Other

Bs&b Safety Systems, Inc.

Gary W Scantlin

Charles P Cravens

A spool valve is formed from a spool having two adjacent lands of equal cross-sectional dimensions, and a third land having greater cross-sectional dimensions than the other two. The spool reciprocably moves through a bore formed in a housing, so as to open and close fluid communication between selected pairs of ports formed in the housing. The bore includes a first chamber which receives the third land of the spool and has no externally communicating port formed in its walls. The spool valve may be used as a control valve for the actuator of a system valve. As the spool valve begins to actuate, the third land becomes exposed to actuator pressure. The greater area of the third land serves to increase the force applied to the spool valve by the actuator pressure source, enhancing protection from unintended or malicious resetting of the spool.

Actuator control valve

An actuator system for a system valve exposable to a source of system pressure. A piston within a sensing vessel is caused to move longitudinally from a first position to a second position in response to a designated system pressure. A first piston stem carried by the piston is mechanically coupled to an actuator control valve, which is interposed in a fluid path between an actuator and a source of actuator pressure. Movement of the piston from its first to second position causes the coupled actuator control valve to block the fluid path linking the actuator and its pressure source, thereby causing a predetermined change in pressure at the actuator. As a result, the actuator shifts from its unactuated to its actuated state, thereby causing the system valve to shift from a first system valve position to a second system valve position.

Valve actuator system

The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for using sacrificial buckling pin technology for a reliable actuated safety relief valve and for a pilot valve system. The buckling pin fails at a predicted, predetermined system pressure through transfer of force exerted by the system pressure on a sensing piston or diaphragm to the buckling pin. The buckling pin failure triggers the release of a latch mechanism that releases the actuator assembly to slide away from the valve seat to initiate relief flow. The use of the buckling pin as a trigger for release of a latch provides for valves with high flow rates without the use of large, unmanageable buckling pins. The use of a buckling pin valve as a pilot valve to control a single or multiple relief valves operating together as a pressure relief system is preferred as particularly advantageous.

Buckling pin actuated, pilot operated pressure relief valve

The invention provides a method for using sacrificial buckling pin technology for a reliable actuated safety relief valve. The buckling pin fails at a predicted system pressure through transfer of force exerted by the system pressure on a sensing piston or diaphragm to the buckling pin. The buckling pin failure triggers the release of a latch mechanism that releases the actuator assembly to slide away from the valve seat to initiate relief flow. The use of the buckling pin as a trigger for release of a latch provides for valves with high flow rates without the use of large, unmanageable buckling pins.

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Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America

Gary W Scantlin