water circulation system are typically in a range of approximately 50-65°C.

[0010] Preferably, the position of the expansion element is adjustable from the outside using an adjusting device. Typically, the adjusting device can be used to set a water temperature at which the control element, in regulating mode, penetrates the valve seat in such a way that the regulating gap is minimized and the water flow rate is reduced to a residual flow rate. The size of the residual flow rate is generally selected to compensate for heat losses from hot water circulation. This ensures hot water circulation at all times, preventing water from stagnating and cooling in the hot water piping system.

[0011] The length of circulation lines and the overall size of circulation systems can vary, so the required residual flow rate varies depending on the design of the respective circulation system. The residual flow rate can therefore be adjusted with the regulating valve according to the invention by presetting the regulating gap.

[0012] For this purpose, the valve seat element is held in the valve insert so that it can be axially displaced and / or elastically deformed to preset the regulating gap. Through this displacement and / or elastic deformation, the regulating gap can be increased or decreased by an amount independent of the position of the control element.

[0013] The regulating gap in regulating operation can be formed by a gap between the valve seat element and the control element, the size and possibly also the shape of which changes due to the displacement and / or elastic deformation of the valve seat element. The gap can extend radially between the valve seat element and the control element and circumferentially around the outside of the control element.

[0014] According to a preferred development of the present invention, the valve seat element deforms elastically, preferably upon axial displacement, thereby changing the size of the regulating gap. Further preferably, the size of the regulating gap can be continuously varied depending on the degree of displacement and / or the degree of elastic deformation. Very preferably, an operating element for presetting the regulating gap can be provided, which operating element has a scale with individual, discrete Kv values ​​in relation to the residual volume flow in order to facilitate presetting. The scale can, for example, display a series of natural numbers, each corresponding to a specific Kv value of the residual volume flow and assigned to the series of numbers in ascending or descending order. For example, the scale can display the numbers 1, 2, and 3.

[0015] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the valve seat element deforms elastically, preferably upon axial displacement, such that the inner diameter of the valve seat element changes. The valve seat element preferably has substantially the shape of a ring. The regulating gap can be formed as an annular gap between the valve seat element and the control member. A reduction in the inner diameter of the valve seat element therefore directly leads to a reduction in the regulating gap. The ring is guided and held in a tight, particularly sealed, outer periphery in a regulating section of the valve insert, which can form the aforementioned guide surface.

[0016] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic deformation imparts an elastic restoring force to the valve seat element, causing the valve seat element to spring back to its original position without the application of external force. This has the advantage that pressure only needs to be exerted on the valve seat element in one direction to displace the valve seat element, and displacement in the opposite direction occurs through the elastic rebound.

[0017] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve seat element is designed as a slotted ring. The slot interrupts the ring in the circumferential direction. The slot typically extends strictly radially with respect to the center of the ring. Further preferably, the slot changes size upon axial displacement and elastic deformation of the valve seat element. If the slot decreases in size, the inner diameter of the ring also decreases, so that the regulating gap becomes smaller. If the slot increases in size, the inner diameter of the ring also increases, so that the regulating gap becomes larger.

[0018] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the valve seat element is held in a conical regulating section of the valve insert or a hollow truncated cone-shaped regulating section of the valve insert. It generally rests against the inner circumferential surface of this regulating section, which is preferably formed by the sliding shell mentioned above. Upon displacement in the tapering direction of the regulating section, the valve seat element is forced to reduce its outer diameter, which occurs through elastic deformation of the valve seat element. In the case of the slotted annular valve seat element, the deformation upon displacement in the tapering direction causes the slot to shrink, thereby reducing the inner diameter of the valve seat element and thus also the regulating gap. The regulating section typically tapers in a direction opposite to the position of the expansion element.The regulating section can taper into an annular shoulder, on which an O-ring can rest to seal the outer circumference of the valve seat element. The valve seat element can already rest against the O-ring in its initial position with a certain preload, usually with a spacer in between.

