Compact Redundant Trip Block With Integrated Rotary Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contemporary turbine trip blocks are bulky, complex, and require high actuation forces, leading to increased size, weight, and operational costs, with existing designs often necessitating system shutdown for maintenance and being prone to contamination issues due to tight radial clearances.
Innovation Solution
A compact, lightweight trip block design utilizing a common housing for multiple rotary valve assemblies with reduced actuation force requirements, featuring a spool and sleeve arrangement with radial gaps and contamination-resistant seals, allowing for efficient fluid flow and reduced complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stand-alone valves with exterior plumbing are used in trip block, then redundancy is achieved, but device complexity and footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple valve bodies are merged into a single integrated trip block housing with common internal passages. The valves share a common body structure and internal fluid pathways, eliminating the need for exterior plumbing between separate valve assemblies. This integration maintains redundancy while reducing complexity and footprint.
2Reliability
If each valve has its own separate housing mounted on manifold, then valve independence is achieved, but device weight and footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple valve bodies are combined into a single integrated structure where the housing serves as both the manifold and the valve bodies. This eliminates redundant housings and reduces overall weight while maintaining valve independence through internal separation of fluid passages.
3Reliability
If linearly moving valve elements with tight radial clearances are used, then sealing is improved, but susceptibility to contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve element uses a spherical ball instead of a linear moving element. The ball rotates within the valve body to control fluid flow. This spherical geometry provides inherent sealing through point contact while the larger clearance required for ball rotation reduces sensitivity to contamination compared to tight linear clearances.
4Reliability
If high powered actuators are used to overcome high actuation forces, then valve actuation reliability is improved, but device size, weight, and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator uses a piston-cylinder arrangement with pressure differential to generate the force needed to move the ball valve element. By utilizing hydraulic or pneumatic pressure differentials across the piston, the system achieves reliable actuation with smaller, lighter actuators compared to direct mechanical actuation, reducing overall system weight and cost.
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
The solution provides a compact, efficient, and low-maintenance trip block that reduces actuation force, minimizes contamination risks, and allows for operation without shutting down the entire system, while maintaining reliability and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
A pressure differential across the spool is used to rotate the spool about the axis. The rotation of the spool selectively aligns the ports in the spool with the ports in the sleeve to govern fluid flow.
Implementation Method 2
The spool is rotatably mounted within the sleeve by a bearing
Implementation Method 3
A seal is provided across the radial gap between the spool and the sleeve
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A trip block is provided. The trip block includes a single housing which commonly houses multiple valve assemblies. Each valve assembly includes a rotary valve member arrangement. The rotary valve member arrangement includes a spool and a sleeve with a predefined radial clearance between the spool and sleeve.