Control valve having integral visual indicator for fluid safety systems

• US 4,194,529 A
• Filed: 09/21/1978
• Issued: 03/25/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cooper Cameron Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: W-K-M Wellhead Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Peters, Clifford M., Hargraves, Melvin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cline, William R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spiegel, H. Jay
• Application Number:
  US05/944,456
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 137/557, 137/624.2 F, 137/625.66, 116/266, 116/271, 116/272, 116/273, 116/276, 116/285, 116/277
• US Class Current: 137/557
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/10 with auxiliary valve for fluid operation of the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0066 Hydraulic or pneumatic means F16K37/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8326 Fluid pressure responsive indicator, recorder or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86485 Line condition change responsive release of valve

Abstract

A control valve structure and combined visual indicator for controlling fluid and visually indicating the operating condition of a portion of a fluid system. The control valve has a slide valve mounted in a housing and biased toward a retracted position with one end portion thereof extending from the housing. The extended end portion of the slide valve has a knob adapted to be manually gripped for moving of the slide valve outwardly for setting same. A visual indicator is mounted on the knob. A port in the housing communicates with the slide valve to permit the application of fluid pressure to the slide valve to move same outwardly. The visual indicator has a visually observable indicator member movable between two positions for indicating the presence of either of two associated conditions in a system containing the control valve. The visual indicator displays one position when less than a predetermined fluid pressure is applied to the visual indicator and it displays the other position when a larger predetermined fluid pressure is applied to the visual indicator.

Claims

1. In a control valve structure having a hollow housing, an elongate slide valve mounted in said housing for longitudinal movement therein, means urging the slide valve to a seated position thereof, manually accessible means on the slide valve located outwardly of the housing and adapted to be manually manipulated to displace the slide valve from its seated position, and port means in said housing for applying a sensed fluid pressure to said slide valve in a manner to maintain the slide valve displaced from its seated position when the sensed fluid pressure is sufficiently high to overcome said urging means, the improvement comprising:

visual indicator means mounted on said manually accessible means for movement between a first position to indicate a first operating condition and a second position to indicate a second operating condition;

means for biasing said visual indicator means to one of said first and second positions;

a passageway in said slide valve located and arranged to receive and apply pressurized fluid to said indicator means under all conditions of operation when said slide valve is displaced from its seated position and said port means is exposed to fluid under pressure; and

pressure responsive means for maintaining said indicator means in the other of said first and second positions thereof whenever a predetermined high fluid pressure is applied at any time to said passageway, said indicator means moving to said one position thereof under the influence of said biasing means whenever the pressure applied to said passageway is below said predetermined high fluid pressure.

2. A combination control valve and visual indicator device for controlling fluid flow between a fluid pressure source and an actuator, said device comprising:

a hollow housing having an elongate slide valve mounted for longitudinal movement therein, means urging said slide valve to a blocking position thereof wherein flow between said source and actuator is blocked;

handle means on said slide valve located outwardly of said housing and adapted to be manually manipulated to move said slide valve to an unblocking position wherein flow between said source and actuator is permitted, releasable means for temporarily holding said slide valve in the unblocking position after being moved thereto by said handle means;

a pilot port in said housing responsive to a sensed fluid pressure, said pilot port applying the sensed pressure to said slide valve in a manner to maintain the slide valve in the unblocking position when the sensed pressure is sufficiently high to overcome said urging means, said releasable means releasing the slide valve when said urging means is overcome by the sensed fluid pressure;

visual indicator means mounted on said handle means for movement between a first position to indicate a first operating condition of the actuator and a second position to indicate a second operating condition of the actuator, means for biasing said indicator means to one of said first and second positions thereof;

a passageway in said slide valve in fluid communication with said pilot port whenever said slide valve is in the unblocking position; and

pressure responsive means for moving said indicator means to the other of said first and second positions thereof under all conditions of operation when said pilot port applies fluid to said passageway in excess of a predetermined pressure level, said indicator means moving to said one position thereof under the influence of said biasing means when the fluid pressure in said passageway is below said predetermined pressure level.

3. In a control valve and visual indicator device for controlling fluid flow between a fluid pressure source and an actuator, the combination of:

a hollow housing having an elongate slide valve mounted for longitudinal movement therein, said slide valve having one end extending outwardly of said housing;

handle means on said one end of the slide valve adapted to be manually manipulated to effect movement of said slide valve in a longitudinal direction;

means urging said slide valve to a seated position thereof;

port means in said housing responsive to a sensed fluid pressure and operable to apply the sensed pressure to said slide valve in a manner to maintain the slide valve displaced from its seated position when the sensed pressure is sufficiently high to overcome said urging means;

visual indicator means mounted on said handle means for movement between one position to indicate a normal operating condition and a second position to indicate an abnormal operating condition, means to bias said indicator means to said second position thereof;

a passageway in said slide valve providing a closed fluid path extending between said port means and said indicator means under all conditions of operation when said slide valve is displaced from its seated position; and

means responsive to the fluid pressure in said passageway for maintaining said indicator means in said one position thereof upon application of a predetermined high fluid pressure at any time through said port means and passageway, said means to bias effecting movement of said indicator means to said second position thereof when the pressure in said port means and passageway is below said predetermined high fluid pressure.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3, wherein said passageway has a first end for receiving fluid from said port means and a second end communicating withh said fluid pressure responsive means to apply fluid thereto, said passageway providing a closed path between said first and second ends under all conditions of operation.

