Deformable Membrane Valve for Medium-Voltage Enclosure Overpressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure limiting valves for sealed electrical enclosures, such as those in medium voltage applications, face issues with high operating inertia, bulkiness, and unpredictable overpressure release, leading to potential explosions and increased costs due to unnecessary enclosure sizing for safety.
Innovation Solution
A pressure limiting valve design featuring a deformable membrane with a sloping support seat and unevennesses that facilitate uniform and rapid deformation upon overpressure, ensuring immediate opening and escape of the membrane, thereby controlling overpressure values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a rupture membrane is used, then the valve structure is simple, but the membrane deforms permanently before rupture causing undetected leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is segmented into a central portion and a peripheral portion with different functions. The central portion handles pressure relief while the peripheral portion with reentrant portion handles sealing and detection, allowing the system to maintain reliability while keeping the overall structure simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is pre-formed with a reentrant portion that protrudes into the exhaust passage before operation. This preliminary configuration ensures that when the membrane ruptures, the reentrant portion automatically seals the exhaust passage, preventing leaks before the rupture even occurs.
2Reliability
If conventional exhaust membranes are used, then the valve can release overpressure, but the opening occurs with wide dispersion of overpressure values due to uncontrolled sliding
Solution Approach 1:
The reentrant portion of the membrane is configured with a curved surface that contacts the exhaust passage wall. This curvature ensures that when the membrane ruptures, the contact point is well-defined and the sealing action occurs at a specific location, eliminating the sliding motion that causes pressure dispersion in flat membranes.
3Ease of manufacture
If the membrane edge is placed on a flat seat, then manufacturing is simple, but the membrane deformation is irregular and opening is unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust passage wall is given a local reentrant configuration only at the specific location where membrane contact is needed. The rest of the exhaust passage maintains its simple cylindrical shape. This localized geometric feature ensures uniform membrane deformation and predictable opening while keeping the overall manufacturing process simple.
4Manufacturing precision
If a ball and spring valve is used, then the operation is precise with well-determined opening pressure, but the valve is bulky and has high operating inertia
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential function of pressure-actuated opening from the complex ball-and-spring mechanism. By using a simple membrane that ruptures at a predetermined pressure, the valve achieves precise opening pressure control without the bulk and high inertia of mechanical spring systems.
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 more uniform and predictable operation, ensuring rapid and complete exhaust of overpressure, reducing the risk of explosions and allowing for optimized enclosure sizing, thereby reducing costs and improving reliability.
Implementation Method 1
Under the action of the overpressure, the membrane deforms and sinks into the passage of the crown
Implementation Method 2
the seat has a single sloping part or a plurality of sloping parts distributed over the extent of the seat, where a separation of the seat and a portion of the edge, and which The difference in level favors the deformation of the membrane at its location
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The valve has a circular and plane deformable envelope (5) with an edge (5a) placed on a circular and plane support base (6) of a ring (3). A main part of the envelope is extended in front of an opening of a sealed casing. The base includes a set of unevenness parts (8) that establishes separation of the base and a portion of the edge. The parts assure deformation of the envelope against the parts when overpressure is produced, where diameter of the envelope is reduced when the deformation is obtained so as to facilitate the opening and the exhaust of the envelope. An independent claim is also included for an electrical switching device comprising a pair of contacts that is movable with respect to one another.