JPS58187672A - Temperature-responsive valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the performance of a temperature-sensitive element from being heated to a maximum operating temperature or above to become deteriorated, by arranging the temperature-responsive element of a configuration memory alloy in a valve chamber, and allowing the element to transform in accordance with the temperature of a fluid in the valve chamber to drive a valve body. CONSTITUTION:A fluid flows from an inlet 2 via a valve port 10 into a valve chest 4, and passes through a space between the inner wall of the valve chest 4 and the valve body 5 and around the element 7, and leaves an outlet 3. During this, the temperature of the fluid is elevated and when the temperature reaches a prescribed temperature, the element 7 transforms inversely from the martensite phase to the mother phase to become longer, so that the valve body 5 is driven to be seated on a valve seat 11 to close the valve port 10. Alternatively, when the temperature of the fluid decreases to a prescribed temperature, the element 7 transforms from the mother phase to the martensite phase to become shorter to close the valve port 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Object of the Invention) The present invention relates to a temperature-responsive valve that automatically discharges fluid below a predetermined concentration from a fluid system. Discharging condensate from heating radiators 1. It is used to discharge low-temperature water from trace pipes that keep oil transport pipes warm with steam or dry water, or to discharge water below a specified temperature to prevent equipment that uses steam or hot water from freezing.

(Prior Art) In Japanese Patent Application No. 55-54644, we proposed a temperature-responsive valve in which the temperature-responsive element was made of a shape memory alloy. The outline of the structure of this valve is as follows. The valve casing defines an inlet, a valve chamber into which the inlet fluid enters, and an outlet through which the valve chamber fluid exits through the valve port.

A valve seat is formed at the opening of the valve port. The valve body is arranged so as to sit on the valve seat, close the valve port, and move away from the valve valve to open the valve port.

A temperature-responsive element made of a shape memory alloy that undergoes a thermoelastic martensitic transformation from the parent phase to a martensitic phase when cooled below a predetermined temperature and undergoes the reverse transformation when heated above a predetermined temperature is placed in the valve chamber. However, the temperature-responsive element transforms in response to the temperature of the fluid in the valve chamber and drives the valve body, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, the valve body is seated on the valve seat and closes the valve port.

In this temperature-responsive valve, the temperature-responsive element is placed on the inlet side of the valve port, so when installed in a high-temperature fluid system,
Shape memory alloys may be heated above their maximum service temperature. The maximum usable temperature of currently available titanium-nickel, copper-zinc-aluminum alloys, etc. is approximately 120 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the shape memory alloy has the drawback of causing precipitation or aging effects, resulting in poor performance.

(Technical Problem of the Present Invention) A technical problem of the present invention is to prevent a temperature-responsive element made of a shape memory alloy from being heated to a temperature higher than the maximum operating temperature and resulting in poor performance. Another object is to prevent the phase transformation cycle of the temperature-responsive element from being shortened due to the influence of the outside air temperature.

(Structure and operation of the present invention) The structure of the temperature-responsive valve of the first invention is as follows. The valve casing defines an inlet, a valve chamber into which fluid from the inlet enters through the valve port, and an outlet from which fluid from the valve chamber exits. A valve seat is formed at the opening of the valve port. The valve body is arranged so that it seats on the valve seat to close the valve port and leaves the valve seat to open the valve port. A temperature-responsive element made of a shape memory alloy that undergoes a thermoelastic martensitic transformation from the parent phase to a martensitic phase when cooled below a predetermined temperature and undergoes the reverse transformation when heated above a predetermined temperature is placed in the valve chamber. However, the temperature-responsive element transforms in response to the temperature of the fluid in the valve chamber and drives the valve body, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, the valve body is seated on the valve seat and closes the valve port.

