US1958155A - Automatic multiple valve unit - Google Patents

Description

y 3, 1934- w. s. WATKINS 5 AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE VALVE UNIT Filed Jan. 15. 1932 E| IIIIi-=E I I O o O RE TOR CYLINDER No.2.

a 15 8 ,x0 i 3 1 r gwuentoc WaZicr G. Waflrins,

1 max/7 M Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES AUTUMATIC MULTIPLE VALVE UNIT Walter G. Watkins, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Skelly Oil Company, El Dorado, Kans.

Application January 15, 1932, Serial No. 586,850

1 Claim.

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in a multiple valve assembly and has for its object to provide a device of this character which is automatic in operation and is particularly adapted for use in connection with liquefied petroleum gas installations.

In liquefied petroleum gas installations where cylinders of gas are installed as a source of fuel for cooking, heating and the like, considerable l0 difficulty has been encountered in shifting the fuel line from an empty cylinder to a fresh cylinder. Where a single cylinder is employed it is necessary to shut down the entire system while installing a fresh cylinder, which naturally involves considerable inconvenience to the consumer. On the other hand where a double cylinder installation is employed, that is a system wherein the regulator is provided with a twovalve inlet to accommodate two separate cylinders, whereby one cylinder may be in use while a fresh cylinder is being connected to the opposite valve, another objection prevails, when the valve employed is of the type or types heretofore known.

With this last mentioned double valve installation, should the fresh cylinder be turned on after the opposite cylinder has become exhausted and the consumer or operator fail to close the valve controlling the spent cylinder, the spent cylinder would fill with vapor from the fresh cylinder until the pressure were equalized in the two cylinders, thus causing a loss in the capacity of the fresh tank of high pressure gas which otherwise would have been fed into the fuel system. Of course the liquid fuel would not pass from one tank to the other, but the vapor in the container under whatever pressure there might be, may range as high as 200 pounds which would result in the loss of a considerable volume of gas to the consumer.

It is the primary object of this invention to overcome the above disadvantages in devices heretofore used, and to this end I have provided an automatic two-valve assembly wherein the valves are so arranged as to normally close both inlet ports. The operation of the valves is brought about by the pressure of the vapor in the respective cylinders, the valves opening in opposite directions toward one another, whereby when the vapor in one cylinder is spent and the pressure in said cylinder thereby exhausted, the turning on of a fresh cylinder causes the opening of the fresh cylinder valve and the simultaneous closing of the spent cylinder valve, thereby preventing the vapor pressure from the fresh cylinder from entering the spent cylinder.

A further object of my invention is to provide a double valve assembly employing a minimum number of working parts and connections and thus reducing the potential possibilities for leaks ;and failure to function.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing two cylinders installed with my improved double valve assembly and regulator in place.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the assembly of the various parts of the Valve unit.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the individual valve members.

In the drawing, 1 represents the automatic valve housing or main body portion which is preferably in the form of a T, having oppositely disposed and internally threaded open ends 2 and 3 at the extremities of its horizontal portion. These open ends 2 and 3 are placed in communication with one another by a reduced annular valve chamber 4, the central portion of which is intersected by a vertically extending conduit 5, the latter opening into an internally threaded discharge outlet 6 at the lower extremity of the vertical arm 7 of the T.

Within the valve chamber i I provide two oppositely disposed valve members 8 and 9, the adjacent inner ends 8 and 9' of which are reduced to form spring engaging lugs. These inner ends of the valve members are spaced apart a predetermined distance and are normally forced in opposite directions by an intermediate coil spring or the like 10, the opposite extremities of which encircle and engage the reduced ends 8' and 9' of the respective valve members.

11 and 12 represent cylinder couplings, the inner ends of which are reduced and threaded to engage the complementary threads in the open ends 2 and 3 respectively of the body 1. These couplings are provided with longitudinal openings l3 and 14, the walls of which gradually converge and merge in reduced inlet ports, the inner extremities of the couplings terminating in annular valve seats 15 and 16 adjacent the inlet ports.

The opposite outer extremities of the valve members 8 and 9 are preferably recessed and provided with in-set valve discs 17 of suitable material whereby when the valve members are forced into contact with the seats 15 and 16, the ports 13 and 14 are effectively sealed.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the valve members are cylindrical in shape and are preferably provided with radially extending wings or fins 18 which serve as guides for the valve members, and when installed in the valve chamber 4, provide for a space between the walls of the chamber 4 and the periphery of the valve member to permit the flow of gas past the valves when the latter are opened.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawing it will be seen that cylinder Nos. 1 and 2 are provided with conventional cylinder valves 19 and 2G by means of which the respective cylinders are connected to the couplings 11 and 12 through the medium of suitable tubes or conduits 21 and 22, the vertical leg 7 of the main valve body 1 being connected to the inlet side of a conventional gas pressure regulator. The gas regulator is in turn connected at its discharge side to the gas system 23 leading to the point of utilization.

