SAFETY INLET VALVE FOR TANK CAR

Abstract

The utility model relates to railway transport, namely to the designs of shut-off and safety valves designed to protect systems from excess pressure and from the occurrence of an unacceptable vacuum, and is intended for installation on railway tank cars, tank containers and storage tanks transporting or storing liquid and gaseous cargo. The technical objective of the utility model is to improve the maintainability and reduce the operating costs of a safety inlet valve for a tank car. The technical result consists in improving the suitability for technical maintenance of the valve. The specified technical result is achieved in that the safety inlet valve for a tank car, comprising a housing, an inlet valve, an outlet valve including a plate, a sealing ring and a spring, wherein the design of the outlet valve is made disassemblable and includes an upper plate, a lower plate and a sealing ring,wherein the upper and lower plates are connected by a threaded connection, and the annular groove for accommodating the sealing ring is formed by the mating surfaces of the upper and lower plates, of which the surface of the lower plate, contacting with the ring, is made conical, and the mating surface of the upper plate is made with an annular rounding, the radius of which corresponds to the radius of the cross-section of the sealing ring, in addition, the valve is provided with a flame arrester device, made disassemblable and containing an upper ring, a lower ring and a flame arrester mesh installed between them, wherein the mesh is located concentrically to the valve body, wherein the upper ring is secured to the valve body by means of threaded elements screwed into the valve body, and the lower ring is secured by at least three plates, which are fixed by the said threaded elements to the valve body,Ensuring the joint fixation of the lower ring and the upper ring when tightening the threaded elements. The claimed utility model contains a new set of essential features and makes it possible to create a safety-inlet valve for a tank car with a high level of maintainability and improves its suitability for maintenance. 1 ref. f-ly, 1 fig.,

Description

[0001] The utility model relates to railway transport, namely to the designs of shut-off and safety valves designed to protect systems from excess pressure and from the occurrence of an unacceptable vacuum, and is intended for installation on railway tank cars, tank containers and storage tanks transporting or storing liquid and gaseous cargo.

[0002] A safety valve is known (RU patent No. 149714, IPC F16K 17 / 04, published on 20.01.2015), comprising a flange in which a through hole is made with a seat in the upper part, having a conical and toroidal sealing surfaces, a stem with a conical spool, pressed to the seat by springs, a reflective plate fixed on the stem, in the internal groove of which an elastic ring is located, pressed to the plate by the upper conical surface of the spool, also a central guide sleeve is installed in the flange, through which the stem passes, around which several through holes are made, turning into one through hole, while the cylindrical surface of the reflective plate, parallel to the outer surface of the seat, is as close as possible to this surface and its height has the minimum possible value necessary for trouble-free operation of the valve at the operating pressure,and the reflective conical surface of the reflective plate is located at an angle of 15 to 25° to the reflective conical surface of the seat, and a vertical reflective section is made in the lower part of the plate.

[0003] The main drawback of this invention is the valve's poor repairability. The design does not allow for the removal of the sealing elements without the use of destructive forces.

[0004] A valve is known (RU Patent No. 151611, IPC F16K 1 / 30, published on 10.04.2015), comprising a housing, a shut-off element with a threaded sleeve screwed onto it, a cover, a flywheel secured to the threaded sleeve, a plug with a gasket screwed onto the outlet pipe of the valve, and having an opening for limiting the release of pressure of the working medium, wherein the opening for limiting the release of pressure of the working medium is made in the sleeve, which is screwed into the outlet pipe of the valve.

[0005] A well-known technical solution aims to improve the maintainability of the small relief orifice, which is implemented as an easily removable sleeve. However, the valve shutoff assembly is not designed to be disassembled, and the disc sealing ring is installed in a blind groove. Its replacement requires mechanical stress on the components during removal, which can damage both the sealing ring and the entire disc.

[0006] An External safety relief valve for a tank container is known (Patent CN 103672062, IPC F16K 17 / 04, published on March 26, 2014), comprising a valve body, a cover fixedly connected to the upper part of the valve body, a thread on the lower end hole of the valve body, a valve shutter located in the cavity of the body and a spring, in particular a group of springs located between the valve shutter and the cover, wherein in the lower part of the surface of the valve stem there is a circular groove in the shape of an omega (Ω), into which a sealing ring is inserted, due to which it cannot easily fall out, good sealing is ensured and the service life is extended. The use of an omega-shaped groove, although it improves the retention of the ring, does not ensure its easy removal; the ring remains locked in a non-separable part, and the operation of its replacement is associated with mechanical impact on the parts when it is removed, which can lead to damage to both the sealing ring and the entire plate as a whole.

[0007] The closest analogue is the safety inlet valve described in the article (Fedorov S.A. New fittings for oil and gasoline tank cars / S.A. Fedorov, M.V. Aginskikh, A.V. Kalugin / / Transport of the Russian Federation. - 2021. - No. 5-6 (96-97). - P. 82-86.), which is closest in technical essence to the claimed utility model, containing a housing, outlet and inlet valves with plates, springs and sealing rings, as well as the possibility of installing a flame arrester.

[0008] A drawback of this device is the design of the exhaust valve disc, which is a non-separable monolithic component with a groove for the sealing ring. Replacing the ring requires its forced removal and involves mechanical stress on the components. This operation carries a high risk of damaging both the sealing element itself and the disc's working surfaces, ultimately necessitating a complete replacement of the entire expensive assembly.

[0009] The technical objective of the utility model is to improve maintainability and reduce operating costs of a safety inlet valve for a tank car.

