US2437144A - Fluid cooled four-way valve - Google Patents

Description

March 2, 1948. F. M. WOLF FLUID C OOLED FOUR-WAY VALVE Filed Aug. 21,- 1944' Patented Mar. 2, 1948 FLUID COOLED FOUR-WAY VALVE Frank M. Wolf, Madison, Wis., assignor to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Madison, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application August 21, 1944, Serial No. 550,463

This invention relates to reversing valves for regenerating and similar furnaces, and is particularly concerned with the provision of a fourway valve for use in a nitric oxide furnace system such, for instance, as those described in U. S. application Serial No. 464,072, filed October 31, 1942, by Frederick G. Cottrell, now Patent 2,422,081, June 10, 1947, and in U. S. application Serial No. 498,896, filed August 16, 1943, by Farrington Daniels and William G. Hendrickson jointly with the present applicant, now Patent 2,421,744, June 10, 1947.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the pressure chamber is a substantially vertical, substantially cylindrical, closed vessel the inside surface of the bottom of which is a horizontal plane surface constituting the aforesaid valve seat. Resting on the valve seat is an inverted trough-like member which is pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to the top closure of the vessel through a shaft fixed to the trough-like member and journaled in said closure, which end overlies one of three ports provided in the bottom. The two remaining ports are equidistant from the first mentioned valve seat port. The trough-like member also overlies, adjacent its 1 Claim. (Cl. 251-87) seat member 2 is of cast metal, and its upper surface 4 is machined to a plane surface. Parts.

- through suitable conduit, with the pressure side opposite end, one of the two remaining valve seat ports and couples the two ports so overlaid. The top closure of the vessel is provided with an inlet port in permanent communication with the pressure side of an air compressor or blower.

The under-surface of the valve seat member is webbed by projecting annular portions of the latter about the ports and about the periphery of said member, to which projecting annular portions there is attached a plate which co-operates with the valve seat member and its projecting annular portions to define a closed space. Pipe connections, let into said plate, are provided for circulating a fluid coolant through said closed space. a

The invention will now be described in greater particularity,'with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which 1 Fig. 1 is a plan view ofthe preferred form of the valve according to the present invention, with a portion of the coverplate broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectionalside elevation of the valve shown in Fig. l, the portions broken away disclosing features of the interior construction of the valve;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the valve member of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modification of the valve construction.

In the drawing, I represents a substantially vertical, substantially cylindrical, flanged shell to which a valve seat member 2 and a cover plate 3 are bolted to provide a pressure chamber. Valve stantiallygas-tight fit against the plane surface of an air compressor (not shown). Said cover plate '3 is provided also withan opening I for the admission of a shaft 8 into said pressure chamber. 9 is a bearing member bolted to a cover plate 3.in alignment with opening 7, in-

which bearing member shaft 8 is rotatably held. I0 is a conventional stuffing gland making gastight the connection between bearing member 9 and shaft 8. Shaft 8 is in axial alignment with the exhaust port of the valve, which exhaust valve will be described in the following paragraph.

Valve seat member 2 is provided with three spaced openings II, I3 and I5 which openings co-operate with bolted-on elbows I2, I4 and I6, respectively, to provide three spaced ports in said valve seat member 2. Port l I, I2 is said exhaust port. Ports I3, I4 and I5, I6 are substantially equidistant from exhaust port II, I2. One of the ports, I3, I4 and I 5, I6 is adapted to be connected by suitable conduit to one end of a nitric oxide furnace (not shown), and the other of said ports is adapted to be connected to the opposite end of such furnace, to form a closed system including said pressure chamber and such furnace,

Resting on the plane surface of valve seat member 2 is an inverted trough-shaped valve member V. This latter essentially consists of a cast metal seating flange ll of elongated form and of a. size sufficient to extend from port I I, I2 to either port I3, I4 or port I5, IS, the seating bottom surface being machined to make a'subof member 2 and the ends being of semi-circular form to conform to said ports, an elongated endless band I8 of sheet metal riveted to member I1, and a similarly elongated top closure member I9 welded to band I8, these three elements co-operating to define a gas-tight inverted" trough, which trough in turn co-operates with the upper plane surface of valve seat member 2 to define a passageway between either port I3, I4 or port I5, I6 and exhaust port I I, I2. Flanged element 20 is a tubular socket member bolted onto the top of top closure member I9 adjacent one end of the latter and axially aligned with exhaust port I I, I2. The tubular socket is adapted to receive the lower end of shaft 8, and the upper portion of the tubular socket is provided with a slot 2| for the reception of a pin or offstanding projection 22 carried on shaft 8 adja- 3 cent the lower end of the latter. When shaft 8 is in place in tubular socket 20 with pin 22 engaged in slot 2|, the valve member V is pivotally connected to the pressure chamber, with one end over exhaust port ii, 12, and may be so slid or rotated--by suitable rotation of shaft 8 in bear ing member 9-about this pivotal connection as.

