EP1631488A1

EP1631488A1 - Security valve

Info

Publication number: EP1631488A1
Application number: EP04736179A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Finn Blichfeldt Kildentoft
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-06-06
Filing date: 2004-06-06
Publication date: 2006-03-08
Also published as: WO2004108518B1; WO2004108518A1; DK200300835A

Abstract

A security valve (fig.1) to prevent water intrusion through a submerged outlet opening from a vessel’s internal sea valve system in case of malfunction or internal leak thereof, comprises a cylindrical housing; a valve seat; and a ball valve member, and is inventively aimed at (retro-)fitting from outside into such opening leading through the vessel’s hull, without substantial exterior protrusion. An inventive security valve further comprises: a thread for mounting a valve guide arrangement (fig.2.5) into the cylindrical housing (fig.2E) for mutual sealing, the security valve (fig.1) upper/proximal section being equipped with a seal functioning as a ball stop (fig.2.2); the valve guide arrangement (fig.2.5) being elongate ball centering guides having ball stops (fig.2.4) at distal ends and defining a longitudinal exit channel for particle passage; and the ball’s (1.3) density being slightly higher than water’s.

Description

Title:

Security valve

Description:

The present invention relates to a separate selfclosing security valve arrangement for marine vessels and is meant for simple retro-fitting from outside into flanged/tubed through passages in the side and bottom walls of the hull below the water line from already existing bale out valves; or to a complete flanged/tube unit with the security valve integrated for e.g. original installations.

The security valve proper consists of a cylinder internally fitted with a ball and a sealing arrangement to automatically seal off and safeguard against further water intrusion when submitted to a sudden inward water pressure due to leaking of the "inner", conventional bale valve installation or of the connections thereof.

Thus, the inventive security valve functions as a new, extra "back up" valve and is therefore not replacing or improving any comparable product; but it adds to all until now known normal bale valve installations a hitherto severely missing security back up, as the security valve momentarily, automatically and continuously closes for further water intrusion related to a leak or fracture in such installations.

A typical bale/sea valve installation normally comprises an opening in the vessel's bottom/hull, whereinto a tube flange is fitted and fastened; inside the boat a manually activated on/off valve (normally open) is mounted to the flange and has tube/hose connections led to e.g a sink's drain, a toilet, cockpit bales, deck drains, etc. Normally the installations are hidden and are difficult to reach, as they are nicely hidden below the levels of the water and of the floor, thus yielding a permanent potential hazard for a hidden leak. Even in smaller yachts 3-5 of such sea valve installations are present including through tubes below the water level. Leaks at such through passages are extremely dangerous - but unfortunally also fairly common. E.g. in Denmark approx. 50 boats yearly experience problems of such type: some boats sink in a harbour with consequent severe damages from the sea water; even worse, some boats suddenly go down while at sea.

A leak can be substantial and can easily be of 100 litres/minute at a real fracture in the installation. Unnoticed leaks of such size render a boat unstable at sea in very few minutes, as the intruding water late is visible inside the boat above the floor level. If - hopefully - the leak is located inside the vessel "after" a manual sea valve and therefore by principle can be blocked by closing that valve, the problem still remains to locate the submerged leak and to indentify the corresponding sea valve from the total of the ship's sea valve installations.

Of course the fear of such leak is ever present and has hitherto been controlled by often laborious checking of the installations and connections for corrosion, loosened couplings, and replacement of worn-out parts on a regular basis. Even with the inventive emergency valve fitted, such checking of course should be maintained!

However, a periodical checking never yields a security of 100 %, as corrosion/cracks in the sea valve material proper (often brass) and defective hose and tube connections can be hard to detect; further a defect might - unnoticed - be imposed the installation during the checking activity proper. By the invention is achieved a simple and reliable safeguard against severe accidents caused by leaking resulting from the sea valve installations, that has been totally absent until now, as such well-known grave situation simply is prevented thanks to the inventive security valve's automatic stop for further water intrusion, so the navigation confidently can- be continued and the damage peacefully can be determined - and possibly even be repaired underways. So, the device comprises a new separate selfclosing security valve for simple retrofitting in already established sea valve installations' flange/tube passages through the hull below the water level. It is forced to closure by the sudden inward water pressure resulting from a leak in the conventional sea valve installation of the ship, so further intrusion of water effectively and continously is hindered.

