US 4,726,391 AGranted

Rotary switching device provided with an axially displaceable conical chamber

AssigneeAluminium Pechiney

InventorJean Barra

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Abstract

The invention relates to a rotary switching device having a conical chamber permitting modification of the supply to the apparatus to which it is allocated, by reversing the fluids or the directions of circulation of the fluids in the ducts. This switching device comprises: a principal hollow conical body of revolution (10), provided with a plurality of inlet and outlet ports (11) for the fluids intended to be connected to apparatuses by arrival and departure ducts for the said fluids; a conical chamber valve member of revolution having the same conicity as the interior of the body (10), the axis (9) of the body and of the chamber valve member being coincident, this chamber including at least one switching stage, constituted by a plurality of windows cooperating with the aperture of the ports (11) of the body, and at least one internal partition delimiting at least two distinct spaces constituting the channels of the stage; a means for displacing (19) the chamber valve member (26) along its axis (9) to permit the driving-in and the release of the said chamber valve member from the internal wall of the body (10); a means for rotating (70) the chamber valve member about its axis (9) to permit a change in orientation; a sealing means disposed around the windows of the chamber valve member.

Claims17

Dependent claims

Rotary switching device having a conical chamber valve member permitting modification of the supply to the apparatus to which it is allocated by reversing the fluids in the ducts, or by reversing the direction of circulation of the fluids in the ducts, or both simultaneously, without any need to stop the fluid streams and without causing significant mixing of the various fluids at the time of switching, characterized in that it comprises:

a principal hollow body of revolution (10), provided with a plurality of inlet and outlet portions (11) for the fluids intended to be connected to apparatuses by arrival and departure ducts for the said fluids, this body (10) being provided, at its upper part, with a closure plate (17) permitting the location of the chamber valve member, and, at its lower part, with a closed base (15),
a conical chamber of revolution (26) having the same conicity as the interior of the body (10), the axis (9) of the body and of the chamber valve member being coincident, the said chamber valve member being closed at its extremities by plates (30) and (32) and including at least one switching stage constituted by a plurality of windows (50) cooperating with the aperture of the ports (11) of the body, and at least one internal partition (33) delimiting at least two distinct spaces constituting the channels of the stage permitting the internal circulation of the fluids without communication between them, and wherein said plates (30), (31) and (32) and the partitions (33) constituting the chamber valve member (26) include grooves (39) and (42) receiving the sealing means;
a means fixed on the upper closure plate (17) for displacing (19) the chamber valve member (26) along its axis (9) in order to permit the driving-in and the release of the said chamber valve member from the internal wall of the body (10);
a means fixed on the upper closure plate (17) for rotating (70) the chamber valve member (26) about its axis (9) to permit the change of orientation;
a sealing means (47) disposed around the windows (50) of the chamber valve member (26), and wherein said sealing means of the chamber valve member (26) in the body (10) is in grooves (39) and (42), and the sealing means comprises an elastomeric seal (47) having a double bearing surface, having the general shape of a U, the external parts of the U bearing against the faces (48) of the grooves (39) and (42), to which it is made to adhere, the extremity of each one of the limbs of the U forming the bearing surfaces (51) and (53) cooperating with the support on the internal wall of the body in order to ensure a seal around each window (50), the lower part of the U forming a path (55) directing leakages towards the space (67) formed in the lower part of the body.

2 more elements

A fluid valve, said valve comprising:

a body member, said body member having a frustoconical inner surface of selected conicity and disposed symmetrically about a linear axis, said inner surface having a plurality of fluid ports;
a generally frustoconical chamber valve member disposed generally symmetrically about said linear axis, said chamber valve member having a conicity identical to said conicity of said inner surface of said body member, the frustoconical surface of said chamber valve member comprising a solid portion and a plurality of openings, said plurality of fluid ports and said plurality of openings being disposed to permit, by rotation of said chamber valve member to a preselected position about said linear axis, alignment of selected ones of said plurality fluid ports and said plurality of openings to form a plurality of unitary fluid passageways, said passageways being disposed to permit fluid to flow through said chamber valve member;
wherein said chamber valve member further comprises a deformable fluid seal disposed on the radially outer surface of said solid portion, said fluid seal being effective to form a fluid tight seal about each of said unitary passageways upon said frustoconical surface of said body member being placed against the frustoconical inner surface of said chamber valve member, and said deformable seal being deformed a preselected distance radially inwardly responsive to said chamber valve member being displaced a selected distance along said linear axis with respect to said body member, and wherein said deformable fluid seal comprises a plurality of interconnected channel means for collecting fluid leakage from said unitary fluid pasageways across said deformable fluid seal, said channel means being effective to drain said leakage out of said fluid valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.