l6 (as shown in the to overlie either port l5, drawing) or port 13, 1 1 I The lower or under surface of valve seat mem-- ber 2 is webbed by reason of the projecting annular portions of the casting about openings ll, l3 and I and the outer projecting annulus 23. A metal plate 2 3, provided with three apertures coinciding with the three openings ll, I3 and I5, is bolted to these webbing elements to co-operate with the latter to provide an enclosed space at the bottom of the valve seat member 2. Plate 24 is provided also with two smaller threaded openings 25 and 26, into which are received pipe connections 21 and 28 for the introduction of fluid coolant (e. g., cooling water) into said enclosed space, and with a third smaller threaded opening 29, into which is received valved pipe connection 38 for the removal of fluid coolant from said space. Coolant admitted into the enclosed space beneath valve seat member 2 fills the space and contacts the under surface of member 2; the rate of flow of coolant through the space may be adjusted by the setting of the inlet and outlet valves.

For lubricating the seating surface of valve member V I may and prefer to provide a groove 3! in the bottom surface of seating flange l7 and a grease channel 32 in valve seat member 2, communicating at its inner'end with groove 3|, and to attach a pressure grease fitting 33 at the outer end of channel 32. By these cooperating means lubricating grease may be forced into and about groove 3i and between the seating surface of flange l1 and the upper surface of member 2.

As shown in Fig. 4, I may modify flange H to provide adjacent the pivoted end of the latter a depending annular collar 34 of such size and configuration as to fit loosely within opening ll. Opening H and collar 34 are in axial alignment with shaft 8. Collar 34 serves to stabilize the functioning of member V in pivoting over opening I I, and also to relieve strain on shaft 8, in the case where member V is very large.

In use, valve member V tends to remain in gas-tight co-operation with the upper surface of valve seat member 2 not only by reason of its weight but also by reasonbf the gas pressure obtaining in the surrounding portions of the pressure chamber, which gas pressure'is always in excess of the gas pressure obtaining within the inverted troughlike valve member V. When valve member V is in the position shown in the drawing, air under pressure enters the pressure chamber through opening 5 from a source Of compressed air, flows out of the pressurechamber and to the furnace through port l3, H3, returns to the pressure chamber from the furnace (after being thermally treated for the production of nitric oxide therein) by way of port I5, I6 into the passageway provided by valve member V, and is exhausted from the valve through exhaust port ll, l2, Upon rotation of shaft 8, which operation can be efiected either manually or mechanically, the nonpivoted end of valve member V'is' caused to overlie port [3, l4 whereupon the course of the air is modified to the extent that the air passes-to the furnace by way of port l5,

i6 and returnsto the interior of valve member V by way of port l3, M.

.I claim:

The reversing valve mechanism comprising, in combination, a pressure chamber, defined by a housing provided with an inlet port, and a cooperating substantially horizontal plane surfaced valve seat member provided with three ports opening frombelow, one of said valve seat ports being an exhaust port equidistant from the other two valve seat ports; within said chamber and spaced from said housing a substantially horizontally oscill-atable valve member supported upon said valve seat and pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to a part of said pressure chamber to provide in co-operation with said valve seat a passageway which is in permanent communication with said exhaust port and which is adapted to be in communication with either one of the two remaining valve seat ports; and means for oscillating said valve member about its pivot and in contact with said valve seat to bring said valve member into communication with first one and then the other of the two remaining valve seat ports and thereby to couple first one and then the other of the latter with said exhaust port, additionally characterized in that the under-surface of the valve seat member is webbed by projecting annular portions of said member about said ports and about the periphery of the member, in that there is attached to said projecting annular portions a plate member cooperating with said valve seat member and its projecting annular portions to define a closed space, and in that there are provided means for circulating a fluid coolant through said closed space.

FRANK M. WOLF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith May 3, 1932

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