CONTROL VALVE TRIM HAVING HIGH RESISTANCE VORTEX CHAMBER PASSAGES

• US 3,780,767 A
• Filed: 12/18/1972
• Issued: 12/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dresser Industries Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Henry W. Boger, Karl Stanley Borg
• Inventors: Borg, Karl Stanley, Boger, Henry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Klinksiek, Henry T.
• Application Number:
  US05/316,038
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 137/625.28,625.3,625.33,625.37 251/118,27,205,210,211 138/37,40,42
• US Class Current: 137/625.3
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/08 for decreasing pressure or noise level and having a throttling member separate from the closure member , e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 181/403 Refrigerator compresssor muffler
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86734 With metering feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86791 Piston

Abstract

A control valve trim cage having high resistance, fluid flow energy absorbing, vortex chamber passages opening between the cage bore and circumference. A control valve having a trim cage comprising a stack of like plates together formed with radially and axially distributed, vortex chamber passages extending between the stack walls. The control valve further having a valve plug axially shiftable within said stack to variously cover and uncover said plates and passages and thereby to adjust or regulate fluid flow through said valve. An improved construction for the high resistance fluid passages of a stacked plate design of control valve trim wherein the passages are provided within or through one or more trim plates and are characterized each by a generally radially disposed, tangential inlet; a single, spiral flow vortex chamber; and a generally radially disposed, non-reversing outlet.

Claims

1. A high pressure loss flow control valve comprising a valve housing having a fluid passage therethrough;

a bridge partitioning said passage and having an opening therethrough;

a valve seat formed at said bridge opening;

a seat ring fitting said valve seat;

a gasket sealing between said valve seat and seat ring;

an access opening through the wall of said housing opposite said bridge opening;

a ring received in said housing wall opening;

a bonnet overlying said housing wall, said access opening and said received ring;

a gasket sealing between said bonnet housing wall and received ring;

a generally annular valve trim body spanning said fluid passage between said seated and received rings;

means for clamping said bonnet to said housing and thereby clamping uP said rings, body and gaskets;

a valve plug having a sealing fit within said body; and

means for shifting said plug between a valve-closed position of engagement against said seat and a valve-opened position of exposing said body to fluid flow through said bridge opening;

said valve trim body comprising a stack of coaxially assembled plates together defining the generally annular inner and outer walls of said trim body, said plates stack formed with a plurality of fluid passages extending between said inner and outer trim body walls, each said fluid passage comprising a vortex chamber disposed intermediate said body walls;

a radial entrance passage opening from one said body wall tangentially into said vortex chamber;

an axial exit hole opening centrally from said vortex chamber; and

a radial exit passage intersecting said chamber exit hole and opening to the other said body wall.

2. A generally annular valve trim body for a high pressure loss flow control valve, said trim body having a plurality of fluid passages extending between its inner and outer walls, each said fluid passage comprising a vortex chamber disposed intermediate said body walls;

a radial entrance passage opening from one said body wall tangentially into said vortex chamber;

an axial exit hole opening centrally from said vortex chamber; and

a radial exit passage intersecting said chamber exit hole and opening to the other said body wall.

3. A one-plate type, low noise, vortex trim cage comprising a plurality of planar bodies coaxially assembled in a stack having generally annular inner and outer walls;

at least one set of four equal body sectors in each said body;

vortex chamber forming openings through the first of said body sectors, said vortex chamber forming openings uniformly radially spaced intermediate said stack walls;

fluid passage entrance forming slots in said first body sectors and opening from one said stack wall tangentially into said vortex chamber forming openings;

vortex chamber exit forming holes through the second of said sectors;

said vortex chamber exit forming holes having the same radial spacing in said second body sectors as said vortex chamber forming openings have in said first body sectors;

fluid passage exit forming slots in the third of said body sectors, said slots opening to the other stack wall and extending radially from that wall in said third body sectors to the same radial spacing as said chamber exit forming holes have in said second body sectors;

