Forward Check Valve With Nested Fixation For Fuel Cell Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell systems lack a forward check valve function, leading to uncontrolled fluid flow when high-pressure fluid is applied, causing potential damage and inefficiency, and existing pressure reducing valves require precise alignment and have manufacturing variations that affect valve seat pressurization reliability.
Innovation Solution
A forward check valve design that eliminates the need for precise alignment, reduces valve body height, and minimizes manufacturing variations by using a valve housing with a diaphragm and valve portion that includes a supporting portion and annular fixation portion with protruding portions, allowing easy fitting and securement, thereby ensuring consistent pressurization and increased reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the supporting portion is fixed to the valve housing at the fixation portion, then the valve body height is increased in correspondence with the thickness of the fixation portion, but this increases the overall valve height and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is nested within the valve housing such that the fixation portion is positioned inside the valve housing rather than extending outward. This nesting arrangement allows the supporting portion to be securely fixed to the valve housing while minimizing the overall valve body height, as the fixation structure does not add to the external dimensions of the valve assembly.
2Ease of operation
If the valve body is supported to enable movement towards and away from the valve seat, then the valve can control fluid flow, but manufacturing variations cause individual differences in valve portions leading to inconsistent pressurization
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the valve body, particularly the thickness and dimensions of the fixation portion, to compensate for manufacturing variations. By optimizing these parameters, the valve maintains consistent pressurization of the valve seat across different manufactured units, ensuring reliable operation despite normal manufacturing tolerances.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise alignment is performed during manufacturing, then the valve body can be properly positioned, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body incorporates self-aligning features such as positioning ribs or tapered surfaces that automatically guide the valve body into the correct position during assembly. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex external alignment tools and procedures, reducing manufacturing process complexity while maintaining high alignment precision.
4Length of stationary object
If the valve body height is reduced, then the overall valve size is minimized, but the fixation portion may not provide sufficient securing strength
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the fixation portion thickness throughout, the invention applies local quality by concentrating the fixation strength at critical locations. The fixation portion is designed with varying thickness or reinforced features only where needed to secure the valve body, allowing the overall valve height to remain minimized while providing sufficient securing strength at the valve seat interface.
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 reliable fluid control with reduced manufacturing complexity and increased yield, as the valve can be easily aligned and replaced, and the reduced valve body height and consistent pressurization enhance the overall performance and reliability of the fuel cell system.
Implementation Method 1
a diaphragm that defines a valve chamber in the valve housing, the diaphragm being displaced by pressure of a fluid in the valve chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A forward check valve and a fuel cell system are provided which include a valve portion including a valve body, a supporting portion, a hole, and a fixation portion. The valve body contacts a valve seat when the valve portion is accommodated in an opening. The supporting portion supports the valve body so that the valve body is movable in directions in which the valve body moves towards and away from the valve seat. The fixation portion contacts an inner peripheral surface defining the opening of a valve housing to fix the supporting portion when the valve portion is accommodated in the opening. The fixation portion includes protruding portions that protrude from a mount surface of the valve housing when the valve portion is accommodated in the opening. By fitting the valve portion to the opening, the valve portion is accommodated in the opening of the valve housing.