JP2002228023A - Three-way valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball valve type three-way valve capable of distributing and mixing fluid at an appropriate ratio and eliminating leak of fluid. SOLUTION: This three-way valve is provided with a valve casing 1 provided with three ports A, B, C, a spherical valve element 10 housed in a spherical space part 3 formed in the valve casing 1 and having a fluid passage crossing with a rotation axis at right angles, and valve seats 7, 8, 9 arranged around each port A, B, C and contacting and sliding on the valve element 10. A circumference direction width L1 of an opening part of the fluid passage of the valve element 10 is larger than a circumference direction width L2 of an opening part of the port A and is smaller than a circumference direction width L3 between one end of the opening part of the port A and a corresponding end of a opening part of the port C adjacent to the port A. An axial direction width of the opening part of the fluid passage of the valve element 10 is smaller than axial direction width of the valve seats 7, 8, 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a ball valve type three-way valve, and more particularly, to a three-way valve capable of distributing and mixing fluid at an appropriate ratio without leakage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a three-way valve including a valve box provided with three ports and having an inner peripheral surface formed in a cylindrical surface, and a cylindrical valve body disposed in the valve box. In this three-way valve, three ports are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the valve box,
The valve body is rotated by the rotation shaft. The fluid flowing from one port into the fluid passage of the valve body is distributed to the other two ports at an appropriate ratio according to the temperature, or fluids having different temperatures are supplied from the two ports. The fluid flows into the fluid passage of the valve body at an appropriate ratio, and the fluid at a predetermined temperature flows out of the remaining one port.

However, since the cylindrical valve type three-way valve cannot provide a valve seat, a gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the valve box and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. For this reason, even if the valve body closes the port, a small amount of fluid leaks from the closed port through the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the valve box and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. This leakage causes inconveniences such as a decrease in thermal efficiency and temperature control accuracy.

On the other hand, a valve box provided with three ports and having a spherical inner peripheral surface, a spherical valve element disposed in the valve box and having a fluid passage perpendicular to a rotation axis; A ball valve type three-way valve including a valve seat disposed around a port and slidingly contacting the valve body is also known. A T-shaped or Y-shaped fluid passage is formed in the valve body of the three-way valve.

[0005]

The three-way valve of this type is
Since the valve seat is arranged around the port, there is no leakage as occurs in the above-described three-way valve of the cylindrical valve type. But,
The fluid passages formed in the port and the valve are equal in size,
As in the case of the above-described three-way valve of the cylindrical valve type, the fluid cannot be mixed and distributed at an appropriate ratio.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a ball valve type three-way valve which can mix and distribute a fluid at an appropriate ratio and does not leak fluid. As an issue.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means. That is, the present invention provides a valve box having three ports and an inner peripheral surface formed into a spherical surface, a spherical valve element disposed in the valve box, and having a fluid passage orthogonal to the rotation axis; Located around the port,
In a three-way valve of a ball valve type provided with a valve seat that slides on the valve body, a circumferential width of an opening in a fluid passage of the valve body on a plane orthogonal to a rotation axis of the valve body is the port. And smaller than the circumferential width from one end edge of the opening in the port to the corresponding one end edge of the opening in the adjacent port, in the fluid passage of the valve body. The axial width of the opening is smaller than the axial width of the valve seat (claim 1).

In the three-way valve of the present invention, the circumferential width of the opening in the fluid passage of the valve body is larger than the circumferential width of the opening in the port on a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis of the valve body. As shown in FIG. 6, the valve body 10 is rotated as shown in FIG. 6 because it is formed smaller than the circumferential width from one edge of the opening in the port to the corresponding one edge of the opening in the adjacent port. Then, with the port A completely open, the ports B and C are opened and closed. Thus, the three-way valve of the present invention can distribute and mix fluids at an appropriate ratio.

