Modular Valve Assembly With Integrated Bonnet to Prevent Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional valve assemblies with separate bonnets are costly, labor-intensive to manufacture and assemble, and prone to leakage at the bonnet joint, which can create a potential failure mode.
Innovation Solution
A modular valve assembly with a core spool module that integrates a bonnet portion, allowing for customizable flow configurations through the use of end connection modules that can be secured at various rotational orientations, eliminating the need for a separate bonnet and reducing potential failure modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate bonnet is used in conventional valve assemblies, then the valve can be manufactured and assembled with traditional designs, but the manufacturing cost and assembly labor increase, and the risk of leakage at the bonnet joint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the bonnet portion directly into the main valve body as an integral component, eliminating the separate bonnet and bonnet joint. This merging of previously separate components (bonnet and valve body) into a single integrated structure removes the potential failure mode of bonnet joint leakage while reducing the total part count and simplifying manufacturing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional valve assemblies use fixed configurations, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different flow configurations and space requirements is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is divided into modular components: a core spool module with integrated bonnet, end connection modules, and interchangeable flow control elements. This segmentation allows different modules to be assembled in various configurations to meet different flow requirements while keeping each individual module relatively simple to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables dynamic reconfiguration of the valve assembly by allowing end connection modules to be rotated to different angular positions and by permitting interchangeability of flow control elements. This dynamic adaptability allows the same basic valve body to serve multiple flow configuration needs without requiring completely different manufactured components for each application.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular valve assembly can include a core spool module and a plurality of end connection modules. The end connection modules can be configured to be secured to the core spool module at one or more of a core inlet or a core outlet of the core spool module to provide one or more respective, different flow configurations for the modular valve assembly. The core spool module can include a bonnet portion that is integrally formed with the core inlet and the core outlet and a seat ring configured to provide a seal against flow of process fluid through the modular valve assembly.