[0010] The technical result is to improve the maintenance suitability of the valve.

[0011] The said technical result is achieved in that a safety inlet valve for a tank car comprises a housing, an inlet valve, an outlet valve including a plate, a sealing ring and a spring, wherein the design of the outlet valve is made dismountable and includes an upper plate, a lower plate and a sealing ring, wherein the upper and lower plates are connected by a threaded connection, and an annular groove for accommodating the sealing ring is formed by the mating surfaces of the upper and lower plates, of which the surface of the lower plate, in contact with the ring, is made conical, and the mating surface of the upper plate is made with an annular rounding, the radius of which corresponds to the radius of the cross-section of the sealing ring, in addition, the valve is provided with a flame arrester device, made dismountable and containing an upper ring, a lower ring and a flame arrester mesh installed between them,wherein the mesh is located concentrically to the valve body, wherein the upper ring is secured to the valve body using threaded elements screwed into the valve body, and the lower ring is secured by at least three plates that are fixed by said threaded elements to the valve body, ensuring the joint fixation of the lower ring and the upper ring when the threaded elements are tightened.

[0012] The valve's composite, disassemblable design allows for complete disassembly without the need for deformation or mechanical removal of the seal ring from the blind groove, preventing damage to the seal ring and destruction of the seating surfaces. The groove geometry, formed by the conical surface of the lower plate and the rounded upper plate, ensures controlled and uniform ring compression during assembly, guaranteeing high seal integrity and predictable seal life.

[0013] The flame arrester design, specifically the fastening of the upper and lower rings with common screws through plates, forms a rigid yet quickly removable element. This allows the entire flame arrester assembly to be removed by simply unscrewing a few screws for cleaning, inspection, or mesh replacement, without requiring removal of the valve from the tank. The plates act as a reliable stop, preventing inadvertent displacement of the element. This ensures the continued functionality and accessibility of this critical fire safety element for maintenance without the need for complex operations.

[0014] In general, the design of the specified elements and their interconnections allows for an increase in the maintainability of the safety inlet valve for a tank car and ensures improved suitability for valve maintenance.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a general sectional view of the valve.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the valve consists of a body 1, a cover 2, an inlet valve 3, which includes a spring 4, a sealing ring 5 and an upper support plate 6, an outlet valve 7, which includes an upper plate 8, a lower plate 9, a spring 10, a sealing ring 11 and a spacer ring 12, a flame extinguisher 13, which includes an upper ring 14, a lower ring 15, a mesh 16, plates 17 and screws 18.

[0017] The device operates as follows. In normal operation, tank pressure acts from below on the valve plates. The force of spring 10, adjusted by tightening cover 2 through spacer ring 12, holds upper plate 8 and lower plate 9 of outlet valve 7 in the closed position, ensuring a tight seal with sealing ring 11. When the pressure exceeds the set value, the force on plate 8 overcomes the force of spring 10, the plate rises, and the medium is discharged through the side windows in housing 1. At the outlet, the medium passes through flame arrester 13, where mesh 16 extinguishes any possible flame. When the pressure decreases, plate 8, under the action of spring 10, returns to the seat of housing 1. When a vacuum is formed in the tank, the external atmospheric pressure, acting on inlet valve 3, overcomes the force of its spring 4. Inlet valve 3 opens, letting air into the tank and preventing its deformation.

[0018] To replace the intake valve sealing ring 11, simply unscrew cover 2, remove spacer ring 12, spring 10, and exhaust valve 7. Next, unscrew intake valve 3 as a complete assembly. Ring 11 will then be easily removed from the open groove without damage. Reassembly is performed in the reverse order.

[0019] To replace the exhaust valve sealing ring 5, simply unscrew cover 2, remove spacer ring 12 and spring 10, and disassemble the intake valve 3 by unscrewing the two nuts. Remove the upper support plate 6 and spring 4. Ring 5 will then be easily removed from the open groove without damage. Reassemble in the reverse order.

[0020] To clean or replace flame arrester 13, unscrew screws 18. The entire flame arrester 13 assembly can then be removed, providing access to the inside of the mesh. Reassembly is performed in reverse order.

[0021] This utility model can be used in the production and modernization of shut-off and safety valves for railway tank cars intended for the transportation of hazardous materials, significantly reducing their maintenance costs. The device has been tested as a prototype.

[0022] Thus, the claimed utility model contains a new set of essential features and makes it possible to create a safety inlet valve for a tank car with a high level of maintainability and ensures an improvement in its suitability for maintenance.

Claims

1. A safety inlet valve for a tank car, comprising a housing, an inlet valve, an outlet valve including a plate, a sealing ring and a spring, characterized in that the design of the outlet valve is made disassemblable and includes an upper plate, a lower plate and a sealing ring, wherein the upper and lower plates are connected by a threaded connection, and an annular groove for accommodating the sealing ring is formed by mating surfaces of the upper and lower plates, of which the surface of the lower plate, in contact with the ring, is made conical, and the mating surface of the upper plate is made with an annular rounding, the radius of which corresponds to the radius of the cross-section of the sealing ring.

2. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a flame arrester device, which is disassemblable and contains an upper ring, a lower ring and a flame arrester mesh installed between them, wherein the mesh is located concentrically to the valve body, wherein the upper ring is secured to the valve body by means of threaded elements screwed into the valve body, and the lower ring is secured by at least three plates, which are fixed by said threaded elements to the valve body, ensuring the joint fixation of the lower ring and the upper ring when the threaded elements are tightened.

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