FLOW RATE CONTROL APPARATUS AND FLOW RATE CONTROL METHOD FOR THE FLOW RATE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20200132216A1
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated
• Inventors: FUNAKOSHI, Takashi, SHIMOMURA, Yoshinori, TANIKAWA, Tsuyoshi, YAKUSHIJIN, Tadayuki
• Granted Patent: US 11,035,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/004 actuated by piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1221 one side of the piston being spring-loaded
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1225 with a plurality of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/00 Special means in or on valves or other cut-off apparatus for indicating or recording operation thereof, or for enabling an alarm to be given
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0041 for measuring valve parameters F16K37/0033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 43/00 Auxiliary closure means in valves, which in case of repair, e.g. rewashering, of the valve, can take over the function of the normal closure means; Devices for temporary replacement of parts of valves for the same purpose
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 43/001 an auxiliary valve being actuated independently of the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 7/14 arranged to be deformed against a flat seat

Abstract

Provided is a flow rate control apparatus capable of being used continuously when the apparatus is used in equipment that operates continuously, and a flow rate control method for the flow rate control apparatus. A flow rate of a fluid is controlled via any one of control valves disposed in branch passages, respectively. When replacement of the one control valve is determined to be necessary on the basis of a signal outputted from a monitoring portion of the one control valve, the one control valve performing flow rate control is closed, and another control valve disposed in another one of the branch passages, is opened, to perform flow rate control with a flow rate equivalent to that before the replacement. Furthermore, on-off valves disposed at upstream and downstream sides of the closed control valve are closed.

Claims

1. A flow rate control apparatus comprising:

one flow passage;

branch portions at which the flow passage branches into a plurality of branch passages;

control valves disposed in the respective branch passages into which the flow passage branches at the branch portions; and

a monitoring portion configured to monitor a state of a corresponding one of the control valves, wherein

a flow rate of a fluid is controlled via any one of the control valves disposed in the respective branch passages, and

when replacement of the one control valve is determined to be necessary on a basis of a signal outputted from the monitoring portion of the one control valve,

the one control valve, which is performing flow rate control, is closed, and another one of the control valves, which is disposed in another one of the branch passages, is opened, so as to perform flow rate control such that the flow rate is equivalent to that before the replacement, and

on-off valves disposed at an upstream side and a downstream side of the closed control valve are also closed.

2. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit, wherein

the control unit

receives an output from the monitoring portion, and

determines whether or not the replacement is necessary from the signal outputted from the monitoring portion.

3. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit compares the signal outputted from the monitoring portion and previously stored data, and determines that the replacement is necessary when the signal exceeds a predetermined value or exceeds a predetermined number of opening/closing times.

4. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each of the control valves is equipped with an adjustment portion capable of performing fine flow rate control by making fine adjustment of its opening degree.

5. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the monitoring portion comprises:

a valve opening-degree measurement sensor or a flow rate sensor;

an opening/closing number of times measurement sensor;

a proximity sensor, a displacement sensor, a flow rate sensor or a pressure sensor each configured to detect movement of a stem of the control valve; and

the like.

6. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a purge line and a purge valve in the purge line are disposed between each of the control valves and the corresponding on-off valve disposed at the upstream side, and another purge line and another purge valve in the another purge line are disposed between the control valve and the corresponding on-off valve disposed at the downstream side.

9. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

each of the control valves is equipped with an adjustment portion capable of performing fine flow rate control by making fine adjustment of its opening degree.

10. The flow rate control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

each of the control valves is equipped with an adjustment portion capable of performing fine flow rate control by making fine adjustment of its opening degree.

7. A flow rate control method for a flow rate control apparatus, the flow rate control apparatus comprising,

one flow passage,

branch portions at which the flow passage branches into a plurality of branch passages,

control valves disposed in the respective branch passages into which the flow passage branches at the branch portions, and

a monitoring portion configured to monitor a state of a corresponding one of the control valves, and

the flow rate control method comprising:

a step A of monitoring a state of any one of the control valves, which is performing flow rate control, by the corresponding monitoring portion;

a step B of determining whether or not valve replacement is necessary from a signal outputted from the monitoring portion;

a step C of, in a case where the replacement is determined to be necessary in the step B, closing the one control valve that is performing flow rate control, and opening another one of the control valves, which is disposed at another one of the branch passages, so as to start flow rate control such that the flow rate is equivalent to that before the replacement; and

a step D of closing on-off valves disposed at an upstream side and a downstream side of the closed control valve.

8. The flow rate control method according to claim 7, wherein

each of the control valves is equipped with an adjustment portion configured to make fine adjustment of opening/closing movements of the control valve, and the step C includes a step of performing adjustment of the opening/closing movements, by the adjustment portion, so as to eliminate a difference between the another control valve that has started flow rate adjustment and the one control valve that is closed, and eliminate an individual difference between branch passages.