Having thus described. the construction and assembly of my improved automatic multiple valve, its use and operation are as follows:-

At the outset, the two cylinders Nos. 1 and 2 are installed as hereinbefore set forth. We will assume that cylinder No. l is to be put into service first and the valve 19 is open, the valve 20 of cylinder No. 2 being closed. The high pressure gas from cylinder No. 1 passes through the tube 21, and the port 13 in coupling 11 and forces the valve member 8 inwardly against the opposing pressure of spring 10. The unseating of the valve 8 permits the gas to flow through the space surrounding the valve member from whence it passes through the vertical port 5 and enters the regulator and in turn is conducted to the gas system 23. The pressure of the gas in the chamber 4, assisted by the initial action of the spring 10 retains the opposite valve 9 in closed position and tightly seals the port 14, thus relieving the connections between the open end 3 and the cylinder valve 20 from any pressure and reducing the possibly of leaks at these points.

Now we will assume that the gas in cylinder No. 1 has been practically all used and the pressure thereby reduced. Regardless of whether or not the valve 19 is closed, prior to the opening of valve 21': on the fresh cylinder, when pressure is admitted from cylinder No. 2, the valve member 9 is automatically opened and valve member 8 is automatically closed, thus preventing the entrance of high pressure vapor into the spent cylinder No. 1. Valve member 8 remains in closed position so long as the pressure continues to flow through the line from cylinder No. 2 and during this time a fresh cylinder is installed to replace the spent cylinder No. 1.

One of the many advantages of my improved automatic multiple valve assembly is particularly apparent in cold weather. It is well known that in warm weather, gas can be withdrawn from the cylinder at a faster rate than in cold weather and, at around 40 below 0, an installation employing a single cylinder of gas would become practically inoperative due to the fact that the atmosphere cannot supply suificient heat to the cylinder to provide the latent heat of vaporization of the liquid fuel, in which event refrigeration and a shut-oil in the gas supply results. With a standard two-cylinder installation, where the consumer is feeding gas from only one of the cylinders under cold weather conditions, said cylinder might easily become refrigerated and it appear that the gas supply from this cylinder had become exhausted. He would then shut off this cylinder and turn on the fresh cylinder which would have sufiicient pressure for temporary use at least, before it also became refrigerated. Now if sumcient time had elapsed, the first cylinder would have again built up pressure suihcient to be placed in use and thus the consumer would be required to intermittently turn the two cylinders on and off as one or the other becomes inoperative.

With my improved automatic valve assembly, it will be noted that in cold weather and in installations having a heavy gas load, a consumer is enabled to leave both cylinders turned on so that gas may be fed intermittently and automatically from one or the other cylinder irrespective of the effect of refrigeration. In other words, in the event both cylinders are left turned on, the gas will be fed from the cylinder having the highest pressure, the other cylinder automatically being shut off, and as one cylinder becomes refrigerated with the resultant shut-off of pressure, the other cylinder having built up suilicient pressure to operate, will come into action without the necessity of manually operating the valves. Meanwhile, the refrigerated cylinder is given time to build up its pressure so that when the other cylinder becomes refrigerated and shuts off the gas supply, the first cylinder comes into action automatically.

It is obvious that while I have shown and desc ced a valve assembly comprising two oppositely disposed inlet ports and valve members, that my invention contemplates a large number of ports and valves and also that the specific structure of the valves themselves may be varied within the scope of my invention.

From the foregoing it is believed that the con struction and advantages of my invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that num rous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

An automatic valve comprising a substantially cylindrical body portion, a cylindrical passageway extending longitudinally through said body portion, the opposite extremities of said passageway being enlarged and internally threaded to receive inlet couplings, threaded inlet couplings in said enlarged portions, said inlet couplings being provided. with longitudinal openings, the walls of which gradually converge into reduced inlet ports, the inner extremities of said couplings ter- 130 minating in annular valve seats which project into said longitudinal passageway, oppositely disposed cylindrical valves provided with guide fins for engaging the inner walls of said passageway to retain the peripheries of said valves and the 135 walls of said passageway in spaced relation, spring means interposed between the adjacent inner ends of said valves for normally retaining the latter in enga ment with the respective seats, said valves is individually and independently oper- 14:3 able by the ssure of the fluid entering the respective fluid openings, the seat engaging faces of said valves being provided with inset valve discs, and an outlet port in said body leading from an intermediate portion of said passageway.

WALTER G. WATKINS.

Images