Test Valve Plug Assembly for Easier Wedge Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gate valves used for pressure testing in pipelines face difficulties in manual removal, especially from larger diameter pipes, due to wedging and high removal forces, which complicates the process and increases the risk of damage to extraction mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A plug assembly with a wedge-shaped plug, retaining ring, and extractor plate design that allows the retaining ring to rotate relative to the plug and extractor plate, enabling easier extraction by utilizing threading engagement to push the plug out of the fitting, reducing the need for complex and extended extraction mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If elongated linkages and screw shafts are used to extract the valve body completely from the fitting, then the valve body can be removed from larger diameter pipes, but the extraction mechanism extends laterally from the pipe fittings a considerable distance which subjects it to risk of damage and exposes it to the elements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential function of valve body removal by using a compact retaining ring with integrated threading engagement, eliminating the need for extended external linkages and screw shafts. The threading engagement on the retaining ring directly provides the mechanical advantage needed for extraction without requiring the valve body to be completely extracted from the fitting, thus reducing lateral extension and exposure to damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the retention and extraction functions into a single retaining ring component that integrates threading engagement directly on its outer surface. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate elongated linkages and screw shafts, reducing the overall lateral extension of the extraction mechanism while maintaining the ability to remove valve bodies from larger diameter pipes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If elongated linkages and screw shafts are used to extract the valve body, then complete removal is achieved, but the cost of materials and labor to form these extended extraction mechanisms is considerable
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential function of valve body removal by using a compact retaining ring with integrated threading engagement, eliminating the need for extended external linkages and screw shafts. The threading engagement on the retaining ring directly provides the mechanical advantage needed for extraction without requiring the valve body to be completely extracted from the fitting, thus reducing lateral extension and exposure to damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the retention and extraction functions into a single retaining ring component that integrates threading engagement directly on its outer surface. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate elongated linkages and screw shafts, reducing the overall lateral extension of the extraction mechanism while maintaining the ability to remove valve bodies from larger diameter pipes.
3Ease of operation
If the retaining ring is removed and the valve body is manually pulled out, then the valve body can be removed from smaller diameter pipes, but some valve bodies wedge so tightly into the receiving walls that it is difficult to manually pull them out
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by incorporating threading engagement on the outer surface of the retaining ring before removal occurs. As the retaining ring is unscrewed from the fitting, the threading engagement progressively builds mechanical advantage, generating increasing extraction force that automatically overcomes the wedging effect between the valve body and fitting walls, eliminating the need for difficult manual pulling.
Solution Approach 2:
The threading engagement on the retaining ring acts as an intermediary mechanism that converts rotational motion into axial extraction force. This intermediary threading interface provides mechanical advantage that amplifies the applied torque into sufficient linear force to overcome the friction and wedging forces between the valve body and fitting walls, enabling easy removal without direct manual pulling.
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
Facilitates safer, faster, and more efficient manual removal of valve bodies from fittings, particularly in larger diameter pipes, by providing a mechanical advantage through threading and wrenching surfaces, reducing the risk of damage and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
Threading engagement between the retaining ring and port allow the retaining ring to push the plug into the fitting in a first rotation direction while rotation in the opposite direction allows the retaining ring to push the extractor plate and the connected plug out of the fitting
Implementation Method 2
a wedge-shaped plug pressed into a wedge-shaped fitting recess by a retaining ring to block flow through the fitting for pressure testing
Data Source
AI summary
A pipeline has a fitting with a wedge-shaped plug pressed into a wedge-shaped fitting recess by a retaining ring to block flow through the fitting for pressure testing. The plug has an extractor plate fastened to the plug through a center of the retaining ring so the retaining ring can rotate relative to the plug and extractor plate. But the extractor plate is a predetermined maximum distance from the plug and is larger than the center opening of the retaining ring to captivate the retaining ring between the plug and extractor plate. That limits the retaining ring motion along the port's axis. Threading engagement between the retaining ring and port allow the retaining ring to push the plug into the fitting in a first rotation direction while rotation in the opposite direction allows the retaining ring to push the extractor plate and the connected plug out of the fitting.