In the three-way valve according to the present invention, the axial width of the opening in the fluid passage of the valve body is formed smaller than the axial width of the valve seat. , Regardless of the rotation angle of the valve body, the two end parts always contact the spherical surface of the valve body and are pressed by the valve body, thereby preventing the valve seat from falling off.

It is preferable that the area of the sliding contact surface portion of the valve seat which is always in contact with the valve body is 5 to 10% of the total area of the sliding contact surface of the valve seat.

According to the above configuration, when opening and closing the port,
The pressure change at the contact portion between the valve seat and the valve body can be reduced. Thereby, the sealing action is stabilized, and when the valve element opens the port, the non-contact portion of the sliding contact surface of the valve seat with the valve element can be prevented from partially protruding, and the port is closed smoothly. be able to. If the area ratio is too small, the wear of the valve seat is increased, and the above-mentioned partial protrusion is disadvantageously increased. Conversely, if the area ratio is excessive, there is a disadvantage that the pressure loss becomes large.

The valve seat is made of Teflon resin having a hardness of D50-65, and the radial thickness of the valve seat is 4-30% of the diameter of the valve body.
(Claim 3).

According to the above configuration, the valve seat exhibits appropriate rigidity. When the valve body opens the port, the axially intermediate portion of the sliding surface of the valve seat does not contact the spherical surface of the valve body. However, since the valve seat has an appropriate rigidity, it is possible to prevent the non-contact portion of the valve seat with the valve body from partially protruding.
Therefore, the port can be closed smoothly. If the hardness of the valve element is lower than the hardness in the specified range, the durability becomes insufficient, and if the hardness is high, the sealing property decreases. If the thickness of the valve seat in the radial direction is small, the valve seat and the valve element tend to be galled. If the radial thickness of the valve seat is large, the valve box cannot be downsized.

Preferably, the valve seat is adhered to a valve seat groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the valve box.

According to the above configuration, assembling is easier than other fixing methods. In addition, since the deformation of the valve seat is prevented, there is no partial protrusion of the valve seat, and the valve body can be smoothly rotated for a long period of time.

It is preferable that the radius of curvature of the portion along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge of the opening of the fluid passage of the valve body is different from the radius of curvature of the portion along the axial direction of the peripheral edge on the sliding surface of the valve seat. (Claim 5).

According to the above construction, when the non-contact portion of the valve seat of the open port with the valve body comes into contact with the valve body, the portion along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge of the opening of the fluid passage of the valve body. Since the portion does not come into contact with the portion along the axial direction of the peripheral edge of the sliding surface of the valve seat at the same time over the entire length, the rotation of the valve body can be made smooth.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

1 and 2, the valve box 1 has a space 3 enclosed by a spherical inner peripheral surface 2 therein.
Three ports A, B, and C extending from the inner peripheral surface 2 to the outside are formed in the valve box 1 at an interval of 120 degrees from each other in the same plane. The shape of the openings of the three ports A, B, C,
The area is the same. Valve seat grooves 4, 5, 6 are formed around the ports A, B, C on the inner peripheral surface 2 of the valve box 1, respectively.
8 and 9 are respectively fixed by adhesion. A spherical valve element 10 is accommodated in a space 3 surrounded by a spherical inner peripheral surface 2 of the valve box 1. The rotation shaft 11 of the valve body 10 extends in a direction orthogonal to the ports A, B, and C, and projects outside through an insertion hole 12 formed in the valve box 1. , So that the valve body 10 is rotated.

The spherical valve element 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

The valve body 10 is partially formed of a thick spherical shell, and a groove 1 is formed in a portion cut into a plane of the thick portion 13.
4 is formed, and the tip of the rotating shaft 11 is engaged with the groove 14. The valve element 10 has a pair of openings 15 that are arranged facing each other in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis 11, and forms a fluid passage 16 that passes from one opening 15 to the other opening 15. . The opening 15 is provided with a pair of arc-shaped surfaces 17 that are opposed to each other in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 11.
And the ends of these arc surfaces 17 are connected to each other,
1 and a pair of arc surfaces 18 parallel to each other.

