PISTON VALVE-SEALING STRUCTURE AND PISTON VALVE FLUID CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

A three-way valve of a piston valve seal structure includes a valve box, a valve stem, and a valve body. The valve stem is a metallic rod-shaped member that reciprocates up and down in a piston structure. In the valve body, an upper guide washer is provided on the valve stem adjacent to an upper disc ring. An outer diameter of a portion of the upper guide washer is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of a flat portion of a first valve seat. A lower guide washer is provided on the valve stem adjacent to a lower disc ring. An outer diameter of a portion of the lower guide washer is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of a flat portion of the second valve seat.

Claims

1. A piston valve seal structure comprising: a valve box including an inlet and an outlet of a fluid, and a fluid flow path through which the fluid flows in communication with the inlet and the outlet; a valve seat located on an inner peripheral surface of the valve box to block the fluid flow path wherein the valve seat includes a through-hole serving as the fluid flow path; a stem formed in a rod shape and configured to be movable forwards and rearwards in a longitudinal direction thereof and through the through-hole in the valve seat; a seal part provided on an outer peripheral surface of the stem and configured to come into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the valve seat in a liquid-tight manner as the stem moves; and a flow rate control part formed adjacent to the seal part of the stem and having an outer peripheral diameter smaller than that of an inner peripheral diameter of the valve seat, wherein the valve box includes multiple inlets and outlets, wherein two valve seats including a first valve seat having therein a first through-hole and a second valve seat having therein a second through-hole are provided along a moving direction of the stem, wherein the seal part includes a first seal part configured to come into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the first valve seat in a liquid-tight manner, and a second seal part located closer to an end side of the stem than the first seal part and configured to come into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the second valve seat in a liquid-tight manner, and wherein the flow rate control part includes a first flow rate control part located on a side opposite an end of the stem of the first seal part and a second flow rate control part located on a side of the end of the stem of the second seal part.

2. The piston valve seal structure of claim 1, wherein a difference between the inner peripheral diameter of each of the valve seats and the outer peripheral diameter of the flow rate control part is 0.25 mm or less in a cross section viewed in a short side direction of the stem.

3. The piston valve seal structure of claim 2, wherein a difference between the inner peripheral diameter of each of the valve seats and the outer peripheral diameter of the flow rate control part is 0.10 mm or less in a cross section viewed in the short side direction of the stem.

4. The piston valve seal structure of claim 1, wherein at least a part of an the inner peripheral surface of each of the valve seats and an outer peripheral surface of the flow rate control part is formed substantially flat in a vertical direction.

5. The piston valve seal structure of claim 1, wherein the seal part includes a taper formed in a portion that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of each of the valve seats in a cross section viewed in a short side direction of the stem.

6. The piston valve seal structure of claim 1, wherein a length of the flow rate control part, in a vertical direction, is within a range of 2.0 to 5.0 mm.

7. The piston valve seal structure of claim 6, wherein the length of the flow rate control part in the vertical direction is within a range of 3.0 to 4.5 mm.

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an exemplary piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied.

[0034] FIG. 2A is a schematic enlarged view illustrating the state in which a valve body seals an upper valve seat, and FIG. 2B is a schematic enlarged view illustrating the state in which the valve body seals a lower valve seat.

[0035] FIG. 3A is a schematic graph showing a relationship between an opening degree of a valve and a flow rate when using a piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied, and FIG. 3B is a schematic graph showing a relationship between an opening degree of a valve and a flow rate when a sealing structure of a conventional piston valve is used.

[0036] FIG. 4A is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body seals the upper valve seat is, FIG. 4B is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned near the upper valve seat, and FIG. 4C is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned in the middle between the upper valve seat and the lower valve seat.

[0037] FIG. 5A is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned near the lower valve seat and FIG. 5B is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body seals the lower valve seat.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the structure of the conventional piston valve.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the structure around the valve seat of the conventional piston valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings to help the understanding of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an exemplary piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied. The structure illustrated below is an example of the present disclosure, and the contents of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a three-way valve 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of a piston valve seal structure according to the present disclosure includes a valve box 2, a valve stem 3, and a valve body 4. The valve stem 3 is a metallic rod-shaped member that reciprocates up and down in a known piston structure (not illustrated).

