US 4,052,997 AGranted

Leak detection arrangement for valve having sealing means

OwnerBruce L. De Lorenzo, Daniel J. McCarthyinventors

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Abstract

A valve includes a plunger which is movable by actuating means such as a solenoid coil, air pressure or other means to move a valve member toward and away from a valve seat. The fluid flow area of the valve is sealed from the actuating means by the diaphragm, O-rings or other forms of sealing structure. In order to insure against leakage past the diaphragm or seal and especially against leakage into the actuating means, the construction includes another diaphragm or seal spaced from the first seal providing a seal space between the first and second diaphragms or seals. In the event of leakage past the first sealing means, flow of the liquid into the space between the first and second sealing means causes an outward flow of the fluid through a detecting passage which thereby provides means which disclose the leakage past the first sealing means so that the first sealing means can be immediately replaced before any damage to the actuating means or to the system itself.

Claims4

Dependent claims

Valve construction comprising:

actuating means,
a valve body having a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage, a valve seat between said inlet and outlet passages and a bore above the valve seat,
a valve flow control plunger operatively arranged between the actuating means and the valve seat and extending through the bore in the valve body in substantially continuous slidable relation therewith and responsive to the actuating means for movement relative to the valve seat for correspondingly controlling fluid flow through the valve seat from the inlet passage to the outlet passage,
spaced apart first and secnd sealing means correspondingly situated in the vicinity of each end portion of the bore for sealing against fluid flow through and bore to the actuating means, the second sealing means sealing against fluid flow along the plunger within the bore beyond the first sealing means, and
a leak detection and relief passage extending from the interior of the valve body outwardly to the exterior thereof and located between the first and second sealing means and communicating directly with the bore for the flow of any fluid leaking past the first sealing means to a visible location outside of the valve body, the valve body being integral in the portion thereof between the first and second sealing means which extends outwardly from the bore and in which the leak detection and relief passage communicates with the bore.

2 more elements

Valve construction comprising:

actuating means including a solenoid having an axially extending coil,
a valve body having a fluid inlet passage and a fluid outlet passage, a valve seat between said inlet and outlet passages and a bore axially extending above the valve seat,
a valve control plunger operatively arranged between the actuating means and he valve seat and axially extending through the bore in the valve body in substantially continuous slidable relation therewith, the plunger being normally resiliently biased toward operative sealing engagement with the valve seat and the coil of the solenoid operatively surrounding the plunger for moving the plunger away from the valve seat against such normal resilient bias whereby the plunger is responsive to the actuating means for movement relative to the valve seat for correspondingly controlling fluid flow through the valve seat from the inlet passage to the outlet passage,
axially spaced apart first and second sealing means correspondingly situated in the vicinity of each end portion of the bore for sealing against fluid flow through the bore to the actuating means, said first sealing means being in the form of a replaceable seal packing between the plunger and the valve body in the vicinity of the end portion of the bore axially adjacent the valve seat and the second sealing means being in the form of a diaphragm secured between the plunger and the valve body in the vicinity of the end portion of the bore axially remote from the valve seat, the diaphragm sealing against fluid flow along the plunger axially beyond the replaceable seal packing in the direction of the actuating means, and
a leak detection and relief passage extending substantially crosswise of the axial direction of the plunger from the interior of the valve body outwardly to the exterior thereof and located axially between the replaceable seat packing and diaphragm and communicating directly with the bore for the flow of any fluid leaking past the replaceable seal packing to a visible location outside of the valve body.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.