US1771716A - Emergency gas-shut-off fire valve - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1930; L. p. LOVEKIN 1,771,716

EMERGEN CY GAS SHUT-OFF FIRE VALVE Filed Oct. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet i TO METER FROM GAS MAN July 29, 1930; 1.. D. LOVEKIN 1,771,716

EIERGENCY GAS SHUT-OFF FIRE VALVE 4 Filed Oct. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 29, 1930 UNITED STAT* LUTHER D. LOVEKIN, OF WYNNEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA EMERGENCY GAS-SHUT-OFF FIRE VALVE Application filed October 20, 1927. Serial No. 227,382.

My invention relates to an automatic safety cut-01f valve for use in gas supply lines and operative in case of tire, eitherautomatically by rise'of temperature at the valve or manual- 1y, preferably fromoutside the building.

A- purpose of my invention is to provide an inexpensive valve of the type indicated, particularly well adapted to perform the duties intended. p

A further purpose is to mount a manuallycontrolled operating plunger in alinement with the stem of a'fuse type of automatic cutoff valve. I spring-press the valve toward closure, normally preventing closure by a mechanically weakfusible member under the stem and adapt the cut-off for hand operation by means of the plunger alined with the stem. The plunger closes the valve by rupturing the fusible member and is preferably operated from outside the building by either water pressure or by mechanical means.

A further purpose is to relieve any rising pressure inside the gas meter or like device inthe gas line aheadof the valve after the operation of the cut-off by permitting leakage after the operation of the cut-ofi' around the outside ofthe stem of the valve.

, I normally seal against such leakage with the fusible material.. In the event of fire this fusible seal melts away before the temperature has become such as to produce any undue rise in gas pressure within the meter.

A further purpose is to support'manually controlled means for operatinga fuse type of automatic cut-01f valve upon a removable cap alined with the valve.

Further purposes will appear in the specifi cation and in the claims. v

I haveelected to show twoonly ofthe many different forms of my invention, selecting forms that are efficient andpractical in operation and which well illustrate theprinciples involved.

Figure'l is an elevation, part section, show- 7 ing one form ofmy cut-oft device inserted in the gas supply line of a building, with means for manually operating the cut-off from outside the building.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudiml section of structureshown in Figure 1,

the, section being taken in the plane of the paper.

Figure 3 is a vertical fragmentary section illustrating a somewhat different form of my invention installed in the gas supply line of a buildingon the service side of the supply meter, inside of the building, andillus- 'trati-ngmeans extending outside the building for manually the building.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation to enlarged scale of the valve shown in Figure 3.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all figures. 1

Describing in illustration, and not in lim itation, and referring to the drawings 7 One of the widest applications of my invention shouldbe in protecting dwellings and for this reason it is illustrated in the assembly views 1 and 3 as connected in the gas supply line of a dwelling, the cut-ofl device 10 being insertedin the gas line 11 on the service side of the supply meter 12. p

' In the event of fire the cutoff may be effected manually from outside the building at 13, by-a'fireman or other person.

If the manual cut-off is neglected and-the fire progresses suificientlyto heat the valve the cutoff'b'ecomes automatic.

The valve body 1 1 is of globe type and has inlet andoutlet compartments 15and 16 with the usual partition 17 of the globe type of valve. l m i The body has transversely alined openings 18, 19 and 20 respectively in theoutside wall of one of the compartments through the par tition and through theoutside wall of the 'othercompartment. A valve seat21 extends around theopening 19 through the partition. Inlet and outlet connections of the gas line are shown at 11 and 22 respectively.

The movable valve member comprises a disc 23 mounted upon an intermediate portion of astem2i." t

The lower portion of the stem loosely passes closing the valve from outside through the opening 20 in theoutside wall of the compartment IG andleakage around the stem is preventedby a closure that comprises a cap member 26 threadedupon an external 100 V 'of the building.

flange 27 of the body around the opening and a disc heat-sensitive element 28 of material that is mechanically weak at ordinary temperatures and fusible at abnormal temperatures considered dangerously high. I V

The cap is bored axially at 29 below the bottom of the stem with a diameter somewhat larger than that of the stem and the disc heatsensitive element 28 rests in the cap across the upper end of the bore supporting the bottom of the stem so as to hold the valve open.

The valve member 23 is coaxial with its stem and is clamped to place between a shoulder 30 on the lower side and a nut31 upon the upper side threaded upon an enlarged portion 32 of the stem. I

The upper end of the valve unit is received in a cap or hollow plug 33 threaded into the body opening 18 and the valve unit may be removed through this opening when the plug is removed.

Preferably the valve disc is provided with an upwardly extending annular apron 34 that loosely fits'an interior bore 35 of the plug. The disk is spring-pressed toward its seat by a spiral spring 36 compressed between the discand the interior of the cap;

I mount a plunger 37 upon the cap member alined with the stem of the valve. This plunger is adapted to engage the top of the stem and to close the valve against the 'resistance of the mechanically weak heat; element 28, shearing through the heat element.

In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 the upper end of the plunger is enlarged to form a piston which operates inside a suitable cylindrical casing 38 and is preferably circumferentially grooved at 39. 7

The casing 38 is provided with one or more drain holes 40 at the bottom and with a cover 41 to which water pressure connection is made at 42, the pressure connection pipe being-provided with a valve 43 that is preferably controlled from outside the building.

In Figure 1 the stem 44 of the water valve is extended through the foundation wall 45 An outside handle or wrench grip 46 being provided that is desirably placed inside a suitable box 47.. In

Figure 1 this box is cylindrical and is providedwith a removable screw cap 48.

Desirably the lower end of the plunger is bored at 49 to receive the upwardly. extending end of the stem. This, however, is to a coin siderable extenta matter of preference.

The mechanically I weak heat element beneath the bottom of the stem should besufiici'ently strong atjnormal temperatures to supportthe weight of the movable valve member and in the structure illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 also the weight of the plunger.

If the disc heat sensitive element fails by fusion, the spring 36 snaps the valve shut usually without any immediate change in the position of theplun'ger I have illustrated both in Figure 2 and in Figure 4 an inwardly extending body flange 50 around the lower end of the stem. This inside flange assists somewhat in guiding the stem, but where desired may be omitted,

Obviously either compartment of the valve may be made inlet and the other the outlet and in Figure 2 I have illustrated the inlet as being upon the upper or disc side of the body while in Figure 4 I show the inlet 0on1 partment as that upon the lower side, that is upon the side away from the disc valve.

The first arrangement is usually preferable in that it permits escape of gas imprisoned in the line ahead of the valve as from the meter, as already explained but the second arrangement has some advantages.

With the first arrangement if the disc 28 melts away, letting the valve snap shut, any rise in gas pressure inside the meter is relieved by leakage around the lower end of the stem, a leakage that is normally prevented by the sealing heat element inside the cap 26. I

Figures 2'and 4 show different forms of plungers carried in alinement with the stem of the valve by the cap or plug member 33 and adapted for. manual operation for closing the valve against the resistance of the heatsensitive element by sharing 'the heat-sensitive element.

In Figure'4 the plunger comprises a rod provided at its lower end with a shoe 51 adapted to engage the top of the stem. The rod extends upwardly through a gland 52 upon the top of the plug andmakes operating connection at 53 with arocker arm 54.

The rocker 54 is pivoted at v55 upon an upwardly extending bracket 56 that is preferably an integral portion of the bodyot the valve and is-prov-ided with an operating arm 57 having flexible connection 58 through a conduit 59 to a reel 60 mounted in a box 61 outside the building;

Manual operation of the valve is effected v by opening the door 62 of the box and winding the handle 63 of the reel sutficiently to shear the heat element by the downward pressure upon the plunger. 7

While I have illustrated thelower compartment in Figure 4 as the inlet compartment, and the upper compartment as the outlet compartment it will be'understood that the reverse arrangement w ll often be more vvariations and modifications to meet 'indi} vidual whim or particular need will doubtbecome evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or partof the benefits of fit my invention without copying the structure shown and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spiritand scope of my invention.

It will be noted that the stem 64: of the hydraulic piston 37 carries closure members presenting faces 65 and 66 to engage respectively with seats 67 and 68 at the upper and lower positions of the piston to shut off leakage from the gas supply into the cylinder.

The member having the face 65'can be set against its seat 67 by tightening up the nut 26 so as to maintain gas tightness at this,

r the most vulnerablepart of the system.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 1. A cut-oif valve adapted for manual op eration spring-pressed toward closure and a heat sensitive element normally blocking the spring-pressed member from closure, said element being adapted to be sheared. when volitionally closing the valve. I

2. A fusible type of automatic cut-off valve having a valve spring-pressed toward closure, normally prevented from closure by a mechanically weak heat element and an opening in the side of the valve body suficient to pass the valve, in combination with a plug member closing the opening, and means external to the valve supported thereon adapted to rupture said heat element and close the valve. 1

3. An automatic gas-cut-oif valveforuse in the gas supply line of a building, located in the building, a fusible element restraining closure of the valve, water pressure oper ated means for rupturing the fusible element and forcing the valve to close and a hand 1 control for the water supply means accessible outside of the building.

