Relief valve
AssigneeJansen's Aircraft Systems Controls, Inc.
InventorHarvey Jansen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A valve for the fuel system of a turbine engine works to relieve high pressure transients in the liquid fuel side of the turbine engine arising from the elevated ambient temperatures of operation of the turbine on gaseous fuel. The valve also prevents significant pressure losses during turbine start-up and sustained operation. The valve is bi-stable and has a liquid fuel driven poppet that toggles between one of two closed positions to interrupt flow through the valve when below a lower pressure limit and when above an upper pressure limit. The poppet moves to an intermediate position temporarily to permit pressure relief. A method of operating such a valve is also provided.
Claims20
A valve for a turbine, the valve comprising:
- a housing defining a passageway between an inlet and an outlet;
- a first seal extending about the passageway;
- a second seal extending about the passageway at an axial distance from the first seal;
- a valve member disposed between the first and second seals and intersecting the passageway, the valve member being arranged to toggle between a first closed position in which the valve member is seated against the first seal and a second closed position in which the valve member is seated against the second seal, flow to the outlet being closed off when the valve member is in the first and second closed positions;
- and
- a biasing member biasing the valve member in contact with the first seal;
- wherein the valve member is in the first closed position when pressure at the inlet is below a crack pressure and the valve member is in the second closed position when the inlet pressure is above a close pressure, and wherein when the valve member is between the first and second closed positions it is unseated from the first and second seals so that flow can pass to the outlet.
A bi-stable valve in the fuel system of a turbine engine for relieving pressure between lower and upper pressure limits, the valve comprising a fuel driven poppet that toggles between one of two closed positions to interrupt flow from an inlet to an outlet, the poppet being in a first of the closed positions at least until the lower pressure limit is reached at the inlet and being in second of the closed positions after the upper pressure limit is reached, the poppet being movable to an intermediate position between the first and second closed positions when the inlet pressure is between the lower and upper limits to permit flow from the inlet to the outlet.
A method of valve operation, comprising:
- when below a lower pressure limit, biasing a poppet to seat against a first seal and close off a passageway between an inlet and an outlet;
- when above an upper pressure limit, using a controlled media to seat the poppet against a second seal and close off the passageway between the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- when within a pressure range between the lower and upper pressure limits, using the controlled media to move the poppet to an intermediate position between the first and second seals to allow the controlled media to pass from the inlet to the outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.