said vortex chamber forming openings, fluid passage entrance forming slots, chamber exit forming holes, and fluid passage exit forming slots uniformly circumferentially distributed in said first, second, and third body sectors; and

solid, unapertured body portions in the fourth of said body sectors;

said passage entrance forming slots, vortex chamber forming openings, vortex chamber exit forming holes, and passage exit forming slots combining to form vortex chamber fluid passages between said inner and outer walls by the relative rotative positioning of said planar bodies in said stack such that said solid, unapertured fourth sector body portions close over the tops of said passage entrance forming slots and vortex chamber forming openings and under the bottoms of said passage exit forming slots, such that said second sector chamber exit forming holes underlie the centers of said first sector vortex chamber forming openings, and such that said third sector passage exit forming slots underlie said second sector chamber exit forming holes.

4. A trim cage according to claim 3, wherein any one of said fluid passages is completed in any adjacent five of said bodies by their said relative rotative positioning to successively vertically align in said stack a fourth body sector, a first body sector, a second body sector, a third body sector, and a fourth body sector.

5. A plate for a one-Plate type, low noise vortex trim cage, and for coaxial stacking to define radially and axially multiplied, single vortex chamber fluid passages extending between the inner and outer walls of said cage, said plate comprising a planar body having generally annular inner and outer walls and divided into one or more sets of four equal body sectors;

vortex chamber forming openings through said body in the first sectors of said sets;

fluid passage entrance forming slots in said first body sectors, said slots opening from one of said inner and outer body walls tangentially into said vortex chamber forming openings;

vortex chamber exit forming holes through said body in the second sectors of said sets;

fluid passage exit forming slots in the third sectors of said sets, said slots opening to the other of said inner and outer body walls; and

solid planar body portions in the fourth sectors of said sets;

said vortex chamber forming openings and vortex chamber exit forming holes centered on, and said fluid passage exit forming slots extending radially from said other body wall to intersect, a common radius of said planar body, and said vortex chamber forming openings, vortex chamber exit forming holes, and fluid passage exit forming slots uniformly correspondingly distributed circumferentially of their respective first, second and third sectors, whereby in said stacking said single stage vortex chamber fluid passages may be completed in said cage by relative angular adjustment of said bodies to successively vertically align fourth, first, second, third, and fourth sectors of said sets.

6. A two-plate type, low noise, vortex trim cage, comprising a plurality of planar bodies defining first plates of said trim cage;

a plurality of planar bodies defining second plates of said trim cage;

said first and second plate bodies having mating radial faces and like dimensioned inner and outer walls;

each said first plate comprising a set of vortex chamber forming openings intermediate its said inner and outer walls and having fluid passage entrance forming portions inletting from one of said walls tangentially into said vortex chamber forming openings; and

a set of fluid passage exit forming openings outletting to the other of said walls;

each said second plate comprising a set of vortex chamber outlet forming holes intermediate its said inner and outer walls, and a set of unapertured body portions angularly intermediate said outlet forming holes;

said first plate openings and said second plate holes having corresponding angular distribution circumferentially of said planar bodies, and said first plate chamber forming openings and said second plate outlet forming holes centered on, and said first plate exit forming openings extending radially from said other first plate walls to intersect, a common intermediate radius of said planar bodies;

said planar bodies coaxially stacked in said trim cage with said first and second plates alternating and relatively rotatively adjusted such that said second plate outlet holes communicate between said first plate vortex chamber and exit passage forming openings, and such that said unapertured portions of said second plates close over the tops and bottoms of said vortex chamber and exit passage forming openings in said first plates.

