Calibrated Gauge Tool for Quiet Pressure Checks on Inert Cylinders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for checking the pressure of pressurized containers in fire protection systems, as required by NFPA standards, involve intentional leaking, which can lead to wear and eventual replacement of sealing members, and are noisy.
Innovation Solution
A gauge tool with a valve body, valve member, and drive member that allows for pressure checking without leaking past the sealing member, using a fill adapter and pressure gauge assembly to measure pressure while minimizing noise and extending the life of sealing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current pressure checking methods are used, then pressure can be checked, but sealing members experience wear and displacement leading to replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge tool serves as an intermediary device between the pressure container and the measurement system. It includes a valve body with a valve member that can be positioned to either block or allow fluid flow, enabling pressure measurement without direct connection that would cause sealing member wear. The tool couples to the container's valve port and provides a controlled interface for pressure checking.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure checking function is segmented into distinct components: the gauge tool with its own valve member separate from the container's sealing member. This segmentation allows the tool's valve member to handle the opening/closing actions during pressure checking, protecting the container's sealing member from wear and displacement.
2Measurement precision
If current pressure checking methods are used, then pressure can be checked, but noise is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge tool acts as a noise-reducing intermediary by providing a controlled valve interface. The valve member can be smoothly positioned to block or allow flow, avoiding the sudden pressure releases and mechanical impacts that generate noise in traditional direct-connection methods.
3Ease of operation
If valve member is moved to facilitate fluid flow, then pressure can be measured, but sealing member stretches and displaces
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge tool's valve member serves as an intermediary that handles all opening and closing operations. This protects the container's sealing member from stretching and displacement by eliminating direct interaction between the measurement process and the container's seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve functionality is segmented into the gauge tool's valve member rather than being integrated into the container's sealing system. This separation ensures that operational movements affect only the tool's valve member, leaving the container's sealing member in its precise manufactured position.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of checking a pressure of an agent cylinder that includes coupling a gauge assembly to an outlet of a gauge tool, the gauge assembly having a pressure gauge and a vent valve movable between an open position and a closed position. The method further includes moving the vent valve towards the closed position; attaching a fill adapter defining an inlet of the gauge tool to a valve port of an agent cylinder; and actuating a drive member of the gauge tool in a first direction to move a valve member of the gauge tool from a first position towards a second position to facilitate a fluid flow between the inlet and the outlet of the gauge tool.