US2405439A

US2405439A - Explosive operated valve

Info

Publication number: US2405439A
Application number: US464832A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lubbock Isaac; Gollin Geoffrey Joseph; Lindsay Allan; Poole Harold James
Original assignee: Asiatic Petroleum Co Ltd
Current assignee: Asiatic Petroleum Co Ltd
Priority date: 1941-11-07
Filing date: 1942-11-06
Publication date: 1946-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 1963-08-06

Description

Aug, 6', 1946.,

I. LUBEQCK ET AL 9 9 EXPLOSIVE OPERATED VALVE Filed Nov. 6, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l All. 6, 1946. LUBBOCK ET AL Zfl-AQ EXPLOSIVE OPERATEDVALVE Filed NOV. 6, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 6, 1946 EXPLOSIV E OPERATED VALVE Isaac Lubbock, Geofirey J oseph Gollin, Allan Lindsay, and Harold James Poole, London, England; said Lubbock, Gollin, and Lindsay assignors to The Asiatic Petroleum London, England Company, Limited,

Application November 6, 1942, Serial No. 464,832 In Great Britain November 7, 1941 7 Claims. 1 According to this invention, a valve which will open practically instantaneously is provided by employing an explosive charge to create pressure above a piston linked with or forming part of a valve member preferably of the poppet type. The valve is adapted to remain open after it has moved to the open position by providing an automatic retaining device.

Various features of the invention embodied in carrying it into practice will be hereinafter described and claimed. I

The invention is illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying'drawings, of which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the valve in the closed position; Figure 2 is a detail in the same view showing the valve in the open position; and Figure 3 shows a modified form of device for automatically retaining the valve in the open position.

Referring to the drawings, I represents the explosive charge, which is of the solid type and which is operated electrically by a usual form of resistance bridge, but it will be understood that it might also be operated through a percussion or friction cap. The'explosive charge is shown as being introduced as a cartridge fitted into the head of the valve body above the movable valve member which comprises a stem 2 carrying a piston 3 at the top end and a poppet 4 toward its lower end. The piston slides in the valve body 5 which is suitably machined to provide a bearing for the piston and a seating for the poppet. It will be understood that the principle of construction is unaltered if the valve is horizontal, or inclined, or operated upwards.

The port 6 is provided at the bottom for the inlet of fluid whilst a transverse port 1 is provided for the outlet of fluid when the valve is opened. It will be seen from Figure 2 that these ports are in communication with each other when the valve is open.

The means for retaining the movable valve member in the openposition after the explosive charge has been fired and has driven down the piston comprises, as shown in Figure 1, a locking device operated by pressure transmitted by solid material subjected to a blow from a hammer carried by the valve member. This hammer, which is indicated by the reference numeral l5, strikes a body of soft metal l3 contained in the steel cylindrical anvil M. The cylindrical wall of the anvil I4 is pierced with holes in each of which is free to slide a bolt or snug 16 which, as shown in Figure 1, is normally contained in the hole and does not project laterally from the outer wall of the anvil. 1,

A skirt I! attached to the valve stem, is adapted to move over the outer wall of the anvil and is formed with a recessed portion l8 which, as shown in Figure 2, is opposite to the bolts or snugs when the valve is opened and the soft metal in the anvil has been struck by the hammer.

The pressure engendered in the soft metal when it is so struck, is transmitted to the bolts or snugs, causing them to emerge from their holes in the outer wall of the anvil and to enter into the recessed portion of the the'valve stem. I r I It will be seen that the recessed portion in the skirt is provided to form on the end of the skirt a flange l9 which is a reasonably close'flt over the outer wall of the anvil, the skirt proper being of such internal diameter as to allow the bolt or snug to be moved an appreciable distance beyond the Wall of the anvil and to lie partly within the wall of the anvil and partly outside when caused to emerge by the pressure transmitted from the soft metal.

skirt carried by v The valve is particularly suitable for use in connection with the passage of gas under very high pressure, for example for releasing high pressure gas from a storage cylinder for the purpose of impelling combustion ingredients to nozzles in a combustion chamber. An example of this is in'connection with jet propulsion apparatus where inert gas at high pressure may be used to drive liquid fuel and liquid oxidant to a burning nozzle in the combustion chamber.

