Apparatus, systems and methods for managing fluids comprising a poppet valve having multiple springs

Abstract

Apparatuses of the present invention create a backward pressure in fluid traversing a pipe, wherein the backward pressure within the pipe provides compression to the fluid effectively compressing entrapped gas bubbles within the fluid, allowing more accurate water meter measurements. The apparatus comprises a poppet valve having multiple springs to minimize or eliminate spring-binding caused by off-center hydraulic force during use.

Claims

1. A poppet valve apparatus comprising: a housing comprising a first end and a second end; a base disposed proximal to the first end of the housing and having at least one aperture therein; a valve seat proximal to the second end of the housing; valve head configured to seat on a valve seat; a plurality of rods extending from the valve seat to the base, each of the plurality of rods comprising a first spring element and a second spring element, a plurality of tabs extending from a periphery of the valve head, each of the tabs having an aperture wherein a respective rod slides therethrough, the first spring element of each rod disposed on a first side of a respective tab and the second spring element disposed on a second side of the respective tab.

2. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second springs of each of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to open at the seat when acted upon by a fluid pressure sufficient to allow fluid to flow therethrough and to close upon the release of the fluid pressure, and further wherein the first and second springs of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to repeatedly open and close on the valve seat in an oscillating manner when fluid flows therethrough.

3. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 2 wherein the fluid pressure is water pressure and the fluid is water.

4. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the valve head is spherical.

5. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tabs are distributed evenly around the periphery of the valve head.

6. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the aperture within the base is conical.

7. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a first connector on the first end of the housing configured to connect the first end of the housing to a first pipe; and a second connector on the second end of the housing configured to connect the second end of the housing to a second pipe.

8. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first connector and the second connector are compression fittings.

9. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of rods each comprises a rod segment that passes within the respective first spring and the respective second spring.

10. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second spring of each of the plurality of rods is integrally formed with the respective rod.

11. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first spring and the second spring of each of the plurality of rods have different spring constants.

12. The poppet valve apparatus of claim 1 the plurality of rods comprises three rods and the plurality of tabs comprises three tabs, wherein each of the plurality of rods comprises a rod segment that passes through each respective aperture of the plurality of tabs.

13. A system of managing fluid through pipes comprising: the poppet valve apparatus of claim 1; a first pipe, wherein the first end of the housing is connected to the first pipe; and a second pipe, wherein the second end of the housing is connected to the second pipe.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising fluid flowing through the first pipe, the housing, and the second pipe.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the fluid is water.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the first end of the housing is connected to the first pipe with a first compression fitting and the second end of the housing is connected to a second pipe with a second compression fitting.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the first and second springs of each of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to open at the valve seat when acted upon by a fluid pressure sufficient to allow the fluid to flow therethrough and to close upon the release of the fluid pressure, and further wherein the first and second springs of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to repeatedly open and close on the valve seat in an oscillating manner when the fluid flows therethrough.

18. A method of managing fluid through pipes comprising the steps of: providing the poppet valve apparatus of claim 1; connecting the first end of the housing to a first pipe; and connecting the second end of the housing to a second pipe.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of: providing fluid flowing through the first pipe, the housing, and the second pipe.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first and second springs of each of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to open at the valve seat when acted upon by a fluid pressure sufficient to allow the fluid to flow therethrough and to close upon the release of the fluid pressure, and further wherein the first and second springs of the plurality of rods are configured to cause the valve head to repeatedly open and close on the valve seat in an oscillating manner when the fluid flows therethrough.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a representative of an apparatus of the present invention in-line within a pipe in position to affect the measured volume of water flowing through a water meter in an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus for managing the flow of fluids in a pipe in an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for managing fluids in a pipe in an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of an apparatus for managing fluids in a pipe in an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) The present invention relates to apparatuses for managing the flow of fluids, such as, for example, water, through pipes. Specifically and without being bound by theory, the apparatuses of the present invention create a backward pressure in fluid traversing a pipe, wherein the backward pressure within the pipe provides compression to the fluid effectively compressing entrapped gas bubbles within the fluid, allowing more accurate water meter measurements. The apparatus comprises a poppet valve having multiple springs to minimize or eliminate spring-binding caused by off-center hydraulic force during use.

(7) Referring now to the figures, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, FIG. 1 illustrates a representation of an apparatus 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 10 may be disposed in-line with a pipe, represented by pipe sections 12a, 12b, 12c that may provide a flow of a fluid therethrough. The fluid may flow, generally, from left to right in FIG. 1, as represented by the arrow 16. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid may be water, and the pipe sections 12a, 12b, 12c may be parts of a water distribution pipe allowing the flow of fresh and clean water into a home or another building, as apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For purposes of the present invention, the fluid will be described as water. It should be noted, however, that the apparatus 10 of the present invention may be utilized for impacting the flow of other fluids and should not be limited as described herein.

(8) Also, in-line with the pipe may be a water meter 14 for measuring the volume of water flowing therethrough. Thus, given a certain period of time, a total volume of water may be determined based on the rate of flow of water volume through the water meter 14. The water meter may be any water meter apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the specific type of water meter is unimportant for purposes of the present invention. It is typical for water flowing within pipes, especially from a source, to contain an amount of air bubbles or other gas entrapped within the water. Gas bubbles within the water flowing through the water meter 14 may cause a falsely higher measurement of water volume flowing therethrough, leading to an inaccurate report. An inaccurate report of the volume of water flowing through the water meter 14 may cause an artificially increased cost of water consumption.

