GB2408090A - A valve assembly in a bailer for liquid sampling - Google Patents

Abstract

A valve assembly in a bailer for liquid sampling comprises a support 26 located in the lower part of the bailer, and a valve member having a stem 22 passing through a bore in the support and a frusto-conical, or tapered closure surface covered by a layer 19 of cushion material. When the bailer is lowered into a liquid the valve member is displaced upwardly to allow liquid to enter, and, on subsequent lifting of the bailer, the valve member engages seat (18, 18a) to trap a sample of the liquid. The cushion material prevents leakage by sealing around any particulate material trapped between the closure surface and the seat and/or by compensating for imperfect manufacture.

Description

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cltsclosure is a ccntinuation-in-part of co-pending application No. 09/313,799, filetl May 18, 1999 by the same inventor, entitled "Batler Having L,eak-lnhibittng Seal." HA(,l<(JROUNl] o,rl-ll-, lNVL.',N'I-'l()N

1. Infield calf the invention

[this invention relates, generally, to bailers. More particularly, it relates to a bailer that has a cushioned valve assembly as its lowermost end that seals effectively against leakage when seated.

2. I)cscrptor1 <of the prior art A.:

Bailers are elongate cylindrical tubes that are lowered into containers for liquid fluids, bodies of water, and the like for the..

purpose of taking a sample of the liquid fluid so that laboratory . ..

tests can he performed thereon. In the industry standard bailer, . a freefl<-'ating ball valve at the lower end of the bailer unseats.. .

from its valve scat when the bailer is lowered into a liquid fluid, i.e., as lcluicl fluid flows upwardly Into the hollow interior of the bailer. 'I'he ball valve travels downwardly Into seating relation t its valve seat when the bailer is lifted upwardly from the liquid fluid. When properly seated, the ball valve should substantially prevent leakage of the liquid fluid from the hollow interior calf the balcr.

In practcc, however, the ball valve sometimes leaks profusely.

l'hc cktl1ng calf the person carrying the bailer to a vehicle that will transport the collected sample to a lab often gets wet as the liquid fluid within the bailer leaks past the ball valve. If the liquid fluid is an acid car other irritant, the leakage is more than a mere nuisance. Even if the liquid fluid is just water, the loss of sample is undesirable.

lihe seat for the ball valve is an annular step formed on an tntcricr surface of a frusto-contcal wall that defines the lcwermcst end of the bailer. A single grain of sand on the annular step can defeat proper seating cuff the ball valve. Sand and Oiler particulate matter are commonly found In the liquid fluids that are collected by bailers ill the field.

M-,recver leakage can occur due to manufacturing imperfections that cause the seating to be less than perfect, even when no particulate matter is present.

An Improved bailer, disclosed in the above cross-referenced application, includes a valve seat In the forte of an annular concavity formed in an interior surface of the frusto-conical ë sidewalls. 'the annular concavity is configured to substantially.. . - snatch an extertcr surface of the hemispherical valve body so . ..

that substantially no leakage of fluid from the hollow interior of.. .

the bailer occurs when the hemispherical valve body is seated.. ë

against the annular concavity. However, if sand or other particulate matter comes to rest atop the annular concavity, leakage can still result because a single grate of sand can prevent proper seating of the hemispherical ball.

Mcre-'ver, manufacturing imperfections in the size and shape of the valve body and its mating valve seat, such as an out-of- round valve body or seat, can cause leakage even where no particulate matter is present in the sample.

I'he above-menti<'ned related application also discloses an embodiment where an annular groove of predetermined depth is formed in the interior surface of the frusto-conical sidewalls in an effort to overcome the problems caused by granular material such as sand. 'lihe annular groove is In open communication with the annular concavity and is adapted to accommodate at least one grain of a particulate matter so that the at least one gram of particulate matter does not Interfere with seating of the hemispherical valve body against the annular concavity.

lthe fcrrnaton of the gran-accommoclating annular groove in the annular concavity substantially reduces leakage vis a vis the bailers calf the prior art, but the manufacturing of the groove adds time and expense to the bailer manufacturing process.

Another drawback of the design disclosed in the related application Is that the valve body and valve seat must be manufactured in accordance with relatively strict manufacturing tolerances if the desired seal is to be achieved. If the valve body Or valve seat Is cut-of-round or otherwise malformed, the sealing effectiveness of the design is impaired.

What Is needed, then, is an improved valve assembly at the lowermost end calf a bailer. 'lthe improved valve assembly would not be defeated by a single grain of sand and would not be rendered Ineffective by even relatively large amounts calf sand.

