Selector valve device and pipe laying method using the same

Abstract

To provide a selector valve device which is high in expansion performance even in the case that a plurality of existing pipes are renewed to new pipes in a situation that the existing pipes are laid in a large number of pieces, and a pipe laying method using the same.SOLUTION: In a selector valve device 1 composed of a housing 5 having a split structure which is tightly and externally fit to an existing pipe 14, and a selector valve 9 tightly installed at a cut part in which a part of the existing pipe 14 is cut in the housing 5, and connecting new pipes 20, 21 to the housing 5 in an uninterrupted flow state, at least a pair of opening parts 5A, 5C connected to the existing pipe 14, and first opening parts 5B, 5D for connecting the new pipes 20, 21 are formed at the housing 5, and the selector valve device comprises at least bypass pipes 57, 58 for making either of the pair of opening parts 5A, 5C communicate with the first opening parts 5B, 5D. The bypass pipes 57, 58 are arranged in a substantially-horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a switching valve device used when removing or replacing an existing flow path without interrupting flow and laying a new flow path, and a pipe laying method using the device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in construction work to update a water supply pipeline as an existing flow path, it is desirable to carry out construction while maintaining an uninterrupted flow state, i.e., a state in which water flows, in consideration of the convenience of water users. A conventional method of forming a flow path without interrupting the flow includes fitting a housing with a split structure in a sealed state to the existing fluid pipe, cutting the existing fluid pipe inside the housing, inserting a switching valve having a valve box and a valve body into the cut pipe part inside the housing, connecting a new pipe in parallel with the existing fluid pipe, and switching the flow path from the existing fluid pipe to the new pipe by opening and closing a port of the valve box by operating the valve body.

[0003] Meanwhile, water treatment facilities such as water purification plants and water distribution plants that treat drinking water are equipped with a number of water tanks, pump rooms, valve chests, water towers, etc., and a number of pipes connecting them and for distributing water downstream are laid in close proximity. In recent years, in water treatment facilities where such a number of pipes are laid, some pipes reach the end of their useful life at once and need to be replaced, or pipes need to be made earthquake-proof to make them stronger, or pipes need to be doubled in preparation for disasters. In particular, in water treatment facilities that handle water for daily life, it is essential to replace existing fluid pipes with new fluid pipes or lay new fluid pipes in an uninterrupted flow state.

[0004] An example of a switching valve device used in such a method of forming a flow path under uninterrupted flow conditions is one in which a valve box is housed in a housing provided with three openings, with three ports formed to be openable and closable. Two of the openings in the housing are connected to existing pipes that have been divided inside the housing, and the remaining opening can be connected to a new pipe. After the housing fitted onto the existing pipe is connected to the new pipe, a valve element in the valve box closes the port that communicates with the existing pipe on the downstream side, allowing fluid to flow from the existing pipe on the upstream side to the new pipe, and the existing pipe on the downstream side with its port closed can be removed or replaced under uninterrupted flow conditions (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-75052 A (Page 1, Figure 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the switching valve device of Patent Document 1, only one new pipe can be connected in addition to the existing pipe fitted on the outside of the housing, and when trying to use the switching valve device of Patent Document 1 in cases where an existing flow path consisting of many existing pipes is replaced with a new pipe or new pipes are added, multiple switching valve devices must be installed, and scalability is low, which makes the pipe installation work complicated and leads to increased costs. In addition, in this case, a large construction space is required, and in some cases construction is impossible.

[0007] The present invention has been made in response to these problems, and aims to provide a switching valve device and a pipe installation method using said device that are highly scalable, even when multiple existing pipes are replaced with new pipes or new pipes are added in a situation where a large number of existing pipes are laid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the switching valve device of the present invention comprises: A switching valve device that can connect a new fluid pipe to the housing in an uninterrupted flow state, the switching valve device comprising a housing having a split structure in which an opening for connecting a fluid pipe is formed and which is fitted tightly around an existing fluid pipe, and a switching valve that is sealed and installed in a cut section where a part of the existing fluid pipe is cut in the housing, The openings are formed in the housing in a substantially cross-shaped manner, The switching valve is characterized by comprising a valve body in which ports communicating with the openings are formed in a substantially cross direction, and a valve body capable of selectively closing one of the ports. According to this feature, by blocking one of the ports formed in an approximately cross direction with a valve body, an uninterrupted flow state can be maintained through the remaining three ports which are open, while the existing fluid pipe connected to the opening side which communicates with the blocked port can be removed and a new fluid pipe can be laid in sequence, making it possible to update multiple fluid pipes and providing high scalability in construction.

[0009] The switching valve is characterized in that a restricting member is disposed in the switching valve for restricting the valve body from closing a specific one of the ports. According to this feature, the regulating member can keep a specific port open at all times, thereby always maintaining an uninterrupted flow state in the fluid pipe connected to the opening communicating with this port, thereby preventing a flow interruption due to accidental blockage.

[0010] The valve body is rotatably provided around a rotation axis provided in the center of the switching valve, and the rotation angle of the valve body is restricted to within 270 degrees by the regulating member, thereby blocking ports except for the specific port. According to this feature, since the valve disc is restricted from passing through the specific port by the restricting member, it is possible to prevent a temporary flow interruption state that occurs when the valve disc passes through.

[0011] The opening angle formed by the sealing members sealing a pair of ports facing each other among the ports formed in the approximately cross direction is smaller than the opening angle formed by the sealing members sealing the remaining pair of ports approximately perpendicular to the first pair of ports. According to this feature, it is possible to minimize the influence of the fluid in the fluid pipe connected to the opening portion communicating with the port on the side with the smaller opening angle.

