Pivotable Shuttle Valve for Safety Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shuttle valves in safety valve arrangements suffer from flow or pressure losses due to their design, leading to potential failure in high-pressure scenarios and are complex and expensive to produce, limiting their operational range and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A shuttle valve with a pivotable shut-off body driven by a linear mechanism, where the shut-off body pivots between closed positions without significantly narrowing the flow path, utilizing a manually operated spindle drive for simplicity and reliability, and featuring sealing surfaces that ensure effective sealing across a wide temperature range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the fluid outlets are arranged directly opposite one another on a valve housing with a linearly displaced shut-off body, then the structure is simple, but flow or pressure losses occur that can cause safety valve failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from linear displacement to rotational movement of the shut-off body. The shut-off body rotates about an axis perpendicular to the flow direction, changing the dimension of motion from linear to angular. This rotational mechanism eliminates flow losses while maintaining structural simplicity, as the shut-off body can be actuated by a simple rotary drive without complex linear guidance mechanisms.
2Loss of energy
If a rotatably mounted shut-off body with rotary drive is used, then good flow conditions are achieved, but production becomes very complex and expensive due to necessary sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing requirement from the rotary motion interface by designing the shut-off body to seal against stationary valve seats during rotation. The sealing surfaces are positioned such that they remain relatively simple flat or slightly contoured surfaces that seal during the switching motion, eliminating the need for complex rotary seals or soft-sealing materials. This allows the use of simple metallic sealing surfaces that are easy to manufacture and maintain.
3Reliability
If soft-sealing materials are used for sealing, then sealing is achieved, but the operating conditions are limited in temperature and media resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the sealing surfaces from soft-sealing materials to metallic sealing surfaces. This parameter change enables the valve to operate under extreme temperatures and with aggressive media that would degrade soft-sealing materials. The metallic sealing surfaces maintain their mechanical properties across a wide temperature range and exhibit excellent chemical resistance, thereby expanding the operating condition range while preserving sealing effectiveness through precise surface geometry and contact pressure control.
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 minimizes pressure losses, reduces production complexity and costs, and ensures reliable operation across a broad temperature range, maintaining system availability even in emergency situations without requiring external energy.
Implementation Method 1
a manually operated spindle drive (46) for pivoting the shut-off body (12) into its closed positions
Implementation Method 2
featuring sealing surfaces that ensure effective sealing across a wide temperature range
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A changeover valve for a safety valve assembly is equipped with a valve body (2) which has a fluid inlet (4) and two fluid outlets (6, 8). A movable shut-off element (12) is arranged in the valve body (2) and is movable between two closed positions, in each of which it closes one of the fluid outlets (6, 8). The shut-off element (12) is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis (D). The changeover valve has a linear actuator (46) which is coupled to the shut-off element (12) such that the shut-off element (12) can be pivoted between its closed positions by movement of the linear actuator (46). (Fig. 1)