Rotary Flow Control Valve With Local Gap Reduction for Leak Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow rate control valves experience leakage issues when completely closing valve ports due to gaps between the valve body and opposing members, which are not adequately addressed by conventional designs lacking gap-reducing features.
Innovation Solution
A flow rate control valve with a gap reducing portion that partially reduces the gap between the valve body and its opposing member, combined with a drive mechanism for rotational operation, and a temperature control device utilizing this valve to manage fluid flow rates and mixture ratios effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional valve body design is used without gap reducing portions, then the valve body can rotate freely and operate smoothly, but fluid leakage occurs when the valve port is completely closed due to gaps between the valve body and opposing members
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is designed with different gap characteristics in different regions: a reduced gap (first gap) in the sealing region where the valve port is closed, and a larger gap (second gap) in the non-sealing region. This local differentiation allows the valve to maintain smooth rotational operation while achieving complete sealing when closed.
2Reliability
If the gap between valve body and opposing member is reduced to prevent leakage, then sealing performance improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gap between the valve body and opposing member is segmented into two distinct regions: a first gap in the sealing region that is smaller to prevent leakage, and a second gap in the non-sealing region that is larger. This segmentation allows each region to have optimized gap dimensions independent of each other, reducing overall manufacturing precision requirements.
3Reliability
If the gap between valve body and opposing member is reduced, then fluid leakage is suppressed, but the valve body structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body incorporates a rotating mechanism that dynamically positions the valve port relative to the opposing member. During rotation, the valve port aligns with the opposing member to allow fluid flow, and during closed position, the reduced gap ensures complete sealing. This dynamic operation simplifies the overall structure compared to static sealing mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a flow rate control valve capable of suppressing leakage of a fluid when the flow rate control valve completely closes a valve port as compared to a flow rate control valve that does not include a gap reducing portion being provided so as to partially reduce a gap between a valve body and a member opposed to the valve body, and a temperature control device using the flow rate control valve. The flow rate control valve includes: a valve main body including a valve seat, the valve seat having a columnar space and having one or a plurality of valve ports, which allow a fluid to flow therethrough and each have a rectangular cross section; a valve body being provided in a freely rotatable manner in the valve seat of the valve main body so as to open and close the one or the plurality of valve ports, the valve body having a cylindrical shape and having an opening formed in an outer peripheral surface of the valve body; a gap reducing portion being provided so as to partially reduce a gap between the valve body and a member opposed to the valve body; and drive means for driving the valve body to rotate.