CONNECTION ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A connection assembly is disclosed for connecting a magnetic separator into a central heating system circuit, the magnetic separator including a housing, a separation chamber within the housing, and externally threaded inlet and outlet ports extending from the housing. The connection assembly comprises: a fitment adapted to be received within at least one of the ports of the separator, the fitment including a bore for carrying fluid from/to the central heating circuit to/from the separator; a threaded connector disposed around the bore for securing the fitment to the or each port, the threaded connector having a hand grip area for facilitating tightening of the connector by hand; and a removable force transfer element receivable between the fitment and the threaded connector for transferring force between the threaded connector and the fitment.

Claims

1-30. (canceled)

31. A connection assembly for connecting a magnetic separator into a central heating system circuit, the magnetic separator including a housing, a separation chamber within the housing, and externally threaded inlet and outlet ports extending from the housing, the connection assembly comprising: a fitment adapted to be received within at least one of the ports of the separator, the fitment including a bore for carrying fluid from/to the central heating circuit to/from the separator; a threaded connector disposed around the bore for securing the fitment to the or each port, the threaded connector having a hand grip area for facilitating tightening of the connector by hand; and a removable force transfer element receivable between the fitment and the threaded connector for transferring force between the threaded connector and the fitment, and, when installed on the fitment, the removable force transfer element being removable therefrom whilst the fitment and threaded connector remain fitted to the or each port.

32. The connection assembly of claim 31, wherein the removable force transfer element is a resilient clip.

33. The connection assembly of claim 32, wherein the resilient clip is part-circular.

34. The connection assembly of claim 31, wherein the force transfer element engages with one end of the threaded connector and holds the threaded connector at a fixed distance from the fitment for causing the port to move away from the fitment as the threaded connector is unscrewed from the port.

35. The connection assembly of claim 31, wherein the threaded connector is formed as an internally threaded collar with a flange at one end thereof, the flange extending inwards from the periphery of the collar.

36. The connection assembly claim 31, wherein the fitment includes first and second spaced peripheral shoulders, in use, the threaded connector bearing against the first peripheral shoulder to hold the fitment to the port of the separator, and the force transfer element bearing against the second peripheral shoulder.

37. The connection assembly of claim 36, wherein the fitment comprises a first part which connects to at least one of the ports and a second part for connection to a valve assembly or further connector.

38. The connection assembly of claim 37, wherein the first part includes a spigot of a first diameter, which locates within said at least one of the ports, a peripheral flange extending outwardly from the spigot, which in use butts up against the end of said at least one of the ports, the peripheral flange forming the first peripheral shoulder.

39. The connection assembly of claim 38, wherein a further spigot extends away from the peripheral flange in the other direction, the further spigot having a smaller diameter than the first diameter.

40. The connection assembly of claim 1, wherein the part of the fitment which is received within the port or ports has two spaced circumferential recesses for receiving O-ring seals.

41. The connection assembly of claim 37, wherein the second part includes a spigot for connection with the first part and a flange extending outwardly from the spigot forming the second peripheral shoulder.

42. The connection assembly of claim 41, wherein a further spigot extends away from the other side of the flange of the second part for connection to the valve assembly or further connector.

43. The connection assembly of claim 31, wherein the hand grip area of the threaded connector is knurled.

44. The connection assembly of claim 31, wherein the bore of the fitment is tapered.

45. A separator and connection assembly, comprising: the connection assembly of claim 31; and a magnetic separator for a central heating system, the magnetic separator including a housing, a separation chamber within the housing, and externally threaded inlet and outlet ports extending from the housing.

46. The separator and connection assembly of claim 45, wherein the part of the fitment which is received within the port or ports has two spaced circumferential recesses for receiving O-ring seals, and the distal end of each port is internally chamfered for providing a lead-in for the O-ring seals.