Moreover, it would eliminate the sand-accommodating groove formed in the valve seat. An improved design would also lower the manufacturing tolerance recluiremerlts for the valve body and valve seat so that out-ofround or other structural inadequacies could be acccmrnodated without substantial loss in sealing effectiveness.

It was not ohvous to those of ordinary skill in this art how an Improved, grcove-frec leak-inhibiting valve for a bailer could be providcLt, In view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present nventcn was made.

SI3MMARY Ol! THE INVENTION The lc>ng-standing but hereto unfulfilled need for an innovation that overcomes the limitations of the prior art is now met by a new, useful, and non-obvious invention. The present invention includes a substantially leak-free valve assembly for admitting liquid fluid into the hollow Interior of a bailer as the bailer is lowered into a liquid fluid and for retaining liquid fluid within the hollow interior when the bailer is lifted from the liquid fluid.

I'he bailer Is <-' f the type that has a cylindrical main body, frustoconical sidewalls at the lowermost end of the main body, and a cylindrical downspout at the lowermost end -' f the frusto-conical sicl ewalls. aid: A support means in the form of a spider member spans a hollow nter-'r of the bailer near its lowermost end. A central bore is.. . formed In the spider and has an axis of symmetry that is . ..

substantially coincident with a longitude axis of symmetry of the.. .--

bailer. . . In a first embodiment, a hemspherical-in-configuration valve body Is secured to a lowermost end -' f a straight valve stem.

lute valve stem is slideably received within the central bore formed in the spider so that the hemispherical valve body rises and falls as liquid fluid flows into and out of the hollow interior of the bailer, respectively. 'l'he valve stem and the central bore co<>perate to maintain the hemispherical valve body rises and falls.

\ valve seat in the form of an annular concavity is formed in an interior surface of the frusto-conical sictewalls. It is configured to substantially match an exterior surface of the hemispherical valve body so that substantially no leakage of liquid fluid from the hollow Interior of the bailer occurs when the hemispherical valve body is perfectly seated against the annular concavity.

To enable substantially perfect seating cuff the valve body against the valve seat even when sand car other granular or particulate matter Is positioned between the hemispherical valve body and the valve seat and even where no sand-accommodating groove is formed In said valve seat, and even where the size and shape of the valve body, or the valve seat, or both are outside of manufacturing tolerances, the hemispherical valve body is covered by a layer of predetermined thickness of cushioned material that Is soft, flexible and resilient. Lee cushioned material, If it encounters one or more particles of sand or other granular or particulate matter, is locally deformed by such matter. It seals around each particle ' r group of particles due to its flcxbility. In other words, any particle that abuts the cushioned material will form a dimple or depression in the cushioned material, but the peripheral edges of the dimple or depression will seal around such particle. Lois sealing prevents leakage of liquid fluid from the bailer. The cushioned material returns to its undeformed shape, due to its resilience, after the liquid fluid has been drained from the bailer.

Moreover, the cushioned material conforms to the shape and size of the valve body or valve seat to provide a substantially lea]-free seal there between, even If either car both of said parts are out-of-rcund or otherwise imperfectly manufactured.

In a second embodiment, the valve body and its matching valve seat are frusto-conical In configuration, and the frusto-eonical valve bc-'Lly is covered by a layer of the same cushioning material for the same reasons.

In a third embodiment, the valve body and its matching valve seat are downwardly tapered to form an elongate, narrow configuration and the dc> wnspc>ut c>f the bailer forms an elongate, narrow slot. Again, the valve body is covered by a layer of the cushtc>ned material.

\ fourth embodiment adds to the third embodiment a resilient guide member that depends from the elongate, narrow valve body and which slides within a groove formed In the interior sidewalls -' f the downspout. 'the guide member prevents the elongate, narrow valve body from jamming.

It is a primary object of this invention tc> advance the art of bailers by providing a bailer that is substantially leak-free.

\ more specific object is to provide an improved valve structure for bailers. Another major object it to provide a valve assembly that Is not defeated by particulate matter that may be present in the liquid fluid collected by the bailer and which is not dependent upon the formation of a groove in the valve seat to accommodate particulate matter. Still another important object is tc> provide a construction that accommodates an out-of-round valve body, valve seat, or both, without substantial loss of sealing capability.

l'hese and other important objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.

-I'he invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the cc>nstruction hereinafter set forth, anti tile scope of the invention will be indicated In the claims.

