JP7022975B2 - Valve with sensor and monitoring system and fluid supply device using it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve equipped with a sensor and a monitoring system and a fluid supply device using the same.

Valves such as ball valves are used in many product fields such as manufacturing equipment, plant equipment, and inspection equipment as equipment for controlling fluid flow.

The valve has a valve body having a communication portion that communicates with the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path, and a valve body that opens and closes the flow path arranged in the communication portion.

The valve body is driven by a handle on the top in the case of a manual valve and by a motor in the case of an automatic valve, with a connecting member called a stem intervening between the handle or motor and the valve body.

For example, in the ball valve shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, gland packings 14 and 15 are provided around the stem 5 in order to prevent fluid from leaking from the valve body 2 in the axial direction of the stem 5. It is pressed from above by tightening the nut 19.

The gland packings 14 and 15 are in close contact with the stem 5 and the valve body 2 to prevent fluid from leaking along the stem axis.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-140854

The sealing property of the gland packing depends on the tightening torque of the nut, and the deterioration of the sealing property when the valve is used has been ensured by regularly tightening with a specified torque. However, the deterioration of the sealing property differs depending on the individual difference of the valve and the usage condition, and it takes labor and omission of confirmation to tighten each valve one by one to check whether the sealing property is maintained. there's a possibility that.

An object of the present invention is to provide a valve with a sensor capable of monitoring the actual surface pressure for ensuring sealing performance not only at the time of assembly but also after assembly by mounting the sensor on the valve. Is.

In the present invention (1), a valve body having a communication portion that communicates with an inlet flow path and an outlet flow path, a valve body disposed in the communication portion, a drive mechanism for moving the valve body, and the valve body are provided. A shaft body that penetrates and connects the drive mechanism and the valve body, a gland packing that is provided around the shaft body and seals between the shaft body and the valve body, and a position where the gland packing is in contact with the gland packing. A valve with a sensor, and has a sensor arranged in.

This sensor can constantly monitor whether the gland packing is in close contact with the stem and valve body, not only during assembly but also after assembly.

The present invention (2) is a valve with a sensor according to the present invention (1), wherein the sensor is a strain gauge or a pressure sensor.

By measuring the surface pressure applied to the surface of the gland packing and the strain generated on the surface of the gland packing, whether or not the gland packing is in close contact with the stem and valve body should be constantly monitored not only during assembly but also after assembly. Can be done. It is also possible to detect a change in surface pressure when a fluid enters the gland packing, and it is possible to detect an abnormality in the valve before the fluid leaks.

The present invention (3) is a monitoring system having a valve with a sensor according to the present invention (1) or (2), in which a receiving unit for receiving a signal from the sensor and a signal received from the sensor are predetermined. It is a monitoring system having a comparison unit for comparing with the value of, and a transmission unit for transmitting the result of comparison in the comparison unit.

A valve with a sensor can be used as a monitoring system by combining a receiving unit that receives a signal from a sensor and a comparison unit that compares a signal received from the sensor with a predetermined value.

The receiving part of the monitoring device receives the signal from the sensor provided in the valve, and by comparing it with the value stored in advance or the signal received last time, the surface between the gland packing and the member in contact with the gland packing. Abnormal pressure and strain can be detected.

The present invention (4) is a fluid supply device having the monitoring system of the present invention (3), which transmits the results of comparison and closes or opens a valve provided in a flow path including the valve with a sensor. It is a fluid supply device to perform.

According to the present invention (4), the valve provided in the flow path including the valve, which is urgently required to take safety measures, can be automatically closed or opened, and thus has such a mechanism. It is possible to operate the device more safely than the fluid supply device that does not.

According to the valve with a sensor of the present invention, it is possible to provide a valve capable of monitoring the surface pressure or the like received by the actual gland packing for ensuring the sealing property not only at the time of assembly but also after assembly.

FIG. 1 shows Example 1 of a valve with a sensor according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows Example 2 of a valve with a sensor according to the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a monitoring system having a valve with a sensor according to the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to them, but are merely explanatory examples. do not have. Further, for convenience, the directions of the members and the like may be referred to as up, down, left, and right depending on the directions on the drawings, but these do not limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a valve with a sensor according to the present invention. The valve 1A is called a floating ball valve, and fluid flows by rotating the valve body.