[0019] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the valve insert comprises a valve insert lower part which is fixedly, in particular rotationally fixedly, connected to the valve housing, which has an inlet opening and an outlet opening and is inserted with its end forming the inlet opening in a sealing manner into a through-opening in the interior of the valve housing between the inlet channel and the outlet channel. The valve insert lower part is usually inserted into a bore in the valve housing and connected therein, preferably screwed thereto, and sealed with respect to the bore. The through-opening in the interior of the valve housing can be formed as an extension of the bore and / or transversely, in particular at a right angle to at least one of the channels (inlet and outlet channel). The valve insert lower part or the valve insert as a whole can be designed as an elongated and essentially rotationally symmetrical component.

[0020] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the outlet opening is designed as a circumferential opening and / or oriented transversely to the inlet opening. The valve seat element is provided between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, which are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction. The opening defined by the valve seat element, through which the control element passes during regulating operation, is preferably coaxial with the inlet opening. The outlet opening can be formed by one or more preferably window-shaped openings in a circumferential wall of the valve insert lower part. The orientation of at least one of these openings can correspond to the orientation of the outlet channel.

[0021] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve insert comprises a valve insert center section that accommodates the control element, is supported by the valve insert lower section, and is axially adjustable relative to the valve insert lower section. Typically, the valve insert center section is inserted into the valve insert lower section. Typically, the valve body is supported by a valve stem that is sealingly passed through a free end of the valve insert center section. Typically, the valve body and the valve stem together form the control element.

[0022] The valve insert's center section is typically sealed around its outer circumference against the valve insert's lower section. The valve insert's center section can be threaded into the lower section to change its axial position relative to the valve insert's lower section, with the screw-in height of the valve insert's center section into the lower section being adjustable.

[0023] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve seat element is axially displaced and / or elastically deformed by the adjusting movement of the valve insert's central part. Preferably, during an adjusting movement of the valve insert's central part in the direction of the valve seat element, a pressure is exerted on the valve seat element, which decreases again upon an adjusting movement of the valve insert's central part in the opposite direction.

[0024] The regulating valve according to the invention can be designed such that the valve seat element is displaced in the axial direction by an adjusting movement of the valve insert's central section, thereby changing its inner diameter, which directly leads to a change in the regulating gap. To prevent unwanted leaks, the valve seat element can already in its initial position, with a certain preload brought about by appropriate adjustment of the axial position of the valve seat's central section, usually with the interposition of a spacer, bear against an O-ring. The O-ring generally rests on an annular shoulder into which the regulating section merges. The O-ring seals the valve seat element around the outside. It is usually compressed towards the O-ring when the valve seat element is displaced. The valve seat element can have a flange that surrounds a flange of the spacer on the outside.

[0025] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the regulating valve comprises a pressure ring connected to the free end of the valve insert middle section for exerting pressure on the valve seat element to displace and / or elastically deform the valve seat element. As a rule, the pressure ring rests against the valve seat element on the side of the valve seat element facing the expansion element. The pressure ring can be connected to the free end of the valve insert middle section by webs extending in the axial direction, preferably being formed in one piece. The pressure ring can have an edge protruding from its outer circumference as a stop, which cooperates with the valve insert lower section, in particular the regulating section, to limit the axial actuating movement of the valve insert middle section.

[0026] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, an inner diameter of the pressure ring is larger than an outer diameter of the control element.

[0027] According to a further preferred development of the present invention, the valve body can be fully moved to a side of the valve seat opposite the expansion element during disinfection operation for thermal disinfection of the regulating valve. By removing the expansion element at very high water temperatures, an opening defined by the valve seat element is generally largely or maximally exposed to water flow. This makes it possible to flush the regulating valve with a high volume flow for thermal disinfection and very high water temperatures. The very high water temperatures required for disinfection operation are typically above 65°C.

[0028] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control element comprises a valve body with a regulating edge protruding from the outer circumference of the valve body. The regulating valve is designed such that the regulating edge dips into the valve seat element at a water temperature adjustable on a valve insert upper part. The regulating edge is preferably provided at the mid-axial height of the valve body. It can be formed on an inclined section of the valve body that tapers the valve body.

