VARIABLE PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a valve assembly for controlling flow. The valve body has an inlet end and an outlet end. A piston is positioned within the valve body and is movable between an open position to open the valve body and a closed position to close the valve body. A spring is mounted between the piston and a spring adjustment member. A portion of the spring adjustment member is accessible through the inlet end of the valve body so as to be engageable by a tool to facilitate rotation of the spring adjustment member to vary compression of the spring to set a spring pressure rating.

Claims

1. A valve assembly for controlling flow from a pressurized source to a tank, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body having an inlet end and an outlet end, the valve body defining fluid passages for receiving fluid flow between the inlet and outlet ends; a piston mounted within the valve body to control the fluid flow, the piston being movable between an open position and a closed position; a cap member that mounts adjacent the inlet end of the valve body; a compensator device housed within the cap member, the compensator device being accessible through the inlet end of the valve body; a spring mounted between the piston and the compensator device, wherein the spring biases the piston toward the open position, wherein the spring is compressed when the piston moves to the closed position; and wherein the compensator device is configured to axially rotate relative to the cap member to vary compression of the spring to achieve a desired spring pressure rating.

2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap member has a threaded connection with the valve body.

3. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the compensator device has a threaded connection with the cap member.

4. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the compensator device has a torque interface accessible through the inlet end of the valve body.

5. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the compensator device includes a pressure rating indicator visible through the inlet end of the valve body to set the desired spring pressure rating.

6. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve body includes a first housing piece and a second housing piece.

7. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve body is cast from a single piece of metal.

8. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap member blocks one end of a spring chamber, wherein the compensator device includes a stem that projects through the cap member and a head that threads within the cap member, wherein the spring extends through the spring chamber and has spring end portions housed within the cap member and the piston, and wherein the stem includes a torque interface for allowing the compensator device to be turned relative to the cap member by a tool inserted through the inlet end of the valve body without requiring disassembly of the valve assembly to adjust a compression of the spring.

9. A valve assembly for controlling fluid flow, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body having an inlet end and an outlet end, the valve body defining a chamber; a piston positioned within the valve body to open and close the valve body, the piston being movable between an open position and a closed position; and a spring mounted between the piston and a spring adjustment member, a portion of the spring adjustment member being accessible through the inlet end of the valve body so as to be engageable by a tool to facilitate rotation of the spring adjustment member to vary compression of the spring to set a spring pressure rating.

10. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the spring adjustment member has a torque interface end accessible through the inlet end of the valve body for changing its axial position; wherein a tool is inserted into the torque interface end of the spring adjustment member to spin the spring adjustment member to increase or decrease space between the piston and the spring adjustment member in which the spring is compressed; and wherein the spring adjustment member includes a pressure rating indicator visible through the inlet end of the valve body to set the spring pressure rating.

11. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the valve body includes a first housing piece and a second housing piece.

12. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the valve body is cast from a single piece of metal.

13. A valve assembly for controlling flow of liquid from a pressured supply into a tank, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body having an inlet end and an opposite outlet end; a piston operative to close the valve assembly in response to a rise in fluid back pressure when a predetermined liquid level is reached in the tank; and a spring mounted between the piston and a spring adjustment member, a portion of the spring adjustment member being accessible through the inlet end of the valve body so as to be engageable by a tool to facilitate axial movement of the spring adjustment member to vary compression of the spring to achieve a spring pressure rating.

14. The valve assembly of claim 13, wherein the spring adjustment member has a torque interface end accessible through the inlet end of the valve body for changing its axial position; wherein a tool is inserted into the torque interface end of the spring adjustment member to turn the spring adjustment member to increase or decrease space between the piston and the spring adjustment member between which the spring is compressed; and wherein the spring adjustment member includes a pressure rating indicator visible through the inlet end of the valve body to set the spring pressure rating.

15. The valve assembly of claim 13, wherein the valve body includes a first housing piece and a second housing piece.

16. The valve assembly of claim 13, wherein the valve body is cast from a single piece of metal.

17. The valve assembly of claim 14, further comprising a cap member that blocks one end of a spring chamber in which the spring is positioned, wherein the spring adjustment member includes a stem that projects through the cap member and a head within the cap member that is axially adjustable within the cap member, and wherein the stem defines the torque interface.

18. The valve assembly of claim 17, wherein the spring extends through the spring chamber and has spring end portions housed within the cap member and the piston.

