US2530433A - Valve organization - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 21, 1950 w. c. JAEGLE VALVE ORGANIZATION Filed March 24, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet vl INVENTOR ZQ/z'azzz CJQeg/e 6? 5 XJJ-IORNEYS W. C. JAEG LE VALVE ORGANIZATION Nov. 21, 195.0

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mi n Filed March y24, 1945 BY $3533 'QW' Kw p Mrz ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Klingerit, Inc., New York,

of New York N. Y., a corporation Application March 24, 1945, Serial No. 584,575

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in tank attachments, and has to do, more particularly with the provision of a drain device for liquid storage' tanks and like vessels in which an accumulation of sludge or sediment is experienced and tends to interfere with drainage through conventional valve structures. In the case of vessels provided with agitating means for effecting mixture or suspension of their liquid and non-liquid contents, the drain device must not project within the vessel in such fashion as to interfere with the agitating instrumentalities. It is to the solution of these and related problems that my invention is directed. It is a primary object of my invention to provide a drain device for storage tanks and the like wherein the drainage duct therethrough is provided with a valve which in normal closed position may be located accurately iiush with the inner surface of the tank or other vessel, which in open position offers a minimum of restriction to discharge of liquids, with or without suspended solids, through the drainage duct; and which, in the event of the drainage duct being dammed by an accumulation of sludge or sediment in the tank itself, may be so actuated as to itself effect rupture of the sediment or sludge dam without the introduction of a snake or other instrumentality into the tank.

It is another object of my invention to provide such a device for tanks and the like which can serve successfully as a drainage cut-off valve even in instances where the liquid to be handled contains solids of a nature which would interfere with or impair the sealing surfaces of conventional valve structures.

It is also an object of my invention to provide such a device which may be produced in a relatively few standardized sizes suitable for installation upon a wide range of tank and vessel types.

In the claims and in the description, parts are l identified by specific names for convenience; but such nomenclature is intended to be as generic as the state of the art will warrant. My invention is particularly defined inY the appended claims; and the best form in which I have contemplated applying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view through a drain device constiuting a preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a tank of double-walled structure, a portion through the operating stem of the device being broken out to reduce the length of the figure.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same device as that illustrated in Fig. 1, the parts, thereof, however, being shown in closed, sediment-clearing, position as distinguished from the open, drainage, position depicted in Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a view of a modified form of drainage device installed upon aV single-walled tank, the position of the parts corresponding to the disclosure in Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 4 is a View of the structure shown in Fig. 3, the parts being, like those of Fig. 2, in sediment clearing projected position.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view (on an enlarged scale) of the screw-carried nut of the plunger element common to the devices of Figs. 1 through 4. Y

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view (also on an enlarged scale) taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view (drawn to an enlarged scale) showing in vertical section, the adjoining portions of the plunger and casing structure forming a part ofthe device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line B-S of Fig. 3 and revealing the independently adjustable packing gland of that structure.

In the drawings, Figs. 1 through 8, similar parts are identified by similar reference numerals. The device of Figs. 3 and 4 is identical to that of Figs. l and 2 insofar as its plunger and plungeroperating mechanism is considered; differing therefrom otherwise solely in details of casing and bonnet structure and in the character of its attachment to the tank.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the device there illustrated-is a drainage attachment embodying my invention installed upon a double-walled tank having an inner wall 4, and an outer wall 2 arranged to define, therebetween, a space 3 for a heat-exchange mediumv such as hot water, steam, brine or the like. Asput' element l extends through alined openings in the tank walls 2 and 4, is llet welded ush tothe inner surface of the inner Wall 2 at la and is formed with a flange Ib lap-welded at Ic to the outer surface of the outer tank wall 4.

To the flange I b of the sput is secured, by means of a plurality of studs 6, a casing member 5 having a counterbore B therein coaxial with the sput I, into which is snugly received a sleeve I provided with a .sealing ring 9 of packing material. The casing is formed with a flanged outlet I6 dening, with the counterbore 8, a Y, and the Sleeve I0 is ported at II so as to aline with the outlet IB and offer a minimum of resistance to flow therefrom. A set screw I9 engaged Within a groove in the sleeve I0 insuresv accurate registry of the port I'I with the :Outlet IB.