When the valve is employed with fluid at very high pressure it is important that no leakage should pass the valve seat whilst the valve is nominally considered closed. Accordingly there is shown in the drawings a shearing plate or disc [2 which is made for example of aluminium and which is sheared by the valve member on its opening movement. In Figure 2 this disc is shown to have been sheared.

In operation, when the explosive charge has been fired the piston on the valve stem is driven downwardly and uncovers a pressure relief vent H. The shearing disc is ruptured, and the valve stem moves at a high velocity until its hammer enters the soft metal in the anvil. By this time the flange on the skirt has moved beyond the holes in the outer wall of the anvil in which the bolts or snugs are situated, so that when the hammer has entered the soft metal in the anvil and has engendered a high pressure therein, the

, truded steel bolts or snugs which prevents further movement of the valve towards the closed position.

In the original filling of the anvil with soft metal a sleeve may be provided to slide over the outside of the anvil so that the ends of the bolts or snugs can be held flush with the outside of the anvil casin whilst it is being filled with molten soft metal. The inner ends of the bolts or snugs may be curved or otherwise shaped to enable the soft metal, when set, to gain a positive hold on the bolts or snugs. When the metal has cooled the snugs are held in this position by the adhesion of the soft metal, and one can then either dispose of the sleeve or arrange for it to be pushed to a position beyond the bolt or snug holes by the downward movement of the flanged skirt carried by the valve stem. Such a sleeve is shown at 20 in Figure 1.

In the modified form of automatic valve retaining mean shown in Figure 3, spring controlled snugs are provided which operate directly upon the valve stem. Thusthe snug 8 urged by the spring l0 normally bears against the part 2| of the piston but when the valve has opened the snug comes opposite to the recessed portion 9 in the piston and aceordingly'mo ves into that recess under the force of the spring. When the snug has entered the recessed portion it is clear that the valve is prevented from returning to the closedposition.

What we claim is:

1. An explosive operated valve comprising detent means adapted when operated to engage a part of the valve, and a body of solid material adapted when struck to flow and operate said detent means, and means operating when the valve opens to strike said body of solid material.

2. An explosive operated valve comprising detent means adapted when operated to engage a part of the valve, and a body of soft metal adapted when struck to flow and operate said detent means, said valve carrying a part which will strike said body of metal when the valve opens.

3. An explosive operated valve comprising an anvil containing soft metal, a detent located in a transverse hole in said anvil communicating with the soft metal, a hammer carried by the valve which is adapted to strike the soft metal when the valve opens, and a part carried by the valve and adapted to present a recess opposite to the detent after the soft metal has been struck.

4. An explosive operated valve as claimed inv claim 3, in which the said part carried by the valve is in the form of a skirt moving about the outside of the anvil when the valve is opening.

5. An explosive operated valve as claimed in claim 3, in which the said part carried by the valve is in the form of a skirt provided with a flange which moves about the outside of the anvil to a position beyond the detent when the valvehas opened, so that when the valve tends to close the'detent has been extruded to a recess above the flange whereby the valve is prevented from closing.

6. An explosive operated valve as claimed in claim 3, in which the said part carried by the valve is in the form of a skirt which moves about the anvil when the valve is opening, a sleeve being fitted around the anvil opposite to the detent and being adapted to be moved away from that position by the skirt carried by the valve.

7. An explosive operated valve of the poppet type comprising a valve body having a valve seat, a fluid inlet to'a space below the seat, and a fluid outlet'communicating with a space above the seat, a valve cooperating with the seat, an operating piston for'the valve subjected to the explosive force, a shearable sealingmember forming a seal between the inlet and outlet passages and adapted to be ruptured when the valve ismoved to open position by the explosive force, detent mean adapted to engage and hold the valve open, a deformable body adapted when deformed to operate said detent means, and means engaging and deforming said body when the valve opens.

ISAAC LUBBOCK. GEOFFREY JOSEPH GOLLIN. ALLAN LINDSAY.

HAROLD. JAMES POOLE.