Title of Invention	"A FLUID FOW CONTROL VALVES"
Abstract	A slide valve, especially for use in a compressed air supply installation, comprises a body (1) defining an inlet passageway (3) and an outlet passageway (4) and a vane (9) having an orifice therethrough and movable laterally relative to the passageways (3,4) between a valve-open position in which the orifice is in register with the passageways (3,4) thereby permitting fluid to flow through the valve, and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with, the passageways (3,4) thereby isolating the inlet passageway (3) from the outlet passageway (4). The vane (9) defines, at least in part, an exhaust passageway (15) that, in the valve-closed position, connects the outlet passageway (4) to atmosphere via a further exhaust passageway (16,17) formed in the body (1) whereby, in the valve-closed position, the downstream side of the installation will automatically become depressurised

Title of Invention

"A FLUID FOW CONTROL VALVES"

Abstract

A slide valve, especially for use in a compressed air supply installation, comprises a body (1) defining an inlet passageway (3) and an outlet passageway (4) and a vane (9) having an orifice therethrough and movable laterally relative to the passageways (3,4) between a valve-open position in which the orifice is in register with the passageways (3,4) thereby permitting fluid to flow through the valve, and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with, the passageways (3,4) thereby isolating the inlet passageway (3) from the outlet passageway (4). The vane (9) defines, at least in part, an exhaust passageway (15) that, in the valve-closed position, connects the outlet passageway (4) to atmosphere via a further exhaust passageway (16,17) formed in the body (1) whereby, in the valve-closed position, the downstream side of the installation will automatically become depressurised