[0012] A pipe laying method for laying a new fluid pipe in an uninterrupted flow state using the switching valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the steps of: The method includes the steps of: sealingly fitting the housing onto an existing fluid pipe; cutting a portion of the existing fluid pipe within the housing while closing an opening of the housing for connecting a new fluid pipe; installing the switching valve at the cut portion within the housing; and sequentially closing the ports with the valve body, and removing the existing fluid pipe connected to the opening communicating with the port, or connecting the new fluid pipe to the opening. According to this feature, by blocking one of the ports formed in an approximately cross direction with a valve body, an uninterrupted flow state can be maintained through the remaining three ports which are open, while the existing fluid pipe connected to the opening side which communicates with the blocked port can be removed and a new fluid pipe can be laid in sequence, making it possible to update multiple fluid pipes and providing high scalability in construction.

[0013] The opening of the housing is characterized in that an upstream fluid pipe and a downstream fluid pipe are respectively connected as new fluid pipes. According to this feature, a new flow path can be secured by the newly installed fluid pipe, regardless of whether or not the existing fluid pipe on which the housing is fitted is removed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the layout of existing pipes in a water supply facility in an embodiment. [Diagram 2]1 is a schematic diagram showing the installation status of a fluid pipe in a water supply facility in which a switching valve device of the present invention has been installed and part of the fluid pipe has been replaced with a new pipe. [Diagram 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the installation status of fluid pipes in a water supply facility, some of which have been replaced with new pipes. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the installation status of fluid pipes in a water supply facility after removing certain existing pipes. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the installation status of fluid pipes in a water supply facility after replacement of existing pipes with new pipes. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment in which a working valve and a pipe cutting device are installed in a housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment in which an operating valve and a valve member insertion device are installed in a housing. [Figure 8] FIG. 2A is a top view showing the switching valve device, and FIG. 2B is a side view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the switching valve device. [Figure 9] This shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 10] (a) shows an aspect in which port 9C is blocked by the arc portion of the valve disc, (b) shows an aspect in which port 9D is blocked by the arc portion of the valve disc, and (c) shows an aspect in which port 9A is blocked by the arc portion of the valve disc. [Figure 11] (a) shows the state in which the valve stem has been rotated to the left, (b) shows the state in which the valve stem has been rotated 90 degrees from (a), and (c) shows the state in which the valve stem has been rotated 90 degrees from (b). [Figure 12] 1A is a cross-sectional view of a valve device in which a stopper member is attached to the bottom surface of a housing instead of a restricting member, and FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A switching valve device and a pipe laying method using the device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to examples. EXAMPLES

[0016] A switching valve device according to an embodiment and a pipe-laying method using the device will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 11. First, an existing flow path before the switching valve device is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a water purification facility, for example, a water distribution plant, in which multiple tanks A to C are installed, each capable of storing clean water (hereinafter also referred to as fluid) that has been purified by a treatment device or the like (not shown). Tank A and tank B are connected by an existing fluid pipe (hereinafter simply referred to as existing pipe) 10 so that the fluid in the tanks can flow, and tank B and tank C are connected by an existing pipe 11 so that the fluid in the tanks can flow.

[0017] An existing pipe 14 is connected to the tank C, and is connected to a branch pipe (not shown) outside the water treatment facility on the downstream side (point Y side in FIG. 1) to distribute water to each home, etc. An existing pipe 13 extending from the tank B is connected to the existing pipe 14 near the connection between the tank C and the existing pipe 14. An existing pipe 12 extending from the tank A is connected to the existing pipe 13 near the connection between the tank B and the existing pipe 13. That is, the water stored in the tanks A to C is collected in the existing pipe 14 and flows out to the downstream side. Each of the existing pipes 10 to 14 is actually formed by connecting a plurality of pipe members (not shown) in the pipeline direction by flanges or welding, etc. In addition, a plurality of pipes are installed in the facility, such as a pump room, a water tower, a valve room, and pipes for electricity and electric wires.

[0018] In this embodiment, the existing pipes 10-14 installed in such a water purification facility have reached the end of their service life, and therefore, in consideration of the convenience of the supply area, a new fluid pipe (hereinafter simply referred to as a new pipe) is laid in a predetermined location in an uninterrupted state. In this embodiment, the fluid in the fluid pipe is clean water, but it is not limited to the clean water in this embodiment, and may be, for example, industrial water, agricultural water, sewage, gas, or a gas-liquid mixture of gas and liquid. In addition, the existing pipes 10-14 and the new pipe described later are made of ductile cast iron, are formed in a substantially circular cross section, and have an inner circumferential surface coated with an epoxy resin layer. In addition, the new pipe according to the present invention may be made of other metals such as steel, or made of concrete, vinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyolefin, or the like. Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface of the new pipe is not limited to an epoxy resin layer, and may be coated with, for example, mortar, or the like, or an appropriate material may be powder-coated to coat the inner circumferential surface of the new pipe.

[0019] First, at point Z, which is downstream of the connection point of the existing pipe 14 with the existing pipe 13 shown in FIG. 1, the outer circumferential surface of the existing pipe 14 is cleaned, and a housing 5 having a divided structure is fitted in a sealed state. The housing 5 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 8(b), etc., the housing 5 is mainly composed of a first divided body 55 constituting the upper part and a second divided body 56 constituting the lower part. In this embodiment, the housing is divided in the vertical direction, but this is not limited to this and may be divided in the radial direction of the fluid pipe, for example, it may be divided in the horizontal direction, and the number of divisions may be three or more. The housing 5 has four openings 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, each of which has a cylindrical sleeve portion at each end and can connect to a fluid pipe, and these openings 5A to 5D communicate with each other inside the housing 5 and are branched to form a roughly cross shape when viewed from above as shown in FIG. 8(a). Openings 5A and 5C arranged in a straight line are fitted onto the existing pipe 14, which is a straight pipe, and their ends are equipped with flanges and split press rings to prevent separation. A pipe cap D, for example, is hermetically attached as a blocking member to opening 5D of housing 5, which faces the outer diameter direction of the existing pipe 14. The piping to be connected to opening 5B will be described later. Although openings 5B and 5D are spigots, such as NS and GX spigots, for connecting earthquake-resistant pipes, they may also be sockets or equipped with flanges.

