JP7123615B2 - ball type sight glass - Google Patents

Description

The present application relates to a ball-type sight glass.

For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is known a sight glass provided in a fluid pipe for visually confirming the flow of fluid through a transparent window. Also, as a sight glass, a ball-type sight glass is known in which the flow of fluid is confirmed by visually observing the behavior of a ball through a transparent window. In the ball-type sight glass, a storage chamber containing a ball and having a transparent window is provided in the middle of the flow path. In the ball-type sight glass, fluid passing through the storage chamber causes the ball in the storage chamber to oscillate. The flow of the fluid is confirmed by visually observing the rocking state of the ball.

Also, this type of ball type sight glass includes a large flow type. The large-flow type has a communication path that bypasses the storage chamber by connecting the flow path on the upstream side and the flow path on the downstream side of the storage chamber. In this large-flow type, part of the fluid flows downstream through the storage chamber, and the rest of the fluid flows downstream through the communication passage. If the entire flow rate flows into the storage chamber, the ball violently oscillates, which may damage the transparent window.

JP 2006-266756 A

By the way, particularly in a piping system in which the flow rate varies depending on operating conditions, etc., a ball-type sight glass that can be used both for a small flow rate and for a large flow rate is desired. Therefore, from the point of view that large is also small, if you try to use a large flow rate type, when the flow rate is small, most or all of the fluid will flow through the communication passage. It becomes difficult to confirm with

The technology disclosed in the present application has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to provide a ball-type sight glass that can be used both in the case of a small flow rate and in the case of a large flow rate.

The valve mechanism of the present application includes a casing, a housing chamber, an upstream flow path, a downstream flow path, a communicating path, and a valve mechanism. The casing has a fluid inlet and outlet. The storage chamber is formed in the casing, stores the ball, and has a window that can be viewed from the outside of the casing. The upstream channel and the downstream channel connect the storage chamber with the inlet and the outlet. The communication path communicates the upstream channel and the downstream channel. The valve mechanism closes the communication path when the fluid flow rate in the upstream channel is less than a predetermined value, and opens the communication path when the fluid flow rate is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

According to the ball-type sight glass of the present application, it is possible to provide a ball-type sight glass that can be used for both a small flow rate and a large flow rate.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a ball-type sight glass according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are essentially preferred examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology disclosed in the present application, its applications, or its uses.

The ball-type sight glass (hereinafter also simply referred to as the sight glass 10) of the present embodiment is provided, for example, in the piping of a steam system, and the flow of the fluid is confirmed by visually observing the behavior of the built-in ball. . Fluids of interest include water, hot water, steam and air.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the sight glass 10 of this embodiment includes a casing 11 , a flow path 16 , an accommodation chamber 20 , a communication passage 28 and a valve mechanism 30 .

The casing 11 has an inlet 14 and an outlet 15 for fluid. The casing 11 is composed of a main body 12 and a pressing member 13 that is screwed to the upper portion of the main body 12 . The inflow port 14 and the outflow port 15 are provided in the lower portion of the casing 11 (main body 12) and face each other in the upstream/downstream direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1). The inflow port 14 and the outflow port 15 are formed coaxially with each other.

The accommodation chamber 20 is formed in the upper part of the casing 11 (inside the main body 21) and accommodates a spherical ball 22 therein. The flow path 16 is formed in the lower part inside the casing 11 (inside the main body 21). The channel 16 has an upstream channel 17 and a downstream channel 18 . The upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 are located below the storage chamber 20 . The upstream channel 17 connects the inlet 14 and the storage chamber 20 , and the downstream channel 18 connects the outlet 15 and the storage chamber 20 .

