Float type drain trap

Abstract

A float type drain trap in which an inlet, a valve chamber, and an outlet are formed in a valve casing, a valve seat member, a discharge passage, a float, an operation member, a valve member that communicates between the periphery anterior to and the periphery posterior to the middle portion of the operation member when the operation member is in the advanced position and that blocks the periphery anterior to and the periphery posterior to the middle portion of the operation member from one another when the operation member is in the most retracted position is provided to the middle portion of the operation member, and a blow passage formed to communicate the periphery posterior to the valve member of the operation member with the outside distinct from the outlet.

Claims

1. A float type drain trap comprising: an inlet, a valve chamber, and an outlet are formed in a valve casing, a valve seat member is attached to a lower portion of the valve chamber, a discharge passage that communicates the valve chamber with the outlet is formed to the valve seat member, a float that is moved away from and seated on the valve seat member to open and close the discharge passage is disposed on the valve chamber, an operation member whose tip end is disposed in the discharge passage is provided to be externally operable in forward and backward directions, a valve member formed at a middle portion of the operation member, the valve member being configured to selectively communicate a periphery anterior to the valve member with a periphery posterior to the valve member, and a blow passage that communicates the periphery posterior to the valve member with an exterior of the valve casing distinct from the outlet while the operation member is contactingly engaged to the interior of the valve casing, wherein the operation member is movable between an advanced position in which the valve member engages the valve seat member and blocks communication between the periphery anterior to the valve member and the periphery posterior to the valve member, a retracted position in which the valve member communicates the periphery anterior to the valve member and the periphery posterior to the valve member to allow fluid to flow through the blow passage to the exterior of the valve casing, and a most retracted position in which the valve member engages the valve casing and blocks communication between the periphery anterior to the valve member and the periphery posterior to the valve member, and wherein operation member is configured to direct fluid containing foreign matter away from the outlet and to the exterior of the valve casing via the blow passage when the operation member is in the retracted position.

2. The float type drain trap according to claim 1 wherein the blow passage is provided inside the operation member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a float type drain trap of an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of area II, III shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the operation member in an advanced position.

(3) FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of area II, III shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the operation member in a retracted position.

EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION

(4) Hereafter, an embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIG. 1. A cover 2 is fastened to a body 1 by use of a bolt 3 to form a valve casing, inside which a valve chamber 4 is formed. The body 1 has an inlet 5, an outlet passage 6, and an outlet 7. The inlet 5 communicates with the upper portion of the valve chamber 4. The inlet 5 and outlet 7 are formed coaxially. A valve seat member 9 having a discharge passage 8 opened therethrough is threadably coupled to the cover 2 in the lower portion of the valve chamber 4. The discharge passage 8 includes a tip end 8a that is an end toward the valve chamber 4 and has a small diameter, a tapered portion 8b whose diameter expands toward the downstream of the downstream of the tip end 8a, and a rear end 8c having a large diameter and downstream of the tapered portion 8b. The cover 2 has an outlet passage 10. The lower portion of the valve chamber 4 communicates with the outlet 7 from the discharge passage 8 via the outlet passages 10 and 6. In the valve chamber 4, a float 11 having a hollow spherical shape is located in a free state to open and close the discharge passage 8 by being moved away from and seated on a valve-chamber side end surface 9a of the valve seat member 9. Two float seats 12 that contact with the float 11 where the float 11 closes the discharge passage 8 are formed below the float 11 at the near side and other side of the FIGURE.

(5) A plug 13 is screwed to the cover 2 coaxially with the valve seat member 9 to be adjustable forwardly and backwardly from the outside. The operation member 14 is secured to the plug 13 coaxially with the valve seat member 9 by use of a U nut 15 as a connecting member to penetrate the plug 13. A tip end 14a of the operation member 14 is located downstream of the tip end 8a of the discharge passage 8 and projects into the valve chamber 4 by advance, and a rear end 14b thereof is located outside. The outer diameter of the tip end 14a of the operation member 14 is formed slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tip end 8a of the discharge passage 8. When the operation member 14 is advanced, the inner surface of the tip end 8a of the discharge passage 8 is cleaned by the tip end 14a of the operation member 14. A flange-like valve member 16 is formed integrally with the middle portion of the operation member 14. Inside the operation member 14, a blow passage 17 is provided including a transverse hole 17a radially penetrating at the portion posterior to the valve member 16 and a longitudinal hole 17b that communicates with this transverse hole 17a and axially penetrates toward the rear end. The blow passage 17 communicates the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 with the open air distinct from the outlet 7. The blow passage may communicate the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 with a condensate pit and a condensate tank that are distinct from the outlet 7. The valve member 16 is moved away from and seated on a rear end 9b of the valve seat member 9 to close the discharge passage 8 at the most advanced position and to open the discharge passage 8 at the position retracted from the most advanced position. The valve member 16 is moved away from and seated on an inward flange 2a of the cover 2 to communicate between the periphery anterior to and the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 from the most advanced position to the most retracted position and to block the periphery anterior to and the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 from one another at the most retracted position. The blow passage may be provided not in the operation member 14 but in the plug 13 or cover 2.

(6) In the state of FIG. 1, the condensate flowed from the inlet 5 collects in the valve chamber 4, the float 11 floats and drops in response to the liquid level and is moved away from and seated on the valve seat member 9 to open and close the discharge passage 8. When the discharge passage 8 is opened, the condensate in the valve chamber 4 is discharged to the outlet 7 through the discharge passage 8 and the outlet passages 6 and 10. When the discharge passage 8 is closed, the leakage of the gas in the valve chamber 4 is prevented.

(7) When the foreign material adhered to the inner surface of the tip end 8a of the discharge passage 8 of the valve seat member 9 is removed, the plug 13 is screwed to rotate and advance the operation member 14 to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation member 14 is advanced to the position where the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 is seated on the rear end of the valve seat member 9 to close the discharge passage 8 (preferably, to the most advanced position). Thereby, the tip end 14a of the operation member 14 cleans the inner surface of the tip end 8a of the discharge passage 8 of the valve seat member 9. Then, the plug 13 is unscrewed to rotate and retract the operation member 14 to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to open the discharge passage 8 after the liquid level in the valve chamber 4 is raised. Accordingly, the fluid containing the foreign material that has entered the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 is blown to the open air distinct from the outlet 7 through the blow passage 17 provided inside the operation member 14. Thereby, the removed foreign material flowing down to the outlet 7 can be made small. After that, the plug 13 is further unscrewed to rotate and retract the operation member 14 to the most retracted position illustrated in FIG. 1 and to block the periphery anterior to and the periphery posterior to the valve member 16 of the operation member 14 from one another.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(8) The present invention is usable for float type drain traps that automatically discharge the condensate generated in steam, compressed air, and gas piping systems.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(9) 1 . . . Body 2 . . . Cover 2a . . . Inward flange of cover 4 . . . Valve chamber 5 . . . Inlet 6,10 . . . Outlet passage 7 . . . Outlet 8 . . . Discharge passage 8a . . . Tip end of discharge passage 9 . . . Valve seat member 9a . . . Valve-chamber side end surface of valve seat member 9b . . . Rear end of valve seat member 11 . . . Float 13 . . . Plug 14 . . . Operation member 14a . . . Tip end of operation member 14b . . . Rear end of operation member 15 . . . U nut 16 . . . Valve member 17 . . . Blow passage 17a . . . Transverse hole 17b . . . Longitudinal hole