Cartridge-type disconnectable pressure relief valve system

A self-contained relief valve cartridge, comprising:

• a housing having a guide member section at an upstream end, said guide member section including an open upstream end and a fluid port extending radially through said guide member;
• a disk positioned within said housing;
• biasing means positioned within said housing, said biasing means being in contact with said disk;
• a nozzle member secured to said guide member between said open end of said guide member and said fluid port, said nozzle member including a disk seat, and said biasing means biasing said disk into contact with the valve seat of said nozzle member, and said relief valve cartridge further comprising a diskholder slidingly retained between an interior surface of said guide member and an exterior surface of said disk and having a free end which is adapted to partially block the fluid port formed in said guide member, wherein said disk supports said diskholder and said diskholder is secured to said disk by a spring member such that said diskholder is adapted to move with respect to said guide member and with respect to said disk.

A pressure relief valve system, comprising:

• a valve bowl which comprises an inlet port housing with an inlet port adapted for fluid communication with a fluid pressure source and an outlet port, said valve bowl having an aperture formed therein and means for securing said valve bowl to the fluid pressure source;
• a relief valve cartridge having a housing with a biasing means positioned therein, said housing including a guide member having an open upstream end and a fluid opening formed therethrough and positioned downstream from said open upstream end, said cartridge further comprising a disk in sliding arrangement within said guide member, and a nozzle member retained within the interior of said guide member, and said biasing means adapted to bias said disk into contact with said nozzle member;
• and
• releasable securement means for releasably securing said cartridge of said valve bowl such that said cartridge extends through the aperture formed in said valve bowl and into fluid communication with the inlet port of said valve bowl, and
• wherein said releasable securement means includes a ring with an interior surface adapted for contact with an exterior surface of said cartridge and fastening means for fastening said ring to said valve bowl while urging the open end of said guide member into contact with a reception surface of said inlet port.

A method for servicing a pressure relief valve positioned within a relief valve system, comprising:

• releasing releasable securement means securing an upstream end of a relief valve cartridge within a hollow interior formed in a valve bowl, with said relief valve cartridge including a spring biased stem in contact with a valve disk, said relief valve cartridge including a nozzle member having an upstream open end and a downstream open end adapted to be covered by said valve disk;
• removing said relief valve cartridge such that the upstream end of said relief valve cartridge is positioned outside of the hollow interior formed in said valve bowl while maintaining said spring biased stem in contact with said valve disk and said valve disk biased in sealed contact with the downstream end of said nozzle member, and said step of removing said relief valve cartridge out of the hollow interior formed in said valve bowl resulting in a stop valve, previously biased by the upstream end of said relief valve cartridge in a non-sealing position, moving to a sealing position with respect to an inlet port extending into the hollow interior of said valve bowl, and said step of removing said relief valve cartridge includes moving the nozzle member from a position wherein said nozzle is in contact with said stop valve to a position wherein said nozzle is free from contact with said stop valve and wherein said stop valve includes a poppet valve with a spring biased cylindrical shroud with radial support vanes attached to a downstream end of a stem extending from a valve head of said poppet valve, and said step of removing said nozzle member out of contact with said stop valve includes moving said nozzle member out of contact with the cylindrical shroud of said stop valve.

A method for servicing a pressure relief valve positioned within a relief valve system, comprising:

• releasing releasable securement means securing an upstream end of a relief valve cartridge within a hollow interior formed in a valve bowl, with said relief valve cartridge including a spring biased stem in contact with a valve disk, a nozzle member having an upstream open end and a downstream open end adapted to be covered by said valve disk;
• removing said relief valve cartridge such that the upstream end of said relief valve cartridge is positioned outside of the hollow interior formed in said valve bowl while maintaining said spring biased stem in contact with said valve disk and said valve disk biased in sealed contact with the downstream end of said nozzle member, and said step of removing said relief valve cartridge out of the hollow interior formed in said valve bowl resulting in a stop valve, previously biased by the upstream end of said relief valve cartridge in a non-sealing position, moving to a sealing position with respect to an inlet port extending into the hollow interior of said valve bowl, said method further comprising moving a sealing plug such that relatively high pressured fluid positioned upstream of said stop valve in an inlet port sealing position flows around said stop valve and into a lower pressure section of said inlet port downstream of said stop valve so as to reduce the pressure differential upstream and downstream of said stop valve.

A pressure relief system, comprising:

• a valve bowl which comprises an inlet port housing with an inlet port adapted for fluid communication with a fluid pressure source and an outlet port, said valve bowl having an aperture formed therein and means for securing said valve bowl to the fluid pressure source;
• a relief valve cartridge having a housing with a biasing means positioned therein, said housing including a guide member having an open upstream end and a fluid opening formed therethrough and positioned downstream from said open upstream end, said cartridge further comprising a disk in sliding arrangement within said guide member, and a nozzle member retained within the interior of said guide member, and said biasing means adapted to bias said disk into contact with said nozzle member;
• and
• releasable securement means for releasably securing said cartridge of said valve bowl such that said cartridge extends through the aperture formed in said valve bowl and into fluid communication with the inlet port of said valve bowl,
• said pressure relief valve system further comprising a stop valve system which comprises a contact member, a valve head member, attachment means for connecting said head member to said contact member, and a biasing system, said contact member being in contact with the upstream end of said cartridge and said biasing system being in a compressed state when said cartridge is secured to said valve bowl such that said head member is in a non-sealing inlet port position, and said head member being dimensioned and arranged such that when said cartridge is removed from said valve bowl said biasing system decompresses so as to position said head member in a sealing position with respect to said inlet port, and
• said pressure relief valve system further comprising a first fluid communication line formed in said inlet port housing and having a first end opening in said inlet port upstream of said head member when said head member is in a sealing position, and a second fluid communication formed in said inlet port housing and having a first end opening into said inlet port downstream of said head member, and said first and second fluid communication lines each having a second end opening into a recess formed in said inlet port housing, and said pressure relief valve member further comprising a sealing plug which is adapted to assume a first position wherein the second ends of said first and second fluid communication lines are sealed and a second position wherein said first and second fluid communication lines are in fluid communication with one another.