US 4,356,837 AGranted

Self-cleaning orifice assembly

AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.

InventorJohn D. Dickinson

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Abstract

A self-cleaning orifice assembly, for draining unacceptable accumulations of water from pipes and vessels associated with a turbine, is herein presented and claimed. The invention includes a two-position, movable stem having therein a plurality of ducts and the orifice. Their relative diameters and the flow itself are utilized to prevent blockage of the flow path.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A valve comprising:

(A) a valve casing including a spring housing and a valve body, said valve body having an inlet chamber, and an escape chamber, said chambers connected by an opening defined by an inner wall structure, said structure having a top seat about the top edge of the structure closest to the opening, and a bottom seat about the bottom edge of said structure closest to the opening;
(B) a two-position valve stem, extending from the spring housing and into the valve body, having a rod with a central axially-directed bore at its bottom portion, an orifice axially-aligned with said bore and disposed at said bore's top end, a plurality of radially-directed ducts, and two valve discs that protrude radially-outward from the rod and are disposed in axially-spaced relation;
said ducts including at least two feed holes, at least one escape hole, and at least one cleaning port;
said top disc having a seat along its lower edge and being disposed along said rod between said feed holes and said escape hole;
and said bottom disc having a seat along its top edge and being disposed along said rod between said feed holes and said cleaning port;
and
(C) means for actuating said valve to move said valve stem from one of its positions to another;
whereby in said first position of said stem, said top disc's seat contacts said structure's top seat, and a fluid introduced into said inlet chamber for cleaning any debris that might have accumulated in the feed holes flows through said feed holes, said axial bore, said orifice, and then said escape hole to exit through said escape chamber;
and
whereby in said second position of said stem, said bottom disc's seat contacts said structure's bottom seat and said escape hole being received in an annular bushing in the valve body to substantially block the fluid from the inlet chamber via said escape hole, and the fluid introduced into said inlet chamber flows through said cleaning port, said axial bore, and said feed holes for cleaning any debris that might have accumulated in the feed holes to exit into said escape chamber.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A valve comprising:

(A) a valve casing including a spring housing and a valve body, said valve body having an inlet chamber, and an escape chamber, said chambers connected by an opening defined by an inner wall structure, said structure having a top seat about the top edge of the structure closest to the opening, and a bottom seat about the bottom edge of said structure closest to the opening;
(B) a two-position valve stem, extending from the spring housing and into the valve body, having a rod with a central axially-directed bore at its bottom portion, an orifice axially-aligned with said bore and disposed at said bore's top end, a plurality of radially-directed ducts, and two valve discs that protrude radially-outward from the rod and are disposed in axially-spaced relation;
said ducts including at least two feed holes, at least one escape hole, and at least one cleaning port;
said top disc having a seat along its lower edge and being disposed along said rod between said feed holes and said escape hole;
and said bottom disc having a seat along its top edge and being disposed along said rod between said feed holes and said cleaning port;
and
(C) means for actuating said valve to move said valve stem from one of its positions to another;
whereby in said first position of said stem, said top disc's seat contacts said structure's top seat, and a fluid introduced into said inlet chamber for cleaning any debris that might have accumulated in the feed holes flows through said feed holes, said axial bore, said orifice, and then said escape hole to exit through said escape chamber;
and
whereby in said second position of said stem, said bottom disc's seat contacts said structure's bottom seat and said escape hole being received in an annular bushing in the valve body to substantially block the fluid from the inlet chamber via said escape hole, and the fluid introduced into said inlet chamber flows through said cleaning port, said axial bore, and said feed holes for cleaning any debris that might have accumulated in the feed holes to exit into said escape chamber.

7 more elements