(9) While not being bound by theory, water flowing through the pipe of the present invention may be compressed by having an amount of backward pressure induced on the fluid by the apparatus 10. Specifically, the valve contained within the apparatus 10, as shown in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 2-4, may induce a back pressure on the water upstream from the apparatus 10, thereby compressing the air bubbles in the water upstream from the apparatus 10. The compression of the water compresses the air bubbles within the water to take up a small volume of space in the vicinity immediately upstream from the apparatus 10. Specifically, the compression of the air bubbles may be maintained for approximately five to ten feet upstream from the apparatus 10. Thus, positioning the apparatus downstream but within proximity of the water meter 14 may allow the water meter to measure a truer and more accurate volume of water flowing within the pipe. Thus, it is preferred that the apparatus 10 of the present invention be positioned within three to ten feet downstream of the water meter 14, more preferably four feet to seven feet downstream of the water meter 14, although the present invention should not be limited as described herein.

(10) In operation, a poppet (detailed below) within apparatus 10 oscillates as pressure builds within the pipe 12b, caused by the apparatus 10 pushing back against the flow of water therethrough. The oscillation of the poppet causes the compression of gas within the fluid upstream of the apparatus 10, causing a truer reading of the fluid flow through the water mater 14.

(11) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of apparatus 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. Apparatus 10 comprises a first end 12 having a first compression fitting 14 and a second end 16 having a second compression fitting 18 thereon. The first and second compression fittings 14, 18 allow the apparatus to be connected in-line with water-distribution pipes as part of a water distribution system, as described above with reference to FIG. 1. The compression fittings allow easy connection to other pipes; however, it should be noted that other connection mechanisms are contemplated by the present invention, and the present invention should not be limited as described herein. Specifically, first and second ends 12, 16 may have flanges that may bolt to mating flanges on pipes, or may include threads for engaging mating threads on other pipes, for example.

(12) The first and second compression fittings 24, 28 may comprise first and second compression caps 13, 15, respectively and first and second rubber olives 17, 19, respectively, to compress and seal when disposed on respective pipe ends, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

(13) The apparatus may comprise a housing 20 that may be tubular in shape and may be sized to allow a flow of water therethrough. Within the housing 20 may be a valve seat 22 on the second end 16 of the apparatus 10 having an aperture 24 therethrough that allows water to flow therethrough, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The shape of the aperture 24 may have a first surface section 26 that restricts the flow of water therethrough, and a second surface section 28 that expands the flow of water therethrough, thereby creating a Venturi effect on the water flowing therethrough that may decrease turbulence of water.

(14) Extending from the valve seat may be a plurality of rods 30a, 30b, 30c that extend from a periphery of the valve seat 22 to a base 40 at or near the first end 12 of the apparatus 10. Each rod may have a first spring element 42 and a second spring element 44. Between the first spring element 42 and the second spring element 44 may be a flange 46a (as illustrated in FIG. 2) extending from a valve head 50 that may be positioned between the plurality of rods 30a, 30b, 30c. The valve head 50 may have a plurality of flanges, 46a, 46b, 46c connected to rods 30a, 30b, 30c, respectively, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Although the present invention shows and describes three rods, it should be noted that any number of rods may be incorporated therein, from two to more than three, so as to disperse the hydraulic energy impacting the valve head 50, and the present invention should not be limited as described herein.

(15) The valve head 50 may have a valve surface 52 that may engage the second surface section 28 of the valve seat 22, thereby sealing the passage of water flowing therethrough when sitting thereon. As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the valve head 50 may be spherical in shape, which may be preferable to allow water to flow therearound when the valve head 50 lifts from the second surface section 28 to allow water to flow therethrough when in use. However, it should be noted that the valve head 50 may have any shape apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the present invention should not be limited as described herein. In addition, the base 40 comprises an aperture 41 therethrough, allowing water to pass when released by the valve head 50, as described herein. The aperture 41 may be angled and form a conical internal surface to restrict the flow of water therethrough as the water exits the apparatus 10 through first end 12.

(16) The first spring element 42 may act to restrict the urging of the valve head 22 against the valve seat 22, whereas the second spring element 44 may urge the valve head 50 against the valve seat 22. Therefore, the particular compression strengths of the first and second spring elements 42, 44 may be selected to precisely ensure that the valve head 50 moves from the valve seat 22 when desired. The first and second spring elements 42, 44 may be separate springs that wrap around the rods 30a, 30b, 30c, or may be integrally formed in the rods 30a, 30b, 30c.

(17) The use of a plurality of spring elements and a plurality of rods to hold the spring elements disperses the energy impacting the valve head, thereby enhancing the working life of the valve compared to traditional poppet valves. Moreover, the use of a plurality of rods and springs stabilizes the movement of the valve head 50 from the valve seat 22, especially when off-center hydraulic force is applied against the valve head 50.

(18) FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the apparatus 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, rods 30a, 30b, 30c may be disposed within apertures 29a, 29b, 29c, respectively, within the periphery of the valve seat 22, and may preferably be threaded therein, but may be held via other methods as well. Likewise, the rocs 30a, 30b, 30c may be held within apertures 33a, 33b, 33c within base 40 via bolts 31a, 31b, 31c, respectively.

(19) It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. Further, references throughout the specification to “the invention” are non-limiting, and it should be noted that claim limitations presented herein are not meant to describe the invention as a whole. Moreover, the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.