Trunnion Valve Sampling Apparatus for Abrasive Liquid Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing samplers for liquid extraction in manufacturing and process applications, particularly those handling abrasive liquids like oil sands, face issues with seal wear, leakage, and high maintenance costs due to misalignment and abrasive materials, and lack effective 'double-block-and-bleed' capability for safe operation.
Innovation Solution
A sampling apparatus with a trunnion valve that encapsulates its core, minimizing seal wear and leakage by reducing interface traversals, incorporating a sample-delivery site within the valve, and featuring a compound actuator for precise plunger movement, along with a bleed valve for safe sample collection and isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If a floating ball valve is used in the sampler, then the sampler can be detached from the vessel for service or repair, but the valve becomes misaligned and causes leakage of vessel pressure, creating unsafe conditions for operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trunnion valve with a fixed valve body that serves as an intermediary structure between the sampler and the vessel. The valve body remains stationary in the vessel while the sampler can be detached, eliminating the misalignment issues that occur with floating valves. The trunnion valve body provides a stable mounting structure for the seals and sampling mechanism, ensuring proper alignment is maintained even when the sampler is removed for maintenance.
2Productivity
If seals traverse entry and exit interfaces multiple times during frequent sampling, then sampling frequency can be increased, but seal wear increases rapidly due to abrasive material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the moving sampler components and relocates it to the stationary valve body. The seals are mounted on the valve body rather than on the moving plunger or sampler housing, allowing them to remain stationary and avoiding repeated traversal through abrasive interfaces. This extraction of the sealing function from the moving parts eliminates the wear mechanism while maintaining the ability to perform frequent sampling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-positioning the seals on the stationary valve body before sampling operations begin. The seals are installed in fixed locations on the valve body that do not move during sampling, eliminating the need for them to traverse interfaces repeatedly. This preliminary placement of seals in a stable, non-moving position prevents wear from the outset while allowing frequent sampling cycles to proceed.
3Ease of operation
If the sampler housing moves conjointly with the valve between open and closed positions, then the sampler can be coupled to the vessel, but a large unobstructed area is required around the sampler, limiting freedom of location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the valve function into two separate components: a stationary valve body that remains fixed in the vessel, and a movable sampler assembly that can be detached. The valve body handles the coupling function with the vessel while the sampler housing can move independently for sampling operations. This segmentation eliminates the need for the entire sampler housing to move with the valve, reducing the clearance requirements and allowing greater freedom of location for the sampling apparatus.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for withdrawing a liquid sample from a vessel, the apparatus affixed to the vessel and having (a) a plunger forming a sample-receiving space movable from the vessel interior to and beyond a sample-delivery site, and (b) a valve for closing the vessel when the plunger is beyond the sample-delivery site. In the sampling apparatus, the sample-delivery site is incorporated in the valve.