The action is as follows. The fluid of the fluid system enters the valve chamber from the inlet through the valve port and heats or cools a temperature-responsive element disposed within the valve chamber. When a shape memory alloy is cooled to a predetermined temperature or below, it undergoes a thermoelastic martensitic transformation from a parent phase to a martensitic phase, and when heated above a predetermined temperature, it undergoes the reverse transformation. The temperature-responsive element utilizes this transformation to drive the valve body, and when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature, the valve body seats on the valve seat and closes the valve port. Fluid at fA degrees below this flows into the valve chamber through the valve port and flows out from the outlet. The valve chamber generally communicates with the atmosphere through the outlet and is at a much lower pressure than the inlet, and the high temperature water re-evaporates in the low a-region, reducing the temperature to the saturation temperature. Therefore, the temperature inside the valve chamber does not exceed the set temperature at which the temperature-responsive element blocks the valve port, so the performance of the shape memory alloy does not deteriorate.

The configuration of the temperature-responsive valve of the second invention is as follows. The valve casing defines an inlet, a valve chamber into which fluid from the inlet enters through the valve port, and an outlet from which fluid from the valve chamber exits. A valve seat is formed at the opening of the valve port. The valve body is arranged so that it seats on the valve seat to close the valve port and leaves the valve seat to open the valve port. A II response element made of a shape memory alloy that undergoes thermoelastic martensitic transformation from the parent phase to a martensitic phase when cooled to a predetermined temperature or below, and undergoes the reverse transformation when heated above a predetermined temperature, is installed in the valve chamber. The temperature-responsive element transforms in response to the temperature of the fluid in the valve chamber, drives the valve body, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, the valve body seats on the valve seat and closes the valve port. A liquid is stored in the valve chamber so that the temperature-responsive element is immersed in the liquid.

As a means of storing liquid and immersing the temperature-responsive element in the liquid, a partition wall with many small holes is provided between the valve chamber and the outlet, and the liquid is stored in the valve chamber when the valve port is blocked. Alternatively, the outlet may be opened at the top of the valve chamber, liquid may be stored in the valve chamber, and the temperature-responsive element may be immersed in the liquid pool.

In addition to the above-mentioned first invention, this arrangement provides the following effects. Even when the valve is closed and the valve port is blocked, liquid remains in the valve chamber, ensuring a sufficient amount of heat, allowing the outside air to slowly cool the valve. Low humidity air does not flow into the valve chamber. Therefore, shortening of the phase transformation cycle of the temperature responsive element can be prevented.

(First example) A first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 will be described.

A nipple-shaped main body 1 has an inlet 2, and the fluid at the inlet is connected to a valve port 1.
A valve chamber 4 is formed through which the fluid flows in, and an outlet 3 is formed through which the fluid in the valve chamber flows out. The valve port 10 is formed by drilling a hole in the partition wall between the inlet 2 and the valve chamber 4. A strainer 6 is disposed at the inlet 2 so as to cover the valve port 10. A valve seat is formed at the opening portion of the valve port 10 on the valve chamber side.

The valve chamber 4 has an inner peripheral wall formed into a cylindrical shape, and a valve body 5 is inserted therein. The tip 12 of the valve body 5 has a conical shape and can be seated on the valve seat 11 to close the valve port 10. As is clear from FIG. 2, the central portion has a substantially triangular prism shape, and the corner portions slide against the inner circumferential wall of the valve chamber 4. The rear end has a cylindrical shape with a small diameter, and a temperature-responsive element 7 made of a coiled shape memory alloy is arranged around it. One end of the element 7 is in contact with a step between the center and rear end portions of the valve body 5, and the other end is in contact with the partition wall 8. As the shape memory alloy, a copper-zinc-aluminum alloy having a reversible shape memory effect is used. When this cord 7 is cooled below a predetermined temperature, it undergoes thermoelastic martensitic transformation and becomes shorter, and when heated above a predetermined temperature, it undergoes reverse transformation and becomes longer. A titanium-nickel alloy may be used as the shape memory alloy. 111g! 8 has many holes with a diameter of about 1 mm. Also,
Attach to main body 1 with snap ring 9.

