Homogenizing Valve Shear-Gap Layout for Low Adjustment Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing homogenizing valves require large adjustment forces due to the operating pressure acting on pressurized surfaces, making it difficult to set the homogenization gap effectively.
Innovation Solution
A homogenizing valve design with a movable valve body and a pressure chamber that utilizes shear gaps on both sides of the pressure chamber, minimizing the net force on the valve body, allowing for easy adjustment of the shear gap with minimal effort using an actuating unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is used for homogenization, then homogenization quality is improved, but adjustment force required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the pressure chamber off-center relative to the valve body, creating unequal pressure distribution on either side of the valve body. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the specific positioning of the shear gap, ensures that the pressure forces do not act symmetrically on the valve body, thereby reducing the net adjustment force required while maintaining effective homogenization at high pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements equipotentiality by designing the pressure chamber and shear gap arrangement such that the pressure forces acting on the valve body are balanced in terms of their directional components. The specific geometric configuration ensures that pressure acts equally in opposite directions along the adjustment axis, creating a force balance that minimizes the net adjustment force required.
2Stability of the object's composition
If pressure chamber is positioned centrally, then structural symmetry is improved, but adjustment force increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately introduces asymmetry by positioning the pressure chamber and shear gap in a non-central location relative to the valve body. This asymmetric configuration breaks the structural symmetry that would otherwise exist, but it does so strategically to create favorable force distribution characteristics that reduce the adjustment force required for shear gap control.
3Manufacturing precision
If shear gap is reduced for better homogenization, then homogenization quality is improved, but adjustment force required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies equipotentiality by configuring the pressure chamber and shear gap such that the pressure forces acting on the valve body are balanced along the adjustment axis. This force balance creates a situation where the valve body can be easily positioned and held at any shear gap width, including very small widths, without requiring excessive adjustment force. The equipotential arrangement ensures that the system remains in equilibrium across different shear gap settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through the elastic assembly (spring) that automatically compensates for pressure forces and maintains the shear gap. The spring provides a restoring force that balances the pressure-induced forces on the valve body, allowing the system to self-regulate the shear gap position without requiring continuous external adjustment force. This self-service mechanism makes it easy to maintain small shear gaps for high-quality homogenization.
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 enables the shear gap to be adjusted with significantly lower forces, facilitating precise control and reducing the effort required for homogenization, while maintaining high-quality homogenization through guided medium flow and expansion.
Implementation Method 1
the medium to be homogenized is passed under high pressure (usually greater than 150 bar) over a shearing edge, behind which the medium expands, thereby effectively breaking down fruit fibers in fruit juice or fat droplets in emulsions such as milk
Implementation Method 2
a shear gap is formed by a knife edge and a conically shaped wall area opposite the knife edge
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A homogenizing valve (1) for a medium to be homogenized under systemic pressure has a valve housing (2) with an inlet channel (21) and an outlet channel (22) for the medium, a valve seat (4) which is arranged in the valve housing (2) and has a receptacle (42) through which a valve body (3) extends movably in the direction of its longitudinal axis (L), a pressure chamber (7) which is connected to the inlet channel (21) and is formed integrally in the receptacle (42) of the valve seat (4) and/or the jacket surface (33) of the valve body (3), and an adjustment unit (5) which is operatively connected to the valve body (3) and with which the axial position of the valve body (3) in the receptacle (42) is adjustable, wherein a flow of medium from the inlet channel (21) to the outlet channel (22) can be regulated by movement of the valve body (3) in the valve seat (4), wherein the valve seat (4) together with the valve body (3) is designed, on both sides of the pressure chamber (7) in the direction of movement of the valve body (3), with a shear gap formed by a blade edge (8a, 8b) and by a wall region shaped conically with respect to the latter and, downstream of the shear gap in the direction of flow, with an expansion chamber (9) connected to the outlet channel (22) . The document also describes a homogenizing valve with a mobile valve seat and a static valve body.