Locking gate device
First Claim
1. A locking gate device comprising:
- a pair of spaced apart fixed members presenting opposing sealing surfaces and defining a gate-receiving space between said sealing surfaces, wherein each of said fixed members defines a flow-through opening circumscribed by one of said sealing surfaces, wherein said flow-through openings are substantially aligned with one another,wherein a first of said fixed members defines a first of said flow-through openings, and wherein said first flow-through opening separates a first pressurized zone from said gate receiving space,wherein a second of said fixed members defines a second of said flow-through openings, and wherein said second flow-through opening separates a second pressurized zone from said gate receiving space;
a gate assembly shiftable within said gate-receiving space between a closed position where said gate assembly substantially blocks said flow-through openings and an open position where said gate assembly does not substantially block said flow-through openings,wherein said gate assembly comprises a pair of spaced apart sealing plates and a drive member disposed between said sealing plates, wherein when said gate assembly is in said closed position said drive member is shiftable relative to said sealing plates between a retracted position and an extended position,wherein said gate assembly further comprises at least one pair of bearings disposed between said sealing plates, wherein shifting of said drive member from said retracted position to said extended position causes said bearings to force said sealing plates apart from one another and into a sealed position where said sealing plates engage said opposing sealing surfaces, wherein shifting of said drive member from said extended position to said retracted position allows said sealing plates to retract towards one another and into an unsealed position where said sealing plates are disengaged from said opposing sealing surfaces;
an equilibration valve configured to selectively connect, via a fluid connection, said first pressurized zone and said second pressurized zone and operable to equalize pressures between said first and second pressurized zones while said gate assembly is in said sealed position; and
a separate one-way valve located between said first pressurized zone and said gate receiving space or between said gate-receiving space and said second pressurized zone, wherein said one-way valve is operable to prevent substantial transfer of incompressible fluids between said first pressurized zone and said second pressurized zone when said gate assembly is in said open position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A locking gate device suitable for selectively blocking the flow of fluid and/or articles through a pair of openings defined by two spaced-apart members is provided. The spaced-apart members may be opposing walls or flanges of two adjacent processing chambers or vessels in a pressurized heating system. The locking gate device includes a gate assembly that is movable within a gate-receiving space defined between opposed sealing surfaces of the spaced-apart members. The gate assembly comprises a pair of sealing plates and a drive member shiftable relative to the sealing plates. As the drive member is shifted between a retracted position and an extended position, a pair of bearings disposed between the sealing plates and the drive member forces the sealing plates outwardly to contact the sealing surfaces of the spaced-apart members. This substantially blocks the flow-through openings defined by one or both sealing surfaces and restricts flow therethrough.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A locking gate device comprising:
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a pair of spaced apart fixed members presenting opposing sealing surfaces and defining a gate-receiving space between said sealing surfaces, wherein each of said fixed members defines a flow-through opening circumscribed by one of said sealing surfaces, wherein said flow-through openings are substantially aligned with one another, wherein a first of said fixed members defines a first of said flow-through openings, and wherein said first flow-through opening separates a first pressurized zone from said gate receiving space, wherein a second of said fixed members defines a second of said flow-through openings, and wherein said second flow-through opening separates a second pressurized zone from said gate receiving space; a gate assembly shiftable within said gate-receiving space between a closed position where said gate assembly substantially blocks said flow-through openings and an open position where said gate assembly does not substantially block said flow-through openings, wherein said gate assembly comprises a pair of spaced apart sealing plates and a drive member disposed between said sealing plates, wherein when said gate assembly is in said closed position said drive member is shiftable relative to said sealing plates between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein said gate assembly further comprises at least one pair of bearings disposed between said sealing plates, wherein shifting of said drive member from said retracted position to said extended position causes said bearings to force said sealing plates apart from one another and into a sealed position where said sealing plates engage said opposing sealing surfaces, wherein shifting of said drive member from said extended position to said retracted position allows said sealing plates to retract towards one another and into an unsealed position where said sealing plates are disengaged from said opposing sealing surfaces; an equilibration valve configured to selectively connect, via a fluid connection, said first pressurized zone and said second pressurized zone and operable to equalize pressures between said first and second pressurized zones while said gate assembly is in said sealed position; and a separate one-way valve located between said first pressurized zone and said gate receiving space or between said gate-receiving space and said second pressurized zone, wherein said one-way valve is operable to prevent substantial transfer of incompressible fluids between said first pressurized zone and said second pressurized zone when said gate assembly is in said open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 21)
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12. A method for moving one or more articles within a pressurized system, said method comprising:
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(a) passing one or more articles from a first pressurized process zone to a second pressurized process zone through a flow-through opening; (b) shifting a pair of movable plates into said opening; (c) moving said plates apart from one another to thereby seal said plates against a pair of opposed sealing surfaces that at least partially define said opening, wherein the pair of sealed plates substantially isolates said first and said second process zones from one another; (d) creating a pressure differential of at least 15 psig across the pair of sealed plates; (e) depressuring at least one of said first and second process zones to equalize the pressure across the pair of sealed plates; (f) moving said plates toward one another to thereby unseal said plates from said sealing surfaces; (g) shifting said pair of plates out of said opening; and (h) removing said articles from said second process zone back into said first process zone through said flow-through opening and/or inserting a new article into said second process zone through said flow-through opening, wherein during said passing of step (a) and said removing of step (h) incompressible fluids are substantially prevented from transferring between the first and second pressurized zone using a separate one-way drive valve. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification