Valve for a tap of a gas cylinder and tap having such a valve

• US 5,460,197 A
• Filed: 07/12/1994
• Issued: 10/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Torrent Trading Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Torrent Trading Ltd.
• Inventors: Goffin, Claude, Kerger, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nilson, Robert G.
• Application Number:
  US08/273,728
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 137/38, 137/39, 137/389, 137/413, 141/18, 141/198, 141/217
• US Class Current: 137/39
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/305 with valve member and actuator on the same side of the seat
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/306 with a valve member, e.g. stem or shaft, passing through the seat
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/307 Additional means used in combination with the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/34 acting on pilot valve controlling the cut-off apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/123 for gas bottles, cylinders or reservoirs for tank vehicles or for railway tank wagons
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0329 manually actuated
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0382 Constructional details of valves, regulators
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0413 with floats
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0777 With second control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7297 With second diverse control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7371 Fluid pressure

Abstract

The valve (31) comprises at least two lateral openings (34, 36) which can be shut off by a plug (40) provided with an axial orifice (48) for the passage of gas and sliding axially in the casing (32) between a position in which the openings, (34, 36) are shut off under the influence of a spring (44) and an open position counter to the action of the spring (44) under the influence of the pressure of the filling gas, and a level valve (52) activated by a float (62) at the bottom of the casing (32).

The plug (40) comprises an inner cavity (70), the bottom of which has a cross-section in the shape of an open "V". In this cavity (70) is a ball (72) which prevents the cylinder from being filled when the latter is inclined sufficiently for the ball not to be situated at the bottom of the cavity (70).

Claims

1. Two-way valve for a tap of a compressed or liquefied gas cylinder, which valve is intended to be fitted on an inlet pipe (18) of the tap, to permit both the filling and emptying of the gas cylinder and comprising a casing (32) with at least one lateral opening (34, 36) which can be shut off by a plug (40) which is provided with a passage (48) for gas and which can be displaced, under the influence of resilient means, between a position in which the openings are shut off and an open position counter to the action of the said resilient means and under the influence of the pressure of the filling gas, and a level valve (52) activated by a means (62) for detecting the filling level, it being possible for the said level valve (52) to be opened by the pressure of the gas in the cylinder when it is not kept in the open position by the level-detection means (62) and when the tap is open, characterized in that the said plug (40) consists of an upper piston (40a) comprising an upper part (48a) of the said passage (48), and of a lower piston (40b) comprising a lower part (48b) of the said passage (48), the said upper (40a) and lower (40b) pistons being integrally connected to each other and defining between them a cavity (70) into which the upper (48a) and lower (48b) parts of the passage (48) open, in that the bottom of the cavity (70) has a cross-section in the shape of a very open "V", in that the said cavity (70) contains a ball (72) which, in normal circumstances, rests, when the valve stands vertically, on the upper edge of the lower part (48b) of the passage (48) which opens into the point at the bottom of the cavity (70), in that the lower piston (40b) is traversed vertically by a duct (74) joining the said cavity (70) to the base of the lower piston (40b), and in that the total cross-section of the opening freed by the level valve (52), in its open position, is greater than the cross-section of the said duct (74) and less than the sum of the cross-sections of the said lower part (48b) of the passage and of the duct (74).

2. Valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper and lower parts of the passage (48) have the same cross-section.

3. Valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the said upper and lower parts of the passage (48) traverse the upper piston (40a) and the lower piston (40b) respectively, in an axial fashion.

4. Tap for compressed or liquefied gases, comprising a tap body (10) designed to be fitted on a gas cylinder and containing a closure member (14) at the intersection of an inlet pipe (18) and an outlet pipe (20), a means for operating the closure member, a safety valve (26), a two-way valve enabling the gas cylinder to be both filled and emptied, comprising a casing (32) with at least one lateral opening (34, 36) which can be shut off by a plug (40) provided with a passage (48) for gas and which can be displaced between a position in which the openings (34, 36) are shut off under the influence of a resilient means (44), and an open position counter to the action of the resilient means (44) under the influence of the pressure of the filling gas, and a valve (52) activated by a means (62) for detecting the filling level, characterized in that the two-way valve is a valve according to claim 1.