Valve arrangement, apparatus and methods of operation thereof
AssigneeHorne Engineering Limited
InventorGraham Donald Paul
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A valve arrangement comprises first and second valves mechanically interconnected for synchronous operation with one another so as to be switchable by a single action between first and second fluid flow configurations. The first configuration provides a first path for first fluid to flow from a first inlet to a first outlet and a second path for second fluid to flow from a second inlet to a second outlet. The second configuration provides paths for first fluid to flow from the first inlet to both the first and second outlets while closing the path from the second inlet. In one application, the arrangement allows a convenient method of disinfecting a water-consuming appliance such as a shower.
Claims15
An apparatus comprising a thermal disinfection apparatus in combination with a sanitary installation that consumes hot and cold water,
- the thermal disinfection apparatus comprising a valve arrangement having a first hot water inlet and a second cold water inlet and first and second water outlets, the valve arrangement comprising first and second valves mechanically interconnected for synchronous operation with one another so as to be switchable by a single action between first and second fluid flow configurations, the first configuration providing a first path for hot water to flow from the first hot water inlet to the first water outlet and a second path for cold water to flow from the second cold water inlet to the second water outlet, the second configuration providing a path for hot water to flow from the first hot water inlet to the first water outlet and a path for hot water to flow from the first hot water inlet through a bridging conduit to the second water outlet while closing the path from the second cold water inlet to the second water outlet, wherein the first valve and the second valve are thermally isolated from each other and have no mutually connecting portion within the bridging conduit,
- the first and second water outlets of the valve arrangement being connected respectively to a first hot water inlet and a second cold water inlet of the sanitary installation,
- wherein said sanitary installation is operable to mix hot water from its first hot water inlet with cold water from its second cold water inlet to deliver water to a user at an intermediate temperature, the apparatus being operable with the valve arrangement in its second configuration to perform thermal disinfection of the sanitary installation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.