The ball-shaped valve body 3 is housed in the communication portion 24 of the valve body 2, has a spherical shape having a through hole 31, and the shaft body 4 is integrally formed on the upper portion.

The valve seats 5 are provided on the left and right sides of the valve body 3 and are in contact with the valve body 3, and springs 8 which are disc springs urge the valve body 3 respectively.

The valve body 2 is sandwiched between the flanges 9 from the left and right, and the two flanges 9 on the left and right are fastened by bolts 91 and nuts 92. The end face on the side is urged.

An inlet flow path 21 is formed inside the flange 9 on the left side, and an outlet flow path 22 is formed inside the flange 9 on the right side, and each flow path communicates with the through hole 31 when in the open state. do.

A stem bearing 44 for smooth sliding with the valve body 2 is arranged around the shaft at the lower part of the shaft body 4, and a gland packing 40 for preventing fluid leakage is arranged at the upper part.

The gland packing 40 includes a packing portion consisting of a cylindrical bottom packing 46 having a tapered surface on the outside and a cylindrical top packing 45 having a tapered surface on the inside, and a packing support 42 arranged on the upper part of the top packing 45. .. The shape of the packing portion is not limited to this, and a stack of annular members having various cross-sectional shapes is also used.

A packing retainer 43 is provided on the upper part of the packing support 42, a stem spring 47 is arranged on the upper part thereof, a nut 41 screwed with a male screw formed on the upper part of the shaft body 4 is screwed, and the stem is screwed by the nut 41. The spring 47 is pressed, and the pressing force presses the gland packing 40.

The sensor 100 is arranged between the packing support 42, the packing support 42, and the adjacent packing retainer 43.

A hard material is preferable for the packing support, and for example, when a resin material is used, polyetheretherketone resin (PEEK) or the like is preferable because it has less deformation and can accurately measure the surface pressure. Moreover, since it is a hard material, the sensor does not get stuck in the packing support.

In addition to the one shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 100 may be arranged between the packing portion and the packing support 42, or may be arranged between the packing portion and the valve body or between the packing portion and the shaft body.

The shape of the sensor 100 is not particularly limited, such as a chip shape or a ring shape, and the number of sensors 100 may be one or a plurality as shown in FIG. With this sensor 100, it is possible to know the surface pressure and the like generated on the upper end surface of the gland packing 40.

The method of arranging and embedding the sensor 100 is a method of providing a recess in a metal member, installing the sensor in the recess and embedding it using an adhesive or the like, a method of press-fitting the sensor in the recess, and a method of brazing. , The method can be carried out by various methods such as a method by powder metallurgy sintering, but the method is not limited thereto.

Between the valve body 2 and the left and right flanges 9, O-rings 51 for preventing fluid leakage are provided on the left and right end faces of the valve body 2.

A drive mechanism 7 called a handle for opening and closing the valve and a stop plate 71 in contact with the drive mechanism 7 are fixed to the upper part of the valve 1A.

FIG. 2 shows Example 2 of the valve 1B with a sensor according to the present invention. A part of the description of the same contents as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

The second embodiment is a valve called a needle valve, and when the valve body 3 moves up and down, the valve body 3 abuts and separates from the valve seat 5 formed in the valve body 2, and the flow path is opened and closed.

The valve body is formed with an inlet flow path 21, an outlet flow path 22, and a communication portion 24 that communicates these, and the communication portion 24 is open upward.

The valve body 3 has a truncated cone shape whose lower end is tapered downward, and is housed in the communication portion 24 of the valve body 2. The valve body 3 is provided in the communication portion 24 by the operation of the drive mechanism 7. It abuts on and separates from the valve seat 5.

The shaft body 4 is fixed to the valve body 3 and is connected to the drive mechanism 7. Although the valve body 3 and the shaft body 4 are integrally molded in FIG. 2, they may be fixed by bolts or the like, and in FIG. 2, the shaft body 4 and the drive mechanism 7 are engaged with each other and the shaft body 4 is used. Is provided so as not to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the drive mechanism shaft portion, but the drive mechanism shaft portion 7b and the shaft body 4 may rotate in conjunction with each other.

