The present invention relates to a extremely versatile valve that can be uses in a plethora of HVAC situations including for changeover operation, heating and cooling modulation and energy monitoring and control. It provides system simplicity and energy efficiency.
Current HVAC systems employ multiple heat transfer surfaces in order to recover energy, preheat, heat, cool and dehumidify the supply airflow. Each of these heat transfer devices impart air friction, and in turn consumes fan energy. By using a single heat transfer surface for heat recovery, preheat, heat and cool, there is a reduction in the quantity of devices, air friction and resultant fan energy. The current invention results in a new type of valve which can allow multiple piping systems to share the usage of a common coil. The valve will allow hot and chilled water piping systems with the same type of fluid to utilize a single heat transfer device. The valve will combine numerous functions into a single valve which has not heretofore been done.
Henceforth, combined changeover and control valve would fulfill a long felt need in the HVAC industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this. This new valve will allow buildings using hot and chilled water distribution systems to have improved efficiency especially if lowering the conventional return hot water temperature from 160 down to 100 deg F. In air handling units, fan energy is reduced as there is only a single coil providing both the heating and cooling functions.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a cylindrical rotary valve that is able to improve HVAC fan and heating efficiency and simplify syatems by reducing the quantity of valves, heat exchangers and controls.
It has many of the advantages mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new and improved cylindrical valve which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
In accordance with the invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved single valve capable of providing the supply and return fluid from one of two different systems to a single coil completely independently.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved single valve capable of modulating both the heating and cooling functions of a single coil and that has a reduced profile.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a single valve capable of providing improved temperature control of heating and cooloing with a single control output.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide for a new valve that will allow buildings using hot and chilled water distribution systems to have improved efficiency.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an improved valve capable of modulating cooling and heating to a coil as well as having a supply pressure independent control and having the capability of measuring the fluid flowrate, in temperature and out temperature, thereby allowing energy to be calculated monitored and accumulated.
It is another object of this invention to promote energy recovery with four pipe water to water heat pumps.
It is yet another object of this invention to enable computer adjustment of minimum cool, maximum cool, minimum heat and maximum heat fluid flow and low energy.
The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present invention is a cylindrical valve designed for system simplicity and energy efficiency in a plethora of HVAC situations. It sees its full potential when used for changeover operation, heating and cooling modulation. Here cold and hot fluid media from two separate and distinct fluid media systems may be each alternately introduced into a single heat exchanger and controlled/monitored with the use of a single valve.
Looking at
A thrust bearing 16 (
A bonnet 6 is mechanically affixed to said valve body by fasteners 8 (
The top square section of the valve stem 12 fits into a matingly engagable section of the valve actuator 10. The valve actuator 10 is a commercially available rotary actuator that operates through an approximately 90 degree rotation with additional adjustment for rotary motion at each extent of its rotation travel.
Looking in detail at the valve cylinder 11 (
Key to the understanding of the operation of this valve is that for changeover operation in the heating or cooling of a heat exchanger either the first heat transfer medium (e.g. cold water) or the second heat transfer medium (e.g. hot water) independently and alone will be circulated through the heat exchanger. These two heat transfer media come from their own independent systems (e.g. chilled water or hot water systems) but contain the same type of heat transfer fluid. Generally, to accomplish this switching of heat transfer media with the prior art technology required multiple valves, actuators and controllers.
For the purposes of clarity in this explanation and to prevent confusion, only the heat transfer medium supply operation is discussed. The heat transfer medium return operation is not discussed but operation of the supply side of the first (supply) valve chamber 26 is identical to that of the second (return) valve chamber 24 as all supply ports in the valve body 4 and the valve cylinder 11 are identical with the return ports and are symmetrical about the plane of the central face 20.