[0029] Further details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment in conjunction with the drawings, in which: Fig. 1a longitudinal sectional view of a valve insert, Fig. 2a plan view of the valve seat element of the valve insert from Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 a sectional view of the section according to section line BB in Fig. 1 , Fig. 4 an enlarged view of detail C from Fig. 1 , Fig. 5 a longitudinal sectional view of a regulating valve with the valve insert from Fig. 1 , and Fig. 6 a longitudinal sectional view of the valve insert from Fig. 1 without valve insert lower part.

[0030] The Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a valve insert 2, which comprises a valve insert lower part 4, a valve insert middle part 6, and a valve insert upper part 8. The valve insert middle part 6 is accommodated in a height-adjustable receiving space 10 of the valve insert lower part 4. The height adjustability is realized by changing the screw-in depth of an external thread 12 on the valve insert middle part 6 into an internal thread 14 on the valve insert lower part 4. Below the external thread 12, the valve insert middle part 6 carries two sealing rings 16 for fluid-tight sealing with the valve insert lower part 4.

[0031] A valve stem 18 is passed through the free end 20 of the valve insert center section 6, with the through-opening sealed with sealing rings 22. At its free end, the valve stem 18 carries a valve body 24 designed as a valve cone. The valve stem 18 and the valve body 24 together form a control element 26.

[0032] The valve body 24 of the control element 26 is provided at the level of a conical or hollow truncated cone-shaped regulating section 28 of the valve insert lower part 4, which is formed by a plastic sliding shell 29 that is inserted fluid-tight into the valve insert lower part 4. A valve seat element 30 forming a valve seat is held axially displaceably in this regulating section 28. The valve seat element 30 is designed as an elastically deformable, slotted ring (see Fig. 2). The slot interrupts the ring in the circumferential direction and is designated by reference numeral 32. In a regulating operation, the control element 26 penetrates the valve seat element 30.

[0033] The free end 20 of the valve insert center section 6 is connected to a thrust ring 34, which circumferentially surrounds the valve body 24 of the control element 26 during control operation and is integrally formed on the free end 20 of the valve insert center section 6 by webs 36 extending in the axial direction. The axial direction corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the valve insert 2, which is designated by reference symbol A.

[0034] By increasing the screw-in depth of the valve insert middle section 6 into the valve insert lower section 4, the valve seat element 30 is pressed further into the valve insert lower section 4 by the pressure ring 34. The valve seat element 30 is thereby displaced in the tapering direction of the regulating section 28 along the axial direction A and is forced to reduce its outer diameter 38 through elastic deformation. The slot 32 thereby becomes smaller, whereby the inner diameter 40 of the valve seat element 30 (see Fig. 2) is reduced. During elastic deformation, an elastic restoring force is imposed on the valve seat element 30, which causes the valve seat element 30 to spring back, reset, or slide back to its original position when the pressure from the pressure ring 34 decreases, by reducing the screw-in depth of the valve insert middle part 6 in the valve insert lower part 4. The valve seat element 30 thus follows the movement of the pressure ring 34. It can therefore only spring back toward the original position or move back there as far as the position of the pressure ring 34 permits.

[0035] Between the valve body 24 of the control element 26 and the valve seat element 30, a circumferentially continuous annular gap remains as a regulating gap 42, the radially outward extension of which is limited by the inner circumference of the valve seat element 30 and the radially inward extension of which is limited by the outer circumference of the valve body 24 at the level of the valve seat element 30. By changing the inner diameter 40 of the valve seat element 30 as described above by axially displacing the valve seat element 30 in the regulating section 28 of the valve insert lower part 4, the radially outward extension of the regulating gap 42 can be adjusted. This setting is not influenced by the temperature-controlled control function of the regulating valve and therefore represents a presetting of the regulating gap 42 within the meaning of the invention. The presetting can be continuously adjusted since the screw-in depth of the valve insert middle part 6 into the valve insert lower part 4 is continuously variable.The adjusting movement of the valve insert middle part 6 for presetting does not change the axial distance between the valve seat element 30 and the control element 26, so that the Kv value presetting of the residual volume flow by presetting the regulating gap does not further impair the temperature-dependent control function of the regulating valve apart from the reduction or enlargement of the regulating gap.

