Spring Loaded Check Valve Buckling Spring Water Hammer Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional resilient hinged check valves experience 'water hammer' due to fluid pressure surges and waves, leading to potential pipe damage and inefficiency in disc movement control.
Innovation Solution
A spring return check valve design featuring a buckling spring with offset eyelets that buckles into a cavity as the disc opens, providing less force during opening and increased force during closing to mitigate acceleration and prevent 'water hammer', along with a flexible disc and spring hinge pins for secure connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a long-stroke resilient hinged check valve design is used, then the valve can accommodate larger pipes and provide adequate sealing, but the disc accelerates over the long stroke and causes water hammer when closing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a spring mechanism that acts as a cushioning element before the disc closes. The spring is pre-compressed and provides a gradual deceleration force as the disc approaches the closed position, preventing the sudden impact that causes water hammer. This beforehand cushioning allows the disc to maintain sealing capability while reducing closing shock.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a resilient disc with asymmetric hinge positioning that creates dynamic movement characteristics. The disc is designed to accelerate during the opening stroke and decelerate during the closing stroke through its resilient properties and hinge geometry, optimizing both sealing performance and water hammer prevention during different phases of operation.
2Reliability
If a resilient disc is used to provide sealing force, then the valve can seal effectively, but the disc slams shut when flow reverses causing pressure surges
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is positioned to engage the disc before it reaches the closed position during reverse flow. This beforehand cushioning gradually reduces the disc's kinetic energy as it approaches closure, preventing the sudden slam that generates pressure surges while maintaining adequate sealing force through the spring's continuous pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the mechanical parameters of the disc system by introducing a spring with specific stiffness and pre-compression characteristics. This changes the force-displacement relationship of the disc, allowing it to maintain sealing effectiveness while reducing the impact force during closing through controlled parameter adjustment.
3Productivity
If the disc has a long stroke to open and close fully, then the valve provides adequate flow capacity, but the disc picks up force and accelerates causing damage to pipes
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient disc with optimized hinge positioning creates dynamic acceleration and deceleration characteristics throughout the stroke. The disc accelerates during the opening phase to maintain flow capacity, then decelerates in the closing phase through spring cushioning, reducing impact forces on pipes while preserving adequate flow capacity through the full stroke.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism provides beforehand cushioning during the closing portion of the stroke, reducing the disc's velocity before it reaches the closed position. This allows the disc to maintain a long stroke for adequate flow capacity while preventing pipe damage through reduced closing impact forces.
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 reduces the likelihood of 'water hammer' by controlling disc movement, minimizing pipe damage and extending valve lifespan by absorbing fluid flow reversals without slamming, thus preventing pressure surges and waves.
Implementation Method 1
a spring connected between a surface of the disc and the cover
Implementation Method 2
A spring return check valve design featuring a buckling spring with offset eyelets that buckles into a cavity as the disc opens
Data Source
AI summary
A spring return check valve that has a body forming a fluid flow path therethrough, a cover that closes an opening in the body and including a cavity therein facing the fluid flow path, a disc that rotates from a first position closing the fluid flow path and a second position fully opening the fluid flow path and a spring connected between the cover and the disc and including extensions integrally extending from each end of the spring to cause the spring to buckle into the cavity when the disc rotates to the second position.