The upstream channel 17 horizontally extends downstream from the inlet 14 and then extends upward to be connected to the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . The downstream channel 18 extends upward from the outflow port 15 and is connected to the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . The upstream channel 17 is connected to a substantially central position on the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . The downstream channel 18 is connected to a position downstream of the upstream channel 17 in the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . More specifically, the downstream channel 18 is connected to the downstream end at the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . A partition wall 19 is provided in the casing 11 (inside the main body 21 ) to separate the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 . The partition 19 extends vertically.

The housing chamber 20 is formed in a substantially columnar shape with an axis extending in the vertical direction. The accommodation chamber 20 has a seating portion 21 for a ball 22 . The seating portion 21 is formed around (edge) the connection port 17 a of the upstream flow path 17 in the bottom portion of the storage chamber 20 . The seat portion 21 is a portion on which the ball 22 is seated when the flow rate of the fluid in the upstream channel 17 is substantially zero, that is, when there is no fluid flow in the sight glass 10 . The seat portion 21 is configured to close the connection port 17a by the weight of the ball 22 when the ball 22 is seated thereon.

The storage chamber 20 has a window 23 that closes the upper opening. In other words, the window 23 constitutes part of the accommodation room 20 . The window 23 is pressed and fixed by a pressing member 13 from above. A seal member 26 (for example, a gasket) seals between the pressing member 13 and the main body 12 and the pressing member 13 .

The window 23 is configured so that the inside of the housing chamber 20 can be viewed from the outside of the casing 11 . The window 23 is composed of a plate-shaped main portion 24 and a protective portion 25 laminated on the lower surface of the main portion 24 . Both the main portion 24 and the protective portion 25 are made of a transparent member. The protective portion 25 is thinner than the main portion 24 . The protective portion 25 is made of a member having a higher strength than the main portion 24 and protects the lower surface of the main portion 24 .

The communication path 28 is provided in the partition wall 19 . In other words, the communication path 28 is a communication port passing through the partition wall 19 in the upstream and downstream directions. The communication path 28 allows the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 to communicate with each other. The communicating passage 28 is formed coaxially with the inlet 14 and the outlet 15 .

The valve mechanism 30 closes the communication path 28 when the fluid flow rate of the upstream side flow path 17 is less than a predetermined value, and opens the communication path 28 when the fluid flow rate of the upstream side flow path 17 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. is configured as The valve mechanism 30 has a valve body 31 , a coil spring 34 and a receiving member 35 .

The valve body 31 is provided in the downstream flow path 18 and opens and closes the communicating path 28 . The valve body 31 has a conical portion 32 and a shaft portion 33 . The shaft portion 33 is formed integrally with the top portion of the conical portion 32 and is formed coaxially with the conical portion 32 . The conical portion 32 is formed in a conical shape that tapers toward the upstream side. The valve body 31 is provided with its axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions, and the shaft portion 33 is inserted into the communication passage 28 . The valve body 31 is configured to be freely displaceable (movable) in the upstream and downstream directions, and the conical surface of the conical portion 32 closes the communicating passage 28 by coming into contact with the edge of the communicating passage 28 . That is, the edge of the downstream opening of the communication passage 28 constitutes a valve seat.

The coil spring 34 is a biasing member that biases the valve body 31 toward the side (upstream side) that closes the communicating passage 28 . The coil spring 34 is provided downstream of the valve body 31 in the downstream flow path 18 . The receiving member 35 is provided downstream of the coil spring 34 in the downstream flow path 18 and supports the coil spring 34 . One end of the coil spring 34 is inserted into the concave portion of the conical portion 32 of the valve body 31 and the other end is supported at the center of the receiving member 35 . The receiving member 35 is a cross-shaped member when viewed from the upstream and downstream directions, and its four ends are bent portions 36 . The bent portion 36 is bent in a mountain shape with the upstream side being the top, and is configured to be elastically deformed inward.

