Shuttle Valve Plunger Segmentation for Subsea Fluid Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shuttle valves for subsea applications face issues with fluid mixing between ports due to design flaws, excessive vacillation under pressure, and lack of easy backflow control, leading to potential breakage and inefficient fluid management.
Innovation Solution
A shuttle valve design featuring a housing with multiple inlet ports and an outlet port, where each inlet port has an associated plunger in a male-female configuration with radial seals, preventing fluid flow between ports under pressure and allowing backflow when de-pressurized, reducing vacillation and fluid flow requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a basic shuttle valve design with a single blocking element is used, then the valve structure is simple, but fluid mixing between ports occurs due to design flaws
Solution Approach 1:
The single blocking element is segmented into multiple independent plungers (first plunger, second plunger, third plunger) each associated with specific inlet ports. This segmentation allows each plunger to independently control fluid flow from its associated port, preventing fluid mixing between ports while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Radial seals are introduced as intermediary elements between the plungers and the valve body, and between mating plunger portions. These seals act as mediators that ensure complete fluid isolation between ports, preventing leakage and mixing while the plungers move to block or open flow paths.
2Stress or pressure
If existing shuttle valves are used under extreme fluid pressures, then the valve can handle high pressure, but the valve experiences excessive vacillation and may result in breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking function is divided among multiple plungers that can operate semi-independently. This segmentation distributes the mechanical stress and reduces the vacillation amplitude of each individual plunger under extreme pressure, preventing breakage while maintaining the ability to handle high fluid pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The plungers are designed to move dynamically in response to pressure differentials, with male and female portions that mate together to stabilize position. This dynamic design allows the valve to adapt to pressure changes while reducing excessive vacillation through the stabilizing effect of the mating portions.
3Productivity
If existing shuttle valves are used, then fluid can flow through the valve, but backflow control is difficult and inlet ports cannot be easily designated as return ports
Solution Approach 1:
The plungers are designed to move freely in response to pressure differentials, allowing automatic adaptation to flow direction requirements. When an inlet port needs to function as a return port, pressure differential causes the associated plunger to move and open the backflow path, enabling easy designation of ports for different functions without complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve uses the fluid pressure itself to control plunger position and enable or disable backflow paths. The system is self-regulating, requiring no external control mechanisms, and automatically allows backflow when pressure conditions dictate, making it easy to designate ports for return flow.
4Productivity
If conventional shuttle valves are used, then fluid transmission occurs, but fluid flow rate requirements are high to block all but one inlet port
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid blocking function is segmented across multiple plungers that can be positioned independently. This allows more precise control of flow paths, enabling effective blocking of unwanted ports with lower fluid flow rates since each plunger manages a specific portion of the total flow control task.
Solution Approach 2:
Each plunger is locally optimized to control flow from its associated inlet port with high efficiency. The radial seals and mating portions create localized high-resistance paths that effectively block flow with minimal fluid quantity, improving overall fluid transmission efficiency.
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 isolates fluid between ports, reduces vacillation, and enables controlled backflow, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of fluid transmission in subsea operations by preventing fluid mixing and allowing designated ports to function as return ports.
Implementation Method 1
when sufficient pressurized fluid is flowing into any one of the plurality of inlet ports, fluid is prevented from flowing into any other of the plurality of inlet ports
Implementation Method 2
one or more of the plurality of plungers includes a male portion and a female portion mated together
Data Source
AI summary
A shuttle valve has a housing with a plurality of inlet ports, an outlet port for fluid flow, and a passageway for fluid to flow from any one of the inlet ports to the outlet port. Each Inlet port has an associated plunger configured one to the other such that when sufficient pressurized fluid is flowing into any one of the inlet ports, fluid is prevented from flowing into any other inlet port. The plungers include male and female mating portions with a radial seal between them. A biasing spring allows one of the plungers to allow backward fluid flow through the associated inlet port when not under pressure.