[0043] The valve box 2 is a main body of the three-way valve 1 made of metal, and includes an inlet 5 formed at the left end, an outlet 6 formed at the lower end, and an inlet 7 formed at the right end. The inlets and outlet are connected to a predetermined piping structure and form a flow path inside the three-way valve 1.

[0044] In addition, in the valve box 2, a first partition 8 and a second partition 9 are formed so as to block the flow path of the fluid. The first partition 8 comes into contact with the valve body 4 to form a first fluid path (between reference numerals B and C) connecting the inlet 7 and the outlet 6. In addition, the second partition 8 comes into contact with the valve body 4 to form a second fluid path (between A and B) connecting the inlet 5 and the outlet 6.

[0045] The first partition 8 is formed substantially in the central portion of the valve box 1, and a first through hole 10 through which the valve stem 3 is insertable is formed at the center portion of the first partition 8. That is, in the valve box 1, the flow path of the fluid flowing in the inside of the valve box 1 is blocked by the first partition 8, and the first through hole 10 is closed by the valve body 4, whereby the flow of the fluid is controlled.

[0046] A first valve seat 11 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first partition 8 at the position where the first through hole 10 is formed. The first valve seat 11 is a portion that comes into contact with a disc ring (a part corresponding to the seal part in the claims of the present application) of the valve body 4 to be described later so as to perform sealing.

[0047] The first valve seat 11 includes a flat portion 12 formed substantially flat in the vertical direction and a tapered portion 13 formed continuously from the lower portion of the flat portion 12 in a vertical cross-sectional view.

[0048] The second partition 9 is formed in the vicinity of a lower outlet 6 of the valve box 1, and a second through hole 14 through which the valve stem 3 is insertable is formed in the center portion of the second partition 9. The above described first through hole 10 and second through hole are positioned along the axis line in the direction in which the valve stem 3 moves forwards and rearwards. In addition, in the valve box 1, the flow path of the fluid flowing in the inside of the valve box 1 is blocked by the second partition 9, and the second through hole 14 is closed by the valve body 4, whereby the flow of the fluid is controlled.

[0049] A second valve seat 15 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second partition 9 at the position where the second through hole 14 is formed. The second valve seat 15 is a portion that comes into contact with a disc ring (a part corresponding to the seal part in the claims of the present application) of the valve body 4 to be described later so as to perform sealing.

[0050] The second valve seat 15 includes a flat portion 16 formed substantially flat in the vertical direction and a tapered portion 17 formed continuously from the lower portion of the flat portion 16 in a vertical cross-sectional view.

[0051] The valve body 4 is a member provided on the side of the distal end portion of the valve stem 3, and is a member of controlling the flow of the fluid at the location of the first partition 8 or the second partition 9 by closing the first through hole 10 or the second through hole 14 described above.

[0052] More specifically, the valve body 4 is formed so as to be positioned between the first partition 8 and the second partition 9 as seen in the vertical direction in FIG. 1. The valve body 4 is brought into/out of contact with the first valve seat 11 or the second valve seat depending on the driving of the valve stem 3 in the vertical direction.

[0053] Here, the object that adopts the piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied is not necessarily the three-way valve 1, and any valve is applicable as long as it is a piston valve. For example, the valve may be a valve that has a structure with more branches of the flow path than a two-way valve or a three-way valve that controls the opening and closing of the flow path.

[0054] The combination of the flow paths of the three-way valve 1 is not necessarily limited, and the combination of the inlets and the outlets of the three-way valve 1 is merely an example.

[0055] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a detailed structure of the valve body 4. The valve body 4 includes a disc adapter 18 and an upper disc ring 19 and a lower disc ring 20 fitted on the upper and lower sides of the disc adapter 18. The valve stem 3 is positioned on the inner peripheral side of each member. The two disc rings are parts corresponding to the seal part of the claims of the present application and are formed of an elastic resin.

[0056] The upper disc ring 19 and the lower disc ring 20 are in close contact with the tapered portions of the first valve seat 11 and the second valve seat 15, respectively, in a liquid-tight manner. Since a disc ring is in close contact with each valve seat in a liquid-tight manner, the flow of fluid at the valve seat is controlled.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, in the valve body 4, an upper guide washer 21 (corresponding to the fluid control part in the claims of the present application) is provided on the valve stem 3 adjacent to the upper disc ring 19. The outer diameter of the portion of the upper guide washer 21 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the flat portion 12 of the first valve seat 11.