[0020] Also, openings 5A and 5D, which are disposed so as to intersect, are connected by a bypass pipe 58 equipped with a gate valve 58a, and openings 5C and 5B, which are similarly disposed so as to intersect, are connected by a bypass pipe 57 equipped with a gate valve 57a. By switching gate valves 58a, 57a to an open state, the fluid in the fluid pipe connected to the opening on one side can be sent through bypass pipes 58, 57 into the fluid pipe connected to the opening on the other side.

[0021] Next, at point Y, which is downstream of point Z of the existing pipe 14 shown in Fig. 1, the outer circumferential surface of the existing pipe 14 is cleaned, and a housing 3 having a divided structure is fitted thereon in a hermetically sealed manner. The housing 3 is formed with three openings 3A, 3B, and 3C, each of which has a cylindrical sleeve portion in three directions in the horizontal direction and can connect to a fluid pipe, and these openings 3A to 3C communicate with each other inside the housing 3 and are branched into a roughly T-shape when viewed from above. The openings 3A and 3C, which are arranged in a straight line, are fitted on the outside of the existing pipe 14, which forms a straight pipe, and a pipe cap or the like (not shown) is hermetically attached as a blocking member to the opening 3B facing in the outer diameter direction relative to the existing pipe 14.

[0022] 8(b), the upper part of the housing 5 has an opening 5e communicating with the inside of the housing 5, and an upper flange portion 50 formed at the edge of the opening 5e, so that a tube cutting device, a valve member inserting device, etc., described later, can be attached to the upper side of the upper flange portion 50. Furthermore, a plurality of drain holes 50b are formed at the lower part of the housing 5. The drain holes 50b can be connected to a plug or a valve V, so that the fluid filling the inside of the housing 5 can be drained through a series of operations described later. Although the housing 3 is not shown, an opening is formed at the upper part of the housing 3 and a drain hole is formed at the lower part, similar to the housing 5.

[0023] 2, one side of a new pipe 21 is connected to an opening 5B of a housing 5 fitted onto point Z of an existing pipe 14. The new pipe 21 may be a short pipe, and extends from the housing 5 towards the housing 3. A valve 4 capable of switching between opening and closing the inside of the new pipe 21 is disposed at the other end of the new pipe 21, and the other end of the new pipe 21 is kept closed by the valve 4. The valve 4 may be disposed at the opening 5B.

[0024] 6, the process proceeds to a step of cutting the existing pipe 14 in the housing 5 by a pipe cutting device 7. First, an operating valve 6 capable of opening and closing the upper flange portion 50 is attached to the upper flange portion 50 of the housing 5. The operating valve 6 is mainly composed of a valve box 61 that is connected in a sealed manner to the opening 5e of the upper flange portion 50 in a communicating state, a valve cover 62 that is connected in a sealed manner to the side of the valve box 61 in a communicating state, and a valve element (not shown) that is slidably arranged between the valve box 61 and the valve cover 62.

[0025] That is, the working valve 6 is structured so that when the valve body is placed in the valve box 61, it hermetically closes the housing 5, and when the valve body is placed in the valve lid 62, it opens the housing 5.

[0026] Next, a pipe cutting device 7 for cutting the existing pipe 14 is installed above the working valve 6. The pipe cutting device 7 is connected in communication with the valve box 61 via a short pipe and is mainly composed of a mounting flange tube 71 that is sealed and communicates with the valve box 61 and penetrates in the vertical direction, a cutter 72 disposed within the mounting flange tube 71, and a drive mechanism 73 for moving the cutter 72 in the vertical direction and rotating it in the circumferential direction.

[0027] Furthermore, the cutter 72 provided in the pipe cutting device 7 of this embodiment is configured as a so-called hole saw, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a diameter larger than that of the existing pipe 14. In this embodiment, a hole saw is configured as a cutting means for the existing pipe 14, but it is not limited to this, and for example, a cutting tool, a wire saw, an end mill, etc. may be used. In this case, when the pipe cutting device is a cutting tool, a structure in which a sprocket or a chain is rotated in the circumferential direction of the pipe, or when the pipe cutting device is an end mill, a structure in which the housing 5 is moved in the axial or circumferential direction, and other well-known methods may be adopted. In this embodiment, the existing pipe 14 is cut so as to be divided in the pipe axial direction, but it is not limited to this, and the existing pipe 14 may be cut so as to perforate a part of the pipe wall without dividing it in the pipe axial direction.

[0028] Next, although not shown, the valve body of the working valve 6 is retreated into the valve cover 62 to open the opening 5e, and the cutter 72 is rotated and advanced downward by the driving mechanism 73 using the above-mentioned pipe cutting device 7 to cut the existing pipe 14 in an uninterrupted flow state. Since the cutter 72 is cylindrical, the cut end of the existing pipe 14 is formed in an arc shape along the cylindrical cutter when viewed from the cylindrical axial direction of the cutter 72. The cut pieces of the existing pipe 14 are stored inside the cylindrical cutter 72 and can be collected. Cutting chips generated when cutting the existing pipe 14 are discharged together with the fluid by operating the valve V provided at the bottom of the housing 5.

