Isolation Valve Assembly Vent Sealing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional isolation valve assemblies require complex and expensive angled drilling and are not compact, with fluid flow affecting the sealing mechanism, making them costly and difficult to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly with a direct connection between the fluid passageway and vent, using a needle valve with a stem that extends across the passageway in the closed position, eliminating the need for angled routing and allowing fluid to flow past the stem, reducing manufacturing costs and increasing compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connecting passageway is routed through the valve body and angled around the fluid passageway, then the vent is fluidly connected to the fluid passageway, but the assembly requires complex and expensive angled drilling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the connecting passageway from the valve body and relocates it to the vent assembly. The vent assembly includes a vent body with the connecting passageway formed integrally within it, eliminating the need for complex angled drilling through the valve body. This extraction simplifies manufacturing while maintaining the fluid connection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the isolation valve assembly into distinct functional components: the valve body with fluid passageway, and the vent assembly with connecting passageway. These segments can be manufactured separately using simpler processes and then assembled together, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost.
2Device complexity
If the vent valve stem extends across the fluid passageway in the closed position, then the assembly is more compact and easier to manufacture, but the fluid flow must pass around the stem
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a conventional needle valve design for the vent valve, which is a well-established and reliable component. By extending the stem across the fluid passageway in the closed position, it replicates the simple, proven needle valve geometry, achieving compactness and manufacturing ease while maintaining acceptable fluid flow characteristics when open.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional needle valves are used, then the assembly is cheaper and faster to manufacture, but the sealing mechanism is affected by fluid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention positions the sealing ball at the end of the needle valve stem where it contacts the vent body seating surface. This positioning creates a sealing interface that is relatively isolated from the direct impact of fluid flow through the main passageway, while still allowing the conventional needle valve structure to be used for cost-effective manufacturing.
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 results in a cheaper, faster, and more compact isolation valve assembly that maintains fluid flow and sealing efficiency, suitable for use with conventional needle valves.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing member seals the vent from the flow passageway
Data Source
AI summary
An isolation valve assembly having a valve body (22) provided with an inlet (23) and an outlet (24), fluidly connected by a fluid passageway (25), and an isolation valve (26, 27) that is operable to selectively open or close the fluid passageway. A vent is fluidly connected to the fluid passageway and a vent valve (34) is operable to open and close fluid communication between the fluid passageway and the vent. The vent valve comprises a stem (36) with a sealing member (37) and is operable between an open position, in which the sealing member is disposed such that the fluid passageway and the vent are fluidly connected and a closed position in which the valve stem extends across the fluid passageway and the sealing member seals the vent from the flow passageway.