Full Text	The present invention relates to fluid flow slide valve and to fluid flow control valves for use especially, but not exclusively, in compressed air installations. In compressed air installations, it is common practice to include one or more isolating stop valves that are normally in their "on" position, i.e. when the installation is operational, but that can, when necessary, be manually turned off in order to isolate one or more sections of the installation for servicing purposes. Clearly, the each section that requires servicing must be depressurised and, for that reason, the isolating valve may, when in its "off" position, act not only to interrupt the compressed air supply but also to exhaust air in the relevant section to atmosphere. Hitherto, it has,been usual to use for that purpose a ball valve. Such valves are, however, relatively expensive to produce because of the close tolerances required in the machining/ moulding of the ball closure and the part-spherical seats associated with it. Accordingly, slide valves have been used as alternatives but the known designs have the disadvantage that it is not possible to fit an exhaust silencer or to pipe the exhaust air to a remote location. It is an object of the present invention to provide a slide valve that overcomes that disadvantage. According to the present invention, a stop valve adapted, in its "off position, to exhaust the upstream or downstream side of the valve to atmosphere is based on a slide valve and, more particularly, comprises a body defining an inlet, an outlet and a pas.sageway extending, therebetween, and a vane having an orifice therethrough and moveable laterally across the passageway between a valve-open position in which the orifiee is in register with the passageway thereby permitting fluid to flow from the inlet to the outlet and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with the inlet and outlet thereby isolating the inlet from the outlet,.the vane defining, at least in part, an exhaust passageway that, in the valve-closed position, connects said inlet or said outlet to atmosphere, characterised in that said exhaust passageway communicates, in the valve-closed position, with a. .further exhaust passageway formed in the body and that opens to atmosphere. Accordingly, there is provided a fluid flow slide valve comprising: a body defining opposed fluid flow passageways and a cavity into which said passageways open in register with one another; ($ annular seals carried by said body, which surround the passageways where they open into the cavity; (g) a vane mounted in said cavity in abutment with said seals and having opposed ends that project from the cavity beyond the confines of said body, said vane having an orifice therethrough and being slidable, by the application of manual force to one or other of said ends, within the said cavity and thus laterally relative to said passageways and said annular seals between a valve-open position in which the orifice in ithe vane is in register with the passageways thereby permititing fluid to flow between the passageways and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with the passageways thereby preventing the flow of fluid therebetween; (ft) a fluid exhaust passageway in said vane which, in the va.ve- open position, is isolated from said fluid flow passageways and whieh, in the valve-closed position, connects one or other of said fluid flow passageways to atmosphere; characterised in that said body defines a fluid exhaust passageway having first and second ends, said first end opening into said cayity adjacent to one of said fluid flow passageways and being surrounded, where it opens into the cavity, by a further annular seal carried by Ithe body, and said second end being open to atmosphere, and in that Ithe fluid exhaust passageway defined by said vane comprises a channel located in a surface thereof which, in the valve-closed positijon, interconnects one or other of said fluid flow passageways and the siaid first end of the fluid exhaust passageway defined by the body. The vane may move in linear fashion laterally across the passageway, but in a preferred embodiment, it is pivotally mounted in the body and thus moves in an arcuate path. Preferably, the further, exhaust passageway formed in the body terminates in a threaded port in which a conventional silencer or pipe connector may be threadedly secured. In a preferred embodiment, the exhaust passageway is defined in part by a channel formed in a surface of the vane, the channel together with a facing surface of the body defining an enclosed exhaust passageway that, in the valve-closed position, connects the inlet or, usually, the outlet of the valve to atmosphere, via the further exhaust passageway formed in the body. In principle, a valve constructed in accordance with the invention may be glandless but the close tolerances then required will detract from the cost advantages that it has over known ball type valve constructions. Accordingly, it is much preferred to ! use, for example, elastomeric seals in order to achieve the necessary fluid tightness. One embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, witjh reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the valve in its closed position; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the valve shown in Fig. 1, again showing the valvfe in its closed position; Fig. 3 is a view on the line III-III of Fig. 2, again with the valve in its closed position; and Fig. 4 is a similar view to that of Fig. 3 but showing the valve in its open position. Referring to the drawings, the valve comprises a body 1 made in two halves la and lb joined together : by, for example, bolts (not shown). The two body halves la and lb define centrally between them a generally rectangular cavity 2 from which extends, in the part la, a cylindrical inlet passageway 3 and, in the part lb, a cylindrical outlet passageway 4. The inlet and outlet passageways 3, 4 terminate at their outer ends respectively in ported flanges 5 and 6 whereby the valve may be incorporated downstream, for example, of a filter, lubricator, regulator assembly (not shown) of a compressed air installation using suitable clamping devices. The two opposed faces of the body parts la and lb have respective annular recesses formed in them circumscribing passageways 3 and 4 and in which rubber seals 7 and 8 respectively are located. The cavity 2 has a vane 9 pivotally mounted, at 10, in it, the extremities 11, 12 thereof being enlarged in order to facilitate manual actuation of the valve. The vane 9 has an aperture 13 formed through it, whose overall diameter corresponds to tha of the passageways 3 and 4, and which is divided intoj i two substantially semicircular sections by a member j 14. The surface of the vane 9 facing the body part lb is further formed with a V-shaped exhaust channel 15 j which, when the valve is in its closed position (as ik described in more detail below) connects the outlet passageway 4 to an exhaust passageway 16 formed in th6 body part lb, the passageway 16 terminating in a threaded exhaust port 17 with which a silencer or exhaust pipe-line connector (not shown) may be engaged. The entrance to the exhaust passageway 16 is surrounded by a seal 8 which in fact is formed integrally with the seal 8 and which sits in an annular recess formed in the body part lb. Figs. 3 and 4 show, in section, the seals 8 and 8' which, as can be seen, are in the shape of a figure 8 and which,j for stability, may comprise an elastoner, such as a nitrile rubber, bonded to a steel insert. The valve operates as follows. Referring! specifically to Fig. 4, this shows the valve in its open position with the aperture 13 in complete register with the passageways 3 and 4. The seals 7 and 8, which are slightly compressed by the vane 9, ensure that the path between the passageways 3 and 4 is fluid-tight. The valve may be closed by depressing; the enlarged end 12, as shown by the arrow A in Fig. 4, whereupon the vane 9 pivots about the mount 10 in a downward direction. In the closed position, the V-shaped channel 15 interconnects the outlet passageway 4 with the exhaust passageway 16 formed in the body part lb and hence with the atmosphere, whereas the inlet passageway 3 is closed off by the vane 9 - see Figs. 2 and 3. Accordingly, compressed air in the outlet (downstream) side of the installation will exhaust to atmosphere. Whilst the exhaust channel 15 could, in principle, be straight, we have found it preferable to make it V-shaped so that, during movement of the vane 9, the seal 8 is always adequately supported and will not be dislodged by the differential air pressure across it which could otherwise interfere with smooth movement of the vane 9. The member 14 extending diametrically of the aperture 13 serves a similar purpose. Further, the V-shaped channel 15 is disposed: on the surface of the vane 9 relative to the aperture 13 such that the inlet passageway 3 will be substantially completely closed off before the channel 15 interconnects the outlet passageway 4 with the exhaust passageway 16. As will be appreciated, the valve specifically described above could be arranged to exhaust the inlet (upstream) side of a compressed air or other fluid supply installation, if desired. Further, the V-shaped channel 15 could, in an alternative construction (not shown), communicate with a small through-bore formed in the vane 9 through which the exhaust air passes to atmosphere via the turther exhaust passageway formed in the valve body. Finally, and as is conventional, the vane 9 may be formed with a pair of peripheral apertures (not shown) that enables the valve to be locked in its open or closed position, as the case may be, by means of a padlock or other locking device. WE CLAIM: 1. A fluid flow slide valve comprising: (a) a body (lb, la) defining opposed fluid flow passageways \|(3, 4) and a cavity (2) into which said passageways open in register with one another; (b) annular seals (7, 8) carried by said body, which surrouhd the passageways where they open into the cavity (2); (c) a vane (9) mounted in said cavity in abutment with said seals and having opposed ends (11,12) that project from the cavity beyond the confines of said body, said vane having an orifice (13) therethrough and being slidable, to one or other of said ends (11,12), within the said cavity and thus laterally relative to said passageways (3,4) and said annular seals between a valve-open position in which the orifice (1\|3) in the vane (9) is in register with the passageways (3,4) thereby permitting fluid to flow between the passageways (3,4) and a valve-closed position in which the orifice (13) is wholly out of register with the passageways thereby preventing the flow of fluid therebetween; (d) a fluid exhaust passageway in said vane (9) which, in the valve-open position, is isolated from said fluid flow passageways and in the valve-closed position, connects one or other of said fluid flow passageways to atmosphere; characterised in that said body has a fluid exhaust passageway (16) having first and second ends, said first end opening into said cavity (2) adjacent to one of said fluid flow passageways (4) and being surrounded, where it opens into the cavity, by a further annular seal {8) carried by the body, and said second end (17) being open jto atmosphere, and in that the fluid exhaust passageway defined by said vane comprises a channel (15) located in a surface thereof which, in the valve-closed position, interconnects one or other of said fluid flow passageways and the said first end of the fluid exhaust passageway defined by the body. 2. A slide valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said channel (15) in the vane is located in the surface thereof facing the said one or other of the fluid flow passageways. 3. A slide valve as claimed in claim 2 wherein, said one of the fluid flow passageways and said first end of said fluid exhaust passageway are surrounded by said annular seals (8, 8') and said annular seals (8, 8') are fa, unitary with one another and comprise a common section located between those passageways, the channel connecting said common section in the valve-closed position so as to provide the interconnection between those passageways. 4. A slide valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said channel (15) in said vane is located in the surface thereof facing the other of said fluid flow passageways and, in the valve-closed position, interconnects said other of said fluid flow passageways and the fluid exhaust passageway defined in the body via a through-bore formed in the vane. 5. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said vdne is pivotally mounted in the said body which is slidable within ihe cavity (2) in an arcuate path. 6. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said channel in said vane is V-shaped. 7. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the said second end of the fluid exhaust passageway (16) located in the bddy comprises a threaded port (17) whereby a silencer or pipe connector may be threadedly coupled thereto. 8. A fluid flow slide valve substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in Figs 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Full Text