It works as follows. It may be mounted horizontally as shown in FIG. 1, or may be mounted upwardly or downwardly. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the valve chamber 4 has low humidity, the temperature responsive element f7 is short, the valve element 5 is separated from the valve seat 11, and the valve port 10 is open. Fluid enters the valve chamber 4 from the inlet 2 through the valve port 10, flows around the element 7 through the gap between the inner circumferential wall of the valve chamber 4 and the valve body 5, passes through the hole in the partition 8, and reaches the outlet 3. flows out from. During this time, when the temperature of the fluid increases and reaches a predetermined temperature, the element 7 reversely transforms from the martensitic phase to the parent phase and becomes longer, driving the valve element 5 to seat it on the valve seat 11, and causing the element 7 to become longer. Close your mouth 10. Since the holes in the partition wall 8 are small, the liquid in the valve chamber 4 does not flow out to the outlet 311 due to surface tension. Gas such as air on the outlet 3 side does not enter the valve chamber 4. Therefore, the temperature of the liquid in the valve chamber 4 slowly decreases. Then, when the temperature drops to a predetermined temperature, the element 7 undergoes martensitic transformation from the parent phase to the martensitic phase and becomes shorter. The valve body 5 is pushed by the pressure of the fluid on the inlet 2 side, moves away from the valve seat 11, and opens the valve port 10. In this way, the valve opening is opened and closed according to the temperature of the fluid, and fluid below a predetermined temperature is automatically discharged.

In this example, since an alloy having a reversible shape memory effect is used, the temperature-responsive element automatically shortens at low temperatures. Therefore, even with low pressure fluid, the valve body can be pushed to open the valve port. Does not require a bias spring to open the valve. The internal parts are compactly arranged inside the nipple-shaped main body, so it is small. It's economical because there aren't many materials.

(Second Example) A second example shown in FIG. 3 will be described. Disc-shaped body 2
A valve port 28 is opened in the center part of 7. A partition member 30 made of a cap-shaped metal 5ill plate is attached to one side of the main body 27, and the outer peripheral portions of both members are welded airtightly. A large number of small holes with a diameter of about 1 mm are made in the center of the partition member 30. A spherical valve body 29 and a temperature responsive element 31 made of a shape memory alloy in a spiral shape are arranged in the partition member 30. The element 31 has one end in contact with the valve body 29 and the other end in contact with the partition member 30. Further, as in the first embodiment, it expands when heated above a predetermined temperature and contracts when cooled below a predetermined temperature. The valve body 29 is driven by the expansion and contraction of the element 31 to open and close the valve port 28. The above unit has an inlet (23) side pipe 21 and an outlet (24)
) The gaskets 32 and 33 are sandwiched between the flanges of the side pipe 22 and installed. Numbers 25 and 26 indicate bolts and nuts.

The operation of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment and is easily understood, so a description thereof will be omitted. The spherical valve body and the temperature-responsive element are compactly arranged within the disk-shaped main body and the cap-shaped partition member, making it extremely compact.

(Third Example) A third example shown in FIG. 4 will be described. Since the structure is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, explanations of corresponding parts will be limited to reference numerals. 51 is the main body, 52 is the inlet, 53 is the outlet, 5
4 is a valve chamber, 55 is a valve body, 57 is a temperature responsive element made of a shape memory alloy, 58 is a partition wall with many small holes, 59 is a snap ring, 60 is a valve port, 61 is a valve seat, 62 is a He is a bento. The temperature-responsive element 57 is an irreversible shape-memory alloy, that is, it remembers the shape of the matrix phase but does not remember the shape of the martensitic phase, and cannot shorten itself even when cooled to a predetermined temperature or lower. You may also use alloys that do not have

In order to compensate for this, a via 3 and a spring 56 are arranged between the partition wall forming the valve port 60 and the valve body 55.