BRIEF DE.,SCRIP'1-IC)N OF '1'1 IF, DRAWlN(JS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: log I Is a side elevational, sectional view of a first embodiment of an Improved valve means for a bailer; ltg 2 is a bottom plan view of said hrst embodiment; Fig 3 is a side elevational, sectional view of a secc>nd emb->dimeat c>f an improved valve means for a bailer; Fig 4 is a bc>ttom plan view of said second embodiment; Fig 5 is a side elevatic>nal, sectional view of a third embodiment of an improved valve means for a bailer; Fig Is a bottom plan view of said third embodiment; Fig 7 Is a side elevational, sectional view of fourth embodiment ' of an improved means for said bailer; and I Fig 63 is a bottom plan view of said fourth embodiment.

Dl,'l'AI]-,l:D DES( lP'I'ION C)F 'THEO PREDI,RRED EMI3ODI MEDN'l' ..

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will there be seen that an exemplary embodiment of the invention Is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10.

lthe cylindrical sidewalls of a bailer are denoted 12. 'I'heses stclewalls typically extend several feet in length, depending upon the application, and define the hollow interior of the bailer which receives the liquid fluid as it flows upwardly past a ball valve means and which contains the collected fluid when the ball valve Is seated on its valve seat. It should be understoc>d that only the lowermost end of a bailer Is depicted.

Tapered sidewalls 14 have a frustc>-concal cnfguratc>n. They extend from the lowermost end of cylindrical sidewalls 12 to the uppermost end of truncate cylindrical sidewalls 16 that form a downspout means at the lowermost end of the bailer. These tapered sidewalls 14 are provided in Industry standard bailers.

In the bailers of the prior art, an annular step, not shown, is formed on interior surface l thereof about mid-length of sidewalls 14 and serves as the valve seat for a free-floating ball, not shown, when the bailer is lifted from a bocly of liquid fluid being sampled.

In the first embodiment, a hemispherical ball 20 Is mounted at the l:'werm-'st end of a straight stem 22. Stem 22 is slideably received within a bore 24 formed in a support means that may take tile form of spider 26 which spans the hollow interior calf the bailer at the lowermost end of cylindrical sidewalls 12, as perhaps best understood in connection with Fig 2. Spider 26 .- -.

could have any number of radiating legs, and the invention is ,...

not limited to a spider having four legs as depicted. Spider 26 is not an Integral part of the bailer; it is inserted into position when the bailer Is assembled. . .

Stem 22 slides up and down within bore 24 as liquid fluid flows. . mto and out of the hollow interior <' f the bailer, respectively, as Indicated by dc>uble-headed directional arrow 23 in Fig. 1.

llemspEcrcal ball 20 thus rises and falls as well, guided by the stem and spider support assembly.

Bore 24 is formed in the centre of spider 26, and the centre or axis of symmetry of said bore 24 is substantially coincident with the lcngitucltnal axis of symmetry of the bailer.

A valve seat In the form of an annular concavity 21 is formed in the lowermost end of the interior surface lS of tapered sidewalls 14. Its curvature matches the curvature of the exterior surface of hemispherical ball 20 so that a substantially perfect seal is formed when ball 20 is seated thereagatust.

l-lowever, sand or the like may prevent such perfect seating.

Accordingly, this invention includes a layer of cushioned material 19 that overlies hemispherical ball 20. (cushioned material 19 Is of predetermined uniform thickness which may vary from application to application in accordance with the requirements of the various applications.

( ushoned material 19 is preferably formed of rubber, synthetic rubber, a soft, flexible and resilient plastic, or equivalent mate l-la] . .

ë : Annular concavity 21 is sized and configured to match the contour of cushioned material 19. However, any manufacturing .

imperfections are In effect forgiven by the cushioned material because said cushioned material conforms to the shape of said ë annular concavity even if said annular concavity is out-of-round car ctlerwse imperfectly formed. : l;igs. 3 and 4 depict a second embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, frusto-conical valve body 30 seats against the flat interior surface of the valve seat provided by frusto-conical sidewalls 18 when liquid fluid flows out of the bailer, there being no concavity formed in said flat sidewalls.

Downspout 6 is cylindrical as in the first embodiment.

(-,ushtoned material 19 overlies valve body 30 and conforms to its shape and that of the valve seat. Again however, the cushioned material conforms to the size and shape of a wide range of valve bodies and valve seats, thereby forgiving deviations from manufacturing tolerances for said parts.