Next, the valve seat 7 arranged around the port A will be described with reference to FIG.

The valve seat 7 is formed of a hemispherical shell, and the inner peripheral surface is formed in a hemispherical surface that matches the spherical outer peripheral surface of the valve body 10.
The valve seat 7 has a substantially elliptical hole 19 on the top surface along the center axis, and the hole 19 is formed in a size corresponding to the port A. Further, the valve seat 7 has a semicircular opening 2 for inserting the rotation shaft 11 into a side surface of a lower end portion on the center line.
0 is formed, and the major axis of the substantially elliptical hole 19 is disposed parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 11 of the valve body 10 so that the valve seat 7 is formed.
Are fixed to the valve seat groove 4.

Next, the two valve seats 8 and 9 arranged around the ports B and C will be described. Since the two valve seats 8 and 9 have the same shape and size, the valve seat 8 will be described below with reference to FIG.

The valve seat 8 is a substantially elliptical ring and has a substantially elliptical hole 21 formed in a size corresponding to the port B. One surface of the valve seat 8 is flat, and the other surface is formed in a spherical shape that matches the spherical outer peripheral surface of the valve body 10. The major axis of the substantially elliptical hole 21 is the rotation axis 11 of the valve body 10. The valve seat 8 is fixed to the valve seat groove 5 by being arranged in parallel with the axial direction of the valve seat 8.

Next, the relationship between the valve body 10 and the valve seats 7, 8, 9 will be described.

Opening 1 in fluid passage 16 of valve body 10
5 is larger than the circumferential width L2 of the opening in the port A (see FIG. 1), and the opening in the port C adjacent to one end edge of the opening in the port A. It is formed smaller than the circumferential width L3 (see FIG. 1) up to the corresponding one edge of the portion. Since the ports A, B, and C are arranged at equal intervals and have the same shape and area, the above relationship also holds for other ports.

The axial width L4 (see FIG. 3) of the opening 15 in the fluid passage 16 of the valve body 10 is the same as that of the valve seats 7, 8,.
9 is smaller than the axial width L5 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Therefore, the sliding contact surfaces 7a, 7a,
The intermediate portions 8a and 9a come into contact when the ports A, B and C are closed, respectively.
Both ends in the axial direction of a, 8a, and 9a are always in contact with the spherical surface of the valve body 10 regardless of the rotation angle of the valve body 10.

The sliding contact surface 7 of the valve seat 7 around the port A
The area of the portion that is in constant contact with the valve element 10 in FIG. 5A is formed so as to be 5 to 10% of the entire area of the sliding contact surface 7 a of the valve seat 7. Sliding contact surfaces 8a and 9a are similarly formed on the valve seats 8 and 9 around the ports B and C.

Each of the valve seats 7, 8, 9 has a hardness D50-6.
5 of Teflon resin, and the radial thickness of each of the valve seats 7, 8, 9 is formed to be 4-30% of the diameter of the valve body 10.

The opening 1 of the fluid passage 16 of the valve body 10
5, the radius of curvature R of the portion 22 along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge
1 (see FIG. 3), sliding contact surface 7a of valve seat 7 around port A
Radius R2 of the portion 23 along the axial direction of the peripheral edge at
(See FIG. 4).
Further, a radius of curvature R1 (see FIG. 3) of a portion 22 along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge of the opening 15 of the fluid passage 16 of the valve body 10 and a sliding contact surface 8a of the valve seats 8 and 9 around the ports B and C. ,
9a, the radius of curvature R3 (see FIG. 5) of the portion 24 along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge is formed to be different.

