US2712827A - Valve - Google Patents

Description

July 12, 1955 D, B, NICKERSON 2,712,827

Filed March 26, 1951 L 2 Sheets-Sheet l o o G O O 2/ 0 o o o U G O 6 lb Q Q G I I D 0 l3 l5 ZIJ 2k:

IN V EN TOR. DOUGLAS 5 N/C/(ERSOA/ ATTORNEY July 12, 1955 Filed March 26, 1951 D. B. NICKERSON 2,712,827

VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HYDRAUL/C FLU/D INVENTOR. DOUGLAS'B lV/C/(ERSO/V BY ATTORNEY United States Patent iiiihce 7 Claims. (Cl. 137-5 8) This invention relates to control valve systems and more particularly to such systems adapted to control the injection of fluids.

An object of the invention is to provide such a system which has compactness and relatively simple manifolding, together with efficient operation.

Valve systems according to this invention are especially useful with combustion chambers in which liquid fuels or propellants are burned; and have been used particularly with jet propulsion motors of the liquid propellant type. Heretofc-re it has been a practice to operate liquid type jet propulsion motors by injecting into the combustion chamber of the motor a liquid fuel such as aniline and a liquid oxidizer such as fuming nitric acid. These ulcls are kept separate from other and are separately ted into the chamber. Being spontaneo sly cornbusuble with each other, combustion will occur on contact with each other within the chamber. it has been a practice to i ect both the fuel and the oxidizer into separate manifolds under sufiicient pressure to overcome the chamber pressure. An example of such an arrangement is that described in Patent No. 2,405,465 to Summerfield. A considerable number of injection ori fices into the chamber is ordinarily required for eliective operation; and in those prior arrangements the man ifold for each fluid carried the fluid to the region of the several orifices.

Such a prior arrangement has a disadvantage particularly in very large motors where the flow of propellant through it is large; and this is due largely to the flow through the manifold itself.

Another disadvantage of some prior systems for injecting the two propellants has resided in the fact that when the ijection of the two propellants is not started exactly sir; .taneously or when the injection is started at or near the full normal rate of fiow during operation, there is accumulated some of the propellant in the motor chamber before combustion occurs. Such accumulations are dangerous because when combustion does occur, there is more of the propellant in the chamber than is intended, with consequent danger of explosion.

in accordance w'th the present invention the disadvantages of the prior valve mechanisms are overcome, and the advantage of the present invention is especially experienced when used with large motors. I carry out my invention by the provision of a compact unit which includes the motor chamber, the propellant control mechanism and the distribution manifold.

A. feature of the arrangement is that the operation of one or the valves is sad to operate all of the valves of the system simultaneously, so that there is a simultaneous fiOW of both liquids.

The arrangement eliminates the use of separate manifolding and thereby reduces the volume of fluid passing between a propellant control valve and the injector orifices.

Another feature resides in the provision or" means causing a gradually increasing rate of flow of the propellant Fatented July EQES beginning with a relatively slow flow and increasing to the full rate of propellant flow.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 shows a top view, partially in cross section on line 11 of Fig. 2, of a unit according to this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in crosssection a portion of the cylindrical chamber wall 10 of a combustion chamber 2, ordinarily the chamber of a rocket motor, to the forward end of which there is attached as by welding, 21 flange or ring 11. An injector head 12 is mounted on the flange 11; and this injector head is a combined control valve and injector in accordance with this invention.

The injector-valve device comprises a manifold member 13 which is clamped down against the flange 11 by a plate 14 held to the flange by clamping nuts and bolts 15; and the member 13 is further secured to the manifold by a ring of studs 16.

The manifold 13 comprises a depressed central portion 17 above which there is fitted a central injector housing 18, the bottom of this housing leaving a space 19. The manifold also comprises an annular depression 2! at the sides. Above this manifold portion 24 there are located respective housings 21, 21a, 21b and 210, and these provide respective spaces 22 between the bottom of the housing and the manifold portion 26.