[0058] More specifically, the difference between the inner diameter of the flat portion 12 and the outer diameter of the upper guide washer 21 can be 0.10 mm. The length of the upper guide washer 21 in the vertical direction can be 3.0 mm. When the valve stem 3 is driven and the valve body 4 closes the first valve seat 11, the upper guide washer 21 plays a role of reducing the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the first through hole 10.

[0059] When the flat portion 12 of the first valve seat 11 and the upper guide washer 21 come close to each other and are positioned substantially parallel to each other, the gap therebetween becomes small. Thus, the flow rate of the fluid is reduced, so that the effect of the fluid on the upper disc ring 19 can be reduced.

[0060] The upper guide washer 21 is a metal ring-shaped member and is fixed to the valve stem 3 with a screw.

[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 2B, a lower guide washer 22 (corresponding to the fluid control part in the claims of the present application) is provided on the valve stem 3 adjacent to the lower disc ring 20. The outer diameter of the portion of the lower guide washer 22 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the flat portion 16 of the second valve seat 15.

[0062] More specifically, the difference between the inner diameter of the flat portion 16 and the outer diameter of the lower guide washer 22 can be 0.10 mm. The length of the lower guide washer 22 in the vertical direction can be 3.0 mm. When the valve stem 3 is driven and the valve body 4 closes the second valve seat 15, the lower guide washer 22 plays the role of reducing the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the second through hole 14.

[0063] When the flat portion 16 of the second valve seat 15 and the lower guide washer 22 come close to each other and are positioned substantially parallel to each other, the gap therebetween becomes small. Thus, the flow rate of the fluid is reduced, so that the effect of the fluid on the lower disc ring 20 can be reduced.

[0064] The upper guide washer 21 and the lower guide washer 22 are metal ring-shaped members and are fixed to the valve stem 3 with screws.

[0065] Here, the guide washers are not necessarily formed separately from the valve stem to be provided on the valve stem. For example, a structure in which the valve stem and the guide washers are integrally formed may be adopted.

[0066] Further, the difference between the inner peripheral diameter of the flat portion of the valve seat and the outer peripheral diameter of the guide washer is not necessarily limited to 0.10 mm. For example, when it is desired to further reduce the flow rate of the fluid, the difference may have a numerical value of 0.10 mm or less.

[0067] From the viewpoint of reducing the influence on the disc ring by the flow of the fluid, it is desirable to set the difference between the inner peripheral diameter of the flat portion of the valve seat and the outer peripheral diameter of the guide washer to 0.25 mm or less. It is more desirable to set the difference to 0.10 mm or less. When the difference between the inner peripheral diameter of the flat portion of the valve seat and the outer peripheral diameter of the guide washer exceeds 0.25 mm, the throttling of the flow rate of the fluid becomes insufficient and the damage caused to the disc ring due to the flow of the fluid is difficult to reduce.

[0068] Here, the length of the guide washer in the vertical direction is not necessarily limited to 3.0 mm. For example, when it is desired to further reduce the flow rate of the fluid, the difference may have a numerical value of 3.0 mm or less.

[0069] In addition, from the viewpoint of making the size of the valve box 2 and the valve body 4 compact while sufficiently reducing the flow of the fluid, it is desirable to set the length of the guide washer in the vertical direction within the range of 2.0 to 5.0 mm. It is more desirable to set the length of the guide washer in the vertical direction within the range of 3.0 m to 4.5 mm. When the length of the guide washer in the vertical direction is less than 2.0 mm, the damage caused by the fluid to the seal part may not be reduced. In addition, when the length of the guide washer in the vertical direction exceeds 5.0 mm, it becomes necessary to lengthen the stem, which may disrupt the design of the other structural members of the piston valve.

[0070] The control of the flow rate of the fluid using the piston valve seal structure described above will be described below.