Hereinafter, the operation of the three-way valve of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the valve body 10 is rotated, each of the ports B and C is opened and closed with the port A completely opened. That is, in FIG. 6A, the valve element 10 completely opens the port B and completely closes the port C. Therefore, the entire amount of fluid flows from port A to port B or from port B to port A. At this time, the sliding surface 9a of the valve seat 9 around the port C completely contacts the spherical surface of the valve body 10, so that the port C is sealed. FIG. 6 (b)
In the figure, the valve element 10 partially opens the port B and the port C. Therefore, the fluid is distributed from port A to port B and port C, or the fluid of port B and port C is mixed and flows into port A. In FIG. 6C, the valve element 10 completely opens the port C and completely closes the port B. Therefore, the entire amount of fluid flows from port A to port C or from port C to port A. At this time, the sliding surface 8a of the valve seat 8 around the port B completely contacts the spherical surface of the valve body 10, so that the port B is sealed.

As described above, the three-way valve of the present invention is capable of distributing and mixing a fluid at an appropriate ratio.
Moreover, leakage of the fluid can be prevented.

The three-way valve of the present invention can be suitably used as a temperature control valve in a cooler-side circuit of an ice heat storage system or a heat recovery circuit of a child generation system, in which a conventional three-way valve cannot be used.

[0036]

As described above, according to the three-way valve of the present invention, the fluid can be distributed and mixed at an appropriate ratio, and the leakage of the fluid can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a three-way valve of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side sectional view of FIG. 1;

3 (a) is a front view of a valve body, (b) is a plan view of (a), (c) is a right side view of (a), and (d) is a perspective view of the valve body.

4A is a plan view of a valve seat, and FIG.
A sectional view along line A, (c) is a perspective view of a valve seat.

5A is a plan view of a valve seat, and FIG.
A sectional view taken along line A, (c) is a sectional view taken along line BB of (a), (d)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a valve seat.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the three-way valve of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Valve box, 2. Inner peripheral surface, 3. Space part, 4, 5, 6
..Valve seat grooves, 7, 8, 9 ·· Valve seats, 7a, 8a, 9a ·
・ Sliding contact surface, 10 ・ ・ Valve, 11 ・ ・ Rotating shaft, 12 ・ ・ Insertion hole, 13 ・ ・ Thick portion, 14 ・ ・ Groove, 15 ・ ・ Opening
16. fluid passage, 17, 18 arc surface, 19, 21
··· Hole, 20 ··· Opening, 22 ··························································································· A portion along the axial direction of the outer peripheral edge of the sliding contact surface of the seat, A, B, C
・ Port, L1, L2, L3 ・ ・ Circumferential width, L4, L
5. Axial width, R1, R2, R3 ... radius of curvature.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A valve box provided with three ports and having a spherical inner peripheral surface, a spherical valve element disposed in the valve box, and having a fluid passage orthogonal to a rotation axis; A ball valve type three-way valve having a valve seat disposed around a port and slidably contacting the valve body, wherein a circle of an opening in a fluid passage of the valve body on a plane orthogonal to a rotation axis of the valve body. The circumferential width is larger than the circumferential width of the opening in the port, and smaller than the circumferential width from one edge of the opening in the port to the corresponding one edge of the opening in the adjacent port, A three-way valve, wherein an axial width of an opening in the fluid passage of the valve body is smaller than an axial width of the valve seat. 2. The three-way valve according to claim 1, wherein the area of the sliding contact surface portion of the valve seat that is constantly in contact with the valve body is 5 to 10% of the total area of the sliding contact surface of the valve seat. . 3. A valve seat made of Teflon (registered trademark) resin having a hardness of D50-65, wherein a radial thickness of the valve seat is 4-30% of a diameter of the valve body. Item 1
Or the three-way valve according to 2. 4. The valve seat according to claim 1, wherein the valve seat is bonded to a valve seat groove formed on an inner peripheral surface of the valve box.
The three-way valve as described. 5. A curvature radius of a portion along an axial direction of an outer peripheral edge of an opening of a fluid passage of a valve body is different from a curvature radius of a portion along an axial direction of a peripheral edge of a sliding surface of a valve seat. The three-way valve according to claim 1, wherein: