Dual-flow valve and internal processing vessel isolation system

• US 7,811,532 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versum Materials US, LLC (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals Incorporated (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Phillips, Jeffrey Ronald, Arthur, Benjamin James, Leenhouts, James Robert, Kerr, Stuart Alexander, Tsirukis, Athanasios Georgios
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sasaki; Shogo
• Application Number:
  US11/399,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20060231159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 128/200.23, 137/606, 137/896, 137/505.33, 137/505.34, 141/3, 141/20, 141/21, 141 54- 57, 141/65, 141/66, 141/69, 141/70, 141/110, 141/392, 239/337, 239/338, 239/372, 239/373, 261/78.1, 251/153, 422/40, 422/100, 422/103, 422/305, 422/306, 436/180, 423/87, 962/02, 554/17
• US Class Current: 422/305
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/305 with valve member and actuator on the same side of the seat
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7816 Valve head in inlet chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7818 Valve head in inlet chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87652 With means to promote mixing or combining of plural fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87684 Valve in each inlet

Abstract

Fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port; a first valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the first and second ports; and a second valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the third port and the external port.

Claims

1. A fluid storage and delivery system comprising

(a) a fluid storage vessel having an opening and an interior;

(b) a fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port;

a first valve disposed within the valve body and in fluid communication with the first and second ports; and

a second valve disposed within the valve body and in fluid communication with the third port and the external port;

wherein valve body is sealably installed in the opening in the fluid storage vessel and the first, second, and third ports are located within the fluid storage vessel;

(c) a fluid processing vessel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel, wherein the fluid processing vessel is disposed within the fluid storage vessel; and

(d) an inlet tube that connects the inlet of the fluid processing vessel with the second port at the inlet end of the valve body and an outlet tube that connects the outlet of the fluid processing vessel with the third port at the inlet end of the valve body.

2. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 1 wherein the fluid storage vessel contains a pressurized gas.

3. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 2 wherein the pressurized gas is at least one gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, helium, hydrogen, neon, krypton, xenon, radon, and combinations thereof.

4. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 1 wherein the fluid storage vessel contains a pressurized liquefied gas.

5. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 4 wherein the pressurized liquefied gas is at least one gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen fluoride, chlorine, ammonia, tungsten hexafluoride, disilane, dichlorosilane, trimethylsilane, and boron trichloride.

6. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 1 wherein the fluid storage vessel further comprises a reactor system disposed within the interior of the fluid storage vessel, wherein the reactor system is in fluid communication with the interior of the fluid storage vessel.

7. The fluid storage and delivery system of claim 1 wherein the processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel is selected from the group consisting of adsorbent material, absorbent material, catalytic material, getter material, filtration material, and combinations thereof.

8. A system for generating a chemical product comprising

(a) a primary vessel having an opening and an interior;

(b) a fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port;

a first valve disposed within the valve body in fluid communication with the first and second ports; and

a second valve disposed within the valve body in fluid communication with the third port and the external port;

wherein the valve body is sealably installed in the opening in the primary vessel, and wherein the first, second, and third ports are located within the primary vessel;

(c) a fluid processing vessel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel, wherein the fluid processing vessel is disposed within the primary vessel;

(d) an inlet tube that connects the inlet of the fluid processing vessel with the second port at the inlet end of the valve body and an outlet tube that connects the outlet of the fluid processing vessel with the third port at the inlet end of the valve body; and

(e) a reactor system disposed within the primary vessel wherein the reactor system generates the chemical product.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the reactor system is an electrochemical arsine generator.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel is a drying material.

11. A method for generating a chemical product comprising

(a) providing a chemical generation system including

(1) a primary vessel having an opening and an interior, the interior containing a first reactive component;

(2) a fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port;

a first valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the first and second ports; and

a second valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the third port and the external port;

wherein the valve body is sealably installed in the opening in the primary vessel and the first, second, and third ports are located within the primary vessel;

(3) a fluid processing vessel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a second reactive component disposed in the interior of the fluid processing vessel, wherein the fluid processing vessel is disposed within the primary vessel; and

(4) an inlet tube that connects the inlet of the fluid processing vessel with the second port at the inlet end of the valve body and an outlet tube that connects the outlet of the fluid processing vessel with the third port at the inlet end of the valve body;

(b) passing the first reactive component through the first valve and into the fluid processing vessel; and

(c) reacting the first reactive component and the second reactive component to form a product component, and withdrawing the product component from the fluid processing vessel; and

(d) withdrawing the product component through the second valve and the external port.