19. The valve assembly of claim 17, wherein the cap member has a threaded connection with the valve body.

20. The valve assembly of claim 17, wherein the head of the spring adjustment member has a threaded connection with the cap member, and wherein a seal is provided between the stem and the cap member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure. A brief description of the drawings is as follows.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view depicting an outlet end of a variable pressure control valve in accordance with principles of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting an inlet end of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 3 is an outlet end view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

[0020] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 4 with a compensator set at a first pressure-setting position and the variable pressure control valve in an open position.

[0021] FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 4 with the compensator set at the first pressure-setting position and the variable pressure control valve in a closed position.

[0022] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view depicting an inlet end view of a cap and compensator device in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view depicting an outlet end view of the cap and compensator device of FIG. 6.

[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view showing the compensator device of FIGS. 6 and 7 exploded from the cap.

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates the compensator device of FIGS. 6 and 7 from the perspective of the inlet end of the valve.

[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates the compensator device of FIGS. 6 and 7 from the perspective of the outlet end of the valve.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 4 showing the valve in an open position with the compensator set at a second pressure-setting position.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 4 showing the valve in a closed position with the compensator set at the second pressure-setting position.

[0030] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another example variable pressure control valve in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the example includes two housing pieces.

[0031] FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 13.

[0032] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 13 showing a cap, a compensator device, spring and piston in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 15.

[0034] FIG. 17 is an exploded view showing the cap and compensator device of FIG. 15.

[0035] FIGS. 18-19 are perspective views illustrating the compensator device of FIG. 15 mounted within the cap.

[0036] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 15 showing the piston in an open position and the compensator at a first pressure-setting position.

[0037] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 20 showing the piston in a closed position and the compensator at a first pressure-setting position.

[0038] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 15 showing the piston in the open position and the compensator device axially moved to a second pressure-setting position to further compress the spring.

[0039] FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the variable pressure control valve of FIG. 22 showing the piston in the closed position and the compensator device axially moved to the second pressure-setting position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The present disclosure relates to a variable pressure control valve designed to react to changes in outlet pressure to protect an aircraft during refueling. Pressure limiting is a function of a spring housed within the variable pressure control valve that loads a piston (e.g., a slidable member that can be pressure driven) to limit pressure sensed at the variable pressure control valve outlet.

[0041] The advantageous feature of the variable pressure control valve according to the present disclosure is the ability to provide a variety of pressure ratings suitable for refueling of fuel receiving tanks such as those mounted in airplanes. The variable pressure control valve eliminates the need for disassembly to change out one spring for another to achieve a different pressure setting. As such, it is not necessary to provide multiple springs or valves to tailor control systems to a customer's requirements. Rather, the variable pressure control valve of the present disclosure includes a spring adjustment member to change compression of a single spring to achieve varied pressure ratings without disassembly of the variable pressure control valve.

[0042] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a variable pressure control valve 10 (e.g., a pressure regulator valve or a hose end control valve) in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The variable pressure control valve 10 includes a valve body 12 with an inlet end 14 and an opposite, outlet end 16. The valve body 12 is preferably formed of cast metal, such as, aluminum. In the example depicted, the valve body 12 is a single housing, although alternatives are possible. In other examples, the variable pressure control valve 10 may include two separate housing pieces (see FIG. 13).

[0043] The valve body 12 defines a fluid passage arrangement 18 with fluid passages 20 (see FIG. 4) for receiving fluid flow between the inlet and outlet ends 14, 16. The fluid passages 20 extend about a central region of the valve body as the passages 20 extend between the inlet and outlet ends 14, 16. The inlet end 14 of the valve body 12 is provided with a collar structure 22 for mating with a hose (not shown) of a fuel tank supply. A variety of inlet fittings (e.g., threaded fittings) or quick disconnect adapters are available to mate industry standard hose connections at the inlet end 14 of the valve body 12.

[0044] A nozzle (not shown), such as Eaton's Carter product line nozzle models 64348, 64200, 64201, or 64349, can be mated at the outlet end 16 of the valve body 12 to directly interface with an underwing of an aircraft for fueling. A variety of threaded outlet adapter fittings may also be available for alternative installations away from a nozzle.