The operation of this embodiment is such that when the valve body is pulled away from the valve seat, in addition to the pressure of the fluid on the inlet side, the bias spring 5
Considering that 6 acts, it is almost the same as the first embodiment and can be easily understood, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(Fourth Example) A fourth example shown in FIG. 5 will be described. Since the structure is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, explanations of corresponding parts will be limited to reference numerals. 71 is the main body, 72 is the inlet, 73 is the outlet, 7
4 is a valve chamber, 75 is a valve body, 77 is a temperature-responsive element made of a shape memory alloy, 78 is a support ring for the temperature-responsive element with a large hole in the center, 79 is a snap ring, 80 is a valve port, 81 is a valve seat, and 82 is a valve head.

The valve of this embodiment is used with the inlet facing down for purposes of illustration. In this way, the inside of the valve chamber becomes a pool of liquid, and the temperature-responsive element is immersed in the liquid pool without using a partition wall with many small holes. The operation is almost the same as that in the first embodiment and is easily understood, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(Special Effects of the Invention) Since the temperature-responsive element made of a shape memory alloy is placed on the outlet side with respect to the valve opening, it will not be heated above the maximum operating temperature of the shape memory alloy. Therefore, since precipitation phenomena and aging effects do not occur, performance does not deteriorate. Longer lifespan.

If the valve body is placed on the outlet side with respect to the valve port, the pressure of the fluid can be used to open the valve, so the bias spring can be omitted. Furthermore, even if the performance of the shape memory alloy deteriorates, the valve port will not be blocked.

Since liquid is stored in the valve chamber and the concentration-responsive element is immersed in it, it is slowly cooled down when the valve is closed. Therefore, even if the temperature-responsive element is placed on the outlet side of the valve port, the cycle of martensitic transformation and reverse transformation of the shape memory alloy can be prevented from being shortened. Longer lifespan.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the temperature-responsive valve of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are sectional views of other embodiments. be. 2.23.52.72: Inlet 3.24.53.73: Outlet 4.54.74: Valve chamber 5.29.55.75: Valve body 7.31.57.77: Made of shape memory alloy Temperature responsive element 8.30.58: Partition member 10.28.60.80: Valve port 56: Bias spring Patent applicant

Claims (1)

[Claims] <1) The valve casing forms an inlet, a valve chamber into which fluid from the inlet flows in through the valve port, and an outlet from which fluid from the valve chamber flows out, and a valve seat is provided at the opening of the valve port. The valve body is arranged so that it seats on the valve seat and closes the valve port, and moves away from the valve seat to open the valve port. When the valve body is cooled to a predetermined temperature or less, the mother phase changes to a martensite phase. A temperature-responsive element made of a shape-memory alloy that transforms and undergoes reverse transformation when heated above a predetermined temperature is placed inside the valve chamber, and the temperature-responsive element transforms according to the temperature of the fluid in the valve chamber, causing the valve body to change. A temperature-responsive valve characterized in that, when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature or higher when the valve is driven, a valve element is seated on a valve seat to close a valve port. (2) The valve casing forms an inlet, a valve chamber into which fluid from the inlet flows in through the valve port, and an outlet from which fluid from the valve chamber flows out, and a valve seat is formed at the opening of the valve port, and a valve seat is formed at the opening of the valve port. The valve body is arranged so that it closes the valve port when seated, and opens the valve port by moving away from the valve seat.When the valve body is cooled to a predetermined temperature or below, a thermoelastic martensitic transformation occurs from the parent phase to a martensitic phase, and the valve body undergoes thermoelastic martensitic transformation below the predetermined temperature. A temperature-responsive element made of a shape-memory alloy that undergoes reverse transformation when heated is placed inside the valve chamber. A temperature-responsive valve characterized in that a valve body is seated on a valve seat to close a valve port, and a liquid is stored in a valve chamber so that a temperature-responsive element is immersed in the liquid. (3) A patent claim characterized in that a partition wall with many small holes is provided between the valve chamber and the outlet, so that liquid is retained in the valve chamber when the valve port is blocked. Temperature-responsive valve according to range 2. (4) The temperature-responsive valve according to claim 2, wherein the outlet is opened at the upper part of the valve chamber, liquid is stored in the valve chamber, and the temperature-responsive element is immersed in the liquid reservoir.