In operation, it is to be noted that the valve cylinder 12 only rotates clockwise and counterclockwise approximately 90 degrees within the valve body 4 (plus or minus 5 degrees on either side.) Looking at
For this design to work it is critical that the width of the second medium (lower) supply port 34 and the first medium (lower) supply port 32 do not exceed ⅓ of the number of degrees of rotation of the valve cylinder 11 within the valve body 4. (Here that would be 30 degrees) and that they reside apart at least ⅓ of the number of degrees of rotation of the valve cylinder 11. (Again here that would be 30 degrees.) It is also critical that the width of heat exchanger supply port 44 is at a minimum the 4/3 the number of degrees of rotation of the valve cylinder 11 in the valve body 4. (Here that would be 120 degrees) and that the heat exchanger supply inlet 36 resides more than the number of degrees of rotation of the valve cylinder 11 in the valve body 4 away from either the first medium supply port 28 or the second medium supply port 30. (Here that would be 90 degrees.) The supply port 48 of the valve cylinder 11 is sized the same as both the second medium (lower) supply port 34 and the first medium (lower) supply port 32 of the valve body 4. In this way the opening of the supply crossover port 48 may be rotationally positioned between the second medium (lower) supply port 34 and the first medium (lower) supply port 32 so as to reside directly adjacent the closed section of the valve body wall 52 so as to close off the flow from either of the heat transfer media through the valve cylinder 11 and into the heat exchanger. If a throttled flow is desired through the valve 2 the valve cylinder 11 is rotated to a position where the supply port 48 does not totally align with the first or second medium supply ports 32 and 34. When a full flow of either of the heat transfer media is desired the supply port 48 is completely aligned with either of the first or second medium supply ports 32 or 34. When changeover between the two different heat transfer media is required the valve cylinder 11 must be rotated through a position wherein the supply port is closed. This prevents any unwanted intermixing of the two heat transfer mediums.
It is to be noted that the width of 48 is less than the spacing between the adjacent edges of 34 and 32 (which is the closed section of the valve body wall 52.) The second valve chamber 26 functions in a similar fashion. With this design, within a 90 degree rotation of the valve cylinder 12 within the valve body 4 either the first heat transfer fluid or the second heat transfer fluid may be admitted to the heat exchanger.
The above dimensions are minimum and maximum design purposes only. There must be additional spacing for overlap of the valve body walls beyond the limits of the openings in 44, 46, 48 and 50 to ensure that there is a complete seal formed between these parts as required so that there can be no unwanted bleed over or bypass flow between any of the valve body openings. This necessitates that the nominal angular dimensions of the valve body and valve cylinder of the previous chart are modified to ensure proper operation. The following chart details the dimensions for the preferred embodiment valve.
It is to be noted that the general shapes of all openings in the valve cylinder and valve body have been optimized to minimize the overall size of the valve. Looking at
To explain in terms of operation the system may only require flow through a nominal ½ inch schedule 40 pipe. This has an ID of 0.62 inches and a cross sectional area of 0.30 square inches. Assuming round ports, this would require the physical width of the ports 48 and 50 to be approximately 0.62 inches. This 0.62 inches would represent 45° of the circumference of the outside of the valve cylinder which would be 4.98 inches and would equal a valve cylinder of approximately 1.6 inches in diameter.
If a nominal ¾ inch pipe were used with an ID of 0.82 inches and a cross sectional area of 0.53 square inches this would allow the ports 48 and 50 to be made into a traditional elliptical shape and heightened from 0.62 inches to 0.82 inches and narrowed from 0.62 inches to 0.46 inches and still retain the same cross sectional area of the previous example of 0.30 square inches. This 0.46 inches would represent 45° of the circumference of the outside of the valve cylinder which would be 3.68 inches and would equal a valve cylinder of approximately 1.17 inches in diameter. This represents approximately a 27% decrease in size.
Looking at the configuration of the ports in
Looking at
In assembly it is known that this valve will be a close tolerance valve and that the tightening of the bonnet 6 onto the valve body 4 when the valve cylinder 11, valve faces and all associated bearings are installed, will serve to compress the assembly and load the bearings so as to stabilize the internal structure of the unit.
There are numerous features and benefits to the aforementioned combined changeover and control valve such as: it replaces four valves in the conventional changeover configuration; it needs only one control output, instead of two or three; it leads to fewer components pipe and instrumentation to mount; water balancing valves are eliminated; It offers the speed in shut off like a ball valve with 45 degree isolation; it acts like a ball valve with the resultant low pressure drop making it ideal for straight line flow with minimal restrictions; it acts like a globe valve with a proportional response to position with larger valve ports, strainers are no longer needed to catch debris; larger valve ports and a simpler water path reduces water friction, and lowers pump energy; water temperature and flow sensing built into the valve itself; the valve is now truly pressure independent of supply pressure fluctuations; the valve can now be modulated to match Btu energy requirements; and the amount of heating Btu and cooling Btu consumption is now measurable at the air handler via computer.
Although depicted with two separate chambers in the valve cylinder, it is known that three or more valve cylinder chambers may be utilized with the attendant inlet and outlet connections in an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
The above description will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. It also sets forth the best modes for carrying out this invention. There are numerous variations and modifications thereof that will also remain readily apparent to others skilled in the art, now that the general principles of the present invention have been disclosed. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. For example while this specification discloses a 90 degree rotation valve it is known that the valve cylinder must rotate within a limited number of degrees in the valve body, but that with modifications it need not be limited to a 90 degree rotation.
It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.