Flush-Mount Valve Assembly for Ballast Tank Air Purging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve systems for marine vessels, particularly those used in ballast tanks, often protrude above the deck, making them unsuitable for vessels with specific performance requirements and complicating the full purging of air from tanks.
Innovation Solution
A flush-mount valve assembly that includes a panel with a vent passage and a movable valve barrier, which remains below the panel's surface regardless of its position, using a mount such as a cylindrical tube to translate or rotate the valve barrier between open and closed states, ensuring a fluid-tight seal without protruding above the surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a conventional valve system is used for sealing ballast tanks, then the valve can control fluid passage, but the valve protrudes above the deck surface
Solution Approach 1:
The valve barrier moves within a cylindrical tube mount that is positioned below the deck surface, allowing the valve to operate in a different spatial dimension (below deck) while maintaining flush mounting appearance. The barrier translates along the longitudinal axis of the tube, enabling full opening for air purging without protruding above the deck.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve barrier is nested within the cylindrical tube mount, with the barrier fitting inside the tube's longitudinal passage. This nested configuration allows the valve mechanism to be contained within the hull structure, achieving a flush-mount appearance while maintaining full operational capability for sealing and air purging.
2Productivity
If a protruding vent structure is placed above the deck, then air can be vented from the tank, but it disrupts the vessel's hull profile
Solution Approach 1:
The venting function is achieved by positioning the valve mechanism below the deck surface, utilizing the internal volume of the hull rather than extending outward. The cylindrical tube mount and movable barrier operate within the third dimension (below deck), allowing effective air venting while maintaining a streamlined hull profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve mechanism is extracted from the traditional above-deck configuration and repositioned within the hull structure. By removing the protruding element and relocating the functional components inside the vessel, the design achieves both effective venting and an unbroken hull profile.
3Reliability
If the valve barrier is positioned to seal the vent passage, then fluid-tight sealing is achieved, but the valve mechanism may protrude from the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The valve barrier is nested within the cylindrical tube mount, with the barrier's sealing surface positioned at the vent passage opening. When the barrier moves to the closed position, it seals the vent passage effectively while remaining contained within the tube, which is mounted below the deck surface, thus achieving both reliable sealing and flush-mount appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical tube mount acts as an intermediary structure that houses the valve barrier and provides the sealing interface. The tube's longitudinal passage accommodates the barrier's movement, and the tube itself forms part of the sealing mechanism, allowing the barrier to seal effectively without protruding from the deck surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A flush-mount valve and vent assemblies including the same are described. A flush-mount valve may include a valve mount and a valve barrier which are coupled to the underside of a structure forming part of a liquid-impermeable container. The flush-mount valve is arranged to control the flow of fluid(s) across a fluid passage in the structure and is mounted to the structure so as to remain fully within the interior of the container.