The present invention relates to fluid flow slide valve and to fluid flow control valves for use especially, but not exclusively, in compressed air installations.
In compressed air installations, it is common practice to include one or more isolating stop valves that are normally in their "on" position, i.e. when the installation is operational, but that can, when necessary, be manually turned off in order to isolate one or more sections of the installation for servicing purposes. Clearly, the each section that requires servicing must be depressurised and, for that reason, the isolating valve may, when in its "off" position, act not only to interrupt the compressed air supply but also to exhaust air in the relevant section to atmosphere. Hitherto, it has,been usual to use for that purpose a ball valve. Such valves are, however, relatively expensive to produce because of the close tolerances required in the machining/ moulding of the ball closure and the part-spherical seats associated with it. Accordingly, slide valves have been used as alternatives but the known designs have the disadvantage that it is not possible to fit an exhaust silencer or to pipe the exhaust air to a remote location. It is an object of the present invention to provide a slide valve that overcomes that disadvantage.
According to the present invention, a stop valve adapted, in its "off position, to exhaust the upstream or downstream side of the valve to atmosphere is based on a slide valve and, more particularly, comprises a body defining an inlet, an outlet and a

pas.sageway extending, therebetween, and a vane having an orifice therethrough and moveable laterally across the passageway between a valve-open position in which the orifiee is in register with the passageway thereby permitting fluid to flow from the inlet to the outlet and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with the inlet and outlet thereby isolating the inlet from the outlet,.the vane defining, at least in part, an exhaust passageway that, in the valve-closed position, connects said inlet or said outlet to atmosphere, characterised in that said exhaust passageway communicates, in the valve-closed position, with a. .further exhaust passageway formed in the body and that opens to atmosphere.
Accordingly, there is provided a fluid flow slide valve comprising:
a body defining opposed fluid flow passageways and a cavity
into which said passageways open in register with one another;
($ annular seals carried by said body, which surround the
passageways where they open into the cavity;
(g) a vane mounted in said cavity in abutment with said seals
and having opposed ends that project from the cavity beyond the confines of said body, said vane having an orifice therethrough and being slidable, by the application of manual force to one or other of said ends, within the said cavity and thus laterally relative to said passageways and said annular seals between a valve-open position in which the orifice in ithe vane is in register with the passageways thereby permititing fluid to flow between the passageways and a valve-closed position in which the orifice is wholly out of register with the passageways thereby preventing the flow of fluid therebetween;
(ft) a fluid exhaust passageway in said vane which, in the va.ve-
open position, is isolated from said fluid flow passageways and

whieh, in the valve-closed position, connects one or other of said fluid flow passageways to atmosphere;
characterised in that said body defines a fluid exhaust passageway having first and second ends, said first end opening into said cayity adjacent to one of said fluid flow passageways and being surrounded, where it opens into the cavity, by a further annular seal carried by Ithe body, and said second end being open to atmosphere, and in that Ithe fluid exhaust passageway defined by said vane comprises a channel located in a surface thereof which, in the valve-closed positijon, interconnects one or other of said fluid flow passageways and the siaid first end of the fluid exhaust passageway defined by the body.
The vane may move in linear fashion laterally across the passageway, but in a preferred embodiment, it is pivotally mounted in the body and thus moves in an arcuate path.
Preferably, the further, exhaust passageway formed in the body terminates in a threaded port in which a conventional silencer or pipe connector may be threadedly secured.
In a preferred embodiment, the exhaust passageway is defined in part by a channel formed in a surface of the vane, the channel together with a facing surface of the body defining an enclosed exhaust passageway that, in the valve-closed position, connects the inlet or, usually, the outlet of the valve to atmosphere, via the further exhaust passageway formed in the body.
In principle, a valve constructed in accordance with the invention may be glandless but the close tolerances then required will detract from the

cost advantages that it has over known ball type valve constructions. Accordingly, it is much preferred to ! use, for example, elastomeric seals in order to achieve the necessary fluid tightness.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, witjh reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the valve in its
closed position; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the
valve shown in Fig. 1, again showing the valvfe
in its closed position; Fig. 3 is a view on the line III-III of Fig. 2, again
with the valve in its closed position; and Fig. 4 is a similar view to that of Fig. 3 but
showing the valve in its open position.
Referring to the drawings, the valve comprises a body 1 made in two halves la and lb joined together : by, for example, bolts (not shown). The two body halves la and lb define centrally between them a generally rectangular cavity 2 from which extends, in the part la, a cylindrical inlet passageway 3 and, in the part lb, a cylindrical outlet passageway 4. The inlet and outlet passageways 3, 4 terminate at their outer ends respectively in ported flanges 5 and 6 whereby the valve may be incorporated downstream, for example, of a filter, lubricator, regulator assembly (not shown) of a compressed air installation using suitable clamping devices. The two opposed faces of the body parts la and lb have respective annular recesses formed in them circumscribing passageways 3 and 4 and in which rubber seals 7 and 8 respectively are located.
The cavity 2 has a vane 9 pivotally mounted,

at 10, in it, the extremities 11, 12 thereof being
enlarged in order to facilitate manual actuation of
the valve. The vane 9 has an aperture 13 formed
through it, whose overall diameter corresponds to tha
of the passageways 3 and 4, and which is divided intoj
i two substantially semicircular sections by a member j
14. The surface of the vane 9 facing the body part lb
is further formed with a V-shaped exhaust channel 15 j
which, when the valve is in its closed position (as ik
described in more detail below) connects the outlet
passageway 4 to an exhaust passageway 16 formed in th6
body part lb, the passageway 16 terminating in a
threaded exhaust port 17 with which a silencer or
exhaust pipe-line connector (not shown) may be
engaged. The entrance to the exhaust passageway 16 is
surrounded by a seal 8 which in fact is formed
integrally with the seal 8 and which sits in an
annular recess formed in the body part lb. Figs. 3
and 4 show, in section, the seals 8 and 8' which, as
can be seen, are in the shape of a figure 8 and which,j
for stability, may comprise an elastoner, such as a
nitrile rubber, bonded to a steel insert.
The valve operates as follows. Referring!
specifically to Fig. 4, this shows the valve in its
open position with the aperture 13 in complete
register with the passageways 3 and 4. The seals 7
and 8, which are slightly compressed by the vane 9,
ensure that the path between the passageways *3 and 4
is fluid-tight. The valve may be closed by depressing;
the enlarged end 12, as shown by the arrow A in Fig.
4, whereupon the vane 9 pivots about the mount 10 in a
downward direction. In the closed position, the
V-shaped channel 15 interconnects the outlet
passageway 4 with the exhaust passageway 16 formed in

the body part lb and hence with the atmosphere, whereas the inlet passageway 3 is closed off by the vane 9 - see Figs. 2 and 3. Accordingly, compressed air in the outlet (downstream) side of the installation will exhaust to atmosphere.
Whilst the exhaust channel 15 could, in principle, be straight, we have found it preferable to make it V-shaped so that, during movement of the vane 9, the seal 8* is always adequately supported and will not be dislodged by the differential air pressure across it which could otherwise interfere with smooth movement of the vane 9. The member 14 extending diametrically of the aperture 13 serves a similar purpose. Further, the V-shaped channel 15 is disposed: on the surface of the vane 9 relative to the aperture 13 such that the inlet passageway 3 will be substantially completely closed off before the channel 15 interconnects the outlet passageway 4 with the exhaust passageway 16.
As will be appreciated, the valve specifically described above could be arranged to exhaust the inlet (upstream) side of a compressed air or other fluid supply installation, if desired. Further, the V-shaped channel 15 could, in an alternative construction (not shown), communicate with a small through-bore formed in the vane 9 through which the exhaust air passes to atmosphere via the turther exhaust passageway formed in the valve body.
Finally, and as is conventional, the vane 9 may be formed with a pair of peripheral apertures (not shown) that enables the valve to be locked in its open or closed position, as the case may be, by means of a padlock or other locking device.