[0029] After the existing pipe 14 is cut, the cutter 72 is raised and the valve body of the working valve 6 is placed inside the valve box 61 to close the upper part of the housing 5. As a result, the existing pipe 14 is sealed in the housing 5 in a cut state. Thereafter, the pipe cutting device 7 is removed from the working valve 6 to complete the cutting operation of the existing pipe 14.

[0030] By cutting the existing pipe 14 inside the fitted housing 5 at point Z, the fluid flows into the new pipe 21 through the opening 5B, but the valve 4 is connected in a closed state to the other end of the new pipe 21, so that the fluid does not leak out to the outside. Also, by cutting the existing pipe 14, it is divided into multiple parts, the existing pipe 14a connected to the opening 5A of the housing 5 and the existing pipe 14b connected to the opening 5C of the housing 5 (see FIG. 2). Even when the existing pipe 14 is cut, the fluid supplied from the tanks A to C passes through the existing pipe 14a, the housing 5, and the existing pipe 14b and always flows out to the downstream side, so that an uninterrupted flow state is maintained.

[0031] Next, the process proceeds to a step of sealingly installing a valve member 9 (switching valve) in the above-mentioned cutting portion in the housing 5. As shown in FIG. 7, an insertion device 8 is sealedly attached to the upper part of the working valve 6 in place of the pipe cutting device 7. This insertion device 8 is sealedly connected to the valve box 61 in a communicating state via a short pipe, and mainly includes an insertion device housing 81 penetrating in the vertical direction, an insertion shaft 82 disposed in the insertion device housing 81, and a holding part 83 disposed at one end of the insertion shaft 82 for holding a valve member 9 described later. The insertion shaft 82 is raised and lowered by operating an operating part (not shown) attached to the insertion shaft 82, and the valve member 9 is inserted into the housing 5 from above. When inserting, it is preferable to remove an operating part 94 described later.

[0032] Then, when the valve member 9 is installed in the housing 5 by the insertion device 8, the fixing members 52 ..., consisting of a plurality of screw members or the like provided along the circumferential direction near the upper end portion of the housing 5 are screwed into the inner diameter side of the housing 5, and the tips of these fixing members 52 are pressed against the outer surface of the inner valve box 91 to be fixed. In this state, the upper part of the inner circumferential surface of the housing 5 and the valve member 9 are sealed by the sealing member 59 provided in an annular shape on the outer circumferential surface of the inner valve box 91 as shown in FIG. 8(b). Then, the fluid in the insertion device 8 is discharged, the fixing between the holding part 83 and the insertion shaft 82 is released through a working hole (not shown), the insertion device 8 is removed from the working valve 6, and the working valve 6 is removed from the housing 5. Then, the upper cover 51 is attached to the upper flange portion 50 of the housing 5, and the insertion operation of the valve member 9 is completed by screwing it from above to below using the fixing member 54. With the insertion operation completed, it functions as the switching valve device 1 composed of the housing 5 and the valve member 9.

[0033] As shown in Figure 9, the above-mentioned valve member 9 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape when viewed from above, and has ports 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D formed in a generally cross-shaped manner on its side walls, with these ports 9A to 9D connected internally.The main components of the valve member 9 are an inner valve box 91 (valve box), valve shafts 93a, 93b arranged vertically and coaxially at the top and bottom of the inner valve box 91 at approximately the center of the inner valve box 91, a valve body 92 fixedly attached to the valve shafts 93a, 93b, an operating section 94 for rotating the valve shafts 93a, 93b, a regulating member 95 for regulating the movement of the valve body 92, and a cover member 96. The valve body 92 is mainly composed of an upper plate 92b connected to the valve shaft 93a and having a substantially fan-shaped shape in plan view, a lower plate 92c connected to the valve shaft 93b and having substantially the same shape as the upper plate 92b, and an arcuate portion 92a formed in an arc shape in plan view around the valve shafts 93a and 93b, which curves between the outer diameter end of the upper plate 92b and the outer diameter end of the lower plate 92c and extends up and down. The valve body 92 is molded by casting, and its outer surface is covered with an elastic body (see FIG. 8(b)). The elastic body is made of rubber, elastomer, resin, etc. including NBR, SBR, and CR, and has a fin portion on the outer circumferential surface of the arcuate portion 92a that sealably surrounds each of the ports 9A to 9D, and can be sealed using the inner surface of the inner valve box 91. In addition, after the valve member 9 is installed in the housing 5, the upper end of the valve shaft 93a is designed to project in a loosely fitted state through a cylindrical portion 94a surrounding an insertion hole provided in the upper cover 51, and an operating portion 94 is attached to the projecting portion. By operating the operating portion 94, the valve body 92 can be rotated so that the valve body 92 can selectively close the port 9A, 9C, or 9D. Furthermore, since the valve shafts 93a and 93b are spaced apart vertically, the approximate center area of ​​the valve body 92 is secured as a fluid circulation area. When inserting the valve member 9, the valve member 9 is inserted so that the ports 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D of the inner valve box 91 communicate with the openings 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D of the housing 5, respectively, and the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 is inserted toward the port 9D, i.e., the opening 5D of the housing 5 (see FIG. 2).

[0034] 11(a) to (c), by attaching the operating part 94 to the valve shaft 93a, the valve shaft 93a is surrounded by a cylindrical part 94a and a restricting member 95. The outer peripheral surface of the valve shaft 93a is covered by a cover member 96, and by operating the operating part 94, the valve shaft 93a and the cover member 96 rotate integrally within the cylindrical part 94a. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the cover member 96 is such that a part of the peripheral surface protrudes due to the protruding part 96a, that is, the cross-sectional shape is an eccentric substantially elliptical shape.

