Fluid handling – With leakage or drip collecting
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-15
2004-04-27
Walton, George L. (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With leakage or drip collecting
C137S334000, C137S486000, C137S487500, C251S063500, C251S214000, C251S129080, C277S928000, C277S930000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06725876
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to valves, and more particularly relates to hydraulically actuated control valves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Process control valves are used in many industrial settings for a variety of applications. One application is the control of gas fuel flow to the combustion system of an industrial (or utility) gas turbine wherein the valves used typically require highly linear critical gas flow versus stroke relationship. Typical embodiments of the process control valves used for gas fuel flow control consist of bonnet style valves with a protruding shaft connected to an industrial hydraulic actuator.
Typical designs use industrial standard hardware with a self-contained process valve coupled to a hydraulic cylinder. These designs have two problems. The first problem is that the designs have long lengths of unsupported control surfaces and are massive in terms of size and weight. As a result, the design is susceptible to vibration induced failures. The second problem is that feedback devices, which are used for position control of the valve position, are coupled outside the centerline of the valve/actuator assembly at the end opposite the valve. The long lengths in combination with the temperature differentials from the end to end of the actuator assembly and the off centerline location of the feedback devices leads to degradation of the accuracy of the feedback over all operating conditions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a compact fuel control valve where a hydraulic manifold is used as both a valve bonnet and an actuator seat for the valve actuator. This reduces the number of parts required to maintain functionality while providing adequate structural support of the fuel control valve. The valve body has a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet and a valve metering plug opening. A metering plug guide is mounted within the valve metering plug opening and is attached to the hydraulic manifold, and it forms a thermal barrier between the valve body and the hydraulic manifold to protect lower temperature components from high temperature gaseous fluids. The metering plug guide has an aperture that accepts a valve metering plug that is directly coupled to the actuator piston. The coupling is made within the hydraulic fluid, which provides hydraulic damping of vibrations induced into the coupling.
The hydraulic manifold maintains barriers between the hydraulics and the gaseous fuel. Dual redundant hydraulic seals are between the actuation area and a hydraulic seal leakage path along the metering plug to reduce leakage of hydraulic fluid from the actuation area during operation. Dual redundant gas seals to reduce fuel leakage from the valve body are placed between the valve body and a gas seal leakage path along the metering plug. The hydraulic seal leakage path within the hydraulic manifold is routed into a hydraulic drain connection and the gas seal leakage path is routed to a vent system. An intermediate vent within the hydraulic manifold that is routed to atmosphere further maintains physical separation of the gas and hydraulic system.
These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.
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Declaration of Jeff Stewart—4 pages.
Stewart Affidavit—1 page.
Information Disclosure Statement pursuant to 37 CFR § 1.56—3 pages.
Bowman Gary M.
Burdick Wade A.
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
Walton George L.
Woodward Governor Company
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