[0071] FIG. 3A is a schematic graph showing a relationship between an opening degree of a valve and a flow rate when using a piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied, and FIG. 3B is a schematic graph showing a relationship between an opening degree of a valve and a flow rate when a sealing structure of a conventional piston valve is used. FIG. 4A is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body seals the upper valve seat, FIG. 4B is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned near the upper valve seat, and FIG. 4C is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned in the middle between the upper valve seat and the lower valve seat. FIG. 5A is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body is positioned near the lower valve seat and FIG. 5B is a schematic view illustrating the state in which the valve body seals the lower valve seat.

[0072] FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphs schematically showing the flows of a fluid from the state in which the opening degree of the valve in the flow path of the fluid is 100% to the state in which the opening degree is 0% in the closed state. For example, the vertical axes in FIGS. 3A and 3B represent the ratio (%) of the flow rate of the fluid in the fluid flow from reference numeral B to reference numeral C (first fluid path), and the horizontal axes represent the ratio (%) of the opening degree of the valve body 4 with respect to the second valve seat 15 in the fluid flow from reference numeral B to reference numeral C (first fluid path).

[0073] In addition, reference numerals 23 to 27 in FIG. 3A indicate the states in which the valve body 4 is positioned as in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively. For example, when the valve body is located as in FIG. 4C, the position is indicated by reference numeral 25 in FIG. 3A, which is a conceptual view showing a relationship in which the flow rate of the fluid is about 80% of the flow rate at the opening degree of 100%.

[0074] Meanwhile, FIG. 3B is a graph schematically showing the flow rate when a fluid is similarly controlled by a conventional piston valve seal structure, which was not provided with a guide washer unlike the present disclosure. In addition, reference numerals 28 to 32 indicate the flow rates when the valve body is located as in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and FIGS. 5A and 5A, respectively, except that no guide washer is provided.

[0075] Upon comparing FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, as indicated by reference numerals 25 and 30, at the stage where the opening degree of the second valve seat 15 is 50%, the flow rate ratios of the fluid are about the same as each other.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3A, in the sealing structure of the piston valve to which the present disclosure is applied, from reference numerals 25 to 26, that is, until the valve body moves from the position in FIG. 4C to the position in FIG. 5A, the flow rate of the fluid remarkably decreases, and in the state in which the flow rate ratio is close to 0%, the valve body 4 is closed at the position of the second valve seat 15.

[0077] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the conventional piston valve seal structure, the flow rate of 10% or more exists even at the point of reference numeral 31, and the flow rate ratio gradually approaches 0%. The difference between the two, in particular, the difference in the ratio of the fluid between reference numerals 26 and 27 and reference numerals 31 to 32 appears as a difference in damage caused by the flow speed of the fluid to the disc rings of the valve bodies.

[0078] This is caused by the fact that the driving of the piston valve and the moving speed themselves are not different in the structure to which the present disclosure is applied and the conventional structure and the valve seats are closed by the valve bodies at the same speed. That is, when the disc ring of the valve body approaches the valve seat without reducing the flow rate of the fluid, the disc ring of the valve body is greatly influenced by the flow of the fluid having the increased flow speed and is easily worn out. Meanwhile, in the piston valve seal structure to which the present disclosure is applied, since the gap between the guide washer and the valve seat is reduced earlier than the disc ring, and the flow rate of the fluid is reduced in this portion, it is possible to reduce damage to the disc ring even if the flow speed of the fluid increases.

[0079] As described above, the piston valve seal structure of the present disclosure improves the durability of the valve body seal structure and enables sufficient fluid control.

[0080] In addition, the piston valve fluid control method of the present disclosure improves the durability of the valve body seal structure and enables sufficient fluid control.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0081] 1: three-way valve

[0082] 2: valve box

[0083] 3: valve stem

[0084] 4: valve body

[0085] 5: inlet

[0086] 6: outlet

[0087] 7: inlet

[0088] 8: first partition

[0089] 9: second partition

[0090] 10: first through hole

[0091] 11: first valve seat

[0092] 12: flat portion

[0093] 13: tapered portion

[0094] 14: second through hole

[0095] 15: second valve seat

[0096] 16: flat portion

[0097] 17: tapered portion

[0098] 18: disc adaptor

[0099] 19: upper disc ring

[0100] 20: lower disc ring

[0101] 21: upper guide washer

[0102] 22: lower guide washer