[0035] The tubular portion 94a is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with a portion cut out in the circumferential direction, and a regulating member 95 is disposed in the cut-out portion. The regulating member 95 is generally rectangular in plan view, and a recess 95c is formed in the generally central portion on the valve shaft 93a side, recessed toward the outer diameter side of the tubular portion 51a. The regulating member 95 has screws 95a and 95b as adjustment parts screwed from the outer diameter side to the inner diameter side of the tubular portion 94a, and the flat tip ends of the screws 95a and 95b penetrate the regulating member 95 and protrude into the inside of the tubular portion 94a. The screws 95a and 95b are disposed so that the protruding amount of the tip ends into the inside of the tubular portion 94a can be changed by appropriately screwing in the screws 95a and 95b.

[0036] For example, when the operating portion 94 is operated from the state shown in Fig. 11(b) as shown in Fig. 11(a) to turn the protruding portion 96a of the cover member 96 provided on the valve shaft 93a to the left, the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 formed in a substantially fan shape is turned to the left along with the valve shaft 93a as shown in Fig. 10(a). That is, the protruding portion 96a of the cover member 96 and the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 are provided at the same position in the circumferential direction. At this time, one side portion 96L of the protruding portion 96a abuts on the tip of the screw 95a protruding from the regulating member 95, so that the rotation is regulated while adjusting the slight rotation allowance.

[0037] 11(c) from the state of FIG. 11(b), when the operating portion 94 is operated to turn the valve shaft 93a to the right, the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 turns to the right along with the valve shaft 93a, as shown in FIG. 10(c). The inner valve box 91 is formed with side wall steps 91a-91d standing from the bottom surface to the top surface. The side wall steps 91a-91d may protrude toward the valve shaft 93. As shown in FIG. 9, sealing members 53a-53d that seal the inner surface of the housing 5 are vertically disposed on the outer surfaces of the side wall steps 91a-91d, respectively. The sealing members 53a to 53d seal the inner surface of the housing 5 and the outer surface of the inner valve box 91, and are formed integrally with the sealing member 59 and are formed integrally with the outer bottom surface of the inner valve box 91. The inner surface of the housing 5 between the ports 9A to 9D of the inner valve box 91 and the outer surface of the inner valve box 91 are sealed, so that each port is hermetically separated. The sealing member 59 and the sealing members 53a to 53d are not limited to being formed integrally. As shown in FIG. 10(a), when the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 is turned counterclockwise to the left in the figure, the arc portion 92a abuts against the side wall steps 91c and 91d and is sealed, so that the port 9C is closed. At this time, one side portion 96L of the protruding portion 96a abuts against the tip of the screw 95a protruding from the restricting member 95, so that further counterclockwise rotation is restricted. 10(b), when the arcuate portion 92a of the valve body 92 is turned upward in the figure, the arcuate portion 92a comes into contact with the side wall steps 91a and 91d and is sealed, thereby closing the port 9D. Furthermore, when the arcuate portion 92a of the valve body 92 is turned clockwise to the right in the figure, the arcuate portion 92a comes into contact with the side wall steps 91a and 91b and is sealed, thereby closing the port 9A, as shown in FIG. 10(c). At this time, the other side portion 96R of the protruding portion 96a comes into contact with the tip of the screw 95b protruding from the restricting member 95, thereby restricting further clockwise rotation. In this embodiment, a regulating member 95 is fixed to a portion of the circumference of the tubular portion 94a shown in Figures 11(a) to (c), so that, as shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), the movement of the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 from the ports 9A, 9C side toward the port 9B side is restricted, and the valve body 92 cannot rotate toward the vicinity of port 9B.That is, port 9B is a specific port according to the present invention.

[0038] 11(a) to 11(c), the valve body 92 has a rotation range of approximately 180 degrees in the clockwise direction from port 9C to port 9A, or in the counterclockwise direction from port 9A to port 9C. In addition, the valve body 92 has a sector shape spreading out over approximately 90 degrees when viewed from above, and is therefore capable of blocking a region of approximately 270 degrees between the side wall step portions 91a and 91b.

[0039] In addition, since the restricting member 95 is formed with a recess 95c, the rear end 96b of the cover member 96, which is formed in an arc shape, can be rotated smoothly without being hindered. After the valve shaft 93 is rotated to a desired position, the tip of the fixing screw 94b, which can advance and retreat from the outer diameter side to the inner diameter side of the cylindrical portion 94a, is pressed against flat portions H formed on each of the four sides of the cover member 96, thereby fixing the position of the valve body 92.

[0040] Next, the process of connecting a new fluid pipe will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, a new pipe 20 is laid from the tank A toward the opening 5D of the housing 5 attached to the point Z of the existing pipe 14. When laying the new pipe 20, it is advisable to perform pipe cleaning or the like. For example, the inside of the new pipe 20 may be cleaned using a pipe cleaning pig or the like (not shown). It will be described below on the assumption that the new pipe laid in place of the existing pipe has been cleaned according to the above-mentioned pipe cleaning procedure. Also, the timing of pipe cleaning is not limited to this.

[0041] With the arcuate portion 92a of the valve body 92 blocking the port 9D, the pipe cap D attached to the opening 5D of the housing 5 is removed, one end of the new pipe 20 is connected, and the other end of the new pipe 20 is connected to a valve portion (not shown) of the tank A. The valve portion is closed in advance, and a pressure test of the new pipe 20 is performed before opening it. When performing the pressure test of the new pipe 20, a fluid is used that is supplied through a supply port (not shown) of the new pipe 20. When a favorable test result is confirmed in the pressure test, the gate valve 58a of the bypass pipe 58 connecting the opening 5A and the opening 5D is switched to an open state as shown in FIG. 8(a), and the fluid in the existing pipe 14a is allowed to flow into the new pipe 20 while performing air purging, etc. As a result, the new pipe 20 is filled with fluid, and the fluid pressure in the new pipe 20 and the fluid pressure in the inner valve box 91 become approximately equal, which almost completely eliminates the pressure difference acting on the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92, making it easier to rotate the valve body 92. In addition, since the fluid in the existing pipe 14a is caused to flow into the new pipe 20 via the bypass pipe 58, a decrease in the flow rate is prevented, thereby preventing the water hammer phenomenon that may occur when opening and closing the valve body 92. In addition, the timing of the pressure resistance test is not limited to this.