5. A valve structure for controlling fluid flow between a fluid pressure source and a valve actuator in response to pressure changes in a pilot line, said valve structure comprising:

a housing having an inlet port communicating with the pressure source, an outlet port communicating with the valve actuator, and a bleed port for discharging fluid from the housing;

an elongate slide valve mounted in said housing for movement between (a) a seated position wherein fluid flow is blocked between the inlet and outlet ports but is permitted between the outlet and bleed ports to bleed fluid from the valve actuator and (b) on unseated position wherein fluid flow is blocked between the outlet and bleed ports but is permitted between the inlet and outlet ports to apply fluid to the valve actuator;

means urging said slide valve to the seated position;

manually accessible means on said slide valve located outwardly of the housing and adapted to be manually manipulated to move the slide valve longitudinally to its unseated position against the force of said urging means;

pilot port means in said housing communicating with the pilot line and with the slide valve for applying the pilot line pressure to the slide valve in a manner to maintain same in its unseated position when the pilot line pressure is sufficiently high to overcome the force of said urging means;

visual indicator means mounted on said manually accessible means for movement between one position to indicate a normal operating condition of the valve actuator and a second position to indicate an abnormal operating condition of the valve actuator;

means for biasing said indicator means to its second position;

a passageway in said slide valve providing a closed fluid path from said pilot port means to said indicator means under all conditions of operation when said slide valve is in its unseated position, whereby said indicator means is exposed to the pilot line pressure through said pilot port means and passageway whenever said slide valve is in its unseated position; and

means for maintaining said indicator means in said one position when the pressure applied thereto through said passageway exceeds a predetermined level sufficient to overcome the force of said biasing means, said indicator means moving to said second position under the influence of said biasing means when the pressure in said passageway is below said predetermined level.

6. The valve structure set forth in claim 5, wherein said passageway extends longitudinally in said slide valve substantially the entire length thereof, said passageway having a first end communicating with said pilot port means and a second end communicating with said indicator means with a closed fluid path being presented between said first and second ends under all conditions of operation.

7. A combination control valve and visual indicator device for controlling fluid flow between a fluid pressure source and an actuator and for visually indicating the operating condition of the actuator, said device comprising:

a hollow housing having an elongate slide valve mounted therein for longitudinal movement between a seated position wherein fluid flow is blocked between the source and actuator and an unseated position wherein fluid flow is permitted between the source and actuator;

means urging said slide valve to its seated position;

manually accessible means on the slide valve located outwardly of the housing and adapted to be manually manipulated to move the slide valve from the seated to the unseated position;

port means in said housing for receiving and applying sensed fluid pressure to said slide valve in a manner to maintain the slide valve in its unseated position when the sensed pressure is sufficiently high to overcome the force of said urging means;

a fluid passageway in said slide valve located and arranged to receive pressurized fluid when said slide valve is in its unseated position and said port means is exposed to fluid under pressure;

a piston closely received in said passageway for reciprocal movement therein between first and second positions in response to pressure changes in the passageway;

a visually observable indicator member mounted on said manually accessible means for rotational movement between a first position to indicate a normal operating condition of the actuator and a second position to indicate an abnormal operating condition of the actuator;

means coupling said piston with said indicator member in a manner to effect movement of said indicator member to its first position upon movement of said piston to its first position, and to effect movement of said indicator member to its second position upon movement of said piston to its second position; and

means for biasing said piston to its second position, said piston moving to its first position when the fluid pressure applied to said piston in said passageway is above a predetermined level sufficiently high to overcome the force of said biasing means, and to its second position under the influence of said biasing means when the fluid pressure in said passageway is below said predetermined level,

whereby a normal operating condition of the actuator is indicated by said indicator member when the slide valve is in its unseated position and the fluid pressure applied to said passageway is above said predetermined level, and an abnormal operating condition of the actuator is indicated by said indicator member when the fluid pressure applied to said passageway is below said predetermined level.

8. The device set forth in claim 7, including a seal element carried on said piston and providing a seal in said passageway between said piston and slide valve, whereby said indicator member is isolated from the fluid pressure in said passageway.

9. The device set forth in claim 7, wherein said indicator member has a first segment which is visually observable in the first position of the indicator member and a second segment which is visually observable in the second position of the indicator member, said first and second segments being of contrasting colors.