Multi-position dual disc slide valve

• US 4,253,487 A
• Filed: 11/13/1978
• Issued: 03/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Worley, Arthur C., Colton, Charles B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenthal, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US05/960,049
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 137/375, 137/329.05, 251/212
• US Class Current: 137/375
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/029 with two or more gates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7036 Jacketed

Abstract

A slide valve for use in throttling solids flow, preferably including a pair of opposed discs. The valve discs are in bearing contact with the valve seat and effectively will operate with the valve in almost any position. The internal valve construction and arrangement is unitized which simplifies removal of the internals as a single assembly, and permits quick reassembly as well as adjustment. The discs are retained by guide bars to insure that disc movement is essentially limited to a back and forth motion. The valve discs according to the invention can be centered in the valve so that the discharge is centered in the conduit in which they are mounted, thereby reducing flow impingement on the conduit wall to avoid or minimize erosion, or they can be operated singly and/or independently or in conjunction with each other in order to provide desired flow control. With single disc operation, one disc may be retracted and control achieved by throttling with the other disc against part of the seat. The discs automatically are actuated by suitable operators to provide a variable flow area between them. The load bearing and guide surfaces are protected from erosion by appropriately located hard-surfacing and integrally reinforced refractory.

Claims

1. An improved slide valve adapted for use in the control of processes containing fluid flow with erosive materials and at high temperatures comprising in combination:

(a) a valve body comprising a wall defining a central flow passage along a main axis connected by an inlet and outlet for flow in only a single direction from said inlet to said outlet and including opposed openings in said wall transverse of said main axis;

(b) an orifice plate removably mounted in said valve body between said inlet and outlet and including an orifice opening of fixed dimensions and substantially perpendicular with respect to said main axis, said orifice plate having an inlet side which always faces said inlet and an outlet side which always faces said outlet;

(c) a pair of opposed disc members, each of predetermined thickness, mounted in said valve body in substantially the same plane as said opposed openings for sliding movement in a direction perpendicular to said main axis of said central flow passage, said disc members located only on said inlet side of said orifice plate and arranged in direct surface bearing contact with said inlet side of said orifice plate for substantially eliminating clearances and fluid bypass between said disc members and said orifice plate, said members constructed and arranged for providing a variable flow area between opposed inner edges with respect to said passage and each member having first and second opposed surfaces spaced apart a distance corresponding to said thickness disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to said main axis, and each said member also having opposed transverse sides which are coextensive with said thickness between said first and second surfaces and are each disposed in a single plane at least for said thickness;

(d) guide means secured with said valve body only on said inlet side of said orifice plate for constraining movement of said discs to a predetermined path substantially in the plane of said opposed openings in said valve body and preventing substantial transverse movement of said discs, and defining together with a portion of said inlet side of said orifice plate the path of movement of said discs; and

(e) operator means connected for selectively moving each of said discs.

2. The valve of claim 1 including removable cover means externally disposed of said valve body over said openings for facilitating removal of said disc members, said orifice plate and said guide means from within said valve body.

3. The valve of claim 2 wherein each of said disc members include on their inner edges a flat portion extending from opposite transverse sides thereof inwardly toward said main axis for a predetermined distance and a concave portion being disposed between said flat portions on each of said disc members.

4. The valve of claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a transverse member having a flat inner surface and a guide member extending inwardly toward said main axis and secured with said transverse member on opposite sides of the path of movement of said disc members for constraining movement of said members to a substantially reciprocating motion, said flat inner surface extending toward said inlet for the full height of said disc member and said guide member overlying at least a portion of the surface of said disc members facing said inlet.

5. The valve of claim 1 wherein said disc members are constructed such that they are maintained in substantially continuous surface bearing contact between opposed transverse extremities thereof with the adjacent surface of said orifice plate.

6. The valve of claim 1 wherein said guide means, disc members and orifice plate comprise a substantially unitary assembly thereby facilitating removal from said valve body through said openings.

7. The valve of claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises first and second members with guide surfaces of predetermined height located on each transversely opposite side of said disc members with respect to the path of movement of said discs, said transverse sides of said disc members being coextensive with the height of said guide surfaces along the flow passage axis, said first member disposed substantially close to and uniformly spaced from the adjacent transverse side of the adjacent one of said disc members and said second member disposed substantially adjacent and overlying at least a portion of the surface of said adjacent one of said disc members, whereby movement of said slide members is constrained such that said members maintained in surface bearing contact with said orifice plate during operation of said valve.

8. The valve of claim 7 wherein each of said transverse sides of said members are transversely spaced with respect to said first member in the range of between about 1/8 inch to about 3/16 inch and the tolerance between the surface of said disc member facing said inlet and said second member is about ±

0.005.

9. The valve of claim 1 including a protective layer on the load-bearing and sliding surfaces of said orifice plate, said disc members and said guide means.

10. The valve of claim 1 wherein each of said disc members has a squared surface along its inner leading edge such that when said disc members are disposed in their fully closed position said leading edges are in continuous abutting relationship.

