Parker-hannifin Corporation

Eric R Coyle

Raghujit Prasad Kunapuli

Christian D Parker

Craig Obermark

Dustin B Searcy

Richard C Larash

Dylan T Yegge

A bulbless thermostatic expansion valve includes a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a suction line that is fluidly isolated from the inlet and the outlet, a valve member movable relative to the valve body for controlling flow of an operating fluid through the valve body, and a power element mounted to the valve body adjacent to the suction line and that senses temperature and pressure of the suction line. To account for potential temperature variations among components of the valve and ambient variations, the valve body has a thermal separation slot that is positioned between the inlet and the suction line to provide thermal separation of the power element relative to the inlet. The valve body may have a second thermal separation slot that is positioned between the outlet and the suction line to provide thermal separation of the power element relative to the outlet.

Bulbless thermostatic expansion valve containing a thermal separation slot

A thermal sensor assembly for a thermostatic expansion valve includes an enclosure that forms an enclosed interior space containing a thermal sensing fluid, and an opening in the enclosure for charging the thermal sensing fluid. A ball is arranged in the opening and forms a fluid seal between a sealing surface and a sealing interface of the assembly. The sealing surface may be made with a material that is softer than a material of the sealing interface, such that the sealing surface conforms to the sealing interface and fluidly seals the thermal sensing fluid in the enclosed interior space of the enclosure. The opening may include a tapered lead-in hole that tapers radially inwardly as the lead-in hole extends toward the interior space to thereby form the seal. A cover may be attached to an exterior surface of the enclosure to hold the ball in the opening to form the seal.

Ball seal for thermal sensor assembly of thermostatic expansion valve

A flange-mounted inline valve arrangement includes a flange having an internal fluid passage, and an inline electrically-operable valve coupled to the flange. The inline valve includes a valve body and a valve member movable relative to the fluid passage in the flange for controlling flow. The valve arrangement also includes an electrical feed that connects to the electrically-operable valve through the flange for enabling an electrical connection external to the flange and other system piping. At least part of the electrical feed may be in a flow path and is fluidly sealed to prevent electrical shorts. The valve arrangement may be installed into the system as a single unit with an exterior coupling of the electrical feed on an exterior part of the flange to easily make the external electrical connection. The valve arrangement may be used in a chiller, where the inline valve is an electronic expansion valve.

Flange-mounted inline valve with integrated electrical feed

A split reversible heat pump/air conditioning system employs a single, bulbless thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) that spans both the common liquid line and the suction line. The system includes a compressor that supplies a refrigerant flow along a refrigerant pathway; an indoor heat exchanger; an outdoor heat exchanger; a reversing valve located along the refrigerant pathway between the outdoor heat exchanger and the compressor, and between the indoor heat exchanger and the compressor; and a bulbless TEV comprising a valve portion located along a common liquid line of the refrigerant pathway between the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger that throttles the refrigerant flow as between the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger, and a sensor portion for sensing pressure and temperature located along a suction line of the refrigerant pathway between the compressor and the reversing valve.

Air conditioning and heat pump system with bulbless thermostatic expansion valve

A bulbless thermostatic expansion valve has enhanced joining of the power element to the valve body. The valve body includes an upper extension that extends from a main body portion, an end of the upper extension being crimped into a lip relative to an opposing surface of the main body portion thereby defining a recess that receives a portion of the housing of the power element to the join the power element to the valve body. The lip may be formed by roll forming the end of upper extension of the valve body. The housing of the power element may be a multipart housing including an upper housing and a lower housing, with a diaphragm being secured between the upper housing and the lower housing, and an end of the lower housing is the portion of the housing of the power element that is received within the recess.

Bulbless thermostatic expansion valve and method of joining insulated power element

A bulbless expansion valve including a valve body, a valve member, a power element, and a thermal sensor including an enclosure operatively mounted to the valve body. The power element includes a diaphragm having a first side operatively coupled to the valve member, and a second side that together with the sensor enclosure forms at least part of a sensing chamber containing sensing fluid such that the sensing fluid is in communication with the second side of the diaphragm. The first side of the diaphragm may be fluidly coupled to an operating line, such as a suction line, to communicate temperature and pressure to the first side of the diaphragm, thereby providing heat transfer with the sensing fluid on the opposite side. Temperature changes of the sensing fluid results in pressure changes applied to the diaphragm causing movement of the valve member to control flow of the operating fluid.

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Chesterfield, MO, United States of America

Eric R Coyle