Integrated Ball and Check Valve Assembly for In-Place Sprinkler Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fire suppression sprinkler systems require frequent and laborious inspections of check valves, which are cumbersome due to their integration in the water flow pathway, leading to increased costs and complexity in assembly, and potential corrosion from dissolved oxygen changes during testing.
Innovation Solution
A compact control and check valve assembly with a quarter-turn ball valve and integrated check valve, allowing for isolation and inspection without draining the entire system, and incorporating a flow detection switch and adjustable pressure relief module to reduce the need for a large piping manifold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If check valve is integrated in the water flow pathway, then it can control flow direction, but it becomes cumbersome and requires system drainage for inspection
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is divided into separate functional components: a control valve portion with the check valve, and a valve body portion with isolation valves. This segmentation allows the check valve to be inspected or replaced by isolating it from the main system, eliminating the need to drain the entire system while maintaining its flow control function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple valves and components are mounted separately on a large manifold, then each component can function independently, but the system footprint and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple valve components (control valve, check valve, isolation valves) are merged into a single integrated valve assembly housed within one valve body. This combining reduces the system footprint and assembly complexity while maintaining the functional independence of each component through internal design and isolation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve and control valve are nested within the same valve body housing. The check valve is positioned inside the control valve assembly, allowing both components to occupy the same spatial envelope and function independently without requiring separate manifold mounting locations.
3Reliability
If check valve is removed for inspection, then internal components can be examined, but the entire system must be drained which is cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
Isolation valves are installed upstream and downstream of the check valve within the integrated assembly, allowing the check valve to be isolated and removed for inspection before any system drainage is required. This preliminary isolation capability enables maintenance without the time-consuming process of draining the entire system.
4Reliability
If system is drained for check valve testing, then inspection can be performed, but dissolved oxygen concentration increases causing corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation valves enable the check valve to be isolated and inspected while the main system remains filled with water. This eliminates the need to drain the system, thereby preventing the increase in dissolved oxygen concentration that would otherwise occur during draining and subsequent refilling, and avoiding the associated corrosion damage to internal components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies maintenance and inspection processes, reduces assembly complexity and costs, and minimizes corrosion by allowing in-situ access to the check valve and maintaining water quality within the system.
Implementation Method 1
A quarter-turn ball valve is positioned within the valve body and includes a rotatable, hollowed-out ball... The valve actuation assembly configured to selectively rotate the ball substantially 90° between an open position, fluidly connecting the ball fluid flow pathway with the valve body fluid flow pathway to permit fluid flow from the inlet to the outlet
Implementation Method 2
The check valve comprises an endless valve seat and a pivotable clapper disk. The clapper-disk is movable according to a pressure differential across the check valve between a closed position, wherein the clapper disk is in sealed engagement with the endless valve seat, thereby blocking fluid flow through the ball fluid flow pathway, and an open position, wherein the clapper disk is spaced away from the endless valve seat, thereby permitting fluid flow through the ball fluid flow pathway
Data Source
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AI summary
A combination control and check valve assembly for a wet piping system includes a control valve in the form of a ball valve and a one-way check valve mounted within the flow pathway of the ball valve. A valve actuation assembly is mounted to the valve assembly to selectively rotate the ball valve between the open and closed positions thereof. The valve actuation assembly is mounted to a first side of the valve assembly and rotationally fixed to the ball, whereby rotation of the valve actuation assembly rotates the ball between the open and closed positions. A side opening is formed in a second side of the valve assembly that is angularly spaced from the first side. The side opening is positioned to align with the fluid flow pathway of the ball valve in the closed position thereof to provide access to the check valve.