In the valve mechanism 30, when the fluid flow rate in the upstream flow path 17 is less than the predetermined value, the biasing force of the coil spring 34 displaces the valve element 31 toward the side (upstream side) that closes the communication path 28, thereby opening the communication path. 28 is configured to close. In the valve mechanism 30, when the fluid flow rate of the upstream flow path 17 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the fluid force of the upstream flow path 17 causes the valve element 31 to move the communication path 28 against the biasing force of the coil spring 34. It is configured to be displaced to the opening side (downstream side).

In the sight glass 10 configured as described above, when the flow rate of the fluid flowing from the inlet 14 is small (that is, when the flow rate of the fluid in the upstream channel 17 is less than a predetermined value), The operation differs when the flow rate of the inflowing fluid is large (that is, when the flow rate of the fluid in the upstream channel 17 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value).

The operation when the fluid flow rate is small will be described. The fluid that has flowed in from the inflow port 14 flows into the upstream channel 17 . Since the fluid force in the upstream flow path 17 is not so large, the communication path 28 is closed by the valve mechanism 30 . The fluid in the upstream channel 17 flows upward, pushes up the balls 22 , and flows into the housing chamber 20 . The fluid that has flowed into the storage chamber 20 flows out from the outlet 15 via the downstream channel 18 . In the housing chamber 20, the ball 22 swings due to the fluid flow. Thus, in the case of a small flow rate, the entire amount of fluid that has flowed in from the inlet 14 flows into the storage chamber 20 .

The operation when the fluid flow rate is large will be described. The fluid that has flowed in from the inflow port 14 flows into the upstream channel 17 . Since the fluid force in the upstream flow path 17 is large, the valve body 31 is displaced downstream against the biasing force of the coil spring 34, and the communication path 28 is opened. A portion of the fluid in the upstream flow path 17 flows out from the outlet 15 through the communication path 28 . The rest of the fluid in the upstream channel 17 flows upward, pushes up the ball 22 and flows into the storage chamber 20 . The fluid that has flowed into the storage chamber 20 flows out from the outlet 15 via the downstream channel 18 . In the housing chamber 20, the ball 22 swings due to the fluid flow.

Thus, in the case of a large flow rate, part of the fluid that has flowed in from the inlet 14 bypasses the storage chamber 20 and flows to the outlet 15 . Therefore, an appropriate amount of fluid that allows the ball 22 to swing appropriately flows through the housing chamber 20 . That the ball 22 can swing appropriately means that the ball 22 swings to the extent that the flow of the fluid can be grasped when viewed through the window 23 .

As described above, the sight glass 10 of the above-described embodiment includes the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 connecting the storage chamber 20, the inlet 14 and the outlet 15, and the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel. A communication passage 28 is provided to communicate with the passage 18 . The sight glass 10 closes the communication path 28 when the fluid flow rate in the upstream channel 17 is less than a predetermined value (low flow rate), and closes the communication path 28 when the fluid flow rate is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (large flow rate). is provided with a valve mechanism 30 for opening the communication passage 28 .

According to the above configuration, when the flow rate is small, the entire amount of the fluid that has flowed in from the inlet 14 can flow into the storage chamber 20 . Therefore, in the housing chamber 20, the ball 22 can be reliably swung by the fluid flow. Moreover, in the case of a large flow rate, part of the fluid that has flowed in from the inflow port 14 can bypass the storage chamber 20 and flow. Therefore, a suitable flow rate of fluid for swinging motion of the ball 22 can be supplied to the storage chamber 20 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent damage to the window 23 due to the violent swing of the ball 22 . Also, noise caused by the ball 22 swinging violently can be prevented. In this way, it is possible to provide the ball-type sight glass 10 that can be used both in the case of a small flow rate and in the case of a large flow rate.

Further, the valve mechanism 30 of the above-described embodiment includes a valve element 31 provided in the downstream flow path 18 to open and close the communication path 28, and a coil spring 34 (biasing element) that biases the valve element 31 toward the side that closes the communication path 28. member). The valve mechanism 30 is configured such that the fluid force of the upstream flow path 17 displaces the valve element 31 against the biasing force of the coil spring 34 to open the communication passage 28 when the flow rate is small. ing. According to this configuration, the communication passage 28 can be reliably opened and closed in accordance with the flow rate of the fluid in spite of the simple configuration.

