Single valve manifold

• US 20050126200A1
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ritchie Engineering Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ritchie Engineering Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Sliger, Keith, Ramachandran, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/003,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20050126200A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/292
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 35/14 interlocking two or more valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2345/006 characterised by charging or discharging valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/20 Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves expansion valves F25B41/31
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 45/00 Arrangements for charging or discharging refrigerant

Abstract

A valve manifold assembly may comprise an outer casing, a first valve portion and a second valve portion. A first valve portion may comprise a plurality of fluid inlet orifices, a fluid outlet orifice and a first valve member having a first fluid pathway. A second valve portion may comprise a plurality of fluid inlet orifices, a plurality of fluid outlet orifices and a second valve member having a second fluid pathway. The valve members may be fixedly attached to a rotatable spindle having a plurality of stop positions, each stop position placing the valve fluid pathways in fluid communication with various inlet and outlet orifices.

Claims

1. A manifold for a refrigerant handling apparatus comprising:

a) an outer casing, said outer casing comprising a plurality of fluid inlet orifices and a plurality of fluid outlet orifices;

b) at least one conduit external to said outer casing, said at least one conduit being constructed and arranged to provide a fluid passage between at least one of said fluid inlet orifices and at least one of said fluid outlet orifices;

c) at least one valve rotatably disposed within said outer casing, said at least one valve comprising a spindle, said at least one valve further comprising at least one traverse port, said at least one traverse port being constructed and arranged for fluid flow communication with at least one of said fluid outlet orifices following rotation of said spindle relative to said outer casing; and

d) an actuator engaged to said spindle, said actuator being constructed and arranged to rotate said spindle and said at least one valve relative to said outer casing.

2. A manifold for a refrigerant handling apparatus comprising:

a) an outer casing, said outer casing comprising a plurality of fluid inlet orifices, a plurality of fluid outlet orifices, and at least one external conduit in fluid flow communication between at least one of said fluid inlet orifices and at least one of said fluid outlet orifices;

b) a plurality of valves rotatably disposed within said outer casing, each of said valves comprising a plurality of traverse ports, each of said traverse ports for each valve being constructed and arranged to be in fluid flow communication to another of said traverse ports, at least one of said traverse ports for each of said valves being constructed and arranged for fluid flow communication with at least one of said fluid inlet orifices, at least one of said traverse ports for each of said valves being constructed and arranged for fluid flow communication with at least one of said fluid outlet orifices;

c) a spindle connected to each of said valves, said spindle extending from one of said valves through said outer casing; and

d) an actuator engaged to said spindle, said actuator being constructed and arranged for rotation of said spindle and said plurality of valves relative to said outer casing, wherein at least one of said traverse ports is positioned proximate to at least one of said fluid inlet orifices.

3. The manifold according to claim 2, said outer casing further comprising at least two external conduits wherein each of said external conduits is in fluid flow communication between at least one of said fluid inlet orifices and at least one of said fluid outlet orifices.

4. The manifold according to claim 3, wherein said spindle and said valves are rotated to a first position wherein two of said fluid outlet orifices and one of said fluid inlet orifices are constructed and arranged for fluid flow passage for repurge of said refrigerant handling apparatus.

5. The manifold according to claim 4, wherein said spindle and said valves are rotated to a second position wherein two of said fluid inlet orifices and two of said fluid outlet orifices are constructed and arranged for fluid flow passage for recovery of refrigerant for said refrigerant handling apparatus.

6. The manifold according to claim 5, wherein said spindle and said valves are rotated into a third position wherein two of said fluid inlet orifices and three of said fluid outlet orifices are constructed and arranged for fluid flow passage for purge of said refrigerant handling apparatus.

7. The manifold according to claim 6, further comprising a first valve and a second valve, said first valve comprising a first outlet traverse port and a first inlet traverse port, said second valve comprising a second traverse port and a third traverse port.