A further and more detailed explanation of the invention:

The security valve is adapted to the internal diameter for the most common sizes of tube/flange through passages, but can in reality be manufactured to any desired size. The security valve is fitted internally in the outer part of the flange, and is fastened by means of a self-curing sealing between the "cylinder's" outer surface and the inner surface of the tube/flange in the ship's side/bottom hull wall.

The security valve is mounted as an assembled unit or as separate parts; it comprises the following parts:

In its upper end (in direction into the boat) the security valve is equipped with a seal and a light, floating ball with a diameter exceeding the seal's diameter to a degree that the ball can seal precisely with the seal without sticking. For centered guiding of the ball the housing/cylinder of the security valve is fitted with preferably four longitudinal "centering guides" to loosely center the spherical ball in the valve, at the same time allowing particles and impurities in the let out water to pass the ball unhindered along the centering guides to exit from the security valve. The distal parts of the centering guides (direction away from boat) have a small center-directed restriction to hinder the loose ball to leave the cylinder.

The centering guide arrangement and the ball are easily demountable due to a threading, for easy cleaning of the inner parts of the security valve and of the seal, the boat not necessarily requiring docking/landing for this activity. Due to it's density which is slightly higher that that of the water, the ball normally always will be situated at the bottom of the security valve - resting on the stops and being centered by the centering guides, the valve thus normally being open.

In the normal tight and open sea valve installation a neutral situation regarding the waterpressure is prevailing - also in the security valve proper, as the outer sea level levels out inside the boat's sea valve installations and the connected tubing/hosing according to the physical principles for "connected jars".

At a leak developed, the outer sea level immediately will tend to reestablish such equilibrium by forcing water in through the outlet from the leaking sea valve (installation) thus filling the vessel with water. However, an inventive security valve mounted in the through passage for the leaking sea valve will at once block such water intrusion as the instreaming water by itself forces the ball to raise to be tightly pressed against the seal, thereby hindering further water intrusion.

The security valve remains closed, because no equilibrium can be established from outside by replacing the water leaked out of the installation and into the vessel interior through the leak. Thus an inward water pressure continuously is maintained, so the ball all this time is forced against the seal and keeps the security valve closed.

Any water pressure from outside in this way forces the security valve to closing, wherefore it in reality also is well suited to counteract returnstreaming in relation to sea valve installations above sea level when these occasionally might be submerged during severe heeling e.g. of yachts, at heavy seas, or due to other leak or dislocated heavy cargo weight.

US 2002/0069811 describes an invention whose construction has some analogous relations to the present invention: the principle with one or more ball closing and opening for through passage of water, respectively. The present invention however differs from US2002/0069811 in crucially important aspects.

The most important dissimilarities from US2002/0069811 are defined by the present inventive construction of a valve seat for mounting inside the sea valve passage through the skip's hull bottom wall and by a valve guide for demountable fitting up into the valve housing.

One major problem exhibited by US2002/0069811 is the location of the valve housing outside the hull, protruding externally in extension of the sea valve tube exit in the hull 's sidewall.

Little imagination is required to comprehend, which problems can be caused by such part protruding externally from the ship.

The risk is collision damages from such protruding part, and same protruding part also represent a problem during landing of a boat - and when the boat is landed, too.

Despite some practical functioning of this protruding part the benefit herefrom does not countervail the consequences of the adding to the skip of such protruding physical component.

Such protruding part also directly can have a negative influence on the "safety at sea". The protruding part potentially can affect the control characteristics during sailing. The protruding part might provoke a certain drag on the vessel to the side of mounting - it being to starboard or port side - and result in instability in the control of the boat.

Another important difference from US2002/0069811 is that the overall density of the present inventive ball is higher than the water's density, wherefore the ball normally will be situated at the security valve bottom, centered by the centering guides, and resting on the stop to keep the valve open.

Listing of figures:

Fig. 1 shows an assembly drawing of a security valve:

A: the valve closed - intruding water at leak,

B: the valve open - water is draining out; fig. 2 shows the parts of the security valve:

C: centering guide including ball stop,

D: ball,

E: valve housing/cylinder including seal; and fig. 3 shows a section through sea valves' tubed/flanged through passages in hull and bottom, fitted with the inventive separate self closing security valve device.

