Anti-static ball valve

Abstract

To provide an anti-static ball valve that enables static electricity generated during fluid flow to be grounded, thereby preventing the risk of explosion due to spark or the like.SOLUTION: An anti-static ball valve includes a first lined unit 160 provided on an inner surface of a cap unit 110, and a second lined unit provided on an inner surface of a body unit 120 so as to prevent the body unit 120 from coming into contact with fluid to prevent oxidation of the body unit 120 due to the fluid. The first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit are made of fluororesin so as to reduce the generation of static electricity due to friction with the fluid. The ball unit 120 and a stem unit are made of metal to provide grounding against static electricity generated in a flow passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an antistatic ball valve, and more particularly to an antistatic ball valve that enables static electricity generated during fluid flow to be grounded, thereby preventing the risk of explosion due to sparks or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] A ball valve is a type of valve used to control the flow of fluids, and uses a rotatable spherical ball to adjust the amount of fluid passing through.

[0003] The spherical ball has a hole in the center, and the position and size of the hole can be adjusted by rotating it through a rotatable shaft.

[0004] When the hole formed in the spherical ball is aligned with the flow path, it is in a completely open state, and when it is perpendicular to the flow path, it is in a completely blocked state.

[0005] The ball valve is used to control the flow of various liquid chemicals required in the manufacturing process of semiconductors, displays, etc.

[0006] Here, a chemical called diluted hydrofluoric acid is used in processes such as cleaning and etching of semiconductor substrates, and this chemical is highly pure but highly toxic.

[0007] Meanwhile, static electricity can be generated due to friction during the flow of chemicals, and such static electricity can cause unexpected problems such as sparks and explosions.

[0008] To solve the problem of static electricity, as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0090944, a spring is placed at the connection between the stem and ball in the hope of preventing static electricity through the spring. However, this causes problems such as a decrease in the fastening force between the stem and ball due to the spring, and also makes it difficult to maintain purity due to oxidation.

[0009] Therefore, research into ball valves that can maintain the purity of chemicals and prevent the possibility of explosion due to static electricity is urgently needed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide an antistatic ball valve that maintains the purity of the flowing fluid by preventing the generation of impurities due to oxidation, and also enables grounding of static electricity generated by friction with the fluid, thereby preventing the risk of explosion due to sparks, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The anti-static ball valve according to the present invention comprises a cap unit and a body unit for providing a fluid flow passage by interconnection; a ball unit provided on the fluid flow passage and for controlling the flow of the fluid by rotation; a handle unit for providing an external force against the rotation of the ball unit; a stem unit for connecting the ball unit and the handle unit to transmit the external force provided by the handle unit to the ball unit; a first lined unit provided on the inner surface of the cap unit to prevent oxidation of the cap unit by the fluid by preventing the cap unit from contacting the fluid; and a second lined unit provided on the inner surface of the body unit to prevent oxidation of the body unit by preventing the body unit from contacting the fluid; wherein the first lined unit and the second lined unit are made of fluororesin to reduce generation of static electricity due to friction with the fluid, and the ball unit and the stem unit are made of metal to ground against the static electricity generated in the flow passage.

[0012] The antistatic ball valve according to the present invention may further include a ground line unit connected to the stem unit to enable the grounding.

[0013] The antistatic ball valve according to the present invention may further include a seat ring unit provided between the ball unit and the first line unit to prevent the fluid from flowing toward the stem unit when the fluid passes through the fluid hole of the ball unit, and the seat ring unit may provide a non-contact space between one surface that contacts the ball unit, so that the fluid remains in the space even if it penetrates one of the surfaces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the antistatic ball valve of the present invention, the purity of the flowing fluid can be maintained by preventing contact between oxidizable parts and the flowing fluid and preventing the generation of impurities.

[0015] Furthermore, even if static electricity is generated due to friction while the fluid is flowing, grounding is possible, thereby preventing dangers such as explosions due to sparks.

[0016] Furthermore, the flowing fluid can be prevented from flowing toward the stem, thereby preventing the fluid from leaking out to the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an assembled perspective view illustrating an antistatic ball valve according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an antistatic ball valve according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an antistatic ball valve according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited to the examples shown, and a person skilled in the art who understands the concept of the present invention may easily propose other degenerate inventions or other embodiments within the concept of the present invention by adding, changing, or deleting other components within the same concept, which may also be considered to be within the concept of the present invention.

