Insert Check Valve With Retention Cage for Low Flow Obstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insert check valves face challenges in sealing, flow properties, response time, weight, cost, and ease of assembly, necessitating improvements in design and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The insert check valve design features a seat body, a movable disc with an integral stem, a disc retention cage, and a compression spring, with retention elements connecting the cage to the seat body, allowing for minimal parts, reduced weight, and low flow obstruction, enhancing assembly ease and flow coefficient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional insert check valve designs are used, then sealing and flow properties are maintained, but weight is excessive and assembly is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is segmented into a seat body and a separate cage assembly. The cage contains the disc, spring, and retention elements as distinct components that can be pre-assembled and then installed as a unit into the seat body, reducing overall assembly complexity and weight
Solution Approach 2:
The movable disc assembly is extracted from the traditional valve body integration and placed within a separate cage structure. This allows the cage to be removed and replaced independently from the seat body, simplifying maintenance and reducing assembly complexity
2Productivity
If conventional insert check valve designs are used, then structural strength is maintained, but flow coefficient is reduced due to higher flow obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The cage structure uses localized reinforcement at critical stress points while maintaining open construction in flow areas. This provides mechanical strength where needed while minimizing flow obstruction, achieving both strength and high flow coefficient requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The cage and disc components feature rounded edges and curved surfaces that reduce turbulence and flow separation. This streamlined geometry minimizes flow obstruction and pressure loss while maintaining structural integrity
3Speed
If conventional insert check valve designs are used, then sealing is achieved, but response time is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is designed with optimized coil density and pre-load to provide progressive force that rapidly accelerates the disc during closure while ensuring gentle, controlled sealing. This dynamic spring design reduces response time while preventing water hammer and maintaining sealing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The disc is pre-positioned closer to the closed position and the spring is pre-compressed to a greater extent than conventional designs. This preliminary action reduces the travel distance and force required for closure, significantly improving response time while the seat geometry ensures reliable sealing
4Ease of manufacture
If minimal parts design is used, then assembly is simplified and weight is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Locating features include built-in tolerance compensation and self-centering geometry that accommodate normal manufacturing variations. This cushioning against precision errors allows easy assembly without requiring ultra-precise manufacturing while still achieving proper alignment and function
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
This design achieves reduced pressure loss, improved flow coefficient, and simplified assembly while maintaining mechanical strength, resulting in a lightweight, efficient, and cost-effective check valve solution.
Implementation Method 1
the movable portion is pressed against the inlet by a spring device to prevent reverse fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
a compression spring; and a plurality of retention elements
Data Source
AI summary
Inlet check valves and methods can include a seat body, a movable disc, a spring, and a disc retention cage. The disc retention cage captures the movable disc to the seat body through retention elements, which engage in a groove circumferentially disposed around a flange of the seat body. The movable disc has a stem on the outlet side, which guides the movement of the disc by engaging with a through-hole in the disc retention cage. A compression spring maintains the movable disc in a normally closed position against the seat body.