JP2019184002A - Ball valve, beverage supply system with ball valve and cleaning method for pipe conduit connected to ball valve - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a ball valve for preventing outflow of fluid toward a downstream side at the time of valve closing caused by inferior state of a valve seat or the like and for facilitating detection of inferior state of the valve seat or the like.SOLUTION: This invention relates to a ball valve comprising: a spherical valve body having a through flow channel; a valve case having an input and an output arranged in a row at the through flow channel of the valve body when the valve is opened and also defining an inner space for storing the valve body; an inlet valve seat enclosing the input; and an outlet valve seat enclosing the output. The valve case also has a drain hole communicated with the inner space and arranged between the inlet valve seat and the outlet valve seat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball valve suitable for opening and closing a liquid flow path, a beverage supply system including the ball valve, and a method for cleaning a pipe line connected to the ball valve.

  Conventionally, a ball valve used for opening and closing a flow path as shown in Patent Document 1 is known. The ball valve includes, as main components, a spherical valve body having a through-flow passage therein, a valve box that accommodates the valve body, a ring-shaped valve seat for sealing between the valve body and the valve body, and a valve body A stem, a handle, and the like for rotating the handle are provided. The valve body is provided with a straight, L-shaped, or T-shaped through hole that constitutes the flow path.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-141701

  If the ring valve seat of the ball valve is worn or damaged and the seal between the valve disc and the valve box is incomplete, fluid will flow upstream of the ball valve even when the flow path should be closed. Leaks to the downstream side. Naturally, various problems are caused when fluid flows into the conduit downstream of the ball valve when it should not flow. For example, when a pipe line for another type of fluid joins the pipe line on the downstream side, there arises a problem that the leaked fluid is mixed into another type of fluid. In addition, when the amount of fluid leakage is small, there is a problem that discovery of leakage and contamination is delayed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and prevents outflow of fluid to the downstream side when the valve is closed due to a failure of the valve seat or the like, and facilitates detection of a failure of the valve seat or the like. An object is to provide a ball valve.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a ball valve, which is a spherical valve body having a through passage, is aligned with the through passage of the valve body when the valve is opened. A valve box having an inlet and an outlet and defining an internal space for accommodating the valve body; an inlet valve seat surrounding the inlet; and an outlet valve seat surrounding the outlet; A ball valve is provided that further communicates with the interior space and further has a drain hole disposed between the inlet valve seat and the outlet valve seat.

  Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the ball valve according to the first aspect in which the valve box further has the second inlet on the downstream side of the outlet, and the fluid connection on the upstream side of the inlet of the ball valve. A cleaning liquid supply source, a sparkling beverage storage container, and a dispensing head attached to the sparkling beverage storage container, the discharge end of the sparkling beverage connected to the second inlet of the ball valve There is provided a sparkling beverage supply system comprising: a dispensing head having a ball valve and a beverage supply line extending downstream of the dispense head; and a beverage dispenser having a valve for opening and closing a terminal outlet of the beverage supply line.

  Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of cleaning a pipe line connected to the downstream side of the outlet of the ball valve, the step of closing the ball valve, and the cleaning sponge being closed The step of inserting into the through passage of the valve body of the ball valve, the step of opening the ball valve, and the step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the inlet of the ball valve, and the step of supplying the cleaning liquid, A method is provided for cleaning a conduit, wherein the cleaning sponge moves the interior of the conduit along with the cleaning liquid to clean the conduit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the drainage of the fluid that has entered the internal space of the valve box due to wear or damage of the inlet valve seat and / or the outlet valve seat through the drain hole is promoted. When the fluid is a liquid, the liquid discharged from the drain hole can be visually recognized by the person, so that it is possible to detect an abnormality of the ball valve.