A plunger 1, having the rform of a cylindrical cup of greater length than the combined length of the sput I and sleeve I0, is snugly slidably received in the sleeve Ill and projectable through the sput I as depicted in Fig. 2. Mechanism is provided for so projecting and retracting the fplunger 'I to cause same to assume, selectively, either of the actual positions illustrated in Figs. l `and 2, and also the nposition represented in dotted lines in Fig. 2, wherein .the closed forward end of fthe plunger lies ush withthe inner surface of the vtank wall 4 and sput I. This mechanism is supported upon the casing by means of a bonnet I 2 which, also, .serves .as -a clamping member by .which the inner sealing ring 9 aforementioned, and an Vouter sealing ring I5 backed by a gland 25, are `compressed into leakage-preventing contact between the -sleeve I and casing 5 as well as into peripheral sealing contact with the plunger .'I, enabling vthe sliding plunger movements, above described, without seepage therepast. The bonnet I 2 is assembled with the casing 5 by 'means of cap screws 22, which aiord the means for applying appropriate packing pressure upon the sealingrings 9 and I5.

The bonnet I2, an intermediate portion of is which is shown broken out to shorten the View, is slotted from its casing-attached Abase lflange 2| yup toits head 40, providing diametrically opposed guide slots '30, 3l within which the extended arms 36, 3'I of a crosshead nut 35 slide .captive against rotation for the length of .the bonnet. The nut 35 fis threadedly associated with a stem 29 having a reduced outer end 4I by @which :it istjonrnaled ina doublerow annular .ball :bearing 45 mounted in the bonnet head 4u. yA handwheel 4l Ais secured to :the end 4I of the .stem 28 and, lfby its manual rotation, .the nut 35 may be caused to travel for the full l.length of ,the stem 2'9 between .the steinfollar .4,8 and the .bonnet head The ,nur as Vis. formed with a threaded plug portion 34 which is engaged within the other- :wise open en d of the plunger I and constitutes an integral lportion thereof .when so assembled therewith, -closing the hollow plunger space against .entry-:of foreign matter as well as .enabling re- .:tentionof lubricant -desirably provided therein to :insure free-running of the nut upon the threads of the stem.

The function of the plunger `I as .a valve ele- A.ment for -closing the ,sleeve port .I I `is obvious; `the ,plunger .'I -of my ,drain device :is not Va mere valve, for it serves to per-form aspecial function which is Aof great importance rin tank Iinstallations for the handling of liquids from which sediment .or ysludge tends .to precipitate upon 4,the tank -wall in the vicinity of the drainage split. Such pre- -ccipitatiorh particularly inthe .case-,of tanks form- `ing .a partof-.digestera evaporators and like plant sistant to dis'lodgement as to impair or com pletely prevent drainage through the sput. Under these conditions, it is usually necessary to bail out or syphon off the tank contents and clear away the obstruction by means of a snake introduced through the drainage opening or by means of an implement operated from within the tank itself, When one considers the problem of the handling and removal of 'the freed deposits in the presence of residual liquid, solvent and iushing mediums, and the necessity of removing or working around such agitating mechanism as may and usually does form a part of the equipment within the tank, the difliculty of the operation .will be manifest. Moreover, in heat-exchangeequipment, particularly, the inner tank walls are desirably thin and may be of some soft metal for high thermal efficiency. The deposits to loe-,removed may, on the contrary, be extremely hard and tenacious, so that the implements required for `their dislodgement ,andv :breakingmp may, .of necessityJ be sharp, massive .or otherwise -risky to use.

.As has been indicated .in the introductorypor: ition .of this .speciiioation the present invention is directed to the elimination .of the problembf clogging V. orl-dainining of the drainage -orifice .of a tank or the like `.with such accumulations, and this object is attained by .my ,device without `the need ,for prolonged shut-downof the tankequin ,ment nor the use of tools which vmay prove .deleterious inunskilled hands.

.Reference to Fig. .2 .of the drawing will Ireveal that by means of .the .threaded vstem ,29, ,the end of thepluneer J may-@be .projected so far bevond the' internal surface ,of V'the ,tank wall 4 .and .sput .l as to pierce `or break loose any amount ci sediment, sludge, calcareous scale .or the like which might deposit across the sput passage and interfere with .drainage therethrough. Because of the .great .amplification .of force .which lis 1de- .yeloped by an.Acme.-.threaded.stem isueh isommonly employed in bench vises, screwjacksetc.) .only a -slight manual ,eiTort (applied .to rotation of thehandwheel'l.) wil-lsuince to ,clear thermost .obstinate obstruction .across the sput opening; .and .the stresses ,incident .to .such removal .are inherently borne, almost -exclus,ii/elsa,bv-the massive sput I `and the .drainage .device :carried thereby.