47. The separator and connection assembly of claim 46, wherein the chamfered end of each port provides a sealing surface for one of the O-ring seals.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a separator of the invention, including housing, insert and connection assemblies;

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the separator and connection assemblies of FIG. 1 when assembled;

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a plan view from above of the separator and connection assemblies of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0042] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view through a port of the separator connected to a connection assembly of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view through the assembled separator and connection assembly of FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a force transfer element of the separator and connection assembly of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the assembled insert of the separator of FIG. 1; and

[0046] FIG. 8 shows an exploded perspective view of the assembled insert of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0047] Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 to 3, a separator device for separating particles from suspension in a fluid is indicated generally at 10. The separator has a housing 12 including a substantially cylindrical body portion 14 with integral base 15, and a removable upper closure portion 16. The closure portion 16 is in the form of a screw-on cap, which screws onto the upper end of the housing 12, as viewed. An O-ring 18, seen in FIG. 5, locates in a circumferential groove formed in the cap and forms a watertight seal against the upper end of the body portion 14, when the cap is screwed down.

[0048] Inlet and outlet ports 20, 22 are provided as first and second hollow cylindrical sockets in the wall of the housing body 14. The central axes of the ports 20, 22 are parallel and lie one above the other on a diameter of the housing. In other words, the ports are adjacent to one another and face in the same direction extending perpendicular to a tangent of the substantially cylindrical body portion 14. The parallel nature of the ports 20, 22 facilitates fitting to a heating circuit, since the inlet and outlet will be in the same straight pipe line, when the device is installed. It will be appreciated that the ports may be interchangeable, that is, the outlet port can be used as an inlet port and vice versa in some embodiments. The ports 20, 22 are externally screw-threaded.

[0049] A bleed valve assembly 24 is provided through the centre of the screw-on cap 16. The assembly 24 is of the type that enables air to be bled out from the top of the separator, but also enables a rust inhibitor chemical to be injected into the separator. The assembly 24 also supports a magnet assembly 28, formed of one or more magnets, which depends centrally from the underside of the closure portion 16. The magnet assembly 28 is cylindrical and extends to proximate the base of the housing body 14.

[0050] A drain valve 43 comprising of a screw-in plug with seal is provided in the floor 15 of the housing body 14.

[0051] A connection assembly 50 is shown generally in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, and in more detail in FIG. 4. A connection assembly 50 is provided on each of the inlet and outlet ports 20, 22, for connecting the separator 10 to a central heating circuit.

[0052] Each connection assembly 50 includes a fitment 52, a threaded connector 54, a force transfer element 56 and a valve portion 58. The valve portion 58 is of a well known design and will not be described in further detail. It will be appreciated that substantially any type of valve or other connector may be provided as part of a connection assembly according to the invention.

[0053] The fitment 52 is formed from a first part 60 and a second part 62. The parts are attached to each other by mutually interlocking screw threads 64. A fluid-carrying bore 66 is provided all the way through both parts 60, 62 of the fitment 52, for carrying fluid between the valve portion 58 and the separator 10.

[0054] The bore 66 in the first part 60 of the fitment 52 has a tapered section. Therefore, the wall of the first part 60 of the fitment 52 is thin at the distal end of the first part 60, and thickens towards the other end of the first part 60 (to the right-hand side in the drawing). The thicker part of the wall accommodates a pair of recesses 68, 70 which receive respective O-ring seals 69, 71. The thin part of the wall ensures that there is a smooth transition as fluid passes between the fitment 52 and the interior of the separator 10.

[0055] Adjacent the O-ring recess 70 which is most inward of the distal end of the first part 60, a shoulder or flange 72 extends around the first part. In use, this shoulder 72 butts against an end of the port 22 of the separator 10.

[0056] A second shoulder 74 is provided as part of the second part 62 of the fitment 52. The first and second shoulders 72, 74 define an area around the fitment 52 in which the threaded connector 54 can slide (in the drawing, the threaded connector can slide left-to-right). This allows the threaded connector 54 to be unscrewed from the port 22.

