Hydrant design
AssigneeBaker Manufacturing Company
InventorStephen D. Royle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrant valve assembly including a spool member having at least one spool seal which is at times under extremely high pressure tending to cause the seal to be displaced from an associated recess, the spool member forming venting passages in the seal recess to alleviate seal pressure, the invention also including a new wet pipe design and a new collar design.
Claims12
A spool apparatus for use with a hydrant, the hydrant including an elongated housing which forms an internal sealing surface about a chamber along an axis, the chamber including a first sealing section formed by a sealing surface and an enlarged section adjacent the sealing section, the sealing section and enlarged section having first and second width dimensions perpendicular to the axis, respectively, the second dimension greater than the first, the housing also forming a housing opening at one end and first and second openings in the sealing and enlarged sections, one of the openings being an inlet and the other being a drain, the apparatus comprising:
- at least two annular seals;
- a spool member forming an external surface having first and second circumferential recesses which receive the seals, an open surface between the first and second recesses, respectively, the member also forming an internal passageway having an outlet end which opens into the housing opening, the member forming a passageway passage between the passageway and the open surface, when positioned in the chamber, the member moveable along the axis between at least:
- a first position wherein the first and second seals seal between the external and sealing surface on opposite sides of the first opening allowing passage from the passageway passage to the first opening;
- and
- a second position wherein the first seal seals between the external and sealing surfaces, the second seal within the enlarged section and the passageway passage at least partially open to the enlarged section and hence to the second opening;
- the member forming a venting passage from the second recess to a portion of the external surface on the side of the second recess opposite the first recess such that, when the member moves from the first to the second postion, pressure within said hydrant causes the second seal to move within said second recess such the venting passage in unblocked and the pressure within said hydrant is released into said enlarged section.
An apparatus for use with a hydrant, the hydrant including a dry pipe, a valve spool and a valve housing, the pipe having top and bottom ends and an internal diameter D1, the housing linked to the lower end, the spool positioned for movement within the housing between open and closed positions, the apparatus comprising:
- a wet pipe having upper and lower ends, the wet pipe positioned inside the dry pipe such that the upper end is adjacent the top end and the lower end is adjacent the bottom end, the lower end linked at the lower end to the valve spool, the wet pipe having an external diameter D2 which is slightly less than internal diameter D1 and formed of a rigid yet flexible material, the external diameter forming an external surface and the internal diameter forming an internal surface, the spool moveable between the open and closed positions by raising and lowering the upper end;
- whereby, when downward force is applied to the upper end, a portion of the external surface contacts a portion of the internal surface and the internal surface restricts bowing of the wet pipe so that the downward force is applied to the spool causing the spool to its open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.