Multiway valve for fluids and its use

A multiway valve consisting of

• a) a fluid inlet line having a longitudinal axis and a fluid outlet,
• b) a connector housing defining a flow channel,
• c) two basic valve bodies and, optionally, up to two additional valve bodies, each valve body having a valve housing with a lateral discharge outlet, and each valve body having a longitudinal axis and a valve spindle with a valve head, the valve head of each basic valve body having a diameter "D" and the valve head of each additional valve body having a diameter "D.sub.A ",
• d) a valve lantern attached to the valve head of each basic valve body,
• wherein
• i) the inlet line fluid outlet is connected to the connector housing and provides fluid connection between the inlet line and the connector housing,
• ii) each valve housing is connected to the connector housing by a valve seat and defines a guide cylinder providing fluid connection between the connector housing and the valve housing lateral discharge outlet,
• iii) each valve spindle is movably situated within the guide cylinder of each valve housing,
• iv) the longitudinal axes of the basic valve bodies are exactly opposed to each other, at the level of the connector housing, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the inlet line at its fluid outlet, and perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the additional valve bodies, if any,
• v) the additional valve bodies, if any, are located co-planar to the basic valve bodies or, optionally, when there is only one additional valve body, beneath the connector housing with the longitudinal axis of the single additional valve body colinear with the longitudinal axis of the inlet line at its fluid outlet,
• vi) the valve lanterns are in the form of a first straight cylinder with an attached second straight cylinder having an end opposite the valve head that is cropped at an inclined angle, the cylinders each having a longitudinal axis that is co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the corresponding valve spindle, with the longest side of the second straight cylinder furthest from the inlet line,
• vii) on the valve head of each additional valve body is an attachment in the form of a straight cylinder with a front surface opposite the valve head that forms a cavity, curved inwards like the inner surface of a cylinder section,
• viii) coaxially and entirely inside the cavity formed by the front surface of the attachment to the valve head of each additional valve body is a gable-roofed shaped wedge or a cone rounded at their bottom surfaces to attach flush to the front surface of the attachment, the gable of the wedge extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said inner surface of a cylinder section,
• ix) the inlet line at its fluid outlet is defined by two flattened walls opposed to each other and tapering in direction of the inlet line outlet, the flattened walls being parallel to the longitudinal axes of the basic valve bodies and connected by two concave walls,
• x) the portion of each valve spindle adjacent to its respective valve head has a diameter "d" for the basic valves and "d.sub.A " for the additional valves that are 25% to 90% of the diameter "D" and "D.sub.A " respectively, of the corresponding valve head, with a gradual transition from diameter D to diameter d and from D.sub.A to d.sub.A,
• xi) the guide cylinder of each valve housing is enlarged on the side opposite the discharge outlet, with the transition to the enlarged portion being gradual,
• xii) each valve spindle is independently movable between (1) a closed position, wherein each valve head engages an annular valve seat positioned in the wall of the connector housing and each valve lantern of the basic valve bodies is positioned beneath the inlet line outlet within the connector housing with its longest side abutting on the inner surface of the connector housing, and the curved front surface of each valve head attachment of the additional valve bodies runs flush with the inner surface of the connector housing, and (2) an open position, wherein the portion of each valve spindle with diameter d or d.sub.A is positioned at the valve body discharge outlet.