Clapper Valve Spring Stop for Safe Seal Retainer Dismounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high biasing forces in check valves create dangerous and violent movements during maintenance, posing a risk of injury due to the torsion spring's continued force on the cam arm when the seal cap is dismounted.
Innovation Solution
A spring stop arrangement that includes a stopper on the cam arm to prevent rotation when the seal retainer is dismounted, using a check seat cavity to engage the stopper and limit cam arm movement, thereby preventing violent rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the torsion spring applies high biasing force to the cam arm to maintain valve closure against high fluid pressure, then the valve reliability is improved, but the safety during maintenance deteriorates due to violent rotation when the seal cap is dismounted
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is pre-positioned on the cam arm to anticipate and prevent violent rotation before it can occur. When the seal cap is dismounted during maintenance, the stopper immediately engages with the check seat to counteract the torsion spring's biasing force, preventing the harmful violent rotation that would otherwise occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper acts as an intermediary element between the cam arm and the check seat. It provides a controlled contact point that mediates the interaction between the torsion spring's biasing force and the cam arm, allowing maintenance personnel to safely dismount the seal cap without experiencing violent rotation.
2Ease of operation
If the cam arm is allowed to rotate freely to enable seal cap dismounting for maintenance, then the ease of operation is improved, but the safety deteriorates due to uncontrolled movement of the torsion spring system
Solution Approach 1:
The cam arm is segmented into functional zones: a rotation zone that allows free movement for normal valve operation and seal cap dismounting, and a stopped zone where the stopper engages with the check seat to prevent uncontrolled movement. This segmentation allows both ease of operation and safety to be achieved in different operational states.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam arm's rotational characteristics are made dynamic rather than static. During normal operation and maintenance access, the cam arm can rotate freely. When maintenance is complete and the system returns to service, the stopper engages to dynamically limit rotation and prevent uncontrolled movement, adapting the system's behavior to the operational context.
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
Prevents sudden and violent movements of the cam arm and seal cap during maintenance, ensuring safer handling of check valves by limiting rotation and reducing injury risks.
Implementation Method 1
a torsion spring operatively connected to the cam arm so as to apply a biasing force to the cam arm against the direction of fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
the stopper is configured to contact the check seat so as to prevent rotation of the cam arm
Data Source
AI summary
A spring stop arrangement for a check valve may include: a check seat defining a flow path; a clapper assembly connected to the check seat and configured to obstruct the flow path, the clapper assembly including: a clapper; and a seal retainer detachably mounted to the clapper; a cam arm connected to the check seat, the cam arm including a stopper; and a torsion spring operatively connected to the cam arm so as to apply a biasing force to the cam arm against the direction of fluid flow. When the seal retainer is dismounted from the clapper, the stopper may be configured to contact the check seat so as to prevent rotation of the cam arm.