Fluid-operated actuating drive on a valve

• US 8,752,806 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HOERBIGER Flow Control GmbH
• Original Assignee: Hoerbiger Automatisierungstechnik Holding GmbH (Hoerbiger-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Schaible, Jochen, Groedl, Marcus, Schelp, Stephan, Eufinger, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Fristoe, Jr., John K
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARRY, DAPHNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US13/566,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20130015379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 251/14, 251/31, 251/58, 251/66, 251/68, 251/69, 251/74, 251/129.06
• US Class Current: 251/58
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 1/022 used as an emergency power source, e.g. in case of pump failure
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/065 the motor being of the rack-and-pinion type
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/18 Combined units comprising both motor and pump
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/202 Externally-operated valves mounted in or on the actuator
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/2807 Position switches, i.e. means for sensing of discrete positions only, e.g. limit switches

Abstract

A fluid-operated actuating drive (1) on a valve, in particular a shut-off, safety or regulating valve, comprising a base unit (2) having control valves, two linear actuators (6, 7) which are located opposite of each other and can be actuated fluidically, and a mechanical converter (5) which is arranged between the two linear actuators and couples the gates thereof to each other, wherein the outlet of the converter is coupled to the inlet of the valve. To this end, the actuating drive is composed in a modular manner of individual components joined to form a functional unit in the form of the base unit, the two linear actuators and the mechanical converter.

Claims

1. A fluid-operated valve actuating drive, especially a shutoff, safety or regulating valve actuating drive, comprising:

a base unit provided with control valves, two linear actuators disposed opposite one another and capable of being fluidically actuated via the control valves, a mechanical converter, which is disposed between the two linear actuators, which couples the actuators slides with one another and an output of which is configured for coupling with a target valve external to the valve actuating drive, and an electrically driven pressurized-fluid supply unit integrated in the base unit,

wherein the valve actuating drive uses hydraulic fluid as the working fluid, is provided with a port for an external hydraulic accumulator and is constructed as a closed fluidic drive system provided with one electrical input and one mechanical take-off means acting on the input of the target valve,

wherein the valve actuating drive is constructed modularly from individual components in the form of the base unit, joined together as a functional unit, of the two linear actuators and of the mechanical converter, and all fluid communications between the base unit and the linear actuators and if necessary the mechanical converter are routed inside the individual components, so that no kind of exposed fluid lines exist, and

further comprising a self-aspirating filling device comprising a filling port, which is suitable for the first filling of the fluid system with hydraulic fluid from a cartridge;

wherein at least one mechanical energy-storing spring is integrated in at least one of the two linear actuators or at least one subassembly comprising one of the two linear actuators; and

the mechanical converter does not apply force in the direction of motion of the two linear actuators.

2. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the pressurized-fluid supply unit comprises a hydraulic assembly fed from a tank with a pump driven by an electric motor.

3. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the pressurized-fluid supply unit comprises a pneumatic pump driven by an electric motor and aspirating ambient medium.

4. The drive according to claim 3, wherein electric motor drives the aspirating ambient medium via a filter system.

5. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the fluid connections are equipped in the region of the separating planes through which the fluid connections pass between the components with self-closing shutoffs.

6. The drive according to claim 5, wherein respective filter elements are structurally associated with the self-closing shutoffs.

7. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the two linear actuators are flanged onto the mechanical converter, which in turn is connected via a flanged joint to the base unit or to an emergency actuation block disposed between the base unit and the converter.

8. The drive according to claim 1, further comprising preset or flexibly adjustable indicator means, end switches, end stops, end-position dampers, manual actuating means or position sensors.

9. The drive according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the linear actuators is constructed as a double-acting actuator urged by fluid on both sides, wherein both working chambers of the linear actuator in question are constantly connected to a pressure supply and urged with pressurized fluid.

10. The drive according to claim 1, wherein at least one mechanical energy-storing spring does not urge the slide of the linear actuator in question constantly but instead urges the linear actuator only after actuation of an interlock release, by means of which a blockade holding the energy-storing springs is cancelled.

11. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy-storing spring is clamped and blocked via a fluid, wherein the fluidic blockade is electrically tripped upon occurrence of specified disturbance events and the actuating drive assumes a specified safety position.

12. The drive according to claim 1, wherein there is used a fluidic pressure accumulator equipped with an energy-storing spring, which in the loaded condition contains, in the event of failure of a pressurized-fluid supply unit, at least the fluidic energy necessary to reach a safety position of the valve including the necessary safety reserves.

13. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the two linear actuators on the mechanical converter may be combined functionally as desired and the converter may accommodate, at each of the converters two port positions, a fluidic actuator, a mechanically coupled spring actuator, a mechanically decoupled spring actuator with fluidic actuation or a mechanically decoupled spring actuator with fluidic actuation as well as an additionally mechanically coupled fluidic actuator independent thereof.

14. The drive according to claim 1, wherein the self-aspirating filling device comprises a device disposed on the base unit or on an emergency actuation block and which besides the cartridge port does not need an additional external refilling port.

15. The fluid-operated valve actuating drive of claim 1 wherein the mechanical converter does not exert force for moving the two linear actuators.

16. The fluid-operated valve actuating drive of claim 1 wherein the two linear actuators act simultaneously to apply force to the mechanical converter.