CA2106551A1

CA2106551A1 - Fast-closing valve

Info

Publication number: CA2106551A1
Application number: CA002106551A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Hanspeter Selb
Original assignee: PAGG PRODUKTIONS AG GISWIL
Current assignee: PAGG PRODUKTIONS AG GISWIL
Priority date: 1992-10-17
Filing date: 1993-09-20
Publication date: 1994-04-18
Also published as: DE4235068A1; ATE152814T1; DE59306384D1; EP0593867B1; EP0593867A1; ES2101909T3; JPH06129565A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A fast-closing valve, especially for lines that are endangered by explosion, having a valve plate that is guided in a housing and is activated pneumatically so that it can be moved transversely to the line. In order to shorten the closing time, the housing itself is designed as a cylinder and the pressure medium is applied directly to pressure the valve plate on one of its front faces.

Description

- 1 21 0~
FAST- CLOSING VALVE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention The invention i9 concerned with a fa~t-closing valve, e~pecially for an explosion-endangered line, with a valve plate that can be shifted transversely to the line to close the line, the valve plate being guided in a housing and activated pneumatically.

Description of BackgrQund Technoloyy Such a valve i8 described in German Offenlegung~schrift 28 51 310 (~uly 12, 1979), but that va1ve i5 not designed to be incorporated into an installation in which a danger of explo~ion is pre~ent.
The valve plate described therein is connected to a .pressure piston via a piston rod. The piston i8 guided in a cylindex, and pressure can be applied to the ~;
piston from both side~. Thus, the piston can be moved pneumatically into the closed position and back again into the open position.

; SUMYaRY QF_THE INV~NTION
; The i~vention 18 directed to~a~fast-closing and reli~ble slide valve which i9 suitable for in~tallations where a danger of explosion exi~t~. The 25~ con~truction o~ the valve~is simple and maintenance-free an~ permits resetting of the slide valve into its open~position after closure ~o that the system can be - 2 - 2~06~

put into operation again without the necesisity of work on the valve. -The elide valve i~ provided with a housing and a pneumatically actuated, slidable valve plate.
The housing functions as a pressure cylinder in which the valve plate i~ expo~ed to a pneumatic control presaure directly on its front face. By omitting an additional pii~ton to a~tuate the valve plate, ~ignificant saving~ in weight are achievad along with a dra~tic reduction in cloi~ure time.
The connecting part~ provided between the piston and the ~lidable ~alve plate in a con~entional valve, which usually require regular maintenance, are el1minated. ~here 3uch connecting parts are used in a conventional valve, force~ of approximately half a ton must be transmitted through ~he small cros~-section of ~uch parts to effect cloi~ure of the valve. With the ~alve of the inve~tion, the control pressure acts directly on the generally rectangular front face of the ~lidable val~e plate, eliminating the need for such co~necting parts.
The valve plate of the invention can be guided tightly in the housing so that flow along the side of the valve plate is prevented.~ As a re~ult, 25 ~ealing~against the transport medium in the line i8 . '~
achie~ed, 80 that the valve is well-3uited for tran~ported media which contain soIids.
The valve hou3ing preferably surrounds the valve plate on the side away from the control pressure .

; 30~ ~and has several alr outlet openings there~to generate a counterpressure cushion which hae~a braking action on .; .