  Also, even if problems such as wear or damage occur in both the inlet valve seat and the outlet valve seat, is it possible to prevent the upstream fluid from flowing out from the outlet when the valve is closed? Or it is reduced at least compared with the ball valve of the conventional type. This is because the fluid existing on the upstream side and the downstream side of the ball valve that normally has a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure flows out from the drain hole to the low pressure outside.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect according to the first aspect of the present invention, the dispensing head and the ball valve are not removed from the pipe line for cleaning, in other words, the operation of the dispensing head and the ball valve. By simply switching the lever, the beverage supply line can be washed with water or the like and sponge washed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, the ball valve is not removed from the conduit for cleaning the sponge, in other words, only by switching the operation lever of the ball valve. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect that the sponge connected to the ball valve can be cleaned.

It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ball valve by the 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view which each shows a valve closing state and (b) is a valve opening state. It is a figure which shows the structure of the drink supply system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ball valve, the dispense head, and the spear valve used in the beverage supply system, and is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of beverage supply. It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view of a ball valve, a dispense head, and a spear valve used in the beverage supply system, and is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view during cleaning. It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of sponge washing of the ball valve used in the beverage supply system, and (a) shows washing sponge insertion when the valve is closed and (b) shows completion of washing sponge loading when the valve is opened. It is a typical longitudinal section.

  A ball valve 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1A shows a closed state of the ball valve 10, and FIG. 1B shows a opened state in which the valve body 12 is rotated 90 degrees from the closed state.

  The ball valve 10 includes a spherical valve body 12 having a through-flow passage 11 extending straightly, a valve box 16 having an inlet 13 and an outlet 14 and defining an internal space 15 in which the valve body 12 is accommodated. It has a ring-shaped inlet valve seat 17 that surrounds the inlet 13, a ring-shaped outlet valve seat 18 that surrounds the outlet 14, and a handle (not shown). The valve body 12 is supported by a valve box 16 so as to be rotatable in a range of 90 degrees around a rotation axis Ax extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, and the rotation is performed by operating a handle.

  The inlet 13 and the outlet 14 of the valve box 16 indicate portions adjacent to the inlet valve seat 17 and the outlet valve seat 18, respectively. An inlet end 21 of the valve box 16 is provided upstream of the inlet 13, and an outlet end 22 of the valve box 16 is provided downstream of the outlet 14. The inlet end 21 and the outlet end 22 are formed as joints that can be connected to other pipes and hose joints.

  The valve box 16 of the ball valve 10 according to the present embodiment further has a drain hole 19 that allows the internal space 15 of the valve box 16 to communicate with the outside, on the upper surface between the inlet valve seat 17 and the outlet valve seat 18. The drain hole 19 is arranged so as to align with the through flow path 11 of the valve body 12 when the valve is closed. Further, a ring-shaped valve seat or packing is not disposed between the drain hole 19 and the valve body 12, and therefore a gap is generated.

  Since such a drain hole 19 is provided, in the ball valve according to the first embodiment, when the inlet valve seat 17 and / or the outlet valve seat 18 is worn or damaged, the inlet or The fluid that has entered the internal space 15 of the valve box 16 from the outlet is quickly discharged to the outside through the drain hole 19. When the fluid is a liquid, the person can visually recognize the liquid discharged from the drain hole 19, thereby making it possible to detect an abnormality in the ball valve 10.

  Further, even when problems such as wear or breakage occur in both the inlet valve seat 17 and the outlet valve seat 18, it is avoided that the upstream fluid flows out from the outlet 14 to the downstream side when the valve is closed. Or at least reduced compared to conventional ball valves. This is because the fluid existing on the upstream side and the downstream side of the ball valve 10 having a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure normally flows out from the drain hole 19 to the low pressure outside.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 4, a beverage supply system 100 according to a second embodiment including a ball valve 110 similar to the ball valve 10 according to the first embodiment as a component. Will be described below. The beverage supply system 100 is configured to pour out the beverage in the beverage storage container 30 using the pressure of gas and to allow the beverage supply line to be cleaned. Therefore, the beverage supply system 100 includes a ball valve 110, a beverage storage container 30, and a spear valve 40 (a part of which is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) fixed inside the mouth of the beverage storage container 30. A dispense head 50 connected to the spear valve 40 from the outside, a gas cylinder 60 for supplying gas to the beverage storage container 30, a beverage dispenser 70 for pouring the beverage from the beverage storage container 30 into a glass or the like, and a ball valve 110 As a main component, a cleaning liquid supply source 80 fluidly connected to the upstream side and a beverage supply line 90 connected to the downstream side of the ball valve 110 and the dispensing head 50 are provided. In this example, the cleaning liquid supply source 80 is a tap faucet 80, and therefore tap water is supplied as a cleaning liquid during cleaning described later.

  In the beverage supply system 100 of FIG. 2, the beverage to be supplied is beer, so the gas filled in the gas cylinder 60 is carbon dioxide, the beverage storage container 30 is exemplified as a beer barrel, and the beverage dispenser 70 is a beer. Illustrated as a dispenser. However, the beverage supply system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a beer-flavored sparkling alcoholic beverage (beer-flavored alcoholic beverage that is made of any carbonated beverage other than beer, for example, a raw material other than sparkling liquor and malt, and mixed with another alcoholic beverage ( Third beer), non-alcoholic beer, chu-hi, highball, or non-alcoholic carbonated beverages may be supplied. In addition, the beverage supplied by the beverage supply system 100 may be a beverage supplied using, for example, nitrogen gas or compressed air other than carbon dioxide gas. In that case, nitrogen gas or compressed air is contained in the gas cylinder 60. Is filled.

  By the way, especially when the beverage to be supplied is beer, the beverage supply system 100 is required to wash the beverage supply line 90 relatively frequently, for example, once a day. Therefore, the beverage supply system 100 according to the second embodiment uses water / water that is used in combination with the water cleaning of the beverage supply conduit 90 and the cleaning sponge 105 (FIG. 4) that is a frustoconical sponge piece about the size of a fingertip. Sponge cleaning (hereinafter referred to as “sponge cleaning”) is possible. As will be described in detail later, the ball valve 110 in the second embodiment is arranged and configured to facilitate water cleaning and sponge cleaning of the beverage supply conduit 90.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the ball valve 110 according to the second embodiment has a valve box 116 integrally including a downstream pipe line 116 a extending downstream from the outlet 14. Although different from the ball valve 10 according to the first embodiment, other configurations are the same as those of the ball valve 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, the ball valve 110 according to the second embodiment is similar to the ball valve 10 according to the first embodiment in the valve body 12, the inlet valve seat 17, the outlet valve seat 18, the inlet 13, the outlet 14, and the drain hole 19. It comprises. An outlet end portion 22 is formed at the right end portion of the downstream side pipe line 116a. A second inflow port 123 is provided in the downstream side pipe line 116a. The discharge end 51 of the dispensing head 50 is connected to the second inlet 123.

  However, it is also possible to use the ball valve 10 according to the first embodiment in the beverage supply system 100 according to the second embodiment. In that case, it replaces with the downstream side pipe line 116a, and a separate T-shaped joint is used, and the flow path similar to FIG. 3A etc. can be comprised by it.

  The beverage dispenser 70 is a well-known general one, and has a cock-type beverage dispensing valve (hereinafter referred to as “cock valve”) 71 that opens and closes a terminal outlet of the beverage supply conduit 90. A glass or the like (not shown) is prepared below the outlet of the cock valve 71 when the beverage is dispensed, or a bucket 108 is prepared when the beverage is washed. The beverage supply line 90 has a spirally wound portion 90 a formed into a cylindrical coil shape for cooling in the beverage dispenser 70. The spiral winding portion 90 a is cooled using the cooling device 72 of the beverage dispenser 70.