[0042] Next, one end of the new pipe 22 is connected to the valve 4 disposed at the end of the new pipe 21, and the other end of the new pipe 22 is connected to the opening 3B of the housing 3 installed at point Y of the existing pipe 14. As with the above-mentioned new pipe 20, pipe cleaning and pressure testing are also performed on the new pipe 22. Thereafter, the valve 4 is switched to an open state, and fluid may be allowed to flow into the new pipe 22 while performing air bleeding, or an inflow may be performed as described below.

[0043] Next, the process proceeds to attach the working valve 6 to the housing 3 installed at point Y of the existing pipe 14b in the same manner as described above, and cut the existing pipe 14b with the pipe cutting device 7. Since this is the same as the cutting process described above, detailed explanation will be omitted. By cutting the existing pipe 14b inside the housing 3 with the pipe cutting device 7, it is divided into existing pipe 14b', one end of which is connected to the opening 5C of the housing 5 and to the opening 3A of the housing 3, and 14c, which is connected to the opening 3C of the housing 3 and to a branch pipe (not shown) on the downstream side (see FIG. 2). Furthermore, the uninterrupted flow state is maintained during this cutting process as well.

[0044] After the step of cutting the existing pipe 14b at point Y, the valve 4 is switched to an open state. As a result, the fluid supplied from the tanks A to C through the existing pipes 12, 13, and 14a flows into the housing 5 and is branched into the direction of the existing pipe 14b' through the opening 5C and into the direction of the new pipe 21 through the opening 5B, and the branched fluid joins together in the housing 3 installed at point Y and flows out downstream through the existing pipe 14c.

[0045] Next, the partition member 30 is installed in the housing 3 by the insertion device 8. The installation of the partition member 30 is performed in the same procedure as the installation of the valve member 9 described above, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted. The partition member 30 installed in the housing 3 is made of a partition body 31 that connects the opening 3B and the opening 3C among the openings 3A to 3C of the housing 3 and blocks the opening 3A, and the front side of this partition body 31 is formed with an arc-shaped tapered surface that is recessed toward the inner diameter side. The front side of the partition body 31 is arranged so that the opening areas of the openings 3B and 3C are left, so that the fluid flowing in from the opening 3B flows out smoothly toward the opening 3C. The rear side of the partition 31 is a closed area that closes the opening, and by arranging the front side of the partition 31 to leave the opening areas of the openings 3B and 3C, the rear side of the partition 31 closes the opening 3A side of the housing 3 and releases the communication state downstream of the opening 5C of the housing 5 at point Z (see FIG. 2). The partition member 30 may be a switching valve.

[0046] Next, as shown in Fig. 3, the operating portion 94 of the valve member 9 is operated to rotate the valve body 92 toward the opening 5C, thereby blocking the inflow of fluid into the existing pipe 14b'. By rotating the valve body 92 toward the opening 5C, the fluid from the tank A passes through the new pipe 20, the opening 5D of the housing 5, the opening 5B, the new pipe 21, the new pipe 22, the openings 3B and 3C of the housing 3, and the existing pipe 14c, and is then allowed to flow out to the downstream side. Note that the fluid from the tanks A to C also flows into the housing 5 by passing through the existing pipes 12, 13, and 14a, and the opening 5A.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 9, the opening angle α formed in a plan view by the sealing members 53b, 53c and 53d, 53a sealing the two ports 9B and 9D facing each other on a straight line formed in the inner valve box 91 is smaller than the opening angle β formed by the sealing members 53a, 53b and 53c, 53d sealing the two ports 9A and 9C facing each other perpendicularly to these ports (α<β). The existing pipe 14 is connected to the ports 9A and 9C on the relatively larger opening angle side, and the new pipes 20 and 21 are connected to the ports 9B and 9D on the relatively smaller opening angle side. This makes it possible to reduce the influence of the fluid in the new pipe 20 connected to the opening 5D communicating with the port 9D on the smaller opening angle side when the valve body 92 is rotated from the port 9D to the port 9C or when the new pipe 20 is filled with water. In particular, in this embodiment, after the new pipe 20 is connected, a force pressing the inner valve box 91 from the new pipe 20 side, a force of drawing in the flow path through the existing pipe 14, a water hammer phenomenon, flow velocity effects, etc. may unexpectedly occur in order to apply a new pressure flow, but by forming the opening angle α smaller than the opening angle β, the support force of the inner valve box 91 to the housing 5 can be set high. The opening widths of the ports 9A to 9D perpendicular to the flow path direction are formed to be approximately the same, and the opening areas are also formed to be approximately the same. The shape of each port may be approximately rectangular or approximately circular when viewed from the side.

