Selector Valve Escape Passage for Smooth Refrigerant Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotary four-way selector valves experience pressure differences that hinder smooth flow path switching, leading to operational difficulties and potential malfunctions due to the high-pressure refrigerant causing the valve member to be pressed against the seat, resulting in wear and erroneous failure judgments.
Innovation Solution
A multi-way selector valve design featuring an inverted L-shaped shaft portion with a high-pressure passage and an escape passage portion between the inlet/outlet ports in the valve seat, allowing the high-pressure refrigerant to escape during transitional phases, thereby preventing pressure buildup and ensuring smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-pressure refrigerant is introduced into the valve chest while low-pressure refrigerant flows through the passage portion, then the valve member is pressed strongly against the valve seat portion, but this causes the valve member to not rotate smoothly and makes switching operation heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is divided into a main body and a separate pressing member (annular plate). The pressing member is positioned between the high-pressure refrigerant and the valve seat, isolating the high-pressure refrigerant from direct contact with the valve seat. This segmentation allows the high-pressure refrigerant to press the pressing member against the valve seat for sealing, while the valve member body can rotate smoothly without bearing the full pressing force.
2Reliability
If high-pressure refrigerant is introduced into the valve chest, then sealing is achieved, but the valve member and valve seat portion are prone to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing member (annular plate) serves as an intermediary component between the high-pressure refrigerant and the valve seat. It receives the pressing force from the high-pressure refrigerant and transmits it to the valve seat, preventing direct contact and friction between the valve member and valve seat. This intermediary structure maintains reliable sealing while significantly reducing wear on both the valve member and valve seat, extending their service life.
3Ease of operation
If the outlet side of the high-pressure passage portion is closed during transitional phase, then flow path switching is controlled, but the pressure of high-pressure refrigerant rises sharply causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The escape passage is pre-configured in the valve body to provide a pressure relief path before the valve member completes its rotation. During the transitional phase when the outlet side of the high-pressure passage is closed, the high-pressure refrigerant can escape through this pre-existing passage, preventing sharp pressure rises. This preliminary action ensures controlled flow path switching without causing malfunctions from excessive 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 design effectively suppresses excessive pressure rises during flow path switching, preventing malfunctions and erroneous failure judgments, while enhancing the durability and reliability of the valve by allowing the high-pressure refrigerant to escape, thus ensuring continuous operation.
Implementation Method 1
allowing the high-pressure refrigerant to escape during transitional phases, thereby preventing pressure buildup
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(A)~2(D)
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a multi-way selector valve capable of suppressing any excessive rise in the pressure of a high-pressure refrigerant during a transitional phase of flow path switching and of preventing malfunctioning of a flow path switching operation, while also being capable of preventing situations in which erroneous judgments of anomaly/failure occurrences in the device are made by a fail-safe mechanism to cause the device to stop unduly. A high-pressure passage portion 55 to which a high-pressure fluid is introduced is formed in a valve member 50. A valve seat portion 65 provided with a first inlet/outlet 13 and a second inlet/outlet 14 that are selectively communicated with an outlet-side end portion 55a of the high-pressure passage portion 55, and a valve chest 61 into which a low-pressure fluid is selectively introduced via the first inlet/outlet 13 and the second inlet/outlet 14 are provided in a valve body 60. During the transitional phase of flow path switching, the outlet-side end portion 55a of the high-pressure passage portion 55 of the valve member 50 is made to slide while being pressed against a portion between the first inlet/outlet 13 and the second inlet/outlet 14 in the valve seat portion 65. There is formed between the first inlet/outlet 13 and the second inlet/outlet 14 of the valve seat portion 65 an escape passage portion 69 comprising a groove, notch, through-hole or the like for allowing the high-pressure refrigerant of the high-pressure passage portion 55 to escape to the side of the valve chest 61 during the transitional phase of flow path switching.