  Since the dispensing head 50 and the spear valve 40 are also generally known, only their operation will be described briefly. Note that only the upper end of the spear valve 40 is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The dispensing head 50 has an operation lever 52 that can be in an open position and a closed position. When the operation lever 52 is disposed at the open position, the dispensing head 50 cooperates with the spear valve 40 to introduce carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 60 into the beverage storage container 30 and to discharge the beverage (beer). Is released. Therefore, when the cock valve 71 of the beverage dispenser 70 is opened in this state, the beverage is pushed by the pressure of carbon dioxide gas, and is discharged from the beverage storage container 30 through the discharge end 51 of the dispense head 50 and the beverage supply line 90. Then, it is supplied to the beverage dispenser 70 (FIG. 3A). At this time, the ball valve 110 is closed so that tap water from the water tap 80 does not flow into the beverage supply line 90.

  The dispensing head 50 closes the gas flow path leading into the beverage storage container 30 in cooperation with the spear valve 40 and the beverage (beer) discharge flow path when the operation lever 52 is disposed at the closed position. To do. When the beverage supply line 90 is washed with water, the ball valve 110 and the cock valve 71 of the beverage dispenser 70 are opened after the operation lever 52 of the dispense head 50 is disposed at the closed position. Then, water from the water tap 80 flows into the beverage supply pipe line 90 via the ball valve 110 and is washed (see FIG. 3B). The washing water does not flow into the beverage storage container 30 because the operation lever 52 of the dispensing head 50 is disposed at the closed position. In the present embodiment, since the dispensing head 50 is also provided with a valve body 53 for preventing a backflow, the inflow of the washing water into the beverage storage container 30 is prevented twice.

  When performing the sponge cleaning of the beverage supply line 90, the operation lever 52 of the dispense head 50 is also placed in the closed position, and then the cleaning sponge 105 is passed through the valve body 12 from the drain hole 19 of the ball valve 110 in the closed state. The ball valve 110 is opened by inserting it into the flow path 11 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). Finally, the cock valve 71 of the beverage dispenser 70 is opened. Then, due to the pressure of water acting on the inlet 13 of the ball valve 110, the cleaning sponge 105 is pushed downstream from the ball valve 110 together with water and finally passes through the beverage supply line 90 and finally from the cock valve 71. It is discharged into a cleaning bucket prepared below. The outer diameter of the cleaning sponge 105 is made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the beverage supply conduit 90 so that dirt and the like attached to the inner wall of the beverage supply conduit 90 can be scraped off. Further, the drain holes 19 of the ball valve 110 and the inner diameters of the through flow passages 11 are formed so that the cleaning sponge 105 can be inserted.

  An embodiment in which the beverage supply line 90 is dried using the gas from the gas cylinder 60 after the water cleaning or the sponge cleaning is completed is also possible. In this case, the dispensing head 50 is configured such that the operation lever 52 can be selectively disposed at an open position, a closed position, and an intermediate position therebetween. When the operation lever 52 is arranged at the intermediate position, the gas from the gas cylinder 60 is discharged from the dispensing head 50 without being introduced into the beverage storage container 30, that is, bypassing the beverage storage container 30.

  By the way, in a conventionally known beverage supply system, when the beverage supply line is washed with water or sponge, the dispensing head is removed from the beverage storage container and replaced with a pressurizable water container for washing. It was necessary to replace the storage container again, which caused a heavy burden on the cleaning operator. A beverage supply system that eliminates the need for changing the dispense head is also known in the art, but it is difficult to say that it is generally popular because it is a complex system that includes an electrical sensor and a controller.

  On the other hand, according to the beverage supply system 100 according to the second embodiment, although the ball valve 110 is used in a simple configuration, the beverage supply pipe line 90 is watered without removing the dispense head 50 from the beverage storage container 30. It becomes possible to perform cleaning and sponge cleaning. It is also noted that the cleaning sponge 105 can be loaded through the drain hole 19 of the ball valve 110 in the closed state. Thereby, in the beverage supply system 100, it is possible to switch between the beverage supply mode and the washing mode only by switching the operation levers of the dispensing head 50 and the ball valve 110.