[0019] In addition, components having the same function within the same concept shown in the drawings of each embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a combined perspective view illustrating an antistatic ball valve according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the antistatic ball valve according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the antistatic ball valve according to the present invention.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an antistatic ball valve (100, hereinafter referred to as "ball valve") according to the present invention is a valve used to control the flow of a fluid, and the fluid may be various liquid chemicals used in the manufacturing process of semiconductors, displays, etc.

[0022] The ball valve 100 may include a cap unit 110, a body unit 120, a ball unit 130, a handle unit 140, and a stem unit 150, etc.

[0023] The cap unit 110 and the body unit 120 can be connected to each other by means of stud bolts and nuts to provide a fluid flow path.

[0024] The body unit 120 may provide a space S for accommodating the ball unit 130 independently therein, but the space S may also be provided by combining the cap unit 110 and the body unit 120 when the cap unit 110 and the body unit 120 are manufactured symmetrically to each other.

[0025] The ball unit 130 is provided on the fluid flow passage and can control the flow of the fluid by rotation, and may have a fluid hole H formed therethrough at the center.

[0026] The handle unit 140 may be a unit for providing an external force for rotating the ball unit 130, and the stem unit 150 may be a unit for connecting the ball unit 130 and the handle unit 140 to transmit the external force provided by the handle unit 140 to the ball unit 130.

[0027] The ball unit 130 may include an insertion groove G into which the end of the stem unit 150 is inserted to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the stem unit 150 .

[0028] The first lined unit 160 is a unit provided on the inner surface of the cap unit 110 to prevent the cap unit 110 from coming into contact with the fluid and to prevent oxidation of the cap unit 110 due to the fluid, and is made of PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy), a type of fluorine resin, to increase corrosion resistance.

[0029] In order to increase the bonding strength with the cap unit 110, the first lined unit 160 may be formed on the inner surface of the cap unit 110 to a predetermined thickness by filling a dovetail-shaped groove formed on one side of the cap unit 110 with PFA and then hardening it.

[0030] The second lined unit 170 is a unit provided on the inner surface of the body unit 120 to prevent the body unit 120 from coming into contact with the fluid and to prevent oxidation of the body unit 120 due to the fluid, and is made of PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy), a type of fluorine resin, like the first lined unit 160, to increase corrosion resistance.

[0031] In order to increase the bonding strength with the body unit 120, the second lined unit 170 may be formed on the inner surface of the body unit 120 to a predetermined thickness by filling a dovetail-shaped groove formed on one side of the cap unit 110 with PFA and then hardening it.

[0032] The first and second lined units 160 and 170 are in direct contact with the fluid, preventing impurities from being generated by the cap unit 110 and the body unit 120, thereby ensuring the purity of the fluid.

[0033] In addition, the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170 can reduce the generation of static electricity due to friction that occurs during the flow of the fluid, thereby significantly reducing the probability of static electricity generation compared to conventional ball valves.

[0034] Meanwhile, the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 may be made of a material different from the material used to manufacture the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170 .

[0035] Specifically, the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 may be made of metal for grounding against static electricity that may be generated within the flow path.

[0036] As mentioned above, although the ball valve 100 according to the present invention has a significantly lower probability of static electricity generation due to fluid friction compared to conventional ball valves due to the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170, this does not mean that static electricity is not generated at all.

[0037] For this reason, although the possibility of static electricity occurring is low in the present invention, the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 are made of metal, for example, SCS or SUS material, to act as a medium through which charges can flow.

[0038] A ground line unit (not shown) may be connected to the stem unit 150, and the stem unit 150 can be grounded by the ground line unit.

[0039] Meanwhile, the ball valve 100 according to the present invention may include a seat ring unit 180 provided between the ball unit 130 and the first line unit 160 so that the fluid does not flow toward the stem unit 150 when the fluid passes through the fluid hole H of the ball unit 130.

[0040] The seat ring unit 180 may also be provided between the ball unit 130 and the second ring unit 170, and may be made of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), a type of fluorine resin.

