Safety device for cutting off gas pipelines

• US 6,550,495 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mertik Maxitrol Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Mertik Maxitrol Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Schulze, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN L
• Application Number:
  US09/743,670
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 137/81.1, 137/79, 137/80, 137/456, 137/457, 137/461, 137/468, 137/458, 137/614.2, 251/111
• US Class Current: 137/614.2
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/38 of excessive temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/386 the closure members being rotatable or pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1963 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2012 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7724 Thermal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7737 Thermal responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/88054 Direct response normally closed valve limits direction of flow

Abstract

A thermal safety device for cutting off gas pipelines, wherein gas transfer is prevented by the safety device when temperature increases in the section of the gas pipeline placed downstream from the safety device, especially when connected gas apparatuses are in a closed position maintains production costs and dimensions at a level as low as possible. The safety device includes a check valve which prevents backflow from the gas pipeline which is placed downstream from the device. The inventive device also includes a pressure sensitive element placed downstream from the safety device which is actuated by the pressure in the pipeline. The pressure sensitive element is coupled to a cut-off valve in such a way that when pressure increases in the downstream pipeline the valve prevents gas from flowing into the pipeline.

Claims

1. A safety device for cutting off a gas pipeline above a predetermined temperature, the safety device comprising:

a check valve to prevent a backflow from a portion of a gas pipeline situated downstream to the safety device; and

a pressure-sensitive element coupled to a cut-off valve in such a way that in case of rising pressure in the pipeline, the cut-off valves stops the gas flow through the pipeline, the pressure-sensitive element pressurized by a pressure prevailing in the downstream portion of the pipeline being located within the gas pipeline, the check valve for preventing the backflow formed by the cut-off valve being situated within the gas pipeline upstream to the pressure-sensitive element.

2. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 1, wherein the check valve releases a backflow from the downstream portion of the pipeline after a gas transfer into the downstream portion of the pipeline has been cut off to prevent inadmissible overpressure in the downstream portion of the pipeline.

3. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 1, wherein the movable closing element of the check valve is a piston or a diaphragm disk that is loaded by a spring and/or its own weight against the gas flow direction and that the piston or the diaphragm disk forms the pressure sensitive element.

4. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 3, wherein the piston is movable in response to a rising pressure in the downstream portion of the pipeline into a bore and wherein an engaging latching stop prevents a return movement of the piston and that said piston with a flexible sealing seals the bore.

5. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 4, wherein the bore is tapered in the moving direction of the piston.

6. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 4, wherein a section of the bore that is assigned to the piston after the engagement of the latching stop has an expansion whose diameter is larger than that of the piston with a flexible sealing and that the bore is sealed by the piston with the attached flexible sealing after a pressure relief in the downstream pipeline through the created gap and under the impact of a spring and/or its own weight as well as the latching stop.

7. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 4, wherein the latching stop consists of an expansion of the bore and the flexible sealing, the transition from the expansion to the bore having a limit stop.

8. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensitive element is coupled to a gas flow control valve in such a way that the gas flow control valve is in a closed position when the pressure increases in the downstream portion of the pipeline.

9. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 8, wherein a pressure sensitive element releases the lock of a pre-tensioned spring when pressure increases and that the gas flow control valve moves into its closed position under the impact of a spring.

10. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 8, wherein the axial movement of the piston is limited on either side by a seat, the seat upstream from the piston forming the check valve together with the piston the seat downstream from the piston forming a gas flow control valve together with the piston.

11. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 10, wherein the piston has an extension on at least one front face which slides with a loose fit in a guidance aperture whose front face is closed in a gastight manner.

12. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 9, wherein the safety device has an externally operable manipulator with which the spring can be brought into a pre-tensioned and latched position.

13. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 1, wherein the safety device has an externally operable manipulator with which the safety device in closed position can be returned into its initial position.

14. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 2, wherein the check valve includes a movable closing element in the form of a piston or a diaphragm disk that is loaded by a spring and/or its own weight against the gas flow direction and that the piston or the diaphragm disk simultaneously form a pressure sensitive element.

15. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 14, wherein the piston can be moved by rising pressure in the downstream pipeline into a bore wherein an engaging latching stop prevents a return movement of the piston and that said piston with a flexible sealing seals the bore.

16. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 5, wherein the section of the bore that is assigned to the piston after the engagement of the latching stop has an expansion whose diameter is larger than that of the piston with a flexible sealing and that the bore is sealed by the piston with the attached flexible sealing after a pressure relief in the downstream pipeline through the created gap and under the impact of a spring and/or its own weight as well as the latching stop.

17. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 5, wherein the latching stop consists of an expansion of the bore and the flexible sealing, the transition from the expansion to the bore having a limit stop.

18. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 15, wherein in that the section of the bore that is assigned to the piston after the engagement of the latching stop has an expansion whose diameter is larger than that of the piston with a flexible sealing and that the bore is sealed by the piston with the attached flexible sealing after a pressure relief in the downstream portion of the pipeline through the created gap and under the impact of a spring and/or its own weight as well as the latching stop.

19. A safety device for cutting off gas pipelines according to claim 15, wherein the latching stop consists of an expansion of the bore and a flexible sealing wherein the diameter of said expansion is smaller than that of the piston with a flexible sealing and that the transition from the expansion to the bore has a limit stop.

20. A safety device for cutting off gas pipeline according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass circumventing the check valve for preventing an inadmissible overpressure in the downstream portion of the pipeline, the bypass for releasing a backflow from the downstream portion of the pipeline after a gas transfer into the downstream portion of the pipeline has been cut off.