Fluid handling – Systems – With flow control means for branched passages
Patent
1995-12-18
1998-01-13
Michalsky, Gerald A.
Fluid handling
Systems
With flow control means for branched passages
137606, 251331, F16K 1122, F16K 716
Patent
active
057068593
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a diaphragm valve for controlling a flow of gaseous or liquid fluid and including a valve housing having a valve chamber, into which opens a central channel and on each side thereof a first side channel and a second side channel, respectively, valve seat means arranged in the housing, an elastic diaphragm adapted to be brought into and away from sealing contact with at least one of the valve seat means, and control means for actuating the diaphragm.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In, inter alia, the process industry there is a great need for valves. In many cases, three-way valves are used for controlling flows to various equipment in a process chain. The three-way valves available today are primarily of the seat, plug cock, or ball valve type. These valves, however, have the drawback that they are provided with a stuffing box around the valve spindle transmitting motion from a control device to the valve cone, and that leakage of the fluid to be controlled can gradually occur through such a stuffing box. Further, this type of valves is provided with sealing rings behind which a fluid may settle and be difficult to remove. For many processes, therefore, these valves are not acceptable. In order to avoid these drawbacks, diaphragm valves must be used, but at present diaphragm valves suitable for the process industry are available only as two-way valves. Examples of such two-way diaphragm valves are described in SE-B-7602218-5 and 7906316-0. In order to obtain a function corresponding to, e.g., seat valves, the use of two such two-way diaphragm valves is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,788 describes a multiple outlet diaphragm valve having a constantly open inlet port, wherefrom a flow is led to a normally open outlet port. Upon selection of another outlet port, the normally open port is first closed, whereafter the selected port is opened. This diaphragm valve is complicated in its operation and has many movable parts. It is unsuitable for the process industry because it is difficult to clean, and it can hardly be made self-draining.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a three-way diaphragm valve for the process industry, which permits the mixing of two flows, or the division of one flow to two different outlets. In achieving this object, the diaphragm valve must also comply with extensive sanitary requirements, be simply and reliably operable and have relatively few movable parts. Further, the valve must easily be made self-draining.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described in more detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is a vertical central section through a first embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 2 is a section along line II--II in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is section along line III--III in FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is a vertical central section through a second embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 5 is a section along line V--V in FIG. 4,
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a pressure and lifting block of the second embodiment,
FIG. 7 is a side view of the pressure and lifting block of FIG. 6,
FIG. 8 shows an alternative form of a valve housing,
FIG. 9 is a section through a valve housing along the central channel, and
FIG. 10 is a section through the two side channels perpendicular to the section according to FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The diaphragm valve according to the present invention comprises a valve housing 1 having a valve chamber 2, in this embodiment having an approximately rectangular shape seen in plan view (FIG. 3). Into the valve chamber open, sequentially in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular shape, a first side channel 3, a central channel 4 and a second side channel 5, each having an outer fluid connection or port 6, 7 and 8, respectively. The channels 3 and 5 are substantially symmetrically arranged with respect to the central channel 4. The mouths of the channels 3 and 4, and 4 and 5, respectively, are separated by valve housing wall
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patent: 5027857 (1991-07-01), Champseix
patent: 5172728 (1992-12-01), Tsukazaki
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Michalsky Gerald A.
Robovalve AB
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