Gas Control Valve For Electronic Pressure Control On A Gas Boiler

Abstract

A gas control valve (1) has a central module (40), a control module (20) and a sensor module (30). Gas can flows through the central module (40) from a valve inlet (41) to a valve outlet (42). The control module (20) is directly on the central module (40) and controls a flow of the gas through the central module (40). A throttle element (23) is fluidically arranged between the valve inlet (41) and the valve outlet (42). The sensor module (30) is arranged directly on the central module (40) and has at least one sensor (31, 32) in operative connection with the gas flowing through the central module (40) through a gas inlet (44) fluidically arranged between the throttle element (23) and the valve outlet (42). In order to control the pressure, it detects a pressure difference between the gas flowing through the central module (40) and air having a reference pressure.

Claims

1. A gas control valve for electronic pressure control of a gas-air mixture at a gas boiler, wherein the gas control valve comprises a central module, a control module and a sensor module, gas can flow through the central module from a valve inlet to a valve outlet, the control module can be arranged directly on the central module and is designed to control a flow of the gas through the central module with a throttle element fluidically arranged between the valve inlet and the valve outlet, the sensor module can be arranged directly on the central module and has at least one sensor which is in operative connection with the gas flowing through the central module through a gas inlet fluidically arranged between the throttle element and the valve outlet and which, for controlling the pressure, is designed to detect a pressure difference between the gas flowing through the central module and air having a reference pressure.

2. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a mass flow sensor and is designed to detect the pressure difference by measuring a mass flow between the gas inlet and an air inlet of the sensor module which is in operative connection with the air.

3. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a differential pressure sensor and is designed to detect the pressure difference by measuring a differential pressure between the gas flowing through the central module downstream of the control module and the air at an air inlet of the sensor module from which the gas-air mixture is formed.

4. The gas control valve according to claim 2, wherein a dust filter is provided at the air inlet of the sensor module.

5. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the sensor module has two sensors.

6. The gas control valve according to claim 5, wherein the sensor module has control electronics designed to determine an averaged value from the respective values measured by the sensors and/or to compare the values measured by the sensors and/or to check their plausibility.

7. The gas control valve according to claim 6, wherein the control electronics has at least one communication interface and/or a voltage supply unit for supplying voltage to the control electronics and/or the sensors.

8. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the central module and the sensor module have mutually corresponding interfaces and the sensor module can be fixed directly to the central module, and the central module provides mounting interfaces, in particular on multiple sides, and the sensor module can alternatively be fixed to each of the multiple sides.

9. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the central module and the sensor module have mutually corresponding fluid interfaces through which the at least one sensor is in communication with the gas flowing through the central module downstream of the control module, wherein the fluid interfaces can be connected to one another directly and/or via a fluid line.

10. The gas control valve according to claim 9, wherein the fluid interface of the central module is connected to the gas inlet which opens out downstream of the control module into a region of the central module through which gas flows, wherein the gas inlet is in operative connection with the gas and is shielded from the gas flow by a shielding which covers the gas inlet in the direction of flow of the gas.

11. The gas control valve according to claim 10, wherein the central module has a housing which has an opening downstream of the control module, which opening is covered by a cover, wherein a seal is provided between the cover and the housing, and wherein the shielding is formed by the cover and/or the seal or a shielding body.

12. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the sensor module has at least one condensate drain which is designed to collect a condensate forming in the sensor module and, in particular, at the at least one sensor and/or to discharge it from the sensor module.

13. The gas control valve according to claim 1, wherein the gas control valve has a safety module arranged downstream of the valve inlet and upstream of the control module on the central module and is designed to prevent the flow of gas through the central module in a blocking position and to release it in a passage position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Other advantageous developments of the disclosure are illustrated in the dependent claims or are described in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the disclosure with reference to the figures.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a gas-air system of a gas boiler;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a first variant of a gas control valve;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a second variant of a gas control valve;

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a third variant of a gas control valve;

[0037] FIG. 5 shows schematic structure of a gas control valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The figures are diagrammatic examples. Identical reference numerals in the figures indicate identical functional and/or structural features.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows schematically a part or a section of a gas boiler and more precisely the schematic structure of a gas-air system of a gas boiler, wherein a venturi mixer is shown as a mixing device 3 into which air is drawn by a blower 4 through an air inlet L from the environment with an air pressure p0. In the mixing device 3, the incoming air and a fuel (gas) flowing in through the fuel supply G are mixed to form a gas-air mixture.