Figs. 5 and 6 depict a third embodiment of the Invention. In the eml> odiment of longs. 5 and 6, valve body 32 Is not frusto-ccncal nor arc d'wnwardly-tapcrcd sidewalls 14a and 18a which form the valve scat. instead, sidewalls 14a and 18a taper downwardly to form an elongate, narrow open slot 36 as depicted in Fig G. Valve body 32 Is complementary formed sc' that it seats scluarely against downwardly-tapered sidewalls 18a when the bailer is lifted from the liquid fluid bctng sampled. Note that stem 22a is also narrow and elongated in this cmb->dimcot, as Is dcwnspcut 16a. Valve body 32 is covered by cushioned material 19 that has a uniform thickness so that it conforms to the shape of said valve loopy and hence to the shape of the valve seat, even if said respective shapes are cutsde of manufacturing tolerances. . Figs. 7 and 8 depict a fourth embodiment having substantially the same structure as the third embodmcnt but adding a means :.

tc' ensure that elongate, narrow valve body 32 properly against downwardly-taperec3 sidewalls 18a that form the valve seat. .... ..

A flexible and resilient plastic guide means 40 of thin construction depends from valve body 32. More particularly, guide means 40 is attached at its opposite ends 42, 44 to opposite ends of valve lady 32 at its IJcttom. A convex radius 4G, 48 Is formed In the laterally opposed sides of guide 40. A vertically extending groove 50, 52 is formed in diametrically opposite sides of the internal surface of downspout 16a to respectively and slidingly receive the opposite sides of guide means 4() Distance l)1 from spclcr support rncrnber 26 to the top of valve body 32 and distance D2 from the bottom of said valve lady 32 to the centre of grooves 50, 52 are substantially equal t' one another. In tints way, opposite ends 42, 44 of guide means 40 are respectively received within grooves 50, 52 even when elongate, narrow valve body 32 is in its uppermost or fully raised position. Cushioned material 19 of uniform thickness covers valve body 32.

In addition to providing a means whereby the annular groove of the related application is eliminated, the flexible and resilient cushioning means of this Invention enables a relaxation of manufacturing tolerance reclurements for the formation of the valve body and the valve seat because the valve body need not conform perfectly to the valve seat as in the embodiments disclosed in the related application. The cushioned cover for the valve body allows both the valve body and the valve seat to vary somewhat from tight manufacturing tolerance requirements because the cushioned cover fits a wide range of valve bodies and seats and seals effectively against a wide range of valve seats I lc resilient, flexible, cushioned cover conforms tc> the shape of :.

an -,ut-of-round valve seat just as effectively as it conforms to Id the shape of a perfectly formed valve seat.

::::. ...

l kits invention represents a major breakthrough in the art of bailers. bring drawn to a pioneering invention, the claims that follow are entitled, as a matter of law, to broad interpretation to protect the heart or essence of the invention from piracy.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained. since certain changes may be made in the foregoing construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is Intended that all matters contained in the foregoing construction or shown In the accompanying drawings shall be nterpreteci as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between. -. ë e ë .e e * ea *a ëe - .e e.. e-e C' Is

Claims (6)

1. A valve assembly for admitting liquid fluid into the hollow interior of

a bailer as the bailer is lowered into a liquid fluid and for retaining liquid fluid within said hollow interior when the bailer is lifted from said liquid fluid, comprising: a support means that spans a hollow interior of said bailer; a central bore formed m said support means, said central bore having an axis of symmetry that is substantially coincident with a longitudinal axis of symmetry of said bailer; said bailer including frusto-conical sidewalls at a lower end thereof; a valve means including a frusto-conical valve body secured to a lowermost end of a valve stem; a layer of a cushioned material of predetermined uniform thickness disposed in overlying relation to said frusto-conical valve body; said valve stem being slideably received within said central bore so that said I frusto-conical valve body rises and falls as liquid fluid flows into and out of said hollow ..: interior of said bailer, respectively, said valve stem and said central bore cooperating to, maintain said frusto-conical valve body in substantial coincidence with said longitudinal.

axis of symmetry of said bailer as said frusto-conical valve body rises and falls; said frusto-conical sidewalls being configured to substantially match an exterior surface of said layer of cushioned material that overlies said frusto-conical valve body so . that substantiay--no leakage of-liquid-fluid Tom said-ollow interior unsaid bailer occurs ---I when said frusto-conical valve body is seated against said frusto-conical sidewalls; whereby particulate matter that may become deposited between said frusto conical valve body and said frusto-conical sidewalls forms a depression in said cushioned material when said frusto- conical valve body is seated against said frusto-conical sidewalls; whereby said cushioned material seals around the peripheral edge of said depression to prevent flow of liquid fluid past said cushioned material; and whereby said cushioned material provides a seal between said frusto- conical valve body and said frusto-conical sidewalls even if said frusto- conical valve body and said frusto-conical sidewalls do not perfectly conform to one another in size and shape. /1

2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said support means is provided in the form of a spider means having legs that radiate from a longitudinal axis of said bailer.

