Fluid handling – Systems – Multi-way valve unit
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-12
2001-10-09
Rivell, John (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Systems
Multi-way valve unit
C137S311000, C110S211000, C165S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298877
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distributing valve device for a heat accumulation type combustion system wherein exhaust gas containing a smelly substance, such as an organic solvent, is combusted and the organic solvent and other smelly substances are removed from the exhaust gas before the gas is discharged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, exhaust gas to be treated containing smelly substance (hereinafter referred to as merely “exhaust gas”), such as organic solvent etc., which is produced in a coat drying oven or the like, is treated in a heat accumulation type combustion system, and then the so treated gas is discharged outward.
Above mentioned heat accumulation type combustion system is well known through Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
7-305824
(1995) and other relevant Publications. As schematically shown in
FIGS. 7A
to
10
, the heat accumulation type combustion system includes a housing
1
, a distributing valve device
10
, and a feed/discharge device
15
. The distributing valve device
10
consists of a stationary valve
11
and a rotary valve
12
.
Within the housing
1
, as shown in
FIG. 7B
, a plurality of passages
3
(
3
a
1
,
3
a
2
,
3
a
3
,
3
b
,
3
c
1
,
3
c
2
,
3
c
3
,
3
d
) defined by radially extending partition walls
2
provided at predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of the housing
1
are formed. In each passage
3
, known heat accumulators
4
, each comprised of ceramic particles or the like, are arranged and connected to a communicating space provided above the passage
3
. In the communicating space, a combustion device
5
is disposed, which includes, for example, a heater and a burner, which constitute a combustion chamber
6
.
The stationary valve
11
, as shown in
FIG. 8
, is comprised of a plate-form member disposed at a bottom opening of the housing
1
and has openings
16
(
16
a
1
,
16
a
2
,
16
a
3
,
16
b
,
16
c
1
,
16
c
2
,
16
c
3
,
16
d
) corresponding to respective passages
3
a
1
,
3
a
2
,
3
a
3
,
3
b
,
3
c
1
,
3
c
2
,
3
c
3
,
3
d.
The rotary valve
12
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, is comprised of a plate-form member adapted to be rotated by a rotary shaft
12
a
, and has an opening
13
a
opposed to openings
16
of the stationary valve
11
, for example,
16
a
1
,
16
a
2
,
16
a
3
, and an opening
13
c
opposed to openings
16
c
1
,
16
c
2
,
16
c
3
, and a purge gas supply opening
13
b
formed between openings
13
a
and
13
c
and upstream of the opening
13
a
in the direction of rotation of the rotary valve
12
. In addition, a closed portion
13
d
is provided between the openings
13
a
and
13
c
and downstream of the opening
13
a
in the direction of the rotation of the rotary valve
12
, where no opening is provided. For example, the opening
13
a
is used for supplying exhaust gas, and the opening
13
c
is used for discharging treated gas. Boundary portions of the openings
13
a
,
13
b
,
13
c
and of the closed portion
13
d
, and the outer periphery and inner periphery of the rotary valve
12
are fitted with a seal member
14
for preventing leakage of the exhaust gas and the treated gas from the clearance between the stationary valve
11
and the rotary valve
12
toward other opening.
According to the above described arrangement, the exhaust gas is supplied from a feeding port of a feed/discharge device
15
into the passages
3
a
1
,
3
a
2
,
3
a
3
through the opening
13
a
of the rotary valve
12
and the openings
16
a
1
,
16
a
2
,
16
a
3
of the stationary valve
11
. The exhaust gas is guided from these passages into the combustion chamber
6
, in which any organic solvent contained in the exhaust gas is combusted by the combustion device
5
such that the exhaust gas is heated to a temperature of 800 to 900° C. Subsequently, the exhaust gas is allowed to flow into the passages
3
c
1
,
3
c
2
,
3
c
3
, and during the process of passing through the passages, the exhaust gas heats up the heat accumulators
4
within the passages and then, the exhaust gas itself becomes treated gas by being cooled. The treated gas is discharged from a discharge vent of the feed/discharge device
15
to a predetermined site through the openings
16
c
1
,
16
c
2
,
16
c
3
of the stationary valve
11
and the opening
13
c
of the rotary valve
12
.
Furthermore, the rotary valve
12
is rotated intermittently or continuously in the direction shown by an arrow in
FIG. 9
, such that supply and discharge of the exhaust gas and the treated gas are carried out by sequentially changing the openings and passages through which the exhaust gas and the treated gas are respectively allowed to pass. In this way, the exhaust gas passes through the heat accumulators
4
which have been already heated by passage of hot treated-gas therethrough, whereby the exhaust gas is preheated and then, it is conducted into the combustion chamber
6
.
In the rotary valve
12
, the purge gas supply opening
13
b
and the closed portion
13
d
are disposed in opposed relation between the exhaust gas supply opening
13
a
and the treated gas discharge opening
13
c
, each opening being partitioned by the seal member
14
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, each sector-shaped opening
16
of the stationary valve
11
has a central angle &thgr;
2
, and a closed portion
17
defined between adjacent openings has a central angle &thgr;
3
. As shown in
FIG. 10
, a sector-shaped closed portion
18
is formed between the purge gas supply opening
13
b
and the exhaust gas supply opening
13
a
of the rotary valve
12
, and also between the purge gas supply opening
13
b
and the treated gas discharge opening
13
c
, the sector-shaped closed portion
18
surrounded by the seal member
14
having a central angle &thgr;
3
and the seal member
14
surrounding the purge gas supply opening
13
b
having a central angle &thgr;
1
. In this case, the relation between respective angles are defined to be &thgr;
2
≧&thgr;
1
and &thgr;
3
≧&thgr;
2
; therefore, at least one of the two sea
14
which partition adjacent openings of the rotary valve
12
from each other is always present in the closed portion
17
of the stationary valve
11
. Therefore, at the openings
16
of the stationary valve
11
, there is no possibility of the exhaust gas going into mixture with the treated gas, or the exhaust gas going into mixture with the purge gas, or the treated gas going into mixture with the purge gas. Furthermore, clean air is supplied from the purge gas supply opening
13
b
by a means not shown and, along with the clean air, residual exhaust gas at previous stage of treatment which remains within the heat accumulators
4
is conducted into the combustion chamber
6
and combusted therein. Therefore, when the treated gas is discharged later by being caused to pass through the heat accumulators
4
, untreated exhaust gas is prevented from being discharged together with the treated gas.
In above described conventional distributing valve device of the heat-accumulation type combustion system, the relation between the opening
16
and the closed portion
17
of the stationary valve
11
is limited to be &thgr;
3
≧&thgr;
2
; therefore, for example, an area of the opening
16
a
of the stationary valve
11
cannot be made to be not less than 50% of an area surrounded by the seal member
14
. Therefore, considerable pressure loss occurs at the time of gas supply or discharge, and this poses a problem that size enlargement is required with respect to the blower etc..
Another problem is that if an attempt is made to meet the relation of &thgr;
3
<&thgr;
2
between the central angle &thgr;
2
of the opening
16
and the central angle &thgr;
3
of the closed portion
17
in the stationary valve
11
so as to make the area of the opening of the stationary valve
11
greater than 50% of above-mentioned area, the central angle &thgr;
2
of the opening
16
of the stationary valve
11
becomes larger than the central angle &thgr;
3
of closed portion
18
of the rotar
Inuki Koji
Yamaguchi Hideo
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Chugai Ro Co. Ltd.
Rivell John
Schoenfeld Meredith H.
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