[0045] The variable pressure control valve 10 includes a piston 24 visible through the outlet end 16 of the valve body 12. The piston 24 is slidably mounted within the valve body 12 between an open position (see FIG. 4A) and a closed position (see FIG. 4B). The piston 24 is configured to limit pressure sensed at the outlet end 16 of the valve body 12 or inlet of a nozzle on which the variable pressure control valve 10 is mounted. That is, the piston 24 is designed to react to changes of outlet pressure or back pressure on the aircraft side to close the valve if the back pressure reaches a predetermined level/limit during fueling with the predetermined level/limit being set by an amount of compression of a spring of the valve. The amount of compression of the spring can be adjusted via a compensator of the valve.

[0046] During fueling of a stationary aircraft, fuel under pressure from a fuel source is permitted to pass through a hose and the variable pressure control valve 10 connected thereto. Next, fuel passes through a fuel line and nozzle upon opening of the variable pressure control valve 10 to enter fuel tanks mounted under wings of the aircraft. The aircraft fuel tanks can be filled with fuel, at which point, the piston 24 of the variable pressure control valve 10 moves to the closed position to prevent further delivery of fuel into the fuel line. That is, while the fuel tanks are being filled to a desired level, fuel pressure in the line can rise such that the fuel will be forced to surge and the position of the piston 24 is moved to the closed position so as to cut off the flow of fuel. When fuel pressure is equalized again, the piston 24 can be opened in preparation of another fueling operation. The open position being the default state of the variable pressure control valve 10.

[0047] The variable pressure control valve 10 helps to maintain a desirable flow of fuel at a predetermined constant pressure. A typical pressure range can be from 35 to 50 pounds per square inch (psi). The variable pressure control valve 10 is designed to control pressure when the back or downstream fuel pressure becomes within range of its control.

[0048] Turning to FIGS. 4, 4A, 4B cross-sectional views of the variable pressure control valve 10 is depicted. The variable pressure control valve 10 is configured to limit pressure as a function of a spring 26 mounted within the valve body 12. In certain examples, the spring 26 can be a helical compression spring that compresses on application of a load. The spring 26 loads the piston 24 of the variable pressure control valve 10. Biasing force exerted on the piston 24 is by the spring 26 which urges the piston 24 towards its open position. Back pressure changes during fueling can urge the piston 24 toward its closed position in opposition to the spring 26. That is, the piston 24 is operative to close the variable pressure control valve 10 in response to a rise in fluid back pressure when a predetermined liquid level is reached in the tank.

[0049] The piston 24 can include a head portion 28 and a shaft portion 30. The variable pressure control valve 10 can include a fixed sleeve 32 bolted within the valve body 12 via fasteners 34 to support the shaft portion 30 of the piston 24. When the back pressure from the aircraft becomes within control of the variable pressure control valve 10, the piston 24 can be urged toward the closed position such that the head portion 28 bottoms out and seals against a shoulder 36 of the valve body 12. Once sealed, the piston 24 closes off the fluid passages 20 to stop the flow of fuel. The shoulder 36 can include circumferential grooves 38 for receiving O-ring type sealing members 40 or any other suitable sealing mechanism. The O-ring sealing members 40 can be made of Teflon or the like, a well-known material of low coefficient of friction. As depicted in FIG. 5, the piston 24 is supported relative to the valve body 12 via an annular, split spring ring 42 (e.g., a bearing that also provides sealing and can include an annular seal) and is limited in its sliding movement by a piston ring 44.

[0050] A hollow plug or cap 46 can be positioned within the valve body 12 adjacent the inlet end 14. A central spring passage (e.g., a spring cavity 92) is defined within the valve body 12 and is sealed relative to the passage arrangement 18. An end of the central spring passage adjacent the inlet end 14 of the valve body 12 is closed by the cap 46. In certain examples, the cap 46 can be in threaded connection with the valve body 12, although alternatives are possible. In other examples, the cap 46 may be connected to the valve body 12 via a quick disconnect assembly such as a snap ring.

[0051] Turning to FIGS. 6-7, the cap 46 includes a main body 48 and an extension portion 50 that extends from the main body 48. The extension portion 50 of the cap 46 defines a cylindrical recess 52. In certain examples, when the cap 46 is connected to the valve body 12 and the piston 24 is in the closed position, the recess 52 can receive the shaft portion 30 of the piston 24 and can function as a piston guide or cylinder. In other examples, a shaft portion of a piston may not engage or contact a cap mounted in the valve body. For example, piston 24a shown in FIG. 23 does not engage or contact any portion of cap 46a when spring 26a is in a maximum compression state. An end of the spring 26 can be contained in the recess 52.