Further, in the above embodiment, the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 are located below the storage chamber 20 and are connected to the bottom of the storage chamber 20 . A partition wall 19 is provided in the casing 11 to separate the upstream channel 17 and the downstream channel 18 , and the partition wall 19 is provided with a communicating passage 28 . According to this configuration, the fluid must flow upward into the storage chamber 20 , whereas the fluid flows into the communication passage 28 along the flow direction of the upstream channel 17 . As a result, the fluid in the upstream channel 17 flows more easily toward the communication path 28 than in the storage chamber 20, so that the flow rate flowing into the storage chamber 20 can be appropriately restricted. That is, it is possible to easily suppress the flow of the fluid at a flow rate more than necessary into the storage chamber 20 .

In the above embodiment, the storage chamber 20 is formed around the connection port 17a of the upstream channel 17 at the bottom, and when the fluid flow rate is substantially zero (when there is no fluid flow in the sight glass 10), A ball 22 has a seating portion 21 that is seated by its own weight to close the connection port 17a. In this case, the flow path resistance of the balls 22 in the connection port 17 a is smaller than the flow path resistance of the valve mechanism 30 in the communication path 28 . According to this configuration, the fluid that tries to flow into the storage chamber 20 first collides with the ball 22 . In other words, the fluid in the upstream channel 17 must first push up (move) the ball 22 in order to flow into the storage chamber 20 . Therefore, in the sight glass 10 , when the fluid starts to flow, the fluid flow can be quickly reflected in the oscillating motion of the ball 22 . This enables effective visual confirmation.

Further, the end of the receiving member 35 of the valve mechanism 30 is a bent portion 36 that can be elastically deformed inward. Therefore, by deforming the bent portion 36 inward, the receiving member 35 can be easily inserted from the outflow port 15 and attached.

In addition, the valve mechanism 30 of the above embodiment is not limited to the configuration described above, and may have any configuration as long as it can open and close the communication passage 28 according to the fluid flow rate.

The technology disclosed in the present application is useful for ball-type sight glasses.

10 Ball type sight glass 11 Casing 14 Inlet 15 Outlet 17 Upstream channel (channel)
17a Connection port 18 Downstream channel (channel)
19 partition wall 20 accommodation chamber 21 seat portion 22 ball 23 window 28 communication passage 30 valve mechanism 31 valve body 34 coil spring (biasing member)

Claims (3)

a casing having a fluid inlet and outlet;
a storage chamber formed in the casing and containing a ball and having a window visible from the outside of the casing;
an upstream channel and a downstream channel that connect the storage chamber and the inlet and outlet;
a communicating passage that connects the upstream channel and the downstream channel;
a valve mechanism that closes the communication path when the fluid flow rate in the upstream channel is less than a predetermined value and opens the communication path when the fluid flow rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined value ;
The valve mechanism is
a valve body provided in the downstream channel for opening and closing the communication path;
a biasing member that biases the valve body toward the side that closes the communicating passage;
When the fluid flow rate is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the fluid force of the upstream flow path displaces the valve body against the biasing force of the biasing member to open the communication passage. A ball type sight glass characterized by : In the ball type sight glass according to claim 1,
The upstream channel and the downstream channel are located below the storage chamber and are connected to the bottom of the storage chamber,
A partition is provided in the casing to separate the upstream channel and the downstream channel,
A ball-type sight glass, wherein the communication path is provided in the partition wall. In the ball type sight glass according to claim 2 ,
The storage chamber has a seating portion formed around the connection port of the upstream flow path in the bottom portion, and the ball is seated by its own weight to close the connection port when the fluid flow rate is substantially zero. A ball-type sight glass characterized by:

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