[0048] Returning to FIG. 2, the fluid is retained in the existing pipe 14b'. First, the fluid is discharged from a discharge port (not shown) disposed in the existing pipe 14b'. After the fluid is discharged, in order to replace the existing pipe 14b' with a new pipe, the existing pipe 14b' is cut or the engagement between the fluid pipes constituting the existing pipe 14b' in the pipe axis direction is released. The opening 5C of the housing 5 and the end of the cut or released existing pipe 14b' extending from the opening 3A of the housing 3 are covered with a pipe cap D (see FIG. 3). Furthermore, the gate valve 57a of the bypass pipe 57 connecting the opening 5B and the opening 5C is switched to an open state, and the fluid in the new pipe 21 is allowed to flow into the existing pipe 14b'. As a result, the existing pipe 14b' is filled with the fluid, and the fluid pressure in the existing pipe 14b' and the fluid pressure in the inner valve box 91 become approximately equal, making it easier to rotate the valve body 92. The existing pipe 14b' connected to the opening 5C of the housing 5 and the existing pipe 14b' connected to the opening 3A of the housing 3 may be removed and the openings may be plugged.

[0049] Next, in order to replace the existing pipes 10-13, 14a shown in Fig. 3 with new pipes, the valve element 92 is rotated approximately half a turn clockwise from port 9C to close port 9A. When the operation unit 94 is operated to rotate the valve element 92, a restricting member 95 is provided as shown in Figs. 11(a)-(c) to restrict counterclockwise rotation, so that the arc portion 92a of the valve element 92 passes through port 9D as shown in Fig. 10(b), and the operation unit 94 is further operated to cause the arc portion 92a of the valve element 92 to close port 9A as shown in Fig. 10(c). As a result, the regulating member 95 prevents the arc portion 92a of the valve body 92 from blocking port 9B, which is connected to the opening 5B, and prevents flow from passing over port 9B, thereby preventing a flow cut-off state due to accidental blockage.In this case, the valve body 92 temporarily crosses port 9D, but since there is inflow from the existing pipe 14a side, an uninterrupted flow state can be maintained.

[0050] As described above, by rotating the valve body 92 from the opening 5C side to the opening 5A side and closing the port 9A, the fluid supplied from the tank A passes through the new pipe 20, the opening 5D of the housing 5, the opening 5B, the new pipes 21 and 22, the openings 3B and 3C of the housing 3, and the existing pipe 14c, and flows out to the downstream side, so that an uninterrupted flow state is maintained. As shown in FIG. 4, the existing pipes 10 to 13 are removed, and the end 14a' of the existing pipe 14a is covered with a pipe cap D. Alternatively, the existing pipe 14a may be removed and the opening 5A may be plugged.

[0051] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the tank A and the tank B are connected by the new pipe 23 to allow the fluid in the tank to flow, and the tank B and the tank C are connected by the new pipe 24 to allow the fluid in the tank to flow. Furthermore, the pipe cap D covering the existing pipe 14a' is removed, and the new pipe 25 is attached via a joint ring (not shown). The new pipe 25 is composed of a branch pipe 25a connected to the tank C and a branch pipe 25b connected to the tank B, and connects the tank B and the tank C to the opening 5A of the housing 5. In addition, the gate valve 58a of the bypass pipe 58 connecting the opening 5A and the opening 5D is switched to an open state, and the fluid in the inner valve box 91 is caused to flow into the new pipe 25. As a result, the new pipe 25 is filled with fluid, and the fluid pressure in the new pipe 25 and the fluid pressure in the inner valve box 91 become approximately equal, making it easier to rotate the valve body 92.

[0052] Finally, as shown in the area enclosed by the dashed and dotted line in Fig. 5, the valve element 92 is rotated counterclockwise from the port 9A to close the port 9C. This allows the fluid to flow into the switching valve device 1 from the port 9A on the side of the opening 5A that was previously closed, and allows the fluid supplied from the tanks A to C on the upstream side to flow in from the openings 5A and 5D of the casing 5, and allows the fluid to flow out to the downstream side from the opening 5B. This concludes the explanation of one example of replacement work from an existing pipe to a new pipe in a water supply facility using the switching valve device 1.

[0053] 12(a) and (b) show a switching valve device 100 equipped with a switching valve 190, and are modified in that stopper members 40, 41, which are formed in a substantially T-shape in top view and serve as the restricting member in this case, are arranged at two locations on the bottom surface 50a of the inner valve box 105 instead of the restricting member 95 of the above embodiment. The stopper members 40, 41 are made of steel and their bottom surfaces are fixedly arranged on the bottom surface 50a of the inner valve box 105 by welding or the like. In this modified example, the stopper members 40, 41 are arranged on the lower side in the inner valve box 105 in FIG. 12(a) to restrict rotation to the port 9B in the same manner as the restricting member 95 described above.

[0054] The stopper members 40, 41 are generally T-shaped when viewed from above, and are erected generally vertically upward from a bottom surface portion fixed to the bottom surface 50a of the inner valve box 105, and are each formed with a restricting portion 40a, 41a which is a wide abutment surface. When the valve shafts 193a, 193b of the switching valve 190 are operated by an operating portion (not shown) to rotate the valve body 192, the restricting portion 40a of the stopper member 40 or the restricting portion 41a of the stopper member 41 abuts against the lower plate 192c of the valve body 192, thereby restricting the rotation to the port 9B.

[0055] As described above, the switching valve device 1 comprises a housing 5 having a split structure in which openings 5A-5D for connecting fluid pipes are formed and which is fitted hermetically onto an existing pipe, and a switching valve 9 which is hermetically installed within the housing 5 at a cut section where a portion of the existing pipe has been cut, and which can connect a new pipe to the housing 5 in an uninterrupted flow state. The housing 5 has openings 5A-5D formed in a substantially cross direction, and the switching valve 9 comprises an inner valve box 91 in which ports 9A-9D communicating with the openings 5A-5D, respectively, are formed in a substantially cross direction, and a valve body 92 which can selectively close one port. By closing one of the ports 9A-9D formed in a substantially cross direction with the valve body 92, an uninterrupted flow state is maintained through the remaining three ports in an open state, and it is possible to sequentially remove the existing pipe connected to the opening side communicating with the port where the valve body 92 is closed, and lay a new fluid pipe, so that multiple fluid pipes can be updated, and construction is highly scalable.

