Rupture Disc With Upper Lip Prevents Upside-Down Installation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure relief valve assemblies require complete replacement after rupture, leading to increased costs and potential pressure spikes due to shrapnel issues, and installation errors are common due to the lack of directionality in rupture disc insertion.
Innovation Solution
A pressure relief valve assembly design featuring a rupture disc with a radially protruding lip and a conical chamber that prevents upside-down installation, along with a shrapnel catcher and markings for correct orientation, ensuring proper installation and containing shrapnel, and a re-kittable housing for cost reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rupture disc is used in a pressure relief valve assembly, then pressure relief function is achieved, but the entire assembly must be replaced after rupture, increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure relief valve assembly is divided into separable components: a reusable valve body and a replaceable rupture disc. The rupture disc is designed as a distinct element with a stem that fits into the valve body, allowing only the disc to be replaced after rupture while the expensive valve body remains in service.
Solution Approach 2:
The rupture disc is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after rupture, while the valve body is recovered and reused. This eliminates the need to replace the entire assembly, reducing costs by recovering the reusable valve body structure.
2Reliability
If a rupture disc is used in a pressure relief valve assembly, then pressure relief function is achieved, but shrapnel may not flow out, creating unwanted pressure spikes
Solution Approach 1:
The rupture disc is extracted as a separate replaceable component from the valve body. After rupture, the damaged disc can be removed and replaced without affecting the valve body, allowing shrapnel to be contained in the disc rather than the entire assembly, preventing pressure spikes.
3Ease of manufacture
If a rupture disc with uniform diameter is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but installation errors occur due to lack of directionality
Solution Approach 1:
The rupture disc is designed with asymmetric geometry: a smaller diameter stem portion and a larger diameter disc portion. This asymmetry creates directionality during installation, ensuring the disc can only be inserted in the correct orientation into the valve body, eliminating installation errors while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure relief valve assembly includes a rupture disc that is shaped to only be inserted into a particular rupture disc cavity in the correct way. The rupture disc includes a cylindrical rupture disc stem and a radially protruding upper lip. A relief valve body in the pressure relief assembly includes an internal radial shoulder at the entrance of the rupture disc that is narrower than the protruding upper lip of the rupture disc but that is wider than the rupture disc stem. The shoulder allows only the rupture disc stem to be inserted into the rupture disc cavity, not the protruding upper lip. Optionally, the relief valve body is marked with some indicia to indicating the direction of inserting the rupture disc stem and/or a shrapnel catcher for trapping shrapnel of the rupture disc upon rupturing.