Fluid handling – Plural tanks or compartments with parallel flow – Battery or electrolytic cell replenishment
Patent
1992-02-20
1994-05-10
Walton, George L.
Fluid handling
Plural tanks or compartments with parallel flow
Battery or electrolytic cell replenishment
137429, 141198, 429 64, 429 76, F16K 3124, H01M 236
Patent
active
053099370
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a float valve described in the characterizing clause of claim 1 hereto.
Float valves of this type are used in filling systems for filling containers, e.g. for filling electric traction batteries, with distilled/purified water following charging. Float valves of this type are preferably disposed within a plug which can be inserted into an opening of the container to be filled, e.g. into the filling opening of a traction battery. Disposed within the chamber of the float valve is a valve head with a valve steam which is connected to a float rod extending downwards through the plug into the container and bears at its end a float. As soon as the desired liquid level has been reached when filling the container, the float will be lifted, causing the valve head to close the valve.
Normally, filling systems are designed for filling several containers so that a corresponding number of float valves is used all of which are ganged together to a common liquid source, e.g. an elevated tank or a pressure-operated supply network. As the amount of topping-up liquid varies from container to container, the topping-up times for the individual containers also vary. For this reason float valves are connected to a liquid source for extended periods of time, e.g. overnight in the case of traction batteries. It goes without saying that in such a case it must be ensured that the float valves securely close upon reaching the desired liquid level despite liquid pressure still present. With conventional float valves for filling traction batteries, however, this is often not the case. In particular, if the supply pressure is only low, i.e. when an elevated tank is used as a liquid source and thus the static liquid pressure is equivalent to the difference in level between such tank and the traction batteries, this pressure is not sufficient to ensure secure closure of the valve so that liquid continues, if only slowly, to flow, or drip, through the valve. However, even when the loss of liquid is low, it may cause the liquid in the container to rise above the permissible level or even flow over. This means that the closing pressure for filling system float valves should be as low as possible in order to prevent subsequent dripping even when the liquid pressure is low. The shut-off pressure should be so low that when a plurality of float valves is connected in series, the liquid pressure in the last float valve, which, due to line resistance, will be lower than in the first float valves, should be sufficient to keep the last float valve securely shut.
On the other hand, the float valve should be designed in a manner that permits setting the filling pressure as high as possible in order to fill container as quickly as possible; filling systems for traction batteries, for instance, use pressures up to 4 bar. In spite of this high pressure the float valve is expected to function trouble-free and respond quickly in spite of the strong flow forces to ensure timely shut-off when the desired liquid level has been reached. Here, too, problems arise with conventional float valves for filling traction batteries.
A specific problem in filling traction batteries is sometimes hydrogen explosions. If a hydrogen explosion occurs in one battery when several traction batteries are filled in series, care must be taken to release the hydrogen quickly into the atmosphere. However, sometimes it happens that part of the explosive gases enter the line system interconnecting the individual float valves. This way the the explosive gases may pass over into a battery connected next and ignite the hydrogen gas present there, which may result in severe damage. Apart from this, good ventilation of the float valves and the containers must be ensured in other filling systems to prevent the action of explosive gases on float valves connected next.
Furthermore, conventional float valves are relatively complicated in design so that they cannot be manufactured economically, for instance, by injection moulding. Accordingly, the price of such float va
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