7. A first plate for a two-plate type, low noise vortex trim cage comprising a set of vortex chamber forming openings uniformly spaced around the plate and positioned on a common radius intermediate the plate bore and circumference, said vortex chamber forming openings having entrance portions inletting from said one of said bore and circumference tangentially into said vortex chamber forming openings;

and a set of vortex passage exit forming openings uniformly spaced around the plate in alternation with said vortex chamber forming openings, said vortex passage exit forming openings outletting to thE other of said bore and circumference and extending radially therefrom to intersect said common first plate radius.

8. A second plate for a two-plate type, low noise vortex trim cage comprising a set of vortex chamber exit forming holes uniformly spaced around the plate and on a common radius intermediate the plate bore and circumference, said vortex chamber exit forming holes positioned on the same radius of said second plate as on which are to be positioned the vortex chamber forming openings of a first plate for said two-plate low noise, vortex trim cage, said vortex chamber exit forming holes having also the same number and spacing around said second plate as said vortex chamber forming openings are to have on said first plate for said two-plate low noise, vortex trim cage;

whereby a plurality of said second plates may be alternately stacked with a plurality of said first plates in said trim cage with said vortex chamber exit holes thereby communicating between said vortex chamber openings and said vortex passage exit openings, and with unapertured wall portions of said second plates angularly intermediate their said vortex chamber exit holes closing over the tops and bottoms of said vortex chamber openings and vortex passage exit openings in said first plates.

9. A two-plate type, low noise, vortex trim cage comprising a plurality of first plates formed with generally annular inner and outer walls, said first plates comprising inner vortex chamber forming openings uniformly spaced around said first plates, said inner vortex chamber forming openings positioned on common inner radii of said first plates;

shorter vortex chamber entrance forming openings inletting from one of said first plates walls tangentially into said inner vortex chamber forming openings;

longer vortex passage exit forming openings uniformly spaced around said first plates, said longer vortex passage exit forming openings outletting to the other of said first plates walls and extending radially therefrom to said common inner first plates radii;

outer vortex chamber forming openings uniformly spaced around said first plates, said outer vortex chamber forming openings positioned on common outer radii of said first plates;

longer vortex chamber forming openings inletting from said one of said first plates walls tangentially into said outer vortex chamber forming openings;

shorter vortex passage exit forming openings uniformly spaced around said first plates, said shorter vortex passage exit forming openings outletting to said other of said first plate walls and extending radially therefrom to said common outer first plates radii;

a plurality of second plates formed with generally annular inner and outer walls, said second plates comprising inner vortex chamber outlet holes uniformly spaced around said second plates, said inner vortex chamber outlet holes positioned on the same radii of said second plates as the radii of said first plates on which are positioned said inner vortex chamber forming openings of, and which are intersected by said longer vortex passage exit forming openings of, said first plates;

outer vortex chamber outlet holes uniformly spaced around said second plates, said outer vortex chamber outlet holes positioned on the same radii of said second plates as the radii of said first plates on which are positioned said outer vortex chamber forming openings of, and which are intersected by said shorter vortex passage exit forming openings of, said first plates;

said inner and outer vortex chamber forming openings having the same spacing on said first plates as have said longer and shorter vortex passage exit forming openings thereof; and

said inner and outer vortex chamber outlet holes having the same spacing on said second plates as said inner and outer vortex chamber forming openings and said longer and shorter vortex passage exit forming openings have on said first plates;

said pluralities of first and second plates alternately stacked in said cage trim with said inner holes of said second plates communicating between said inner vortex chamber forming openings and longer vortex passage outlet forming openings of said first plates, with said outer holes of said second plates communicating between said outer vortex chamber forming openings and shorter vortex passage outlet forming openings of said first plates, and with unapertured portions of said second plates elsewhere closing over and under the openings in any successive two of said first plates to complete vortex chambers, vortex chamber entrances, and vortex passage exits in said two first plates;

any successive three of said second plates and alternating two of said first plates thereby completing vortex passages extending from said one to said other generally annular wall of said plates and having entrances in which the fluid flows radially, chambers in which the fluid flows spirally-radially, chamber outlets in which the fluid flows spirally-axially, and passage exits in which the fluid flows radially, of said trim.