WE CLAIM:
1. A fluid flow slide valve comprising:
(a) a body (lb, la) defining opposed fluid flow passageways |(3, 4) and a cavity (2) into which said passageways open in register with one another;
(b) annular seals (7, 8) carried by said body, which surrouhd the passageways where they open into the cavity (2);
(c) a vane (9) mounted in said cavity in abutment with said seals and having opposed ends (11,12) that project from the cavity beyond the confines of said body, said vane having an orifice (13) therethrough and being slidable, to one or other of said ends (11,12), within the said cavity and thus laterally relative to said passageways (3,4) and said annular seals between a valve-open position in which the orifice (1|3) in the vane (9) is in register with the passageways (3,4) thereby permitting fluid to flow between the passageways (3,4) and a valve-closed position in which the orifice (13) is wholly out of register with the passageways thereby preventing the flow of fluid therebetween;
(d) a fluid exhaust passageway in said vane (9) which, in the valve-open position, is isolated from said fluid flow passageways and in the valve-closed position, connects one or other of said fluid flow passageways to atmosphere;

characterised in that said body has a fluid exhaust passageway (16) having first and second ends, said first end opening into said cavity (2) adjacent to one of said fluid flow passageways (4) and being surrounded, where it opens into the cavity, by a further annular seal {8) carried by the body, and said second end (17) being open jto atmosphere, and in that the fluid exhaust passageway defined by said vane comprises a channel (15) located in a surface thereof which, in the valve-closed position, interconnects one or other of said fluid flow passageways and the said first end of the fluid exhaust passageway defined by the body.
2. A slide valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said channel (15) in the
vane is located in the surface thereof facing the said one or other of
the fluid flow passageways.
3. A slide valve as claimed in claim 2 wherein, said one of the fluid flow
passageways and said first end of said fluid exhaust passageway are
surrounded by said annular seals (8, 8') and said annular seals (8, 8')
are fa, unitary with one another and comprise a common section
located between those passageways, the channel connecting said
common section in the valve-closed position so as to provide the
interconnection between those passageways.

4. A slide valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said channel (15) in said
vane is located in the surface thereof facing the other of said fluid flow
passageways and, in the valve-closed position, interconnects said other
of said fluid flow passageways and the fluid exhaust passageway defined
in the body via a through-bore formed in the vane.
5. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said vdne is pivotally mounted in the said body which is slidable within ihe cavity (2) in an arcuate path.
6. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said channel in said vane is V-shaped.
7. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the said second end of the fluid exhaust passageway (16) located in the bddy comprises a threaded port (17) whereby a silencer or pipe connector may be threadedly coupled thereto.
8. A fluid flow slide valve substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in Figs 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

927-del-1995-abstract.pdf

927-del-1995-claims.pdf

927-del-1995-correspondence-others.pdf

927-del-1995-correspondence-po.pdf

927-del-1995-description (complete).pdf

927-del-1995-drawings.pdf

927-del-1995-form-1.pdf

927-del-1995-form-13.pdf

927-del-1995-form-2.pdf

927-del-1995-form-3.pdf

927-del-1995-form-4.pdf

927-del-1995-form-6.pdf

927-del-1995-form-9.pdf

927-del-1995-gpa.pdf

927-del-1995-petition-123.pdf

927-del-1995-petition-124.pdf

abstract.jpg

« Previous Patent

Next Patent »

Patent Number

191108

Indian Patent Application Number

927/DEL/1995

PG Journal Number

38/2003

Publication Date

20-Sep-2003

Grant Date

26-Apr-2004

Date of Filing

23-May-1995

Name of Patentee

IMI NORGREN LIMITED

Applicant Address

PO BOX 22, EASTERN AVENUE, LICHFIELD, STAFFORDSHIRE, WS13 6SB, ENGLAND.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	MARTYN JOHN HARROLD	42 THE ORCHARD, LOWER, QUAINTON, WARWICKSHIRE, CV37 8PJ, ENGLAND.

PCT International Classification Number

F16K 11/074

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	9411230.7	1994-06-04	U.K.