Fluid handling – Processes – Involving pressure control
Patent
1995-03-14
1997-06-24
Chambers, A. Michael
Fluid handling
Processes
Involving pressure control
137810, 137813, 251294, 251300, F17D 118, F15C 116
Patent
active
056409885
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to vortex valves and is more particularly concerned with a vortex valve including a means by which the inlet to the valve may be by-passed.
GB-A-22210995 (and equivalent documents US-A-4889166 and EP-A-0312271) describes a vortex-valve comprising a housing defining a vortex chamber, the housing having an inlet through which liquid may enter the vortex chamber in a manner to promote swirl within the vortex chamber and an outlet at one axial end of the vortex chamber, a wall of the housing being provided with an opening normally closed by a closure, wherein said closure is operable between the closed position and an open position, in which open position liquid may enter the vortex chamber by-passing said inlet, by means remote from the vortex-valve. The closure is held in the normally closed position by a spring which tends to urge the closure against a stop; the spring therefore ensures that once a blockage has been cleared, the closure returns to its normally closed position. When installed incorrectly, the spring of this prior art arrangement may occassionally collect rags making opening of the by-pass door more difficult; the present invention seeks to overcome this problem.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a vortex valve comprising a housing defining a vortex chamber, the housing having an inlet through which liquid may enter the vortex chamber in a manner to promote swirl within the vortex chamber and an outlet at one axial end of the vortex chamber, a wall of the housing being provided with an opening normally closed by a closure, wherein said closure is operable between the closed position and an open position, in which open position liquid may enter the vortex chamber by-passing said inlet, by means remote from the vortex-valve, characterized in that the said vortex valve is free from spring means capable of urging the closure from the open position to the closed position.
The vortex valve may be provided at the outlet of a gully and, according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a gully having an outlet which communicates with the interior of the gully through a vortex valve, said vortex valve comprising a housing defining a vortex chamber, the vortex chamber communicating with the gully through an inlet through which liquid may enter the vortex chamber in a manner to promote swirl within the vortex chamber, an outlet being provided at one axial end of the vortex chamber and a wall of the housing being provided with an opening normally closed by a closure, wherein said closure is operable between the closed position and an open position, in which open position liquid may enter the vortex chamber from the gully by-passing the liquid inlet, by means remote from the vortex-valve, characterized in that the said vortex valve is free from spring means capable of urging the closure from the open position to the closed position.
When a blockage occurs at the inlet of the vortex valve, and water builds up in the gully in which the vortex valve is situated, the closure is moved by the said means remote from the vortex valve (either manually or automatically) to the open position, permitting the flooded gully to empty, the liquid in the gully by-passing the inlet. Once the gully is empty, the vortex valve is readily accessible and the inlet easily cleaned. Moreover, the operator cleaning the blockage can manually close the closure before leaving the gully.
The vortex valve is preferably free from any mechanical means capable of urging the closure from the open position to the closed position without direct manual intervention.
Preferably, the closure is able to pivot about an axis to move between the closed and open positions. In one embodiment, the wall of the vortex valve provided with the opening has a shaft means projecting outwardly which is secured to the closure in a manner such that the closure can rotate about the shaft. In this embodiment, the closure may be provided with an aperture through which the said shaft p
REFERENCES:
patent: 3612093 (1971-10-01), Gramse
patent: 4889166 (1989-12-01), Lakatos
Chambers A. Michael
Hydro International plc
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