List of reference numbers:

1 security valve housing/cylinder

2 seal

3 ball

4 ball stop

5 centering guide

6 thread

7 hose

8 hose clip

9 vessel 's original sea valve

10 side/bottom of ship hull

11 vessel ^'s original tube/flange through passage

The security valve (fig. 1) is manufactured to fit the internal diameter of the most common sizes of tube/flange through passages (fig. 3.11), but can in reality be manufactured to any desired size. The security valve (fig. 1) is fitted internally in the outer part of the flange (fig. 3.11) and is fastened by means of a self-curing sealing (fig. 2.2) between the "cylinder's" (fig. 2.1) outer surface and the inner surface of the tube/flange in the ship's side/bottom hull wall (fig. 3.10).

The security valve (fig. 1) is mounted as an assembled unit or as separate parts; it comprises the following parts (fig. 2):

At its upper end (in direction into the boat) the security valve (fig. 1) is equipped with a seal (fig. 2.2) and a light, floating ball (fig. 2.3) with a diameter exceeding the seal's diameter to a degree that the ball can seal precisely with the seal (fig. 1A) without sticking. For centered guiding of the ball (fig. 2.3) the security valve housing/cylinder (fig. 2.1) is fitted with four longitudinal "centering guides" (fig. 2.5) to loosely center the spherical ball (fig. 2.3) in the security valve (fig. 1), at the same time allowing particles and impurities in the let out water to pass the ball unhindered (fig. 1) along the centering guides (fig. 2.5) to exit from the security valve (fig. 1). The distal parts of the centering guides (fig. 2.5) (direction away from boat) have a small center-directed restriction functioning as a ball stop (fig. 2.4) to hinder the loose ball (fig. 1.3) to leave the cylinder.

The centering guide arrangement (fig. 2.5) and the ball (fig. 1.3) are easily demountable due to a threading (fig. 2.6) for easy cleaning of the inner parts of the security valve and of the seal (fig. 2.2), the boat not necessarily requiring docking/landing for this activity.

Due to it's density which is slightly higher that that of the water, the ball (fig. 1.3) normally always will be situated at the bottom of the security valve (fig. 1) resting on the stop (fig. 2.5) and centered by the centering guides (fig. 2.5), the valve thus normally being open (fig. l.B). In the normal tight and open sea valve installation a neutral situation regarding the waterpressure is prevailing - also in the security valve proper (fig. 1), as the outer sea level levels out inside the boat's sea valve installations and the connected tubing/hosing (fig. 2.7) according to the physical principles for "connected jars".

At a leak developed, the outer sea level immediately will tend to reestablish such equilibrium by forcing water in through the outlet from the leaking sea valve (installation) thus filling the vessel with water. However, the security valve (fig. 1) mounted in the through passage for the leaking sea valve will at once block such water intrusion as the instreaming water by itself forces the ball (fig. 2.3) to raise to be tightly pressed against the seal (fig. 2.2), thereby hindering further water intrusion.

The security valve remains closed (fig. l.A), because no equilibrium can be established from outside by replacing the water leaked out of the installation and into the vessel interior through the leak. Thus an inward water pressure continuously is maintained, so the ball (fig. 2.3) all this time is forced against the seal (fig. 2.2) and keeps the security valve closed (fig. l.A). Any water pressure from outside in this way forces the security valve to closing (fig. l.A), wherefore it in reality also is well suited to counteract returnstreaming in relation to sea valve installations above sea level, when these occasionally might be submerged during severe heeling e.g. of yachts, at heavy seas, or due to other leak or dislocated heavy cargo weight.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Security valve comprising a cylindrical housing with a valve seat and a valve member formed as a sperical ball, characterized in:

- a threading functioning for mounting of a valve guide arrangement (fig. 2.5) into the cylindrical housing (fig. 2.E) for mutual sealing therebetween;

- the security valve (fig. 1) upper section (direction into the vessel) being equipped with a seal functioning as a ball stop (fig. 2.2);

- the valve guide arrangement (fig. 2.5) being elongate centering guides: having at their distal ends (direction away from vessel) a relatively small center-oriented protrusion functioning as a ball stop (fig. 2.4), and defining a longitudinal channel out of the valve for passage of particles and impurities; and

- the ball (1.3) having an overall density slightly higher than that of water.

2. Use of a valve as claimed in claim 1, characterized in the security valve (fig. 1) being located in a ship's sea valve 's outlet opening interior below the exterior water level.