Telescopic Piston High-Pressure Valve for Compact Leak-Safe Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing high-pressure gas valves are bulky and inefficient, requiring increased height with larger outlet diameters, leading to weight and cost issues, and often suffer from leakage.

Innovation Solution

A compact valve design utilizing a telescopic extension sliding piston with a sealing element, where differential pressure opens the valve by pulling the piston away from the seat, reducing height and weight, and incorporating a resilient member and pilot device for reliable operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the outlet diameter is increased, then the flow capacity is improved, but the valve height increases making it bulky

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflow capacityVSAvoidvalve height
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The telescopic extension is nested within the valve body structure, allowing the piston to extend into the outlet passage when retracted, and withdraw when activated. This nesting arrangement enables the valve to maintain a compact height while providing sufficient flow capacity through the extended piston surface area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The piston is designed with a telescopic extension that can dynamically change its position between retracted and extended states. When retracted, the valve maintains compact height; when extended, the piston provides sufficient flow capacity. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between fixed height constraints and variable flow requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Weight of stationary object

If the valve height is reduced for compactness, then the weight and cost are reduced, but the reliability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve weightVSAvoidvalve reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The telescopic extension nests within the valve body, reducing the overall valve height and consequently the weight. The nested design maintains structural integrity through proper positioning and guiding mechanisms, ensuring reliable operation despite the compact dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

A sealing element acts as an intermediary between the piston and the telescopic extension, ensuring reliable sealing in the compact design. This intermediary component prevents leakage while maintaining the reduced height and weight, thus preserving reliability in the compact configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Length of stationary object

If a telescopic extension is added to guide the piston, then the compactness is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve heightVSAvoidvalve structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The telescopic extension is integrated into the existing valve structure, nesting within the valve body and outlet passage. This integration minimizes the addition of separate components, reducing the increase in device complexity while achieving the compactness goal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The telescopic extension is merged with the piston structure, forming a unified moving assembly. The extension serves dual purposes: guiding the piston movement and providing the sealing surface. This merging reduces the number of separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If the piston is equipped with a telescopic extension, then the sealing performance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

A sealing element is introduced as an intermediary component between the piston and telescopic extension. This separate sealing element can be manufactured independently using standard sealing techniques, then assembled into the telescopic structure. This approach improves sealing performance while managing manufacturing complexity through modular assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing surfaces of the piston and telescopic extension are designed with homogeneous material properties and surface characteristics, allowing for simplified manufacturing processes. Using similar materials and surface finishes for both sealing surfaces reduces the variety of manufacturing operations required, thereby easing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #33Homogeneity

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 achieves a compact, lightweight, and cost-effective valve that maintains reliability and prevents leakage, allowing for faster opening and integration into narrower spaces, particularly effective for high-pressure applications like fire extinguishing systems.

Implementation Method 1

a differential pressure on opposite faces of the piston pulls away the piston from the seat in order to open the passage

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDifferential pressure: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

the piston is equipped with a telescopic extension sliding against the passage in order to guide the piston in the passage at least between the open position and the closed position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSliding friction: Friction

Implementation Method 3

the piston comprises a sealing element at the sliding interface with the telescopic extension

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSealing:

Data Source

PatentEP3408568B1High pressure valve with telescopic piston
Publication Date: 2021.03.03 ROTAREX SA
  • EP3408568B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3408568B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3408568B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention is directed to a valve (2) for pressurized gas or chemical agent. The valve (2) comprises: a body (4) with: an inlet (8), an outlet (10), and a passage (6) which connects the inlet (8) with the outlet (10) and which includes a seat (16). The valve (2) further comprises a sliding piston (18) able to engage with the seat (16) in order to close the passage (6) and a telescopic extension (30) sliding against the passage in order to guide the piston (18) in the passage (6) at least between the open position and the closed position. The pressure difference between opposite faces of the piston pulls away the piston (18) and the telescopic extension (30) from the seat (16) in order to open the passage, the passage (6) remaining closed under pressure equilibrium. The invention is also directed to a fire extinguishing system.