  Furthermore, when the inlet valve seat 17 and / or the outlet valve seat 18 of the ball valve 110 is worn or damaged, water or beverage is discharged from the drain hole 19 of the ball valve 110 integrally connected to the dispense head 50. As a result of the leak, the operator of the dispense head 50 will be able to easily detect an abnormality in the ball valve 110.

  Even when the inlet valve seat 17 and / or the outlet valve seat 18 of the ball valve 110 are worn or damaged, when the ball valve 110 is closed, the upstream fluid is the downstream fluid. It does not get mixed into a certain beverage (beer). This is because the beverage pressurized by the carbon dioxide gas in the gas cylinder 60 usually has a higher pressure than the upstream water, so that the upstream water passes through the drain hole 19 and has a relatively low-pressure ambient environment. Because it flows out to.

Other Embodiments Although the ball valve 110 according to the first embodiment is a two-way valve, an embodiment in which the ball valve is a three-way valve is also possible in the present invention. Even in that case, the drain hole 19 may be provided at one place.

  The effect of the ball valve of the present invention has been described using a beverage supply system as an example. However, it goes without saying that the ball valve of the present invention can be used not only in a beverage supply system but also in a scene where a conventional ball valve is applied. For example, even when applied to a beverage production facility, it is possible to prevent the outflow of fluid to the downstream side when the valve is closed due to a failure of the valve seat or the like, and to easily detect the failure of the valve seat or the like. Therefore, it leads to quick maintenance and prevention of equipment troubles.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ball valve 11 Through flow path 12 Valve body 13 Inlet 14 Outlet 15 Internal space 16 Valve box 17 Inlet valve seat 18 Outlet valve seat 19 Drain hole 21 Inlet end 22 Outlet end

Claims (6)

A ball valve,
A spherical valve body having a through channel;
A valve box having an inlet and an outlet aligned with the through-flow passage of the valve body when the valve is opened, and defining an internal space for accommodating the valve body;
An inlet valve seat surrounding the inlet, an outlet valve seat surrounding the outlet,
Comprising
The valve valve further includes a drain hole that communicates with the internal space and is disposed between the inlet valve seat and the outlet valve seat.   The ball valve according to claim 1, wherein the drain hole is formed in the valve box so that the drain hole is aligned with one end of a through-flow passage of the valve body when the valve is closed.   The ball valve according to claim 2, wherein the valve box further has a second inlet on the downstream side of the outlet. A ball valve according to claim 3;
A cleaning liquid supply source fluidly connected to the upstream side of the inlet of the ball valve;
A storage container for sparkling beverages;
A dispensing head attached to the storage container for the sparkling beverage, the dispensing head having a discharge end for the sparkling beverage connected to the second inlet of the ball valve;
A beverage supply line extending downstream of the ball valve and the dispensing head;
A beverage dispenser having a valve for opening and closing the end outlet of the beverage supply line;
A sparkling beverage supply system comprising: It further comprises as an accessory a cleaning sponge that is inserted into the beverage supply line when cleaning the beverage supply line,
5. The sparkling beverage supply system according to claim 4, wherein the drain hole of the valve box of the ball valve and the through passage of the valve body have an inner diameter that allows the cleaning sponge to be inserted. A method for cleaning a pipe connected to a downstream side of an outlet of a ball valve,
Closing the ball valve;
Inserting a cleaning sponge into the through passage of the valve body of the ball valve in a closed state;
Opening the ball valve;
Supplying a cleaning liquid to the inlet of the ball valve,
A method for cleaning a pipe line, wherein, in the step of supplying the cleaning liquid, the cleaning sponge moves the inside of the pipe line together with the cleaning liquid to clean the pipe line.

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