Pressure Relief Valve Cap for Deflecting Hazardous Vent Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure relief valves in high-pressure refrigerant vapor compression systems pose a risk to personnel due to the direct venting of high-pressure refrigerant vapor, which can expose them to hazardous fluid streams during over-pressure conditions.
Innovation Solution
A pressure relief valve with a protective cap featuring a skirt flange that deflects high-pressure fluid streams away from the vent holes, reducing exposure risks by directing the fluid along the exterior of the valve body, and is secured using a compression spring loading set screw for reliable attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pressure relief valves vent high-pressure refrigerant vapor through a single vent hole in an axially directed stream, then the pressure relief valve effectively relieves over-pressure conditions, but personnel in proximity are exposed to hazardous high-pressure fluid streams
Solution Approach 1:
A protective cap with a skirt flange is introduced as an intermediary component between the vent hole and the surrounding environment. The skirt flange intercepts the axially directed high-pressure refrigerant stream and deflects it along the exterior surface of the valve body, preventing direct exposure of personnel to the hazardous fluid while maintaining the pressure relief function
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful axially directed high-pressure stream into a beneficial protective flow pattern. By deflecting the stream along the exterior surface of the valve body, the hazardous direct jet is transformed into a controlled flow that maintains pressure relief effectiveness while eliminating the exposure hazard to personnel
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective cap is added to deflect high-pressure fluid streams, then personnel exposure is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cap is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently manufactured and assembled onto the pressure relief valve. The skirt flange is integrated into the cap structure, creating a segmented solution that adds protective functionality without significantly complicating the overall valve assembly process
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cap serves multiple functions: it acts as a personnel protective shield, a fluid deflection device, and a structural component that can be integrated with various pressure relief valve designs. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing comprehensive protection and versatility across different applications
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 protective cap effectively deflects high-pressure fluid streams, minimizing exposure to personnel and ensuring safer operation in high-pressure systems by securely attaching to the valve body, even under actuation conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a skirt flange for deflecting the streams of high pressure fluid venting from the pressure relief valve away from an outwardly directed path
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure relief valve (20) for use in connection with a high pressure fluid system has a protective cap (22) for limiting the exposure of personnel to high pressure fluid venting from the pressure relief valve. In an embodiment, the protective cap includes a cylindrical cap body (52) mounted to a distal end (28) of the valve body (24) of the pressure relief valve and a skirt flange (54) extending circumferentially about an open end of the cap body for deflecting the streams of high pressure fluid venting from the pressure relief valve away from an outwardly directed path. A circumferential seal body (70) may be disposed between an inner circumferential surface (66) of the cap body and an outer circumferential surface (68) of the distal end of the valve body.