[0052] The extension portion 50 can be provided with external threads 54 that threadedly engage internal threads of the valve body 12 to provide a threaded connection 56 (see FIG. 4). For example, internal threads of the valve body 12 can be adjacent the inlet end 14 for receiving the extension portion 50 of the cap 46 to threadedly engage the external threads 54 thereof.

[0053] The main body 48 of the cap 46 has an external wrench interface 59 such as flats that permits applying torque to the cap 46 when connecting to the valve body 12. Once the cap 38 is completely secured within the valve body 12, the main body 48 of the cap 46 can be positioned flush with a shoulder 58 (see FIG. 4) of the valve body 12.

[0054] Turning to FIGS. 8-10, the variable pressure control valve 10 includes a compensator device 60 (e.g., an adjuster nut, a spring adjustment member) which can be mounted within the recess 52 of the cap 46. The compensator device 60 is generally T-shaped with a head portion 62 and a stem portion 64. The head portion 62 can be rounded, as shown. The compensator device 60 can be secured within the cap 46 via a threaded connection 66 (see FIG. 4). The head portion 62 can have fine pitch threads 68 formed on an outer surface 70 thereof to facilitate precision axial movement of the compensator device 60 within the cap 46. That is, the fine pitch threads 68 allow the compensator device 60 to be adjusted gradually or in small increments relative to the cap 46. The fine pitch threads 68 of the compensator device 60 threadedly engage internal threads 72 (see FIG. 7) formed in the cap 46 to provide the threaded connection 66. In one example, the threading between the cap 46 and the valve body 12 can be opposite threaded as compared to the threaded connection 66 between the compensation device 60 and the cap 46.

[0055] The main body 48 of the cap 46 defines an opening 74 for receiving the stem portion 64 of the compensator device 60. Thus, the stem portion 64 extends through the main body 48 and can be accessible at the input end 14 of the valve body 12 when the adapter/fitting is removed from the variable pressure control valve 10. A seal can be provided between the stem portion 64 and the cap 46 at the opening 74 for providing sealing between the cap 46 and the stem portion 64.

[0056] Referring again to FIG. 4A, the spring 26 is depicted with minimal load (e.g., zero load) being applied thereon. That is, the head portion 62 of the compensator device 60 can be bottomed out inside of the cap 46 to be flushed therewith such that zero load is applied on the spring 26. When the compensator device 60 is in this far left position relative to the cap 46, the spring has a 35 psi-compression rating. When it is desired to change the spring pressure rating to something higher, the compensator device 60 can be adjusted axially to apply a load on the spring 26 to meet customer control pressure requirements. Of course, depending upon application, springs having other ranges of pressure ratings could also be used.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 11-12, the spring 26 is biased between the compensator device 60 and the piston 24. The compensator device 60 is designed to control how much the spring 26 is pressurized by axially changing position of the compensator device 60 inside the cap 46. That is, the compensator device 60 can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise about a central axis X relative to the cap 46 to axially move from the bottomed-out position shown in FIG. 4A to compress the spring 26 to meet required pressure ratings. As such, the compensator device 60 eliminates the need to have separate springs with different pressure ratings for various applications. With the compensator device 60, a single spring 26 can be used to achieve different pressure ratings. As such, the variable pressure control valve 10 can be used with various applications without disassembly.

[0058] The stem portion 64 of the compensator device 60 can include a visual indicator 76 at a distal end 78 thereof. In certain examples, the visual indicator 76 includes multiple indication grooves 76a, 76b, 76c circumferentially defined on the stem portion 64 of the compensator device 60 to indicate a specific pressure setting, although alternatives are possible. For example, the indication grooves 76a-c can represent pressure ratings 45, 48, and 50 psi, respectively.