[0036] The valve insert upper part 8 is inserted into the end of the valve insert middle part 6 opposite the free end 20 and connected to it. For this purpose, the valve insert upper part 8 has an external thread 44 which is connected to an internal thread 46 of the valve insert middle part 6. The valve insert upper part 8 accommodates an expansion element 48 which rests on the upper side of a plate 50 formed by the end of the control element 26 opposite the valve body 24. A spring 52 is supported on the underside of the plate 50. The control element 26 interacts via the plate 50 with the expansion element 48, which expands counter to the spring force of the spring 52 as the water temperature increases.

[0037] A temperature control cap 54 interacts with an adjusting screw 56, which axially displaces the expansion element 48 within the valve upper part 8 to change the temperature dependence of the regulating valve. The adjusting screw 56 is connected to an internal thread 58 of the valve insert upper part 8. An indicator ring, together with the label on the control cap 54, shows the set temperature (see Fig. 3 ), at which the control element 26 wears the control gap 42 to the maximum.

[0038] The valve seat element 30 is in Fig. 1 shown in its initial position, which is predetermined by an upper annular shoulder 60 delimiting the regulating section 28 in the direction of the expansion element 48 and in which the regulating gap 42 is preset to a maximum (see Fig. 4 ). The section to the sectional view runs through the slot 32 of the ring 30, so that the ring 30 in Fig. 4is only visible to the left of the control element 26. In this initial position, the valve seat element 30 is already applied with a certain preload, which is exerted by the pressure of the pressure ring 34, with the interposition of a spacer 62, to an O-ring 64. The O-ring 64 rests on a lower annular shoulder 66 which delimits the regulating section 28 in the direction opposite to the expansion element 48. The O-ring 64 seals the outer circumference of the valve seat element 30. It is usually compressed when the valve seat element 30 is displaced in the direction of the O-ring 64. The valve body 24 tapers in the axial direction by an oblique section onto which a regulating edge 68 is formed, which protrudes from the outer circumference of the part of the valve body 24 with the larger outer circumference.The regulating edge 68 engages the valve seat element 30 when the water temperature reaches the temperature value set on the temperature control cap 54 and the expansion element 48 has expanded accordingly, displacing the control element 26. When the regulating edge 68 engages the valve seat element 30, the control element 26 maximally reduces the regulating gap 42, and the volume flow is reduced to the preset Kv value.

[0039] The valve insert 2 is inserted as a prefabricated component into a valve housing 70 (see Fig. 5). The valve insert lower part 4, with its end forming an inlet opening 72, is sealingly inserted into a through-opening 74 of the valve housing 70, which is oriented transversely to the openings of the inlet channel 76 and the outlet channel 78 and connects these two channels 76, 78. The valve insert lower part 4 forms a contact shoulder 80, which clamps a sealing ring 84 between itself and a counter-contact shoulder 82 of the valve housing 70. Corresponding to the webs 36 of the valve insert middle part 6, the valve insert lower part 4 forms webs 86 extending in the axial direction, which define window-shaped circumferential openings 88 between them, which form the outlet opening 90 of the valve insert lower part 4.

[0040] The Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the valve insert 2 from Fig. 1without valve insert lower section 4. Accordingly, only the valve insert middle section 6 and the valve insert upper section 8 are shown. In addition to the already described temperature control cap 54, which is assigned to the valve insert upper section 8, the valve insert 2 has a Kv control ring 92, which is non-rotatably attached to the valve insert middle section 6. By turning the Kv control ring 92, the valve insert middle section 6 is rotated, whereby it screws further into or out of the valve insert lower section 2 to preset the regulating gap 42, depending on the direction of rotation. By axially displacing the Kv control ring 92, the presetting of the regulating gap can be locked and unlocked. The temperature control cap 54 is protected by a protective cap 94. The temperature setting on the temperature control cap 54 can be locked by tightening a locking screw 96 or unlocked by loosening the locking screw 96. List of reference symbols