.Reference has been made, .earlier in .thisspecimation, .to .the .fact thatagitatng elluiillrieiit is commonly .employed within :tanks :and .the like .of

,the .type to .which the .present invention is .Gf

lltlltfy- Sllh aeitating equipment frequently the form of a bladed rotated hub coaxial with .the `.tank wall through which :the .drainage sput extends .and the blade `ele-ments often haveexrtremely small clearance from such walls serving, in some instances, Yas -wall Scrapers zto keep the wall as free as possi-ble .of scale or sludge which always .interferes with heat-exchange.

To insure vaga-inst inadvertent vinterference with, or injury of, such ,rota-ted blades, means are provided for normally positively limiting the projection .of -the zend .of the plunger il vto a .posi-tion, ,for exampleJ :flush miththefinner 1.face-:of .the'sput 3|., as indicated by :dotted lines Fig.. In the device illustrated, this means `.consists .of .a collar 5.9 snugly disposed ,around the hamlet i2 and locked thereon by -a set screw -,5I @ne Tof.thearrns .(3.1) of 7the1`nut-35 seeFigsf and .is provided with ,-a -bo-re within Y.which faspring- 'urged vbolt .38 extends -radiallyeoutwardly a .fd-is- .eq-uipment, frequently .becomes so :thickend re- ;75 .tance -suicient `to abut -thefoutboard ,face :of-the vcollar 50 and thus limit projected travel of the nut 35, with its assembled plunger l, upon the stem 29 to the dotted-line position indicated in Fig. 2.

To effect clearing of the sput I of deposits which may interfere with free drainage through the device in its Fig. 1 or open position, plunger projection to the full-line position shown in Fig. 2 is undertaken as a preliminary operation. In

the case of the bolt-equipped device just set forth Y aspreferred form for the embodiment of my invention, projection of the plunger to the fullline position'shown in Fig. 2 is effected simply by appropriately rotating the handwheel il while manually depressing the bolt 38 against its spring .39 so that the nose of the `bolt may pass within the confines of the collar Eil. Once having passed the collar B, the bolt-equipped nut, and its assembled plunger, are unimpeded by the collar 5i) and are free to move until the stem collar 48 is engaged by the nut 35. It will be noted that the boliI 38 is provided with a slot Cia therethrough and a pin 38h which passes through this slot and insures retention of the bolt in the nut arm 31. by reason of the inclined nose of the plunger 38, the need for its depression to enable retraction of the plunger by handwheel operation is obviated, the plunger being automatically cammed radially inwardly against the resistance of its spring 39 upon engagement with the inboard face of the collar 50.

The detail view, Fig. 7, shows the structure of the joint between the bonnet l2 and the casing 5 of the device, as well as the screws 25a by which the annular gland provided for engagement with the sealing ring I5 is assembled with the bon net I2.

It is to be noted that the device of Figs. 1 and 2 is applicable to sputs of various lengths, and therefore to tanks of a considerable range of wall thickness. The projection allowed the plunger 1, when unlimited by the stop-bolt 38, is adequate to extend through a sput of even greater length than shown and still suffice to dislodge or pierce a sediment or sludge formation of considerable thickness. In order to insure the operation of the bolt 38 so that the plunger will, in the absence of bolt depression, lie ush with the inner tank wall surface, the collar 55 may be secured to the bonnet |2 at the desired position along its length by the set screw 5|. Under some conditions of use, atmospheric moisture may tend to collect within the plunger l. To insure against interference with plunger movement due to such moisture a vent 52 is provided in the plunger.

The device illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is, in its functiona1 aspects, identical to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. For an understanding of its fundamental mode of operation, accordingly, reference may be had to the description given of the Fig. 1 device. In Fig. 3, however, the drain device is so formed as to be directly attached to the tank, as by welding. In a sense, the casing |05 thereof may be said to carry its own sput portion ll which is permanently, or otherwise, secured to the tank wall. Such a structure is especially suited for installation upon single walled tanks, although neither the Fig. 1 nor the Fig. 3 device is necessarily limited to use with any particular form of tank.

