Combination air vent and overpressure valve

• US 4,951,701 A
• Filed: 07/17/1989
• Issued: 08/28/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vernay Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vernay Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Boehmer, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohan, Alan
• Application Number:
  US07/380,237
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 137/202, 137/199, 137/493.9, 251/333
• US Class Current: 137/199
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/20 characterised by means for preventing vapour lock
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/06 Venting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/309 Fluid sensing valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/3099 Float responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/778 Axes of ports co-axial

Abstract

A combined air vent and overpressure relief valve for a submersible pump includes a single tubular housing to be inserted in an opening in the upper end wall of a chamber on the outlet pressure side of the pump. The upper end of this housing has a vent hole therethrough, and inside the housing is an annular valve seat facing upwardly. A valve disk within the housing is proportioned to move lengthwise thereof toward and away from the valve seat but is normally biased into sealing engagement with the seat by a spring within the housing. This valve disk has a bleed hole therethrough, and a valve ball is caged in the lower part of the housing, below the valve seat for movement into and out of sealing engagement with the lower end of the bleed hole in the valve disk as the pressure within the chamber rises and falls. If that pressure exceeds the force of the spring holding the valve disk closed, the disk will be forced out of sealing engagement with its seat in the housing, thereby providing a flow path for liquid around the periphery of the disk to and through the vent hole in the upper end wall of the housing.

Claims

1. A combined air vent and overpressure relief valve assembly for installation in an opening in the upper end wall of a chamber to be filled with liquid under pressure, comprising:

(a) a tubular housing proportioned for insertion in said opening in sealed relation with said wall,

(b) said housing having an upper end wall provided with a vent hole therethrough,

(c) means within said housing forming an annular valve seat facing said upper end wall,

(d) a valve disk within and proportioned to move lengthwise of said housing and including an annular portion proportioned for sealing engagement with said valve seat,

(e) means for maintaining said valve disk out of sealing engagement with the inner surface of said housing to provide for flow of liquid past the periphery of said valve disk when said disk is out of engagement with said seat,

(f) spring means in said housing for biasing said disk into sealing engagement with said seat,

(g) said valve disk having a bleed hole therethrough,

(h) a valve ball proportioned to seat in the lower end of and close said bleed hole,

(i) a guide cage for said ball fixed in the lower end of said housing for retaining said ball in aligned relation with said bleed hole,

(j) said cage being proportioned both to provide for travel of said valve ball into and out of sealing relation with said bleed hole while said valve disk is in said sealing engagement with said valve seat and to provide space for flow of fluid from within said chamber to said bleed hole when said valve ball is out of sealing engagement with said bleed hole,

(k) said cage being open at the lower end thereof to expose said ball and the lower surface of said disk to fluid under pressure from said chamber, and

(l) said ball and said valve disk constituting the sole members of said valve assembly which are movable with respect to said housing whereby following movement of said ball into seated and closing relation with said bleed hole, said valve and said disk are movable as a unit in response to pressure on the undersurface of said disk of sufficient magnitude to overcome said spring means.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring means is a compression spring positioned between said housing end wall and said disk, and further comprising means in said housing limiting travel of said valve disk away from said valve seat to a maximum distance substantially less than the diameter of said valve ball to cause said ball to be retained in said cage in all positions of said valve disk.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 1, 4 or 5 wherein said valve ball is formed of elastomeric material, and further comprising fingers of elastomeric material spaced around the interior of said bleed hole for holding said ball out of sealing engagement with said bleed hole until the pressure within said chamber exceeds a predetermined value.

4. A combined air vent and overpressure relief valve assembly for installation in an opening in the upper end wall of a chamber to be filled with liquid under pressure, comprising:

(a) a housing proportioned for insertion vertically in said opening in sealed relation with said wall,

(b) means defining a passage extending vertically through said housing and having an inlet opening at the lower end thereof and a vent hole at the upper end thereof,

(c) means in said passage forming an annular valve seat adjacent the lower end of said passage and facing said vent hole,

(d) a valve member within and proportioned to move lengthwise of said passage above said valve seat and including an annular portion proportioned for sealing engagement with said valve seat,

(e) means maintaining said valve member out of sealing engagement with the surrounding wall of said passage to provide for flow of fluid past the periphery of said valve member when said annular portion thereof is out of engagement with said seat,

(f) spring means in said passage for biasing said valve member into sealing engagement of said annular portion thereof with said seat,

(g) said valve member having a bleed hole therethrough,

(h) a valve ball proportioned to move freely in the lower portion of said passage into and out of seated sealing relation with the lower end of said bleed hole,

(i) said housing including means retaining said ball between the lower end of said passage and said valve member while providing for downward movement of said ball out of seated relation with said bleed hole,

(j) whereby air in said chamber will flow around said ball to said bleed hole, and liquid pressure in said chamber will first move said ball into sealing relation with said bleed hole and will thereafter move said valve member upwardly from said seat while retaining said ball seated on said bleed hole and will escape around said valve member to the upper end of said passage and said vent hole, and

(k) said ball and said valve disk constituting the sole members of said valve assembly which are movable with respect to said housing whereby following movement of said ball into seated and closing relation with said bleed hole, said valve and said disk are movable as a unit in response to pressure on the undersurface of said disk of sufficient magnitude to overcome said spring means.

5. A combined air vent and overpressure relief valve assembly for installation in an opening in the upper end wall of a chamber to be filled with liquid under pressure, said chamber having an outlet controlled by a check valve which opens in response to development of a predetermined pressure in said chamber, comprising:

(a) a housing proportioned for insertion vertically in said opening in sealed relation with said wall,

(b) means defining a passage extending vertically through said housing and having an inlet opening at the lower end thereof and a vent hole at the upper end thereof,

(c) means in said passage forming an annular valve seat adjacent the lower end of said passage and facing said vent hole,

(d) a valve member within and proportioned to move lengthwise of said passage above said valve seat and including an annular portion proportioned for sealing engagement with said valve seat,

(e) means maintaining said valve member out of sealing engagement with the surrounding wall of said passage to provide for flow of fluid past the periphery of said valve member when said annular portion thereof is out of engagement with said seat,

(f) spring means in said passage for biasing said valve member into sealing engagement of said annular portion thereof with said seat,

(g) said valve member having a bleed hole therethrough,

(h) a valve ball proportioned to move freely in the lower portion of said passage into and out of seated sealing relation with the lower end of said bleed hole,

(i) said housing including means retaining said ball between the lower end of said passage and said valve member while providing for downward movement of said ball out of seated relation with said bleed hole,

(j) whereby air in said chamber will flow around said ball to said bleed hole, and liquid pressure in said chamber will move said ball into sealing relation with said bleed hole, and

(k) said spring means being of predetermined strength holding said valve member in sealing engagement with said seat until the pressure in said chamber exceeds by a predetermined margin said predetermined pressure under which said check valve opens and causes said valve member to move upwardly from said seat while retaining said ball seated on said bleed hole.