A gland packing 40 is provided between the shaft body 4 and the valve body 2, and is pressed from above by the packing retainer 43. A packing support 42 is provided below the gland packing 40 and is held by a step provided in the communication portion 24.

The gland nut 50 has a threaded portion 50b formed below and a nut portion 50a formed above. The gland nut 50 is screwed into the valve body 2 by tightening the nut portion 50a, and presses the packing retainer 43.

Further, a fixing nut 49 is screwed into the male threaded portion 50b to prevent the gland nut 50 screwed into the valve body 2 from loosening.

The drive mechanism 7 has a handle 7a and a drive mechanism shaft portion 7b, and the drive mechanism shaft portion 7b penetrates a through hole 50c formed in the gland nut 50. The through hole 50c is provided with a female threaded portion 50d, and the drive mechanism shaft portion 7b is provided with male threaded portions 7c and 7d, and the drive mechanism 7 moves in the vertical direction by rotating the handle 7a.

The sensor 100 is interposed between the packing presser 43 and the gland packing 100, and this sensor can detect the surface pressure or the like applied from the packing presser 43 to the gland packing 40.

The sensor 100 may be arranged between the packing support 42 and the gland packing 40 or between the gland packing 40 and the body 2 other than the positions shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a monitoring system having a valve 1A with a sensor and a monitoring device 110 according to the first embodiment.

The detection signal from the sensor 100 of the valve 1A with a sensor enters the receiving unit 112 via the receiving antenna 111 of the monitoring device 110 via the signal line (unsigned) and is sent to the comparing unit 113. In addition to signal transmission via a wired signal line, a wireless signal transmission method may be used. As the signal sent to the receiving unit 112, a signal for identifying the valve may be sent together with the detection signal.

In the comparison unit 113, the detection signal sent from the valve 1A with a sensor is compared with a predetermined signal. The predetermined signal may be a predetermined reference signal or a previously measured sensor detection signal. From this comparison, it is possible to determine the abnormality of the valve.

The compared signals are transmitted as tightening information. The transmitted signal can be displayed and confirmed on the display unit 114 of the monitoring device 110.

Further, the monitoring system can send this information to the transmitting unit 115, transmit radio waves from the transmitting antenna 116 to the Internet network 117, and send the information to the centralized management server 118.

The centralized management server 118 identifies and manages all fittings of equipment and plants, and can immediately detect fittings that are not properly inspected or tightened and issue a warning.

1A, 1B; Valve 2; Valve body 3; Valve body 4; Shaft body 5; Valve seat 7; Drive mechanism 7a; Handle 7b; Drive mechanism shaft parts 7c, 7d; Male thread part 8; Spring 9; Flange 21; Inlet Flow path 22; Outlet flow path 24; Communication portion 31; Through hole 40; Gland packing 41; Nut 42; Packing support 43; Packing retainer 44; Stem bearing 45; Top packing 46; Bottom packing 47; Stem spring 49; For fixing Nut 50; Gland nut 50a; Nut part 50b; Male thread part 50c; Through hole 50d; Female thread part 51; O-ring 71; Stop plate 91; Bolt 92; Nut 100; Sensor 110; Monitoring device 111; Receiving antenna 112; Receiving unit 113; Comparison unit 114; Display unit 115; Transmitting unit 116; Transmitting antenna 117; Internet network 118; Centralized management server

Claims (4)

A valve body having a communication part that communicates the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path,
The valve body arranged in the communication portion and
The drive mechanism that moves the valve body and
A shaft body that penetrates the valve body and connects the drive mechanism and the valve body,
A gland packing provided around the shaft body and sealing between the shaft body and the valve body, and
A valve with a sensor having a sensor that is in contact with the gland packing and is arranged at a position where the gland packing can detect a load received in the axial direction of the shaft body . The valve with a sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a strain gauge or a pressure sensor. A monitoring system having a valve with a sensor according to claim 1 or 2.
A receiving unit that receives a signal from the sensor,
A comparison unit that compares the signal received from the sensor with a predetermined value, and
A transmission unit that transmits the results of comparison in the comparison unit, and a transmission unit.
Monitoring system with. A fluid supply device having the monitoring system according to claim 3, which transmits the results of comparison and closes or opens a valve provided in a flow path including the valve with a sensor.

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