Multiport valve including leakage control system, particularly for a thermal regenerative fume incinerator

A fluid control valve comprising:

• a valve housing having an inner surface and four main conduit connection openings;
• a butterfly valve element within said valve housing rotatable on a valve element axis between at least two valve positions, said valve element having two valve element wings substantially identical in shape and extending from the valve element axis, the configurations of said valve housing and valve element and the orientation of the valve element axis being such that the peripheries of said wings are adjacent the inner surface of said valve housing when said valve element is in either of the valve positions;
• said main conduit connection openings being located on said valve housing at different angular orientations with reference to the valve element axis such that different pairs of said main conduit connection openings are in deliberate fluid communication when said valve element is in different valve positions;
• said butterfly valve element including structure cooperating with a portion of the inner surface of said valve housing to define a plenum at least when said valve element is in either of the valve positions;
• and
• a minor conduit in fluid communication with said plenum.

A fluid control valve comprising:

• a valve housing having an inner surface and four main conduit connection openings;
• a butterfly valve element within said valve housing rotatable on a valve element axis between two valve positions, said valve element having two wings substantially identical in shape and extending from the valve element axis, the configurations of said valve housing and valve element and the orientation of the valve element axis being such that the peripheries of said wings are adjacent the inner surface of said valve housing when said valve element is in either of the valve positions;
• said main conduit connection openings being located on said valve housing at different angular orientations with reference to the valve element axis such that different pairs of said main conduit connection openings are in deliberate fluid communication when said valve element is in different valve positions:
• said butterfly valve element including structure cooperating with a portion of the inner surface of said valve housing to define a plenum at the peripheries of said wings at least when said valve element is in either of the valve positions, the defined plenum being wide enough to completely cover at least two of said main conduit connection openings when said valve element is in a position intermediate the valve positions;
• and
• a minor conduit in fluid communication with said plenum.

A fluid control valve comprising:

• a valve housing having an inner surface and four main conduit connection openings;
• a butterfly valve element within said valve housing rotatable on a valve element axis between two valve positions, said valve element having two wings substantially identical in shape and extending from the valve element axis, the configurations of said valve housing and valve element and the orientation of the valve element axis being such that the peripheries of said wings are adjacent the inner surface of said valve housing when said valve element is in either of the valve positions;
• said main conduit connection openings being located on said valve housing at different angular orientations with reference to the valve element axis such that different pairs of said main conduit connection openings are in deliberate fluid communication when said valve element is in different valve positions;
• said butterfly valve element including a channel element on the peripheries of said wings, the channel element having open edges proximate the inner surface of the valve housing at least when the valve element is in either of the valve positions such that the channel element cooperates with a portion of the inner surface of said valve housing to define a plenum;
• and
• a minor conduit in fluid communication with said plenum.

A fluid control valve comprising:

• a generally cylindrical valve body with a closure plate at each end of the valve body;
• at least three radially spaced conduit ports connecting to said valve body;
• a rotor rotatably mounted within said valve body for selectively directing material from one port to either adjacent port;
• said rotor including two spaced parallel plates mounted on a rotor shaft with said plates extending radially and axially to within proximity of the inside of said valve body, a space being defined between said parallel plates;
• said parallel plates being spaced at least as far apart as the width of at least two of said ports;
• a minor conduit connection to the space between said parallel plates;
• and
• means to rotate said rotor between a first position and a second position so that at least one of said ports is in fluid communication with an adjacent port in the first position and with other adjacent port in the second position.

A fluid control valve comprising:

• a generally cylindrical valve body with a closure plate at each end of the valve body;
• at least three radially spaced conduit ports connecting to said valve body;
• a rotor rotatably mounted within said valve body for selectively directing material from one port to either adjacent port;
• said rotor including a shaft, a plate mounted on said shaft and extending radially outward, and U-shaped channel members mounted on the outside edges of said plate with the edges of the U-shaped channel members in proximity with the inside of the valve housing, a space being defined by the U-shaped channel members and the inside of the valve body;
• the edges of said U-shaped channel members being at least as far apart as the width of at least two of said ports;
• at least one minor conduit connection to the space defined by the U-shaped channel members and the inside of the valve body;
• and
• means to rotate said rotor between a first position and a second position so that at least one of said ports is in fluid communication with an adjacent port in the first position and with other adjacent port in the second position.