The housing It; comprises a cylinder 23 with a lower housing 23.: with an inlet opening 24 having cross-section view taken at line Within tie cylinder is a piston or plunger 26 having a depending pintle 27 flaring conically to a valve portion 28 which seats on a valve seat 2% fitted into the central opening in the lower end or" the cylinder. Between the plunger 26 and the head 30 of the housing 18 there is a compressed helical spring 31 to tend to keep the valve in its seated position. The valve stem 32 extending upwardly from the piston is fastened to a cap member 33. To prevent leakage, 0 rings 34 and 35 are provided.

An orifice 36 is formed through the erate the piston.

For the purpose of directing the flow of fluid sent through the valve, guides 38 are provided so that when the valve is lifted by pressure of the fluid entering through the opening 24, it is injected through the annular passage 39 between the valve and the wall of the valve seat. guide serves to maintain the pintle concentric with the valve seat.

For the purpose of reducing weight while providing a relative wide annular ring for the injection of fluid past the valve, the valve including its stem is made hollow by the provision of the hollow space 49, from the top down to the closure at the bottom.

Each of the four housings 21 is provided arrangement analogous to that of the main valve in hous ing 18. A valve stem 41 within a cylinder 9 carries a valve 42 at its lower en which seats on a circular valve seat 43, the valve continuing downwardly in a generally cylindrical manner at 44 to leave an annular space 45 through which fluid passes the valve when the valve is raised from its seat. The valve 44 is quite similar to the main valve 28 and it is provided at its lower surface with guides 45 which serve to maintain the pintle concentric with the valve seat. The valve stem is slidable with a valve ing member 41 downwardly pass the valve until through an opening in head 46 at the top of the cylinder 9, and to prevent leakage suitable 0 rings 47 are provided. At the upper end of the valve stem there is fitted a collar 48 which is slidable over the stern, and this sleeve is welded at 49 to an arm 5% reinforced by a central web 51 extending to the sleeve 33 which is rigidly secured to the member 32. The web 51 is secured to sleeve 33 by welding at 52. Beneath the sleeve 48 there is placed over stem 41 another sleeve 53 which rests on a nut 54 screwed onto stem 41. Between the lower flange 55 of member 53 and the bottom of member 50, there is compressed a helical spring 56 which has the effect of urgso that the valve seats. The collar 48 is retained by a stop nut 57 fastened to the valve stem 41. Nuts 57 and 54 provide adjustment of stem 41 with respect to collar 48. The valve and its stem 41 are made hollow, providing the hollow space 8, for the purpose of reducing weight.

The housing or cylinder 9 is provided with an inlet opening 58 leading into a chamber 59 above the valve to admit fluid to this chamber, so that when the valve is lifted the fluid is injected into the manifold chamber 22.

Each of the other three housings 21a, 21b and 210' is similarly provided with a valve arrangement and a connection tothe sleeve 33 so that all of the valves are operated in unison.

The annular manifold 26 is provided with orifices at 60, and the manifold 17 is provided with orifices 61, there being a multiplicity of these orifices 61 arranged to coincide with the respective orifices 60. Thus in Fig. 2 an orifice 61 is directed to intercept the axis of orifice 60.

In operation, the fluids to be injected will be coupled to the respective inlet openings 24 and 58 by conduits (not shown). Thus one fluid, for example, an oxidizer such as red fuming nitric acid will be coupled to the inlet openings 58 of reach of the fluid will fill chambers 59 under pressure but will not the valve is open. Similarly, a conduit will be connected at inlet 24 of the central injector and the fluid to be injected through it, for example aniline, will be sent through a conduit connected to the opening so that the fluid will fill the chamber 8 (which is upstream from valve 28) but will not pass the valve 28 until the latter is opened. All of the valves will normally be maintained in a closed position due to the action of the compressed helical springs 31 and 56. The valves will all be opened simultaneously by the pressure of the fluid introduced through orifice 24 into chamber 8. The pressure in this chamber raises the plunger 26 thereby lifting the valve 28 (which, with its seat 29, is upstream from manifold 19) against the compression of spring 31, and this simultaneously lifts the four arms 51 of the spider which thereby lift all four of the side valves 42.