4. In a gas cut-off valve adapted to be inserted into a gas supply line, a globe valve body having inlet and outlet compartments and a partition wall therebetween and having transversely alin d openings progressively smaller respectively in the outside wall of one of the compartments, in the partition and in the outside wall of the other compartment, a valve seat around the opening in the partition, a disc inside the compartment having the larger opening and adapted to engage the seat to close the opening in the partition, a stem supporting the disc an intermediate point and extending through the opening in the partition and the opening in the said other compartment, and a closure of the opening in said other compartment comprising a me chanically weak fusible member normally supporting the end of the stem so as to maintain the'disc away from its seat andremovable means for holding the fusible member in place, in combination with a capclosing the opening in the outer wall of the first compartment, spring means within the cap pressing the disc toward closure, a plunger alined with the stem adapted to force the stem through the fusiblemember to close the valve and means external to the valve for operating the plunger.

5. In a gas' cut-olf valve adapted to be inserted into a gas supply line, a globe valve body having inlet and outlet compartments anda partition wall therebetween and having transversely alined openings progressively smaller, respectively in the outside wall of one ofthe compartments, in the partition and in the outside wall ofthe other compartment, a valve seat around the opening in the partitionfa disc insidethe com- 1 partment of the larger opening adapted to engage the seat to close the opening in the partitioma stem'supporting the disc at an intermediate point and extending through the opening in the partition and the opening in the said other compartment, and a closure of the opening ins-aid other compartment comprising a mechanically weak fusible member normally supporting the end of the stem so as toinaintain the'disc away from its seat and removable means for holding the fusible member to place,in combination with a cap closing the opening in the outer wall ofthe first compartment, spring means alined with the stem pressing the disc toward closure, plunger meansalined with the stem and adapted to engage the end of the stem and supported by the cap, a cylinder supportthe larger opening, adaptedto engage the if seat to close the opening in the partition, a stem supporting the d1sc at an intermediate point and extending through the opening in thepart1t1on and the openinginthe" said other compartment, and a closure for the .openlng 111 said other compartment comprising a mechanically weak fusible member normally supporting the end of the stem so as to maintain the disc away from its seat and removable means for holding the fusible member to place, in combination with a cap closing the openingin the outer wall of the first compartment, spring means alined with the stem pressing the disc toward closure, plunger means alined with the stem and adapted to engage the end of the stem and supported by the cap,a cylinder supported by the cap encasing the plunger, water-pressure connection with the cylinder atthe outer end thereof, a valve in the connection controlling the admission of water 5 to the cylinder and an operating handle thereof outside the building. 7

7. In a protective device for closing gas valves in case of fire, a gas pipe, a springpressed fusible-elenient-restrained closing 10 valve connected therewith and located inside the house, a power-operated closing device for the valve adapted to shear the fusible element and a device external to the value extending outside the house for operation-of the said closing device.

8. In a protective device for shutting off the gas'supply in case of fire, a gas pipe, a valve connected therewith located within the house and having a closing spring, a fusible element restraining the valve from spring closure but permitting closure with greater I pressure, an hydraulic cylinder connected to the house water supply, a piston therein adapted to add pressure to the spring pressure to force the valve shut and a control valve for the'water connection accessible for operation from the outside of the. house.

9. In a device for closing gas valves in case of fire, a gas pipe, a normally open gas valve spring-pressed toward closureand permitting forced closure, a fusible element restraining closure and fluid-operated means for bringing pressure upon the valve additional to the spring pressure to rupture the fusible element and force closure.

' 10. In a protective device for closing gas valves in case of fire, a gas pipe, a gas valve in the pipe spring-pressed toward closure, a stem connected with the valve, aefusible- 40 element of weak mechanical strength in line with the stem and supporting it against valve closure and means for forcing the valvestein against the'fusible-element to overcome its support and to close the valve and means outside the house whereby the first Ineansmay be set in motion. 7 I

11. In a device for closingqgas valves in case of fire, a gas valve normally held open, an hydraulic cylinder connected with a water supply, a piston in the cylinder, a stem from the iston and connections adapted to close the gas valve, closures carried by the piston and stem and adapted to protect from leakage of water into the body of the gas valve,

and means for controlling the water supply cooperating with the piston and connections for closing the gas valve.

LUTHER D. 'LQVEKIN.

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