3. A valve assembly for admitting liquid fluid into the hollow interior of a bailer as the bailer is lowered into a liquid fluid and for retaining liquid fluid within said hollow interior when the bailer is lifted from said liquid fluid, comprising: a support means that spans a hollow interior of said bailer; a central bore formed in said support means, said central bore having an axis of symmetry that is substantially coincident with a longitudinal axis of symmetry of said bailer; said bailer including downwardly-tapering sidewalls at a lower end thereof; an elongate narrow slot means formed by said downwardly-tapering sidewalls; a valve means including an elongate, narrow valve body secured to a lowermost end of a valve stem; a layer of a cushioned material of predetermined uniform thickness disposed in . ..: overlying relation to said elongate, narrow valve body; .. , said valve stem being slideably received within said central bore so that said.

elongate, narrow valve body rises and falls as liquid fluid flows into and out of said hollow interior of said bailer, respectively, said valve stem and said central bore cooperating to maintain said elongate, narrow valve body in substantial coincidence with . said longitudinal axis of symmetry of said bailer as said elongate,--narrow-valvebo rises and falls; said sidewalls being configured to substantially match an exterior surface of said layer of cushioned material that overlies said elongate, narrow valve body so that substantially no leakage of liquid fluid from said hollow interior of said bailer occurs when said elongate, narrow valve body is seated against said downwardly-tapered sidewalls; whereby particulate matter that may become deposited between said narrow valve body and said downwardly-tapered sidewalls forms a depression in said cushioned material when said narrow valve body is seated against said downwardly-tapered sidewalls; Is whereby said cushioned material seals around the peripheral edge of said depression to prevent flow of liquid fluid past said cushioned material; and whereby said cushioned material provides a seal between said narrow valve body and said downwardly-tapered sidewalls even if said narrow valve body and said downwardly-tapered sidewalls do not perfectly conform to one another in size and shape.

4. The valve assembly of claim 3, wherein said support means is provided in the form of a spider means having legs that radiate from a longitudinal axis of said bailer.

5. A valve assembly for admitting liquid fluid into the hollow interior of a bailer as the bailer is lowered into a liquid fluid and for retaining liquid fluid within said hollow interior when the bailer is lifted from said liquid fluid, comprising: a support means that spans a hollow interior of said bailer; a central bore formed in said support means, said central bore having an axis of symmetry that is substantially coincident with a longitudinal axis of symmetry of said..

bailer; ...: said bailer including downwardly-tapering sidewalls at a lower end thereof; ...

an elongate narrow slot means formed by said downwardly-tapering sidewalls; . . a valve means including an elongate, narrow valve body secured to a lowermost end of a valve stem; a layer of a cushioned material of predetermined uniform thickness disposed in . overlying relation to said elongnte, narrow valve boiLy; ------ -I------ - ------ -- -- said valve stem being slideably received within said central bore so that said elongate, narrow valve body rises and falls as liquid fluid flows into and out of said hollow interior of said bailer, respectively, said valve stem and said central bore cooperating to maintain said elongate, narrow valve body in substantial coincidence with said longitudinal axis of symmetry of said bailer as said elongate, narrow valve body rises and falls; said sidewalls being configured to substantially match an exterior surface of said cushioned material that overlies said elongate, narrow valve body so that substantially no leakage of liquid fluid from said hollow interior of said bailer occurs when said elongate, narrow valve body is seated against said downwardly-tapered sidewalls; lL an elongate, narrow downspout that depends from a lowermost end of said sidewalls; a flexible and resilient guide means depending from said elongate, narrow valve means; a pair of grooves formed in internal surfaces of said downspout sidewalls in diametrically opposed relation to one another; said guide means having opposing sides slideably received within said grooves so that said guide means and said pair of grooves ensures seating of said elongate, narrow valve body against said downwardly-tapered sidewalls; whereby particulate matter that may become deposited between said elongate, narrow valve body and said valve seat forms a depression in said cushioned material when said elongate, narrow valve body is seated against said downwardly-tapered sidewalls; . whereby said cushioned material seals around the peripheral edge of said ....

depression to prevent flow of liquid fluid past said cushioned material; and., whereby said cushioned material provides a seal between said elongate, narrow.

valve body and said downwardly-tapered sidewalls even if said elongate, narrow valve body and said downwardly-tapered sidewalls do not perfectly conform to one another in size and shape. .

6. The valve assemhlysf claim s wherein said supports is provided -in-l- he form of a spider means having legs that radiate from a longitudinal axis of said bailer.