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the shifting or sliding valve plate near it~ clo~ed position to eliminate or reduce any impact between the valve plate and the interior of the housing.
Dynamic control of the counterpressure is S preferably achieved by air outlet openings dispo3ed on the housing wall portion perpendicular to the front face o~ the valve plate along the path of shifting movement. Optionally, stepped cross sections may be provided. As a result, the number of remaining air outlet openi~gs iY reduced, and the total outlet cros~-section can be adapted to provide effective damping of th~ closing movement.
A ~afety distance, or dead space, is preferably provided between the valve plate in its closed position and in~ide of the hou~ing which lies in . . .
the closing direction. This may be achieved by providing a sufficient di~tance between the air outlet openings disposed along the path of the shifting valve plate and the inside of the hou~ing lying in the clo~ing direction. Although the closed position of the valve plate i~ reached very quickly because of its high closing velocity, braking of the valve plate~does not occur until it reaches the dead space, which functions as a pneumatic spring cu~hion. The vaIve plate Yprings ~5 back elastically into the closed position after the pneumatic ~pring cushion prevent~ impact between the valve plate and the inside part of the housing.
In order to prevent~the valve~plate from springing back beyond the closed position after ~; : : : . :
~ ~30 ~braking, an arresting element is provided to catch the : ~ -`" '''""'';;'',','. '',.''''`'',"',''''''''"'''','',''''";'':'''',' ' ''''' 4 2 1 ~ 5 ~
valve plate automatically (for example, by spring force).
Another arresting element, which is preferably an elastically yielding one, ensures that th~ valve plate assumes a defined open position during normal operation. Thi8 arresting element (for example, a ball under spring force) 19 simply pushed to the ~ide when pressure i8 applied to the valve plate in the direction of the closing movement.
Preferably, the valve plate is in the form of a plate having an orifice formed therein, which ;
provides a number of advantages. First of all, a ~tronger counterpressure cushion can be built up, because the ~ide of the valve plate opposite the side to which the control pressure i8 applied forms a closed ,,.
volume with the housing, except for the air outlet openings. As a re~ult, the counterpressure cushion develops immediately. In a valve having a valve plate without an orifice, the counterpressure would not develop until the s~lid valve plate had mo~ed ~ufficiently to completely co~er the transport medium ~-opening. ~ ;
Also, the valve plate may function as a double-acting piston ~ince, after pulling back the 25~ ~arrest1ng pin, the ~alve plate can be pneumatically ~pushed back into the open position. Furthermore, the or1~ice-plate design en~uren~that, in the open ~position, the shifting path of the valve plate is .... .
seale~ against the transport medium.
~ Since no pressure piston or parts for connecting such a piston to the valve plate are u~ed in ~, :
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the present case, which would require that the valve plate have a relatively large thicknes~ for stability reasons, the valve plate of the invention can have an extremely thin wall.
Other objects and advantage~ of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art ~rom a review of the ~ollowing detailed descxiption, taken in con~unction with the dr~wings and the appended claims.

BRI~F DESCRIPTION QF THE DRAWINGS , Fig. 1 i8 a front, partially cross-~ectional view of one embodiment of the fast-closin~ valve of the i~vention in the open position;
Fis. 2 i~ a cross-sectional view of the valve taken along line A-~ of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the valve of Fig. 1 in the closed position; and, Fig. 4 is a cros~-~ectional view of the valv~ -taken along line A-B in Fig. 3.
, I:)ETA;I~El~ D S~RIPTIQN QF A_PREFERRED EME3~DIMENT
A preferred e~bodiment of a fast-closing valve in accordance with the invention is ~hown in Figs.~ 1~to 4. The valve ha~ a housing, generally de~ignated 1, which comprises a front cover plate 2 ; ~ with a connecting element 15 (~hown partially in Figs.
2~5 1 and 3),~a mirror image back cover plate 3 with a connecting piece 16, and a frame 4, which are ~crewed together with the aid of screws la. The connecting ; pieces 15, 16 are coaxial and for connection to-a - 6 - 210~5~.
conduit or pipeline through which a transport medium flows.
The frame 4 has a pair of bores 5, 6, respectively, formed in opposite front faceq of the S housing 1, and which are connected through pre~sure medium connectors 5a, 6a, re~pectively, to a pair of pressure sources ~not shown) for supplying pneumatic control pressures. The source of control pressure for the connector 5a may be a pressurized container with a valve.
In the interior of the housing 1, there i9 a ~~
rectangular valve plate 20, arranged for shifting movement within the housing 1 between an open position in which an orifice 21 in the plate 20 is flush with 15the two connecting pieces 15, 16 (Figs. 1 and 2) and a closed position (Figs. 3 a~d 4) in which the valve plate 20 blocks the connection between the connecting pieces 15, 16.
The width and thicknes~ of the valve plate 20 c~rre~ponds to the interior cross-~ection of the hou~ing 1 so that the ~alve plate 20 is guided in the housing 1 as a piston. ~The open position of the valve plate 20 i~ defined by the position of two arresting element~ 8, each of which comprises a ~et~screw 9, a spring 10, and a ball llj which protrude elastically into the shifti~g path~of the valve plate 20.
To close the valve, a controI pressure provi~ed through the bore S into the hou~lng 1 is applied to the valve plate 20 at a front face 22, which 30 i8~ disposed a sufficient distance ~rom the oppo~ite inner side 24 of the housing 1 for unifonm pre~sure '`. . "