12. A method for storing and dispensing a fluid comprising

(a) providing a pressurized fluid storage and delivery system, including;

(1) providing a fluid storage vessel having an opening, an interior, and a fluid disposed in the interior;

(2) providing a fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port;

a first valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the first and second ports; and

a second valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the third port and the external port;

wherein the valve body is sealably installed in the opening in the fluid storage vessel and the first, second, and third ports are located within the fluid storage vessel and wherein the first valve and the second valve are each in the closed position;

(3) providing a fluid processing vessel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel, wherein the fluid processing vessel is disposed within the fluid storage vessel and is adapted for processing a fluid provided from the interior of the fluid storage vessel and flowing through the fluid processing vessel; and

(4) providing an inlet tube that connects the inlet of the fluid processing vessel with the second port at the inlet end of the valve body and an outlet tube that connects the outlet of the fluid processing vessel with the third port at the inlet end of the valve body;

(b) opening the first valve and the second valve, thereby placing each valve in the open position; and

(c) withdrawing fluid from the fluid storage vessel through the first valve, introducing the fluid into the fluid processing vessel, processing the fluid by contact with the processing material, withdrawing a processed fluid from the fluid processing vessel, passing the processed fluid through the second valve, and withdrawing the processed fluid via the external port.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the pressurized fluid storage and delivery system further comprises (5) a first check valve disposed between the inlet tube of the fluid processing vessel and the outlet tube of the fluid processing vessel and adapted to allow fluid flow from the outlet tube to the inlet tube and to prevent fluid flow from the inlet tube to the outlet tube;

and (6) a second check valve disposed in the outlet tube at a location between the first check valve and the outlet of the fluid processing vessel and adapted to allow fluid flow from the outlet of the fluid processing vessel to the third port at the inlet end of the valve body and to prevent fluid flow from the third port to the outlet of the fluid processing vessel; and

wherein the fluid storage vessel is filled in (a)(1) by placing the first and second valves in the open position, introducing the fluid into the product delivery port, through the first valve, through the first check valve, through the second valve, and into the fluid storage vessel, and terminating the filling of the fluid storage vessel by placing each of the first and second valves in the closed position.

14. A method for generating a purified chemical product comprising

(a) providing a chemical generation system including

(1) a primary vessel having an opening and an interior;

(2) a fluid flow valve assembly comprising a valve body having an external port and an inlet end having at least a first port, a second port, and a third port;

a first valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the first and second ports; and

a second valve disposed within the valve body and adapted to control fluid flow between the third port and the external port;

wherein the valve body is sealably installed in the opening in the primary vessel and the first, second, and third ports are located within the primary vessel;

(3) a fluid processing vessel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and processing material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel, wherein the fluid processing vessel is disposed within the primary vessel and is adapted for processing a fluid provided from the interior of the primary vessel and flowing through the fluid processing vessel;

(4) an inlet tube that connects the inlet of the fluid processing vessel with the second port at the inlet end of the valve body and an outlet tube that connects the outlet of the fluid processing vessel with the third port at the inlet end of the valve body; and

(5) a reactor system disposed within the primary vessel and adapted to generate an impure chemical product and discharge the impure chemical product into the interior of the primary vessel;

(b) generating the impure chemical product and discharging the impure chemical product into the interior of the primary vessel; and

(c) passing the impure chemical product through the fluid processing vessel to provide the purified chemical product and withdrawing the purified chemical product through the second valve and the external port of the valve body.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the reactor system is an electrochemical arsine generator adapted to generate moist arsine gas from an arsenic-containing metal by an electrochemical reaction.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the reactor system for generating a chemical product is operated to maintain a sub-atmospheric pressure in the interior of the primary vessel.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein water is removed from the moist arsine gas by drying material disposed inside the fluid processing vessel.