Control Plate Flow-Through Structure for High-Purity Valve Shut-Off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid control valves struggle to achieve high purity and proportional control while maintaining leak-tight shut-off, especially in industrial processes like semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A high purity fluid control valve design featuring a moveable control plate with at least one flow-through passage, utilizing nested orifice ridges to achieve high conductance with small actuator movement, and a continuous uninterrupted flat portion to ensure shut-off in the fully closed condition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional valve design is used to achieve leak-tight shut-off, then shut-off reliability is improved, but fluid stagnation occurs in dead volumes reducing cleanliness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates dead volumes and stagnation zones from the valve internal flow path by designing a streamlined passage that allows fluid to sweep through the entire valve chamber, removing harmful stagnant regions while preserving shut-off capability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing fluid to take a conventional path that creates dead zones, the invention inverts the flow path design to create a continuous sweeping motion through the valve chamber, ensuring all internal surfaces are flushed by flowing fluid
2Productivity
If nested orifice ridges are used to achieve high conductance with small actuator movement, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies nesting by placing multiple orifice ridges concentrically within each other, creating a compact multi-stage flow control structure that achieves high conductance through cumulative aperture areas while maintaining a compact form factor suitable for small actuator movements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the flow path into multiple controlled stages through separate orifice ridges, allowing independent optimization of each stage's aperture characteristics to collectively achieve high overall conductance
3Reliability
If a continuous uninterrupted flat portion is used to ensure shut-off, then shut-off reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by providing a continuous uninterrupted flat portion specifically at the seat contact area where shut-off occurs, while other portions of the control plate may have varying thickness or features optimized for their local functions, concentrating precision requirements only where absolutely necessary
Data Source
AI summary
A high purity control valve for use in high conductance, proportional control applications includes a moveable control plate having a flow-through passage to enhance fluid sweep of the internal valve volume. Nested orifice ridges are used to achieve high conductance with small actuator movement. Enhanced leak tightness can be provided by incorporating into the control plate materials softer than the material comprising the orifice ridge. The control plate comprises a control plate body having a counterbore in fluid communication with a conduit, radial fluid flow paths and axial fluid flow paths. A flat side of the control plate includes a continuous uninterrupted flat portion to shut-off fluid flow in the valve. The radial fluid flow paths provide fluid communication from the counterbore to a circumferential perimeter of the control plate and the axial fluid flow paths provide fluid communication with the fluid conduit through an intermediate valve chamber portion.