Fluid Coupler Segmentation Isolates Pressurized Gas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid couplers for pressurized gas cylinders or tanks often experience unintentional gas emission during connection and disconnection due to the lack of effective sealing mechanisms, making the process inefficient and difficult.
Innovation Solution
A fluid coupler design featuring a rotatable end connector, inner body, seat holder, and nipple assembly with O-rings and a spring mechanism that allows for easy fluid flow while minimizing pressurization of the outer body, enabling smooth connection and disconnection by isolating the pressurized fluid from the outer body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional fluid coupler design is used without isolation mechanisms, then the structure is simple, but unintentional gas emission occurs during connection and disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler is divided into an outer body and an inner body that are separable. The inner body contains the pressurized fluid while the outer body remains at atmospheric pressure. This segmentation allows the sealing mechanism to be contained within the inner body, preventing gas emission during connection and disconnection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner body acts as an intermediary component between the pressurized fluid source and the external environment. It provides a sealed containment chamber that isolates the pressurized gas from the outer body and external atmosphere, allowing connection and disconnection without direct exposure of pressurized fluid.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the outer body is isolated from pressurized fluid, then gas emission is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex with multiple bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler structure is segmented into an outer body and an inner body, where the inner body serves as a sealed containment chamber for pressurized fluid. This segmentation effectively isolates the pressurized gas from the outer body, preventing gas emission during connection and disconnection, while the modular design allows for manageable complexity.
3Productivity
If connection and disconnection operations are performed with pressurized fluid, then fluid transfer is efficient, but the process becomes difficult and unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the coupler into pressurized inner body and atmospheric outer body, the system maintains efficient fluid transfer through the sealed inner body while making connection and disconnection operations safer and easier. The outer body can be manipulated without direct exposure to pressurized fluid, reducing safety risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner body serves as an intermediary sealed chamber that allows fluid transfer to occur efficiently while isolating the operator from direct contact with pressurized gas during connection and disconnection operations, improving both safety and ease of operation.
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 design effectively reduces gas emission during connection and disconnection by isolating the pressurized fluid, making the process easier and safer by allowing the inner components to slide and rotate, thus preventing pressurization of the outer body and facilitating fluid transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a spring mechanism that allows for easy fluid flow while minimizing pressurization of the outer body
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid coupler (100) includes: an outer body (108); an end connector (102) being at least partially received inside the outer body and configured to receive pressurized fluid; an inner body (110) received inside the outer body, the inner body being moveable with respect to the outer body; a seat holder (112) and a valve seat (124) both located inside of the inner body, the valve seat being configured to press against an inner surface of the inner body to close the fluid coupler; a connector (116) partially housed within the inner body, the connector comprising a first end secured to the seat holder and a second end. The fluid coupler defines a pressurized fluid flow path enabling pressurized fluid to contact and pressurize the end connector, the inner body, the seat holder, and the connector without contacting and pressurizing the outer body.