[0056] The inner valve box 91 is provided with a regulating member 95 that prevents the valve body 92 from blocking a specific port 9B among the ports 9A to 9D.The regulating member 95 allows the specific port 9B to be kept open at all times, so that the fluid pipe connected to the opening 5B communicating with this port 9B can always be maintained in an uninterrupted flow state, and a flow interruption due to accidental blockage can be prevented.

[0057] In addition, the valve body 92 is rotatably arranged around a rotation axis provided in the center of the switching valve 9, and the rotation angle of the valve body 92 is restricted to within 270 degrees by the regulating member 95, thereby blocking the ports 9A, 9B, and 9D except for the specific port 9B.Since the valve body 92 is restricted from passing through the specific port 9B by the regulating member 95, a temporary flow cut-off state that occurs when the valve body 95 passes through can be prevented.

[0058] Furthermore, among the ports formed in an approximately cross direction, the opening angle α formed in a planar view by the sealing members 53b, 53c and 53d, 53a that seal a pair of opposing ports 9B, 9D is smaller than the opening angle β formed by the sealing members 53a, 53b and 53c, 53d that seal the remaining pair of ports 9A, 9C that are approximately perpendicular to the first pair of ports (α<β), so the effect of the fluid in the fluid pipes connected to the openings 5B, 5D that communicate with the ports 9B, 9D with the smaller opening angle can be kept small.

[0059] This pipe installation method uses a switching valve device 1 to lay a new fluid pipe in an uninterrupted flow state, and includes the steps of: sealingly fitting a housing 5 around an existing pipe 14; cutting a portion of the existing pipe 14 inside the housing 5 while closing opening 5D, one of openings 5A-5D of the housing 5, for connecting a new pipe 20; installing a switching valve 9 at the cut portion inside the housing 5; and sequentially closing ports with a valve body 92 and removing the existing pipe connected to the opening communicating with the port, or connecting a new pipe to the opening.By closing one of the ports formed in an approximately cross direction with the valve body 92, an uninterrupted flow state is maintained through the remaining three ports in an open state, while the existing pipe connected to the opening side communicating with the port with the valve body 92 closed can be removed and a new pipe can be laid in sequence, so that multiple fluid pipes can be updated and construction is highly scalable.

[0060] In addition, new pipes 20, 25 as upstream fluid pipes and new pipe 21 as downstream fluid pipe are respectively connected to openings 5A to 5D of casing 5, so that new flow paths can be secured by new pipes 20, 21, 25 regardless of whether or not the existing fluid pipe 14 fitted around casing 5 is removed.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0062] For example, in the above embodiment, the switching valve device 1 is installed in the existing pipeline installed in the water purification facility, and the process of replacing it with a new pipe is described in order, but this is not limited to this, and some of the processes may be omitted or changed as long as the replacement with the new pipe can be performed while maintaining an uninterrupted flow state, and the switching valve device of the present invention can be applied to various facilities in which existing pipelines are configured, not limited to water purification facilities.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the restricting member 95 and the stopper members 40, 41 are used to restrict the valve body 92 from closing the port 9B, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as replacement with a new pipe is performed while maintaining an uninterrupted flow state, the closing of other ports may be restricted. Also, no restriction is required.

[0064] In addition, in the above embodiment, the upstream side and downstream side are connected to the newly installed pipe, but, for example, both upstream sides may be connected to the newly installed pipe, or both downstream sides may be connected to the newly installed pipe. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Switching valve device 3. Chassis 3A~3C opening 4 Valve 5. Cabinet 5A~5D opening 6 Working valve 7 Tube cutting device 8 Insertion Device 9 Valve member (switching valve) 9A~9D Ports 9B Specific Port 10~14 Existing pipes 20~25 New pipes 30 Partitioning member 31 Partition 40 Stopper member (regulating member) 41 Stopper member (regulating member) 53a~53d Sealing members 91 Inner valve box (valve box) 92 Valve body 92a Arc section 93a, 93b Valve stem 94 Operation section 95 Regulatory Materials 96 Cover material

Claims

1. A switching valve device for connecting a new fluid pipe to the housing in an uninterrupted flow state, the switching valve device comprising a housing having a split structure that is fitted tightly around an existing fluid pipe, and a switching valve that is sealed and installed in a cut section of the existing fluid pipe in the housing, the switching valve being configured to: The housing is formed with at least a pair of openings connected to existing fluid pipes and a first opening for connecting a newly installed fluid pipe, and is provided with at least a bypass pipe connecting one of the pair of openings to the first opening, and the bypass pipe is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction.

2. 2. The switching valve device according to claim 1, wherein the bypass pipe is disposed at a position lower than the housing.

3. 3. The switching valve device according to claim 2, wherein both ends of the bypass pipe are connected to a bottom of the housing.

4. 4. The switching valve device according to claim 1, further comprising a second opening, different from the first opening, for connecting a newly installed fluid pipe, a second bypass pipe connecting the other of the pair of openings to the second opening, and the bypass pipe and the second bypass pipe are disposed at approximately the same height position as each other.

5. A pipe laying method for laying a new fluid pipe under an uninterrupted flow condition using a switching valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the steps of: a switching valve for connecting a new fluid pipe to the opening of the switching valve; a switching valve for connecting a new fluid pipe to the opening of the switching valve; a switching valve for connecting a new fluid pipe to the opening of the switching valve; a switching valve for connecting a new fluid pipe to the opening of the switching valve;

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