Pressure Release Housing With Controlled Breakaway Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas meter systems are unable to safely manage rapid increases in pressure, as the valve designed to prevent overpressure can be damaged if the pressure continues to rise, potentially leading to gas leaks and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A pressure release housing system comprising a first and second section connected by a connection region with multiple connection elements, a valve capable of withstanding a first pressure, and a warning system that generates a noise when the connection region fails at a second pressure, which is lower than the first pressure, allowing controlled pressure release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the valve is designed to withstand high pressure, then the valve can prevent gas leakage, but the housing may fail at higher pressure causing uncontrolled release
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple sections (first housing section, second housing section, third housing section) connected by connection regions. Each connection region has a specific pressure threshold for failure, creating segmented pressure zones. This allows the system to fail progressively at predetermined lower pressures rather than catastrophically at high pressure, preventing uncontrolled gas release while maintaining valve reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection regions are pre-designed with specific failure pressures that are lower than the valve's withstand pressure. This preliminary design ensures that if pressure exceeds safe levels, the connection regions will fail first at predetermined lower pressures, releasing gas in a controlled manner before the valve is damaged. The warning system also provides preliminary alerting before failure occurs.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the connection region is designed to fail at lower pressure, then controlled pressure release is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple sections with connection regions between them. Each connection region can be independently designed with specific failure characteristics, allowing controlled pressure release without requiring a completely new system design. The segmentation enables modular complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection regions are designed to automatically fail at predetermined pressure thresholds without requiring external control systems. The structure itself provides the pressure release function through its designed weakness points, eliminating the need for complex active control mechanisms while achieving controlled pressure release.
3Reliability
If the warning system is added to detect connection region failure, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The warning system provides feedback when the connection region fails or is about to fail by detecting pressure changes or structural movements. This feedback mechanism allows real-time monitoring of the connection region's integrity and alerts operators to potential failures, improving safety through continuous monitoring without requiring complex predictive analytics.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection region's failure mechanism itself generates the warning signal through physical changes (such as movement, deformation, or separation) that can be detected by simple sensors. The system uses the failure event's own physical manifestations as the detection mechanism, rather than requiring separate monitoring systems for each potential failure mode.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment is a device comprising a first and second section of a housing connected by a connection region that uses a plurality of connection elements, an inlet connected to the first or the second section, an outlet connected to the first or the second section where a gas can exit the housing, and a valve connected to the outlet, the valve capable of withstanding a first pressure in the housing.