Pressure-Regulating Valve Spool Isolation for Aircraft Generator Coolant

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pressure-regulating valves in aircraft generators are influenced by factors other than coolant pressure, such as temperature and vibration, leading to inconsistent coolant flow pressure, which affects the performance and efficiency of the generator.

Innovation Solution

A pressure-regulating valve assembly with a sleeve body and a spool that includes a deadheaded chamber and a flow-throttling chamber, where the spool isolates these chambers to control fluid pressure, and a sense port that provides a reference pressure input to maintain uniform coolant flow pressure, reducing the impact of entrained air and vibration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional pressure-regulating valves are used, then the valve can regulate coolant flow pressure, but the valve is influenced by temperature, entrained air, and vibration, leading to inconsistent coolant flow pressure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoolant flow pressure consistencyVSAvoidinfluence of temperature, entrained air, and vibration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The valve is divided into separate functional chambers: a deadheaded chamber isolated from fluid flow to house the movable member, and a sense port chamber that senses fluid pressure. This segmentation isolates the movable member from harmful factors like temperature and vibration while maintaining pressure sensing capability through the isolated sense port.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sense port acts as an intermediary element that transmits fluid pressure information to the deadheaded chamber without exposing the movable member to the main fluid flow. This allows pressure regulation while protecting the movable member from direct exposure to harmful factors in the coolant flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If the movable member is positioned within the coolant flow, then the valve can respond to pressure changes, but movement is influenced by factors other than pressure such as temperature and vibration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse speed to pressure changesVSAvoidmovement stability of movable member

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The valve separates the movable member's operating environment from the main coolant flow by creating a deadheaded chamber. The movable member responds to pressure changes transmitted through the isolated sense port while being protected from destabilizing factors like temperature fluctuations and vibration in the main flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sense port serves as an intermediary that transmits pressure change information to the deadheaded chamber, allowing the movable member to respond to pressure changes while being isolated from the destabilizing effects of direct exposure to coolant flow, temperature, and vibration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 solution provides improved damping performance and maintains coolant flow pressure within predetermined limits, enhancing the stability and efficiency of the generator by minimizing the influence of temperature and vibration on the valve operation.

Implementation Method 1

The spool can fluidly isolate the first deadheaded chamber from the second deadheaded chamber, thereby preventing fluid communication therebetween

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid isolation:

Implementation Method 2

The first of the sleeve body interior chambers is a deadheaded chamber in fluid communication with the environment external to the sleeve body through the sense port for controlling pressure of fluid traversing the pressure-regulating valve assembly

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure sensing:

Implementation Method 3

The movable element is generally operable to reduce or increase the coolant flow through the valve in respect to pressure change in coolant provided to the pressure-regulating valve

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure-responsive flow control:

Data Source

PatentUS9863544B2Pressure-regulating valves

Publication Date: 2018.01.09 HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORP

AI summary

A pressure-regulating valve assembly includes a sleeve body and a spool. The sleeve body has an interior surface and a sense port. The spool has an external surface and is slideably received within the sleeve body such that the external spool surface and the sleeve body interior surface define therebetween a plurality of sleeve body chambers. A first of the sleeve body interior chambers is a deadheaded chamber in fluid communication with the environment external to the sleeve body through the sense port for controlling pressure of fluid traversing the pressure-regulating valve assembly.