Temperature Controlled Purge Valve Seal Stack Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water systems, such as water wells and water softeners, face challenges in preventing freeze-up due to exposure to cold temperatures, as traditional methods like electrical heat tape or insulation are not actively engaging and often wasteful, and there is a need for a non-electrical, active solution to purge chilled water and replace it with warmer water.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-responsive purge valve system that uses a working fluid with a freezing point above 32°F, which contracts and opens to bypass pressurized water from a high side to a low side, preventing freeze-up by allowing warmer water to flow through the system, thereby maintaining fluid flow and preventing ice formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical heat tape or insulation is used for freeze protection, then the system is protected from freezing, but the system becomes passive and wasteful of energy
Solution Approach 1:
The purge valve system uses the pressurized water from the well system itself to purge chilled water and replace it with warmer water, making the system self-sufficient for freeze protection without external power sources or continuous energy input
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the water in the pipes by purging cold water and replacing it with warmer water from the well, actively maintaining temperature above freezing through parameter manipulation rather than passive insulation
2Reliability
If a temperature-controlled purge valve is implemented, then active freeze protection is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The purge valve utilizes the phase transition of the working fluid from liquid to solid at the freezing point to trigger valve opening, converting the harmful freezing temperature into a useful activation mechanism that simplifies control while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex electrical temperature sensing and control mechanisms with a simple mechanical purge valve actuated by the physical freezing of the working fluid, eliminating the need for thermostats, sensors, or electronic controls
3Ease of operation
If the working fluid freezes to open the valve, then the valve opens to prevent freezing, but the sealing reliability between the piston and chamber must be maintained under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The seal stack uses composite construction with multiple elastomeric O-rings of different durometers (50 and 70 Shore A) combined with a slotted washer, creating a multi-material sealing system that maintains integrity under high pressure while allowing piston movement
Solution Approach 2:
The seal stack is segmented into multiple discrete sealing elements (primary O-ring, secondary O-ring, slotted washer) that work together to provide redundant sealing, with each component contributing to the overall seal integrity under pressure
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 system effectively prevents freeze-up in water systems by actively introducing warmer water, reducing the risk of damage from freezing temperatures and minimizing water wastage, while maintaining system functionality even in severe weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
there is a purge valve with a working fluid which may undergo a phase change, the working fluid typically having a freezing point above 32° F.
Implementation Method 2
The valve opens as the working fluid contracts and freezes
Implementation Method 3
The valve may have an outlet engaged therewith to carry away water received therein when the valve opens responsive to cooling air on an air sensing portion
Implementation Method 4
The seal stack assembly comprises at least one elastomeric element and one hard element, both elements coupled to the piston such that the spring urges the second end of the piston in the direction of the first end
Data Source
AI summary
In a valve having a body with a sealed working fluid chamber, a bore and a valved fluid chamber, the valved fluid chamber having an inlet and outlet and a seat between the inlet and the outlet, a piston for extending through the bore from the working fluid chamber to the valved fluid chamber, a spring for biasing the piston away from the seat and a working fluid for receipt in the working fluid chamber. Applicant provides an improvement comprising a seal stack assembly for entrainment, under compression, upon the piston and in the piston chamber between a working fluid chamber end wall and a first end of the piston, wherein the first end of the piston is located in the working fluid chamber and a second end in the valved fluid chamber.