[0041] The seat ring unit 180 may provide a non-contact space S1 between one surface that contacts the ball unit 130, and the space S1 may act as a space where the fluid can remain even if it penetrates one of the surfaces, thereby minimizing the possibility of the fluid leaking out.

[0042] The ball valve 100 according to the present invention may include a V-ring 192 , a gland 194 , a gasket 196 , an indicator 198 and a snap ring 199 .

[0043] The V-ring 192 may be made of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), a type of fluororesin, and may be a component for packing the stem unit 150 .

[0044] The gland 194 may be made of SCS or SCPH2 material and may be coupled to the body unit 120 to prevent the stem unit 150 from coming off.

[0045] The gasket 196 may be made of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) material.

[0046] The indicator 198 is a component for recognizing the degree of rotation of the stem unit 150 or the ball unit 130 according to the rotation of the handle unit 140, and may be made of SUS material.

[0047] The snap ring 199 is made of SUS material and can be inserted into the stem unit 150 .

[0048] To summarize the above, the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170 are configured to prevent the generation of impurities due to oxidation, corrosion, etc. of the cap unit 110 and the body unit 120, thereby maintaining the purity of the fluid at a high level.

[0049] In addition, the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170 are made of fluorine resin, thereby minimizing the generation of static electricity that may occur during the flow of fluid.

[0050] For the above reasons, in order to maintain high purity of the fluid and minimize the generation of static electricity that can cause problems such as explosions, it is preferable to manufacture all components that may come into contact with the fluid from fluororesin; in other words, the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 must also be lined with fluororesin.

[0051] However, even if all components that come into contact with fluids are manufactured from fluororesin, it is not possible to completely prevent the generation of static electricity. Although the possibility is low, if static electricity is generated, it can lead to very serious problems such as explosions because the device is not grounded.

[0052] Therefore, in the present invention, the ball unit 130 and stem unit 150 are made of metal so that they can be grounded, even though this slightly reduces the ability to maintain high purity and increases the possibility of static electricity generation.

[0053] Here, even though the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 are made of metal that is not lined with fluororesin, the areas that come into contact with the fluid are relatively small compared to the first lined unit 160 and the second lined unit 170, so the degree of reduction in the function of maintaining high purity due to the lack of lining is negligible, but the addition of a static electricity grounding function ensures the significant effect of fundamentally blocking the risk of explosion.

[0054] In other words, the present invention has a main technical feature in that the insides of the cap unit 110 and the body unit 120 are lined, while the ball unit 130 and the stem unit 150 are not lined, in order to optimally realize two effects: high purity maintenance and static electricity grounding.

[0055] Although the configuration and features of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that various modifications or variations can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is clear that such modifications or variations fall within the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 100: Anti-static ball valve 110: Cap unit 120: Body Unit 130: Ball unit 140: Handle unit 150: Stem unit 160: First Lined Unit 170: Second Lined Unit 180: Seat ring unit 192: V-Ring 194: Ground 196: Gasket 198: Indicator 199: Snap ring

Claims

1. a cap unit and a body unit for interconnecting to provide a fluid flow path; a ball unit provided on the fluid flow passage for controlling the flow of the fluid by rotation; a handle unit for providing an external force against rotation of the ball unit; a stem unit for connecting the ball unit and the handle unit to transmit the external force provided by the handle unit to the ball unit; a first lined unit provided on an inner surface of the cap unit to prevent the cap unit from contacting the fluid and thereby prevent oxidation of the cap unit by the fluid; and a second lined unit provided on the inner surface of the body unit to prevent the body unit from coming into contact with the fluid and thereby prevent oxidation of the body unit by the fluid; The first lined unit and the second lined unit are The device is made of fluororesin to reduce the generation of static electricity due to friction with the fluid, The ball unit and the stem unit are An antistatic ball valve made of metal for grounding against the static electricity generated within the flow passage.

2. 2. The antistatic ball valve according to claim 1, further comprising: a ground line unit connected to the stem unit to enable the grounding.

3. a seat ring unit provided between the ball unit and the first line unit to prevent the fluid from flowing toward the stem unit when the fluid passes through the fluid hole of the ball unit; The seat ring unit is 3. The antistatic ball valve according to claim 1, wherein a non-contact space is provided between the surfaces of the ball unit and the contact surface, so that the fluid remains in the space even if the fluid penetrates one of the surfaces.

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