11. The valve of claim 1 wherein the fixed opening in said orifice plate is substantially circular.

12. The valve of claim 1 wherein the fixed opening in said orifice plate is substantially rectangular.

13. The valve of claim 1 wherein the fixed opening in said orifice plate is elongated.

14. The valve of claim 1 wherein said guide means includes inner surfaces facing said disc members, said surfaces having a protective layer for maintaining relative free sliding relationship between said disc members and said guide means.

15. The valve of claim 1 wherein the leading inner edges of said disc members includes central concave opposed portions such that said disc members define a minimum opening when disposed in their innermost closed position.

16. The valve of claim 1 wherein each of said disc members includes refractory means on the top and sides thereof and further protective means on the bottom thereof.

17. The valve of claim 1 wherein said orifice plate includes refractory means surrounding the fixed opening and further protective means disposed on said plate in the area between said refractory means and the outer edges thereof.

18. The valve of claim 1 wherein said discs each comprises a continuous solid member within its extremeties.

24. The valve of claim 1 wherein said disc members include a bearing contact surface which extends between said transverse sides of each of said disc members and said bearing contact surface is substantially in total surface contact with the adjacent surface of said orifice plate.

19. An improved slide valve adapted for use in the control of processes containing fluid flow with erosive materials and at high temperatures comprising in combination:

(a) a valve body comprising a wall defining a central flow passageway along a main axis connected by an inlet and an outlet for flow in only a single direction from said inlet to said outlet and having opposed openings in said wall transverse of said main axis;

(b) an orifice plate removably mounted in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and having a fixed orifice opening disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to said main axis, said orifice plate having an inlet side which always faces said inlet and an outlet side which always faces said outlet, said orifice plate including refractory means on one surface on said inlet side thereof surrounding said fixed opening and further protective means on said refractory means and the outer edges thereof;

(c) a pair of opposed disc members each of predetermined thickness slidably mounted in said valve body substantially in the same plane as said opposed openings only on said inlet side of said orifice plate for sliding movement in direct surface bearing contact with said one surface of said orifice plate in a direction perpendicular to said main axis during operation of said valve and being supported by said orifice plate, said members constructed and arranged for providing variable flow area between opposed inner leading edges thereof with respect to said passageway and having first and second opposed surfaces spaced apart a distance corresponding to said thickness disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to said main axis, and each said member having opposed transverse sides which are coextensive with the spacing between said first and second surfaces and having a height equal to said thickness and are each disposed in a single plane at least for said thickness, refractory means on said disc on the surface thereof facing said inlet and further protective means on opposite surface thereof for facilitating relative sliding movement of said discs with respect to said orifice plate;

(d) guide means secured with said valve body only on said inlet side of said orifice plate on transversely opposite sides of said disc members with respect to their path of movement for constraining movement of said discs in a predetermined path substantially in the plane of said opposed openings in said valve body and preventing substantial transverse movement of said discs with respect to the path of movement, said guide means having inner surfaces for facilitating relatively free sliding movement between said guide means and said disc members, and defining with a portion of said one surface of said orifice plate the path of movement of said disc members, said transverse sides of said disc members being uniformly spaced from adjacent inner surfaces of said guide means.

20. The valve of claim 19 wherein said refractory means wraps around the sides of said disc members in facing relationship with respect to said guide means.

21. The valve of claim 19 wherein said discs members are continuously solid within its extremeties.

22. An improved slide valve adapted for use in the control of processes containing fluid flow with erosive materials and at high temperature comprising in combination:

(a) a valve body comprising a wall defining a central flow passageway connected by an inlet and an outlet and having opposed openings in said wall;

(b) an orifice plate removably mounted in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and having a fixed orifice disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to the flow through said passageway, said orifice plate including refractory means on one surface at least directly adjacent said orifice opening;

(c) disc means of predetermined thickness slidably mounted in said valve body substantially in the same plane as said opposed openings for sliding movement in total bearing surface contact with said one surface of said orifice plate in a direction perpendicular to the axis of said central flow passageway when said valve is operating and being supported by said orifice plate, said disc means for providing variable flow area with respect to said passageway and having first and second opposed surfaces spaced apart a distance corresponding to said thickness disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to the axis of said flow passageway, said disc means having transverse sides coextensive with the spacing between said first and second surfaces and having a height equal to said thickness and each being disposed in a single plane at least for said thickness, refractory means on said disc means on the surface thereof facing the direction of flow and further protective means on the opposite surface thereof for facilitating relative sliding movement of said disc means with respect to said orifice plate;

(d) guide means secured with said valve body on transversely opposite sides of said disc means with respect to their path of movement for constraining movement of said disc means in a predetermined path substantially in the plane of said opposed openings in said valve body and preventing substantial transverse movement of said disc means with respect to the path of movement, said guide means having inner surfaces facing said disc means and a coating on said inner surfaces for facilitating relatively free sliding movement between said guide means and said disc means, said transverse sides of said disc means being uniformally spaced from and with respect to the adjacent inner surface of said guide means.

23. The valve of claim 22 wherein said disc means comprises a pair of opposed disc members whose leading inner edges are adjustable relative to each other for providing variable flow therebetween.