[0040] The gas flowing in from the fuel supply G flows through a safety module 10 with a safety valve 11, a control module 20 with a valve 21 designed, for example, as a proportional valve, and the main flow restrictor 2. The safety valve 11 preferably has a passage position and a blocking position in which the flow of fuel through the safety valve 11 is blocked, wherein the safety valve 11 can be brought into the respective position by an actuator 12 of the safety module 10 provided for this purpose. Additionally or alternatively, the safety valve 11 can be operated manually or by hand. The valve 21 is designed to control the volume or mass flow of the gas, so that the gas to the mixing device 3 can be adjusted or controlled by the valve 21. By adjusting or regulating the valve 21, the mixing ratio of the gas-air mixture is thus adjustable. For this purpose, the valve 21 is connected to an associated actuator 22, for example a stepper motor, by means of which the flow position of the valve 21 can be changed or adjusted, wherein the actuator 22 is actuated with a manipulated variable by a control device, which is not shown, which can be integrated in the sensor module 30.

[0041] In the sensor module 30, two differential pressure sensors 31, 32 are provided in the specifically illustrated example, each of which is designed to determine the differential pressure between the pressure p2 of the gas upstream of the main flow restrictor 2 and downstream of the valve 21 as well as a reference pressure, the reference pressure preferably being the ambient pressure p0 or a pressure p1 of the air in an air-carrying supply line to the mixing device 3. However, as an alternative, it is also possible to provide only a differential pressure sensor 31, for example.

[0042] The gas-air mixture is conveyed by the blower 4 to a burner of the gas boiler, which is not shown, where the fuel-air mixture is to be burned.

[0043] In particular, the valve 21 of the control module 20 is set by the actuator 22 in such a manner that the sensor module 30 detects a pressure difference of 0 bar.

[0044] In addition to the first sensor 31 and the second sensor 32, the sensor module 30 in the present case also has control electronics 33, by means of which the differential pressures detected by the sensors 31, 32 are compared and checked for plausibility and a common differential pressure for controlling the valve 21 via the actuator 22 is determined.

[0045] In the present case, the safety module 10, the control module 20 and the sensor module 30 are provided on the central module 40 through which gas can flow from its valve inlet 41 to its valve outlet 42, so that these in their entirety form the gas control valve 1.

[0046] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a single gas control valve 1 in which the sensor module 30 is fixed to or connected to the central module 40 in different variants. This results in a high flexibility of the required installation space as well as a simple and fast exchangeability of the modules.

[0047] For this purpose, the central module 40 preferably has mounting interfaces, not shown, on each of its four sides around its longitudinal axis, which correspond to mounting interfaces of the sensor module 30, also not shown.

[0048] In the case of the gas control valve 1 according to FIG. 2, the sensor module 30 is arranged on a first side and, according to FIG. 3, on a second side orthogonal thereto. FIG. 4 further shows that the mutually corresponding fluid interfaces 36, 46 of sensor module 30 and central module 40 can alternatively be connected by a fluid line 37, so that the sensor module 30 according to the variant of FIG. 4 is not arranged directly on the central module 40 but is connected thereto in terms of pressure.

[0049] FIG. 5 shows a portion of the central module 40 and the sensor module 30 in cross-section.

[0050] A flow passes through the central module 40 from the valve inlet 41, not shown in FIG. 5, to the valve outlet 42, wherein the flow rate of the gas through the gas control valve 1 is adjustable or controllable by the throttle element 23 designed as a valve cone and the valve seat 24 of the control module 20. The sensor module 30, which is pressure-connected to the gas via the fluid interfaces 36, 46, is designed in this case for electronic pressure control or for detecting the pressure difference between the gas and the surrounding air. For this purpose, the sensor module 30 has an air inlet 34 at which a dust filter 35 is provided to prevent dirt particles from penetrating into the sensor module 30. Furthermore, a condensate drain 38 is provided at the air inlet 34, by means of which condensate produced at the sensors 31, 32 can be discharged through the air inlet 34 and into the environment.

[0051] A gas inlet 44 of the sensor module 30, which opens out into the region 43 of the central module 40 through which gas flows, is provided at the fluid interface 46 of the central module 40, wherein the gas inlet 44 is covered by a shielding 45 in the direction of flow, i.e. towards the valve outlet 42.

[0052] The housing 47 of the central module 40 has an opening in the region 43 which is closed by a cover 48, wherein the cover 48 integrally forms the shielding 45.

[0053] Alternatively, however, a seal 49 provided between the housing 47 and the cover 48 or a separate component can also form the shielding 45.

[0054] Due to the shielding 45, the inlet is located in a flow-reduced region, so that no or at least lower pressure fluctuations occur at the sensors 31, 32 in the sensor module 30.

[0055] The disclosure is not limited in its embodiment to the preferred exemplary embodiments indicated above. Rather, a number of variants which make use of the presented solution, even in fundamentally different embodiments, is conceivable.

[0056] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.