Closure apparatus for a pressure vessel, pressure vessel and use of the closure apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure vessels with removable closure devices do not meet safety requirements, as the residual pressure safety device can be manipulated to open the vessel at pressures ≥4 kPa, posing a risk to users.
Innovation Solution
A closure device with a cylindrical central body and an outer body that is movably connected, featuring locking arms and recesses, ensuring the pressure vessel remains closed at internal pressures ≥4 kPa by decoupling the cooking signal from the residual pressure safety mechanism, preventing manual opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the residual pressure safety device is directly coupled to the cooking indicator, then the device can be operated quickly, but the pressure vessel can be opened by manipulating the safety device even at pressures ≥4 kPa
Solution Approach 1:
The closure device is divided into functionally independent components: the cooking indicator and the residual pressure safety device are separated so that manipulating one does not affect the other. The safety device includes locking arms with locking hooks that engage with the pressure vessel, creating an independent safety mechanism that cannot be bypassed by pressing the cooking indicator.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking arms act as intermediary elements between the closure device and the pressure vessel. These locking arms with hooks engage with corresponding features on the pressure vessel, creating a mechanical intermediary that prevents direct opening even when the cooking indicator is pressed, thus mediating the safety function independently.
2Reliability
If the locking mechanism is designed to prevent opening at ≥4 kPa, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking arms are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically respond to pressure conditions. The locking arms can engage with the pressure vessel when pressure is present and disengage when pressure is released, providing automatic safety without requiring complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is self-activating based on pressure conditions. The residual pressure itself provides the force to engage the locking arms with the pressure vessel, and the mechanism automatically disengages when pressure is released, without requiring external control or complex actuation systems.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a closure apparatus for a pressure vessel (for a pressure cooker, for example) which provides a greater degree of safety for the user, in particular substantially meeting safety requirements from Annex I of the Directive 2014/68/EU. The closure apparatus has a lock, which prevents opening of the pressure vessel at an interior pressure of > 4 kPa, including in the case of counterpressure exerted on the closure apparatus in the direction of the pressure vessel. The closure apparatus has an outer body for this purpose, which encloses a central body of the closure apparatus and is movably connected thereto. Along a cylinder axis of the outer body, the outer body has a specific distance (x) from the central body and locking arms of the central body are movable by recesses in the outer body at least by the specific distance (x) along the cylinder axis of the outer body.