[0059] The stem portion 64 defines a torque transmitting feature 80 such as a hex feature adjacent the visual indicator 76 for turning the compensator device 60. The torque transmitting feature 80 of the compensator device 60 can be accessible through the inlet end 14 of the valve body 12 once an operator removes a hose fitting or adapter mounted on the variable pressure control valve 10. Once the hose adapter/fitting is removed from the inlet end 14 of the variable pressure control valve 10, an operator may take a tool, such as a screwdriver, wrench, or an Allen key, and insert it into the torque transmitting feature 80 of the stem portion 64 to threadedly adjust the compensator device 60 axially. The compensator device 60 can be turned or rotated clockwise or counterclockwise about the central axis X to make fine adjustments relative to the cap 46 to set the spring 26 to a desired pressure rating. Turning the compensator device 60 to either the left or right may either decrease the space between the compensator device 60 and the piston 24 so that the spring 26 is smaller (i.e., tight, compressed) or increase the space between the compensator device 60 and the piston 24 so that the spring 26 is larger (i.e., looser).

[0060] The compensator device 60 can be turned until the desired indication groove 76a-c is flush with an outer surface 82 of the cap 46 to set the spring pressure rating at either 45, 48, or 50 psi. The variable pressure control valve 10 can be adjusted in the field to achieve the spring pressure rate desired. For example, to set the variable pressure control valve 10 at 45 psi, the compensator device 60 can be adjusted from the position shown in FIG. 4A to a position in which the indication groove 76a is flush with the outer surface 82 of the cap 46 to set the spring 26 with a 45-psi compression rating.

[0061] To set the variable pressure control valve 10 at 48 psi, the compensator device 60 is adjusted by turning the Allen key in the torque transmitting feature 80 clockwise to axially move the compensator device 60 relative to the cap 46 until the indication groove 76b is flush with the outer surface 82 of the cap 46 to set the spring 26 with a 48-psi compression rating.

[0062] To set the variable pressure control valve 10 at 50 psi, the compensator device 60 continues to be adjusted axially about the central axis X until the indication groove 76c is flush with the outer surface 82 of the cap 46 to set the spring 26 at a 50-psi compression rating as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 shows the spring 26 at its maximum 50-psi compression rating with the piston 24 in the closed position. When a maximum load (i.e., 50-psi compression rating) is applied on the spring 26, the head of the compensator device 60 is generally centered within the cap 46. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the spring 26 at its minimal 35-psi compression rating. One end of the spring 26 can be contained in the cap 46 while the opposite end of the spring 26 can be contained in the shaft portion 30 of the piston 24.

[0063] Teflon™ washers 84 can be positioned at opposing ends 86, 88 of the spring 26 to eliminate any friction or torsional influence on the compensator device 60 during operation. The overall length of the spring 26 between the compensator device 60 and the piston 24 or spring cavity 92 can be manipulated as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 to achieve a desired pressure rating without any torsional influence.

[0064] The variable pressure control valve 10 may also include a breather plug 90 that is typically used during defueling operations. For example, the breather plug 90 allows the piston 24 to be blocked so that fuel can flow from the outlet end 16 toward the inlet end 14.

[0065] FIGS. 13-23 depict another example variable pressure control valve 10a in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The variable pressure control valve 10a has the same features as the variable pressure control valve 10 of FIGS. 1-12 except it includes a two-part valve body. As such, similar reference numbers will be used to describe like elements.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 14, the variable pressure control valve 10a includes a first valve housing piece 12a and a second housing piece 12b. The first and second valve housing pieces 12a, 12b are connected together via fasteners 102. The first and second valve housing pieces 12a, 12b can be machined pieces. The valve 10a has a more elongate configuration between opposite inlet and outlet ends 14a, 16a as compared to the valve 10. Passages 20a extend between the inlet and outlet ends 14a, 16a.

[0067] The variable pressure control valve 10a includes a piston 24a, a spring 26a, a cap 46a that mounts a compensator device 60a within the variable pressure control valve 10a as depicted in FIG. 15. As compared to the compensator device 60, the compensator device 60a has a longer stem 64a and the cap 46a has a longer extension portion 50a to accommodate a larger range of travel of the compensator device 60a relative to the cap 46a. Also, the spring 26a is longer than the spring 26. The variable pressure control valve 10a is configured to function similarly to the variable pressure control valve 10 of FIGS. 1-12. As such, the features of the piston 24a, the spring 26a, the cap 46a and the compensator device 60a will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0068] The principles, techniques, and features described herein can be applied in a variety of systems, and there is no requirement that all of the advantageous features identified be incorporated in an assembly, system or component to obtain some benefit according to the present disclosure.

[0069] From the forgoing detailed description, it will be evident that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.