7 210~
distribution. The control pressure i5 sufficient to cause the valve plate 20 to force the arresting element 8 (see Fig~. 1 and 3) upwardly away from the valve plate 20. During this movement, the ori~ice 21 of the valve plate 20 is shifted to the left as seen in Fig. 1 in such a way that the solid part of the valve plate 20 which lies between the orifice 21 and the front face 22 prevents flow of the tran~port medium through the connecting devices 15, 16, and thus through the conduit 10 or pipeline. --The movement of the valve plate 20 cau3es a counterpressure cushion to build up between an inner side 19 of the housing 1 and a face 23 of the valve plate 20 opposite the face 22. The counterpressure cushion i~ formed because the air within the housing 1 can move out of the housing 1 only gradually through the ~pecially disposed air outlet openings 7a and 7b formed in the frame 4. As a result of the cou~terpressure cuchion, a braking action is applied to the shifting valve plate 20 before its face 23 arrives again~t the iDner side 19 of the housing 1. ~nother arresting element 12, which extends into the inside of the frame 4 through a spring 13 behind the valve plate .
20, secures the valve plate 20 in the closed position and prevent~ it from vibrating and springing back in the opposite direction.
To open the valve, the arre~ting element 12 i9~ released by a pull-back unit 14, which is not shown in detail, and a control pressure is applied to the front face 23 of the valve plate 20 through the bore 6.
As a result, the valve plate 20 shifts to the right - 8 - 2106~
until the arre~ting element 8 engages the face 23 of the plate 20 and the orifice 21 becomes flush with the connecting pieces 15 and 16.
Since the valve housing 1 functions as a . .. . .
prei~ure cylinder and the control pressure i~ applied directly to front ~ace 22 of the valve plate 20 without the need for a piston, the valve 20 may be closed significantly faster than wa~ possible previously.
Reliability i~ al80 increa~ed since the highly stres~ed connection between the ~alve plate and the cylinder piston element is omitted.
The foregoing detailed description i9 given for clarity of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be under~tood therefrom, as modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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Claims

1. A fast-closing valve with a valve plate which can be shifted transversely to a transport medium line between open and closed positions to selectively block flow through the line, said valve plate being guided in a housing which functions as a pressure cylinder in which a control pressure applied directly to a front face of the valve plate causes transverses shifting of the valve plate towards the closed position.

2. The valve of claim 1 wherein the housing substantially surrounds the valve plate at a second face of the valve plate opposite the front face to which the control pressure is applied and has a plurality of air outlet openings formed there.

3. The valve of claim 2 wherein air outlet openings are disposed on a portion of the housing which is perpendicular to the front face of the valve plate.

4. The valve of claim 3 wherein the air outlet openings are provided along the shifting path of the valve plate to generate a counter-pressure cushion at said second face of the valve plate toward the end of the closing movement of the valve plate.

5. The valve of claim 2 wherein a safety distance is provided between the valve plate in its closed position and an inner side of the housing opposite said second face of the valve plate to form a dead space.

6. The valve of claim 2 wherein the air outlet openings lie along the shifting path of the valve plate and are provided at a distance from the inner side of the housing opposite said second face of the valve plate.

7. The valve of claim 1 additionally comprising an arresting element for holding the valve plate in the region of the closed position.

8. The valve of claim 1 additionally comprising an arresting element for holding the valve plate in the open position.

9. The valve of claim 8 wherein said arresting element comprises an elastically yielding arresting element.

10. The valve of claim 1 wherein the valve plate has an orifice formed therein.

11. The valve of claim 1 wherein the transport medium line comprises an explosion-endangered line.