US 7,491,035 B2Granted

Cyclic condensate pump having a three-way valve

AssigneeSpence Engineering Company

InventorsGeorge W. Page, Jr., Dan Walter Cole

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Abstract

A condensate pump includes a condensate reservoir, a liquid level float sensor operable to sense a liquid level within the condensate reservoir, and a pressure/vent valve including a pressure source, a pressure vent, and a primary piston slidably supported in a primary cylinder and sliding in the primary cylinder responsive to the liquid level sensor. A secondary piston is slidably supported in a secondary cylinder and moves responsive to a movement of the primary piston between a first secondary-piston position wherein the pressure source is in communication with a gas space of the condensate reservoir and the pressure vent is isolated from the gas space, and a second secondary-piston position wherein the pressure source is isolated from the gas space and the pressure vent is in communication with the gas space.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A condensate pump, comprising:

a condensate reservoir comprising
a fluid inlet,
an inlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet and to allow a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet,
a fluid outlet, and
an outlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet and to allow a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet;
a liquid level sensor operable to sense a liquid level within the condensate reservoir;
and
a pressure/vent valve further comprising
a primary piston slidably supported in a primary cylinder, wherein the primary piston slides in the primary cylinder responsive to the liquid level sensor, between a first primary piston position and a second primary piston position,
a pressure source,
a pressure vent,
a three-way valve further comprising a secondary piston slidably supported in a secondary cylinder, wherein the secondary piston slides in the secondary cylinder between a first secondary piston position in which the pressure source is in communication with a gas space of the condensate reservoir and the pressure vent is isolated from the gas space, and a second secondary piston position in which the pressure source is isolated from the gas space and the pressure vent is in communication with the gas space, and
wherein the movement of the secondary piston in the secondary cylinder is responsive to movement of the primary piston in the primary cylinder.

10 more elements

A condensate pump, comprising:

a condensate reservoir comprising
a fluid inlet,
an inlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet and to allow a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet,
a fluid outlet, and
an outlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet and to allow a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet;
a liquid level sensor operable to sense a liquid level within the condensate reservoir, wherein the liquid level sensor comprises
a float within the condensate reservoir, and
an actuating arm connected to the float and movable with the float;
and
a pressure/vent valve comprising
a pressure source,
a pressure vent,
a primary piston slidably supported in a primary cylinder, wherein the primary piston slides in the primary cylinder responsive to the liquid level sensor, between a first primary piston and a second primary piston position, and wherein the actuating arm is connected to the primary piston,
a secondary piston slidably supported in a secondary cylinder, wherein the secondary piston slides in the secondary cylinder responsive to a movement of the primary piston, between
a first secondary piston position wherein the pressure source is in communication with a gas space of the condensate reservoir and the pressure vent is isolated from the gas space, and
a secondary piston position wherein the pressure source is isolated from the gas space and the pressure vent is in communication with the gas space.

13 more elements

A condensate pump, comprising:

a condensate reservoir comprising
a fluid inlet,
an inlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet and to allow a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid inlet,
a fluid outlet, and
an outlet check valve operable to prevent a flow of fluid into the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet and to allow a flow of fluid out of the condensate reservoir through the fluid outlet;
a liquid level sensor operable to sense a liquid level within the condensate reservoir, wherein the liquid level sensor comprises
a float within the condensate reservoir, and
an actuating arm connected to the float and movable with the float;
a pressure/vent valve located exterior to the condensate reservoir and comprising
a pressure source,
a pressure vent,
a primary piston slidably supported in a primary cylinder, wherein the primary piston is double ended in a primary piston spool configuration, wherein the primary piston slides in the primary cylinder responsive to the liquid level sensor, between a first primary piston position and a second primary piston position, and wherein the actuating arm is connected to the primary piston, and
a secondary piston slidably supported in a secondary cylinder, wherein the secondary piston is double ended in a secondary piston spool configuration, and wherein the secondary piston slides in the secondary cylinder between
a first secondary piston position wherein the pressure source is in communication with a gas space of the condensate reservoir and the pressure vent is isolated from the gas space, and
a second secondary piston position wherein the pressure source is isolated from the gas space and the pressure vent is in communication with the gas space;
a drive pressurization structure including
a main pressure drive line extending from the pressure source to an intermediate location of the primary cylinder,
a first branch pressure drive line extending from a first intermediate location of the primary cylinder to a first end of the secondary cylinder, and
a second branch pressure drive line extending from a second intermediate location of the primary cylinder to a second end of the secondary cylinder;
and
a reservoir pressurization/vent structure including
a reservoir pressurization line extending from the pressure source to a first intermediate location of the secondary cylinder,
a reservoir vent line extending from the vent to a second intermediate location of the secondary cylinder, and
a pressurization/vent line extending from a third intermediate location of the secondary cylinder to the gas space of the condensate reservoir.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/113,593Filed 25 Apr 2005
Published: US 2006/0239830 A126 Oct 2006
Granted: 17 Feb 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

F04F 1/06
Pumps using positively or negatively pressurised fluid medium acting directly on the liquid to be pumped: the fluid medium acting on the surface…
F04F
Pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using

Family

US 2006/0239830 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Oct 2006
US 7,491,035 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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