[0041] 2Valve insert 4Valve insert lower section 6Valve insert middle section 8Valve insert upper section 10Receiving chamber 12, 44External thread 14, 46, 58Internal thread 16, 22, 84Sealing ring 18Valve stem 20Free end of the valve insert middle section 24Valve body 26Control element 28Regulating section 29Sliding shell 30Valve seat element 32Slot 34Pressure ring 36, 86Bridge 38Outer diameter 40Inner diameter 42Regulating gap 48Expansion element 50Plate 52Spring 54Operating cap 56Setting screw 60Upper ring shoulder 62Spacer 64O-ring 66Lower ring shoulder 68Regulating edge 70Valve housing 72Inlet opening 74Through opening 76Inlet channel 78Outlet channel 80Contact shoulder 82Counter-contact shoulder 88Circumferential opening 90Outlet opening 92Kv operating ring 94Protective cap 96Locking screw Aaxial direction

Claims

1. A regulating valve for water circulation systems, comprising a valve housing (70) with an inlet channel (76) and an outlet channel (78) and a valve insert (2) inserted into the valve housing (70), which connects the inlet channel (76) to the outlet channel (78) in fluid terms and in which are arranged a control element (26), which is adjustable relative to a valve seat for the purpose of regulating a water flow rate, and an expansion element (48), which is controlled by a water temperature and is used as an actuating element for the control element (26), characterized by a valve seat element (30) forming the valve seat, through which the control element (26) passes axially in the control mode and which, for the purpose of presetting a control gap (42), is held axially displaceably and / or elastically deformable in the valve insert (2).

2. The regulating valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve insert (2) and the valve seat element (30) are designed such that the valve seat element (30) is elastically deformed upon axial displacement, causing the size of the control gap (42) to change.

3. The regulating valve according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the valve seat element (30) is elastically deformed during an axial displacement and the internal diameter (40) of the valve seat element (30) changes in the process.

4. The regulating valve according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the valve seat element (30) is subjected to an elastic restoring force by the elastic deformation, which causes the valve seat element (30) to spring back into its initial position without the application of external force.

5. The regulating valve according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the valve seat element (30) is designed as a slotted ring and in that the slot (32) changes in size when the valve seat element (30) is displaced axially.

6. The regulating valve according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the valve seat element (30) is held in a conical regulating section (28) of the valve insert (2).

7. The regulating valve according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the valve insert (2) comprises a valve insert bottom part (4) which is fixedly connected to the valve housing (70), has an inlet opening (72) and an outlet opening (90) and is inserted with its end forming the inlet opening (72) in a sealing manner into a through-opening (74) of the valve housing (70) between the inlet channel (76) and the outlet channel (78).

8. The regulating valve according to claim 7, characterized in that the outlet opening (90) is oriented transversely to the inlet opening (72).

9. The regulating valve according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the valve insert (2) comprises a valve insert middle part (6) which receives the control element (26) in itself, is carried by the valve insert lower part (4) and is adjustable in the axial direction (A) relative to the valve insert lower part (4).

10. The regulating valve according to claim 9, characterized in that the valve seat element (30) is axially displaced and / or elastically deformed by the adjusting movement of the valve insert middle part (6).

11. The regulating valve according to claim 10, characterized by a pressure ring (34) provided at the free end (20) of the valve insert middle part (6) for exerting a pressure on the valve seat element (30) for displacement and / or elastic deformation of the valve seat element (30).

12. The regulating valve according to claim 11, characterized in that an inner diameter of the pressure ring (34) is larger than an outer diameter of the control element (26).

13. The regulating valve according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that an outer circumference of the control gap (42) is adjustable independently of the position of the control member (26).

14. The regulating valve according to claim 13, characterized in that the adjustment is infinitely variable.

15. The regulating valve according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control element (26) comprises a valve body (24) having a regulating edge (68) projecting from the outer circumference of the valve body (24), and that the regulating valve is designed such that the regulating edge (68) enters into the valve seat element (30) at a water temperature adjustable at a valve insert top part (8).