The rate of opening of the valves is controlled by hydraulic fluid present in chamber 37 which, when the pressure rises, is forced out the orifice 36 at a rate determined by the size of the orifice. Thus, all of the valves open gradually so that the fluids sent into the manifold spaces 19 and continuously increasing rate, until the valves are all fully opened. This gradual opening of the valves is of an advantage in the operation of rocket motors by use of liquid propellants particularly where the propellants are spontaneously combustible. When mutually spontaneously combustible propellants are used such as aniline and fuming nitric acid, it sometimes happens that combustion does not immediately take place upon impingement in the motor chamber. In such case, a considerable accumulation would be dangerous because when combustion finally did occur, there would be more of the propellant in the chamher than it is designed for, with consequent danger of explosion. By the introduction of propellant slowly at first, it is assured that combustion will start before too much of the propellants get into the chamber.

The construction of the valves so as to operate simul- 22 are introduced slowly at first but at a four side injectors and the taneously insures that both fluids willbe injected simultaneously and at the same desired rate of increase for starting.

I claim:

1. Pressure-operated fluid injection means comprising a plurality of separate manifold chambers, an opening having a valve seat upstream from and leading into each manifold chamber, a seatable valve situated at each valve seat so that when the valve is seated on the seat the flow of fluid through the opening is prevented, one of said valves being a master valve, a fluid receiving chamber upstream from and in communication with each valve and fluid entry means into each fluid receiving chamber, a cylinder in communication with the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve, said master valve having attached to it a piston in the cylinder, the said valves being interconnected with each other, whereby pressure of the fluid introduced into the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve moves the piston to open all the valves.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which a spring is attached to at least one of said valves, said spring acting in the direction tending to maintain the valves closed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the spring is attached to the master valve.

4.. Fluid injection means comprising a plurality of separate manifold chambers, an opening having a valve seat upstream from and leading into each manifold chamber, a valve at each valve seat, one of said valves being a master valve, a fluid receiving chamber at the upstream side of each valve and fluid entry means into each fluid receiving chamber, a cylinder in communication with the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve, saidmaster valve having attached to it a piston in the cylinder, the said valves being inter-connected with each other, whereby introduction into the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve moves the piston to open all the valves, said master valve having a hydraulic chamber at the side of the piston opposite the receiving chamber and an orifice from the hydraulic chamber through which fluidin the hydraulic chamber flows out at a gradual rate when the piston moves to. allow the valves to open gradually.

5. Fluid injection means comprising a plurality of separate manifold chambers, an opening having a valve seat upstream from and leading into each manifold chamber, a valve at each valve seat, one of said valves being a master valve and there being a plurality of other valves with the master valve centrally located with reference to said other valves, a fluid receiving chamber at the upstream side of each valve and fluid entry means into each fluid receiving chamber, a cylinder in communication with the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve, said master valve having attached to it a piston in the cylinder, the said valves being interconnected with each other, whereby introduction into the fluid receiving chamber of the master valve moves the piston to open all the valves.

6. Injection means for injecting fluids separately into a chamber comprising a manifold for the first fluid, a plurality of manifolds for the second fluid, an entrance for fluid into each manifold, a valve at each entrance, the valve associated with the first injection means being a master valve, a fluid chamber above said master valve, entry means for supplying fluid into said fluid chamber, a cylinder above said fluid chamber, a piston in said cylinder attached to said master valve, means for urging said master valve into a closed position whereby when fluid under pressure is introduced into said fluid chamber through said entry means said piston and master valve will raise and when the fluid pressure within said-chamber drops said closing means will urge said master valve to its closed position, a connecting arm interconnecting the master valve with the other valves, the arrangement being such that said valves all open when said master valve opens.

7. Injection means according to claim 6 in which the connecting arm interconnecting the master valve and all the other valves is so arranged that when the master valve opens all the other valves open with it and when the master valve closes all the other valves close.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,588 Burkle Oct. 12, 1897

Images