[0057] The force transfer element 56 is shown fitted between the shoulders 72, 74. When the force transfer element 56 is fitted in this position, the threaded connector 54 is prevented from sliding towards the shoulder 74, but may still be unscrewed from the port 22 of the separator. This forces the port 22 off the fitment 52. In other words, the action of unscrewing the threaded connector 54 brings it into contact with the force transfer element 56, thus exerting a force on the second part 62, which acts to forcibly separate the fitment 52 and the port 22 by virtue of the interlocked screw threads 64. The force transfer element 56 can be removed to allow sliding of the connector 54 towards the shoulder 74 for access to the O-ring seals, when unscrewed.

[0058] The force transfer element 56 is shown in more detail in FIG. 6, and is substantially C-shaped. It is made from a resilient plastics material, so that it can be deformed to clip over the substantially cylindrical sliding area between the shoulders 72, 74 of the fitment 52. The force transfer element 56 includes grip areas on its outer surface (only one grip area 76 is shown in the drawing, but another is provided on the other side, hidden in the drawing). On the inner surface of the force transfer element 56, ribs 78 are provided. When the force transfer element 56 is installed on the fitment 52, the ribs 78 lift the inner surface of the force transfer element 56 away from the fitment, making a space between the force transfer element 56 and the fitment which allows the force transfer element 56 to be easily removed by hand. The ribs 78 also allow for a force transfer element which is thin enough to be resilient and easily deformable for clipping over the fitment 52, but which also has an effective thickness great enough in use to transfer the disconnection forces between the threaded connector 54 and the shoulder 74.

[0059] When the connector assembly 50 is fitted to the port 22 of the separator 10, the first part of the fitment 52 is located within the port 22 and pushed in. The threaded connector 54 is then screwed tight by hand. The threaded connector 54 is knurled and has an external diameter of 52 mm in the embodiment shown, which is easy to grip. By virtue of the fitment 52 locating well into the port, there is a very low likelihood of cross-threading of the thread, which very important, because the thread on the port is made from plastics and a crossed thread would cause damage that would effectively require a new separator be fitted. The threaded connector 54 finally pushes the fitment 52 into and against the port 22. The O-ring 69 nearest to the distal end of the fitment seals against an interior surface of the port 22 and acts in the manner of a piston seal. The other O-ring 71, further to the right in the drawing, sits against a chamfered end 80 of the port 22 and seals in the manner of a trap seal. The seals are ideally lubricated with silicone grease. This sealing arrangement creates a highly effective watertight seal, which is easy to correctly apply even in a confined place, and requires only hand-tightening of the threaded connector 54. The force transfer element 56 can be clipped in behind the threaded connector 54, when tightened, to provide a visual indication that it has been tightened.

[0060] Referring now to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, an insert assembly 25 is disposed within the housing. The insert assembly 25 includes a thin plastics sleeve 26, containing one or more magnets 28, for removing magnetic debris from flow through the separator. The insert assembly also includes a roof 27 at either end, which forms part of a chamber for separating non-magnetic particles from flow within the separator 10. At one end (the lower end, as viewed), a tray 36 is provided with which the roof 27 forms a closed chamber. At the other end there is no tray, and so the chamber is more open.

[0061] The insert assembly 25 is formed as a first part 29 and a second part 30. The first and second parts 29, 30 are in fact identical. They are joined together to form the complete insert assembly 25, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0062] The two parts 29, 30 of the insert assembly 25 are joined by a snap-fit connection 31, which is best seen in FIG. 8. Each part 29, 30 includes two opposing resilient latch members 32 and two opposing walls with recesses 33. The latch members of one sleeve cooperate with the recesses of the other sleeve, and vice versa, to securely and semi-permanently attach the parts of the insert assembly 25 together.

[0063] The snap fit connector is ideal, because the connection is semi-permanent, secure, free from substantial gaps, and enforces correct orientation of the roofs 27 with respect to each other. It solves the manufacturing problems involved with making a sleeve of such length in one piece, and allows the wall of the sleeve to be very thin, for the best magnetic separation.

[0064] The embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and various changes and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.