Three-Way Ball Valve Sealing Without TIG Welding Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball valves for air-conditioning and refrigeration sectors face issues such as discards due to uncontrolled TIG welding, overheating during pipe connection, susceptibility to leaks, and damage to sealing elements, especially when used with high-pressure gases like R744, and require complex pipe welding/brazing operations.
Innovation Solution
A three-way ball valve design with a valve body, a three-way ball, and a sleeve sealed by O-rings, allowing fluid diversion without TIG welding, featuring removable external flanges for pipe connection and a double-sealed system to prevent leaks, using brass or stainless steel materials and compatible gaskets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TIG welding is used to seal the body and sleeve, then a seal is achieved, but the sealing berths and O-rings can be damaged by high temperatures causing discards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the TIG welding process and assigns it to dedicated sealing elements (PTFE berths and O-rings) that are positioned between the body and sleeve. This separation allows the sealing function to be performed by materials specifically designed for sealing, while the metallic components can be joined by other means without risking damage to the sealing elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces PTFE sealing berths and elastomeric O-rings as intermediary elements between the body and sleeve. These intermediaries perform the sealing function, protecting the sensitive sealing surfaces from direct exposure to high-temperature welding processes and enabling reliable sealing without temperature-related damage.
2Ease of manufacture
If TIG welding is used to connect pipes to the valve, then connection is achieved, but the valve body can overheat and damage sealing elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the valve structure by introducing removable external flanges that are separate from the main valve body. These flanges can be detached, allowing pipe welding to occur on the flanges themselves rather than directly on the valve body. This segmentation isolates the harmful thermal effects to the flange components, protecting the integrated sealing elements within the valve body.
Solution Approach 2:
The external flanges act as intermediary components between the pipes and the valve body. They provide a welding surface for pipe connection while serving as a thermal barrier, preventing heat from the welding process from transferring to and damaging the sealing elements inside the valve body.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If threaded connections are used instead of welding, then overheating is avoided, but threadings may leak coolant gas if not correctly isolated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or replaceable sealing elements such as O-rings and PTFE berths that are specifically designed to seal the threaded connections. These sealing components are inexpensive and can be easily replaced if worn or damaged, providing reliable leak prevention without requiring complex permanent sealing solutions.
4Ease of operation
If flanged connections with removable external flanges are used, then pipe welding is simplified and replacement is easier, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the valve into modular segments: the main valve body containing the sealing elements, removable external flanges for pipe connection, and separate sealing components. This segmentation enables the flanges to be detached and reattached, simplifying pipe installation and valve replacement while containing the complexity increase to discrete, standardized components rather than integrated complex mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A ball valve (100) for use in the air-conditioning and refrigeration sectors, which comprises a valve body (1) with a first and a second way arranged mutually opposite and a third way arranged according to an axis perpendicular to the axis of the first and second way, the valve body (1) being provided with an accommodation seat (2) for a ball (3), a stem (5) being connected to the ball (3), through the valve body (1), for actuating the ball, a sleeve (7) being coupled at one end of the valve body (1), with the interposition of O-rings (10, 11) arranged in seats that are completely closed when the sleeve (7) is coupled to the valve body (1), the stem (5) being adapted to allow, when it is arranged in a first position, a passage of fluid from the third way to the first way and, when arranged in a second position, rotated 90 degrees with respect to the first position, to allow a passage of fluid from the third way to the second way.