10. A three-plate type, wall-to-wall passaged, vortex chambered trim cage comprising a plurality of first plates stacked in said trim cage;

vortex chamber forming openings uniformly spaced around and positioned on common radii of said first plates, said vortex chamber forming openings having entrance portions inletting from one cage wall tangentially into said vortex chamber forming openings;

a plurality of second plates stacked in said trim cage;

vortex chamber outlet holes uniformly spaced around said second plates and positioned on common radii thereof the same as said common first plates radii;

a plurality of generally annular third plates;

vortex passage exit forming openings uniformly spaced around said third plates, said vortex passage exit forming openings outletting to the other cage wall and extending radially therefrom to common third plate radii the same as said common first and second plate radii;

said vortex chamber forming openings, chamber outlet holes, and vortex passage exit forming openings being equally spaced around their said first, second and third plate pluralities;

first, second and third plates being successively stacked in said trim cage with said outlet holes in said second plates communicating between said vortex chamber forming openings in said first plates and said vortex passage exit forming openings in said third plates;

unapertured portions of said second plates elsewhere closing under said entrance portions and vortex chamber forming openings of said first plates and over said vortex passage exit forming openings of said third plates; and

unapertured portions of said third plates closing over said entrance portions and vortex chamber forming openings of said first plates;

whereby any third, first, second, third and first plate succession of said plates completes said wall-to-wall, vortex chambered, fluid passages of said cage trim.

11. A first plate for a three-plate type vortex trim cage comprising a planar body having generally annular inner and outer walls;

a set of vortex chamber forming openings through said body, said openings uniformly spaced angularly and radially of said body; and

a set of vortex chamber entrance forming openings through said body, said chamber entrance forming openings inletting from one of said inner and outer walls tangentially into said chamber forming openings.

12. A second plate for a three-plate type, vortex trim cage comprising a planar body having generally annular inner and outer walls;

and a set of vortex chamber outlet holes uniformly spaced angularly and radially of said body, tha angular and radial spacing of said outlet holes on said planar body being the same as that of the vortex chamber forming openings of a first plate for said three-plate type vortex trim cage.

13. A third plaTe for a three-plate type vortex trim cage comprising a generally planar body having annular inner and outer walls;

and a set of vortex passage exit forming openings uniformly spaced angularly and radially of said body, said vortex passage exit forming openings outletting to the other of said body walls and extending radially therefrom to the radial spacing of vortex chamber forming openings of a first plate for, and also the radial spacing of vortex chamber outlet holes of a second plate for, said three-plate type, vortex trim cage.

14. A one-plate type vortex trim cage comprising a plurality of duplicate plates having generally annular inner and outer walls;

a set of uniformly angularly distributed, wall-to-wall fluid passage forming openings in each said plate;

each said opening having an upper section formed by a vortex chamber forming recess and an entrance slot extending from one said wall tangentially into said recess;

each said opening having an intermediate section formed by a hole outletting from said vortex chamber recess; and

each said opening having a lower section formed by an exit slot extending from the other said wall radially into said hole;

said plates stacked in said trim cage with their said passaged portions alternating, axially of said stack, with solid plate portions intermediate the said passaged portions whereby each said fluid passage is completed by the passaged portion of one plate and the overlying and underlying solid portions of two adjacent plates.

15. In a variable fluid restrictor comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port for fluid flowing therethrough, an annular energy-absorbing device having a bore open to one of said ports and a circumference open to the other of said ports, a plug slidably axially in said bore, and an actuator connected to said plug to displace the same within the said bore to vary the surface of said bore exposed to said one port and thereby to vary the resistance to fluid imparted by said energy-absorbing device and to regulate the pressure loss therethrough;

the improvement wherein said energy-absorbing device comprises a stack of coaxially assembled plates;

a plurality of radially and axially distributed vortex chamber passages through said plates between said bore and circumference of said device, each said vortex chamber passage comprising a generally circular, high resistance vortex chamber;

a passage entrance inletting from one of said device bore and circumference tangentially into said vortex chamber;

an exit hole at the approximate center of said vortex chamber; and

a passage exit outletting from said hole to the other of said device bore and circumference.

16. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein the vortex passage entrances are provided in alternate plates of said stack and inlet from the bore of said device, and cutouts in the bore surfaces of stack plates intermediate said alternate stack plates, said cutouts communicating with at least some of said passage entrances whereby when said plug is passing over one of said intermediate plates of said stack said at least some of said passage entrances are uncovered in the next one of said alternate plates of said stack.

17. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said vortex chamber exit passage has a larger cross section than said vortex chamber inlet passage.

18. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said vortex chamber exit passage has the same cross section as said vortex chamber inlet passage.

19. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein each said vortex chamber is formed by an opening through one of said stack plates, and wherein said opening is closed axially of said stack by portions of the surfaces of the adjacent two of said stack plates.

20. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said passage entrances and exits comprise radial slots, and wherein said exit holes comprise axial holes, in sAid plates.

21. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said exit holes are formed in alternate ones, and said vortex chambers and entrance and exit passages are formed in every other one, of said plates.

22. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said vortex chambers and entrance passages are formed in a first set, said exit holes are formed in a second set, and said exit passages are formed in a third set, of said plates, and said first, second and third sets of plate members are repeating sequentially through said stack.

23. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said vortex chamber passages comprise a set of inner vortex chambers and relatively short passage entrances and relatively long passage exits alternating with a set of outer vortex chambers and relatively long passage entrances and relatively short passage exits.

24. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said entrances, chambers, holes and exits of said vortex chamber passages are all formed in each of said plates.

25. The fluid restrictor of claim 15, wherein said vortex chambers comprise relatively large round holes in at least some of said plate members.

26. The fluid restrictor of claim 23, wherein said chamber exit holes comprise a set of inner exit holes communicating between said inner vortex chambers and said relatively long exits and a set of outer exit holes communicating between said outer vortex chambers and said relatively short passage exits.

27. The fluid restrictor of claim 25, wherein said vortex passage entrances comprise radial, parallel-straight-sided cuts in said some of said plates, said radial cuts tangential to one side of, and less than half the width of, said relatively large round holes.

28. The fluid restrictor of claim 25, wherein said exit holes comprise relatively small round holes in at least some of said plates, said relatively small round holes coaxial and communicating with said relatively large round holes.

29. The fluid restrictor of claim 27, wherein said passage exits comprise radial, parallel-straight-sided cuts in said at least some of said plate members, said radial cuts opening into said exit holes.

30. A high pressure loss flow control valve comprising a valve housing having a fluid passage therethrough;

a bridge partitioning said passage and having an opening therethrough;

a valve seat formed at said bridge opening;

an access opening through the wall of said housing opposite said bridge opening;

a bonnet overlying said access opening;

a generally annular valve trim body spanning said fluid passage between said valve seat and bonnet;

means for clamping said bonnet to said housing and thereby engaging said bonnet to said trim body and said trim body to said seat;

a valve plug having a sealing fit within said trim body; and

means for shifting said plug between a valve-closed position of engagement against said seat and a valve-opened position of exposing said body to fluid flow through said bridge opening;

said valve trim body comprising a stack of coaxially assembled plates together defining the generally annular inner and outer walls of said trim body, said plates stack formed with a plurality of fluid passages extending between said inner and outer trim body walls, each said fluid passage comprising a vortex chamber disposed intermediate said body walls;

a radial entrance passage opening from one said body wall tangentially into said vortex chamber;

an axial exit hole opening centrally from said vortex chamber; and

a radial exit passage intersecting said chamber exit hole and opening to the other said body wall.