Dry pipe/deluge valve for automatic sprinkler systems

• US 10,201,723 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Deurloo, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, Craig J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rost, Andrew J
• Application Number:
  US14/799,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20160008645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 251 82, 169 19, 169 21, 169 17, 169 16, 169 22, 169 20, 137467
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/62 dry, i.e. empty of extinguishing material when not in use
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/68 Details, e.g. of pipes or valve systems valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/1821 for check valves with a hinged or pivoted closure member
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/1826 Check valves which can be actuated by a pilot valve

Abstract

A dry pipe valve includes a main chamber having an input port and an output port, a clapper assembly installed in the main chamber, a pushrod, a pushrod chamber, and a dry valve actuator. The clapper assembly includes a clapper that seals the input port of the main chamber, and a hinged lever that holds the clapper in a closed position or allows the clapper to open. Based on a pressure of a control fluid in the pushrod chamber, the pushrod moves to urge the hinged lever against the clapper to hold the clapper in the closed position, or to release the hinged lever and thereby allow the clapper to open. The dry valve actuator is attached to a housing of the pushrod chamber and controls the pressure of the control fluid in the pushrod chamber.

Claims

1. A dry pipe valve configured to switch between an open state and a closed state, the dry pipe valve comprising:

(A) a valve body including;

(a) a main body including a main chamber;

(b) an input port configured to connect to a supply line to receive a fluid from the supply line;

(c) an output port configured to connect to a system of sprinkler conduits, the input port and the output port being centered on and aligned on a fluid flow axis;

(d) a valve body supervisory gas inlet configured to receive a supervisory gas from a supervisory gas supply;

(e) a cylindrical mounting portion that is centered on a pushrod axis that is perpendicular to the fluid flow axis, and that is provided between the input port and the output port; and

(f) a cylindrical pushrod chamber opening centered on the pushrod axis and provided within the cylindrical mounting portion;

(B) a clapper assembly provided in the main chamber of the main body, the clapper assembly including;

(a) a first hinge, connected to the main body on a first side of the main chamber;

(b) a clapper, mounted on the first hinge, and configured to rotate on the first hinge between (i) a first clapper position, in which the clapper seals the input port to prevent flow of the fluid through the main body when the dry pipe valve is in the closed state, (ii) a second clapper position, in which the clapper is open to permit flow of the fluid through the main body when the dry pipe valve is in the open state, and (iii) a third clapper position, in which the clapper is open and is prevented from sealing the input port;

(c) a second hinge, connected to the main body on a second side of the main chamber, the second side being opposite to the first side of the main chamber with respect to the input port; and

(d) a lever, mounted on the second hinge, and configured to rotate between (i) a first lever position, in which the lever holds the clapper in the first clapper position, and (ii) a second lever position, in which the lever does not hold the clapper in the first clapper position;

(C) a pushrod assembly including;

(a) a pushrod housing centered on the pushrod axis, the pushrod housing including;

(i) a first side cylindrical portion having (1) a first flange at one end along the pushrod axis, the first flange being configured to be mounted on the cylindrical mounting portion of the valve body, (2) a pushrod chamber inlet, provided on one side of the pushrod housing relative to the pushrod axis, and extending through the first flange along an axis that is perpendicular to the pushrod axis, the pushrod chamber inlet being configured to receive the fluid from the supply line, and (3) a first inner diameter;

(ii) a second side cylindrical portion having (1) a second flange at one end along the pushrod axis, opposite to the end having the first flange, (2) a pushrod chamber outlet, provided on the one side of the pushrod housing relative to the pushrod axis, and extending through the second flange along an axis that is perpendicular to the pushrod axis, and (3) a second inner diameter that is less than the first inner diameter; and

(iii) a central cylindrical portion provided between the first side cylindrical portion and the second side cylindrical portion, the central cylindrical portion having a third inner diameter that is less than the second inner diameter, the central cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing, the first side cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing, and the cylindrical mounting portion of the valve body defining a pushrod chamber,

the first side cylindrical portion, the second side cylindrical portion, and the central cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing being formed as a singular housing;

(b) a seat positioned in the central cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing, and having a central port that extends along the pushrod axis, the central port having a first opening to the first side cylindrical portion and a second opening to the second side cylindrical portion;

(c) a pushrod guide having (i) a threaded portion that is threadably inserted into the cylindrical pushrod chamber opening of the valve body, (ii) an extension portion that extends from the threaded portion away from the main chamber and into the pushrod chamber, and (iii) a central bore along the pushrod axis through the threaded portion and the extension portion;

(d) a pushrod mounted in the central bore of the pushrod guide and extending along the pushrod axis, and configured to move along the pushrod axis between (i) a first pushrod position, in which a first end of the pushrod contacts and urges the lever of the clapper assembly to hold the lever in the first lever position, and (ii) a second pushrod position, in which the first end of the pushrod does not contact the lever of the clapper assembly;

(e) a piston attached to a second end of the pushrod in the pushrod chamber, the piston being configured to move with the pushrod, and to retain the second end of the pushrod in the pushrod chamber; and

(f) a pushrod diaphragm provided between the cylindrical mounting portion of the valve body and the first side cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing, the pushrod diaphragm separating a first portion of the pushrod chamber configured to contain the fluid supplied through the pushrod chamber inlet, from a second portion of the pushrod chamber that includes the pushrod guide, the pushrod, and the piston,

the pushrod assembly being configured to switch between (i) a pressurized state in which the first portion of the pushrod chamber is filled with the fluid, and the pushrod diaphragm causes the piston and the pushrod to move toward the valve body, so that the pushrod is in the first pushrod position, and (ii) a released state, in which the first portion of the pushrod chamber is not filled with the fluid, and the pushrod diaphragm, the piston, and the pushrod move away from the valve body, so that the pushrod is in the second pushrod position; and

(D) a dry valve actuator including;

(a) a dry valve actuator housing having a cup shape that defines a dry valve actuator chamber, and including (i) an open end that is directly attached to the second flange of the pushrod housing, and (ii) a dry valve actuator supervisory gas inlet provided near a second end that is opposite to the open end with respect to the pushrod axis, and extending in a direction that is perpendicular to the pushrod axis, from a side of the dry valve actuator housing that is opposite to the one side of the pushrod chamber housing relative to the pushrod axis, the dry valve actuator supervisory gas inlet being configured to receive the supervisory gas from the supervisory gas supply;

(b) a seal configured to seal the second opening of the central port of the seat when the seal is positioned in the seat; and

(c) a dry valve actuator diaphragm provided between the open end of the dry valve actuator housing and the second side cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing, the dry valve actuator diaphragm being attached to the seal, and defining a first portion of the dry valve actuator chamber that includes the dry valve actuator supervisory gas inlet, and a second portion of the dry valve actuator chamber that includes the second opening of the central port,

the dry valve actuator being configured to switch between (i) a pressurized state, in which the first portion of the dry valve actuator chamber is filled with the supervisory gas, causing the dry valve actuator diaphragm to position the seal in the seat, and thereby seal the second opening of the central port of the seat, and (ii) a released state, in which the first portion of the dry valve actuator chamber is not filled with the supervisory gas, and the dry valve actuator diaphragm and the seal move away from the seat to open the second opening of the central port of the seat,

wherein, when the dry valve actuator is in the pressurized state, the pushrod assembly is in the pressurized state, and, when the dry valve actuator is in the released state, the pushrod assembly is in the released state.

2. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein a pressure of the fluid from the supply line acts on an underside of the clapper when the clapper is in the first clapper position, and the pressure of the fluid in the first portion of the pushrod chamber acts on the pushrod diaphragm, to urge the pushrod into the first pushrod position.

3. The dry pipe valve of claim 2, wherein, when a pressure of the supervisory gas in the system of sprinkler conduits is less than a predetermined gas pressure, the dry valve actuator switches from the pressurized state to the released state, permitting the fluid in the first portion of the pushrod chamber to drain through the pushrod chamber outlet and reducing the pressure of the fluid in the pushrod chamber, and, when the pressure of the fluid in the pushrod chamber decreases to a predetermined fluid pressure, the pushrod moves to the second pushrod position, allowing the lever to move to the second lever position, and allowing the clapper to move into one of the second clapper position and the third clapper position.

4. The dry pipe valve of claim 2, wherein the supervisory gas is supplied to an upper side of the clapper in the main chamber, and the clapper is maintained in the first clapper position when a ratio of (i) the pressure of the fluid from the supply line on the underside of the clapper to (ii) a pressure of the supervisory gas on the upper side of the clapper is between 8 and 25.

5. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein the lever is further configured to rotate to a third lever position, in which the lever prevents the clapper from moving to the first clapper position.

6. The dry pipe valve of claim 5, further comprising a handle, provided on an exterior surface of the valve body and connected to the lever, wherein manual rotation of the handle causes movement of the lever from the third lever position to one of the second lever position and the first lever position.

7. The dry pipe valve of claim 1,

wherein the supervisory gas is supplied to an upper side of the clapper in the main chamber, and a pressure of the fluid from the supply line acts on an underside of the clapper, and

wherein, when the clapper is in the first clapper positions, a ratio of (i) an area of the upper side of the clapper exposed to the supervisory gas to (ii) an area of the underside of the clapper exposed to the fluid is between 0.5 and 2.0.

8. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein a pressure of the supervisory gas in the first portion of the dry valve actuator chamber is up to and including 40 psi.

9. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein a pressure of the supervisory gas in the first portion of the dry valve actuator chamber is between 8 and 25 psi.

10. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein the supervisory gas is air.

11. The dry pipe valve of claim 1, wherein the supervisory gas is not less than 95% nitrogen.

12. The dry pipe valve according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the open end of the dry valve actuator housing is equal to the second inner diameter of the second side cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing.

13. The dry pipe valve according to claim 1, wherein the clapper assembly further includes (e) a lever spring attached to the lever and surrounding the second hinge, the lever spring being configured to bias the lever toward the first lever position.

14. The dry pipe valve according to claim 13, wherein the pushrod assembly further includes (g) a pushrod spring attached (i) to a side of the piston that faces the valve body, and (ii) to a side of the cylindrical mounting portion of the valve body, the pushrod spring surrounding the pushrod, and being configured to bias the pushrod diaphragm, the piston, and the pushrod towards the central cylindrical portion of the pushrod housing and away from the valve body.

15. The dry pipe valve according to claim 14, wherein, when the pushrod assembly is in the pressurized state, the pushrod spring is in a compressed state, and, when the pushrod assembly is in the released state, the pushrod spring is in a non-compressed state.