The bonnet l2 of the device illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is, as shown in Fig. 8, of bifurcate form, the base ange being constituted by two feet |2| Moreover, it will be self-evident that,

6 which are spaced from each other. The bonnet feet |2|A are fastened down tight upon the casing I U5 by the studs 22 and do not serve the packingcompressing function of the bonnet flange 2| in the Fig. l device. The packing gland of the Fig. 3v device is flanged to overlie the bonnetadjacent end of the casing |535 and is urged to bear upon the packing I5 (and indirectly upon the packing 9) by means of its .own adjusting studs |25a. This independent"gland-tightening arrangement is of especial advantage over the design depicted in Figs. 1, 2 and 7 in installations where the bonnet is of considerable length and lateral pull` upon the handwheel 41 may be or such magnitude as Yto tend to throw the bonnet out of alinement with the casing of the bonnet if the bonnet mounting be even slightly yieldable in character.

I am aware that my invention is capable of embodiment in many forms and of materials other than those herein specified or conventionally employed in valve manufacture. I therefore claim my invention broadly, as indicated by the appended claims.

Having described the preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a drainage device, a container, a valve casing adapted to be attached to said container, a tubular guideway within said casing, a plunger longitudinally movable within said guideway, a stem mounted for rotation within said guideway and held against longitudinal movement, means for rotating said stem, a screw-threaded engagement between said stem and said plunger whereby said plunger may be reciprocated, a detent on said plunger, an abutment on said valve casing adapted to coact with said detent to position said plunger flush with the inner surface of 'said container and means whereby said detent may be released from coaction with said abutment to permit projection of lsaid plunger beyond the inner surface of said container.

2. A valve organization comprising: a casing having an end portion adapted to be secured in a wall of a tank so as to form a portion of the tank wall, there being a conduit within the casing communicating with the tank and an outlet from the conduit, a plunger forming an imperforate septum for the conduit, means for reciprocating said plunger either to open said outlet, close said outlet, position the plunger flush with the casing end portion or project the plunger beyond the casing end portion, a detent on said plunger, an abutment on said casing adapted to coact with said detent to position said plunger flush with the casing end portion, and means whereby the detent may be released from coaction with the abutment to permit projection of the plunger beyond the casing end portion.

3. A valve organization comprising: a casing having an end portion adapted to be secured in a wall of a tank so as to form a, portion of the tank wall, there being a conduit within the casingV communicating with the tank and an outlet from the conduit, a plunger forming an imperforate septum for the conduit, means for reciprocating said plunger either to open said outlet, close said outlet, position the plunger flush with the casing end portion or project the plunger beyond the casing end portion, one of said parts having a detent adapted to coact with a portion of the other part so as to position the plunger flush with the casing end portion, and means for displacing the detent to inoperative position whereby the plonger 'niey be projected beyond the caeirg `'eind portion. Y

4. .A valve .organization comprising: a oalng having an lend portion adapted to be .s'eoiired in :a Wal-1 of a tankso 'as to form a -pofition of the tank wall, there being a conduit Within ih easing communicating with the tank and an oli-tiet from -the conduit, a plunger forming an imperfora-te septum for the cond-uit, means for reciprocating sai-d `pmnger either to open said outlet, close said outlet, vposition the plunger ush with the casing end portion or 'project the plunger beyond the casing vend. portion, and a. member moved forward with the plunger and so coaoting with a portion of the casing as to normally `limit :movement of the plunger to a, position flush with the easing end portion, lseid member being readily shiftab'l'e to inoperative position whereby the plunger may ce riroj'eoted Beyond the yeasing end' portion when esired. A

JAEGLE.

REFERENCES' GITE!) 'The following references ere of fecero in the ile of "this patent:

UN'rrEDA STATES PATENT' s :Number Name 4Date 993,093 Mueller .r Ma'y 23, -1911 1,064,409 Wheary June 10,l l1913 1,467,492 Sep`t.- 11, 1923 1,511,302 e Oct. 14, 1924 1,639,853 Ang-(23, 1927 1,836,280 Y ,Y 1 -Dee. 115, :191311 1,872,211 Yarriall Aug. 16, 1-932 2.17,353 Stecher Aug. 2'2, 1939

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