8. The manifold according to claim 7, said outer casing further comprising a first fluid outlet orifice, a first fluid inlet orifice, a second fluid inlet orifice, a second fluid outlet orifice, a third fluid inlet orifice, a third fluid outlet orifice, and a fourth fluid inlet orifice.

9. The manifold according to claim 8, further comprising a first external conduit, and a second external conduit, said first external conduit being constructed and arranged for fluid flow communication between said third fluid inlet orifice and said first fluid inlet orifice and said second external conduit being constructed and arranged for fluid flow communication between said second fluid outlet orifice and said fourth fluid inlet orifice.

10. The manifold according to claim 9, wherein said first outlet traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said first fluid outlet orifice, said first inlet traverse port is blocked, said second traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said second fluid outlet orifice, and said third traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said first fluid inlet orifice when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said first position for repurge of said refrigerant handling apparatus.

11. The manifold according to claim 10, wherein said first outlet traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said first fluid outlet orifice, said first inlet traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said second fluid inlet orifice, said second traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said third fluid inlet orifice, and said third traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said second fluid outlet orifice when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said second position for recovery of refrigerant for said refrigerant handling apparatus.

12. The manifold according to claim 11, wherein said fourth fluid inlet orifice and said third fluid inlet orifice are blocked when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said first position.

13. The manifold according to claim 12, wherein said fourth fluid inlet orifice and said first fluid inlet orifice are blocked when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said second position.

14. The manifold according to claim 13, wherein said first outlet traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said first fluid outlet orifice, said first inlet traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said fourth fluid inlet orifice, said second traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said first fluid inlet orifice, said third traverse port is in fluid flow communication with said third fluid outlet orifice, and said second external conduit is in fluid flow communication between said second fluid outlet orifice and said fourth fluid inlet orifice when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said third position for purge of said refrigerant handling apparatus.

15. The manifold according to claim 14, wherein said third fluid inlet orifice is blocked when said spindle and said valves are rotated to said third position.

16. A valve assembly comprising:

a casing having a first portion and a second portion;

the first portion defining a first internal cavity and having a first aperture, a second aperture and a third aperture;

the second portion defining a second internal cavity and having a fourth aperture, a fifth aperture, a sixth aperture and a seventh aperture;

a first valve member oriented within the first internal cavity, the first valve member defining a first valve fluid passageway;

a second valve member oriented within the second internal cavity, the second valve member defining a second valve fluid passageway;

a rotatable spindle coupled to the first valve member and the second valve member, the first valve member and the second valve member arranged to rotate with said rotatable spindle.

wherein when the rotatable spindle is in a first stop position, the first valve fluid passageway is oriented to allow fluid flow between the first aperture and the second aperture, and the second valve fluid passageway is oriented to allow fluid flow between the fourth aperture and the fifth aperture.

17. The valve assembly of claim 16, wherein when the rotatable spindle is in a second stop position, the second valve fluid passageway is oriented to allow fluid flow between the fifth aperture and the sixth aperture.

18. The valve assembly of claim 16, wherein when the rotatable spindle is in a third position, the first valve fluid passageway is oriented to allow fluid flow between the first aperture and the third aperture, and the second valve fluid passageway is oriented to allow fluid flow between the sixth aperture and the seventh aperture.

19. A method of recovering refrigerant comprising:

providing a recovery device comprising an intake port, a discharge port, a compressor, a condenser and a valve manifold assembly having a first valve portion, a second valve portion and a rotatable spindle constructed and arranged to control fluid flow through the first valve portion and the second valve portion;

connecting a fluid port of an external device having refrigerant to said intake port;

connecting said discharge port to a storage device;

placing said rotatable spindle at a first stop position and operating said recovery device to move refrigerant from said external device to said storage device;

placing said rotatable spindle at a second stop position and operating said recovery device to prepurge refrigerant from said recovery device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising placing said rotatable spindle at a third stop position and operating said recovery device to purge refrigerant from said recovery device.