Patent Application
20230257191
The present disclosure generally relates to material storage and transport containers, and more particularly to a lid for a phosphorous pentasulfide container.
A container or bin for storing phosphorous pentasulfide includes a valve for opening and closing a fill/dispense port of the bin and a mouth for filling and dispensing the phosphorous pentasulfide. The mouth may be part of a valve, such as a gate valve, for opening and closing the mouth of the bin. This type of bin is often re-used many times to deliver multiple loads of phosphorous pentasulfide to the same or various customers. The valve is opened at the supplier to install phosphorous pentasulfide in the bin. After the bin is filled with phosphorous pentasulfide at the supplier, the supplier closes the valve and covers the mouth of the bin with a lid. After the valve is closed, the bin is delivered to the customer. The customer opens the valve to dispense the phosphorous pentasulfide as desired. If possible, the customer closes the valve, reattaches the lid, and returns the bin empty to the supplier. The bins and their valves are subject to harsh conditions due to the nature of the phosphorous pentasulfide, fluctuations in weather, and rough treatment by some personnel opening and closing the valves. Conventional valves do not last long in the field before requiring maintenance and/or repair. Phosphorous pentasulfide is generally hazardous and should be well contained. Valve and lid malfunction and maintenance can subject workers to undesired exposure to phosphorous pentasulfide. Moreover, phosphorous pentasulfide reacts with water to form hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and phosphoric acid. Conventional lids are bulky and are time consuming and challenging to attach to and remove from the bin.
In one aspect, a container system comprises a container body, a mouth, a valve, and a lid. The container body comprises an interior sized and shaped to hold the phosphorous pentasulfide. The mouth is supported by the container body and defines a mouth opening for communication with the interior of the container body. The valve is supported by the container body and is selectively openable to permit communication between the mouth and the interior of the container body. The valve is selectively closeable to block communication between the mouth and the interior of the container body. The lid is configured to close the mouth. The lid is configured to screw onto the mouth to connect the lid and mouth to close the mouth to block the mouth opening.
In another aspect, a lid for a phosphorous pentasulfide container comprises a cover and a circumferential wall extending from the cover. The wall has an inner surface. A plurality of catches extend radially inward from the inner surface of the wall. The catches are circumferentially spaced apart on the wall.
In another aspect, a container system for holding a material comprises a container having an interior sized and shaped to hold the material. The container has a mouth defining a generally circular opening for communication with the interior. A lid is sized and shaped to cover the opening. A closure is configured to releasably connect the lid and the mouth. The closure includes a plurality of retainers circumferentially arranged on one of the mouth or the lid. The retainers are circumferentially spaced apart to define a plurality of gaps. Each gap is disposed between adjacent retainers. The closure includes a plurality of catches circumferentially arranged on the other one of the mouth or the lid. Each catch is arranged to pass through one of the gaps to mount the lid on the mouth and arranged to engage one of the retainers when the lid is rotated relative to the mouth to secure the lid to the mouth. The catches and gaps each have an asymmetrical circumferential arrangement;
In yet another aspect, a mouth for a container comprises a base and a circumferential wall extending from the base. The wall has an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface defines a mouth opening. The mouth includes a plurality of retainers circumferentially arranged on the outer surface of the wall. The retainers are circumferentially spaced apart to define gaps between adjacent retainers.
Other objects and features of the present disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to
The valve 12 is shown in a closed configuration in
In the illustrated embodiment, the valve housing 20 includes an outer shell 32 and an inner shell 34. The outer and inner shells 32, 34 can be made of cast and/or machined aluminum. The shells 32, 34 have respective circular openings that form the valve port 26 when the shells are secured to each other. Desirably, sealing rings 36, 38 are mounted on the inner and outer shells 32, 34 to surround the circular openings and to seal against each other when the shells are secured to each other to form a seal around the valve port 26 to prevent ingress of phosphorous pentasulfide or water into the valve housing 20 be the shells. When the gate 22 is in the closed position, the gate closes the valve port and extends between the sealing rings 36, 38. The drive assembly 24 is configured to slide the gate 22 between the sealing rings 36, 38 to open and close the valve port 26.
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Desirably, the gate valve 12 is configured such that the gate 22 is movable toward the open and closed positions by application of rotational force (e.g., to the drive shaft 52 via the top nut 50) of less than 60 ft-lbs, more desirably less than 50 foot-lbs, more desirably less than 40 ft-lbs, and even more desirably less than 30 ft-lbs (e.g., about 25 ft-lbs). In testing of a prototype of the illustrated valve 12, the rotational force required to move the gate was about 17 ft-lbs.
The drive-end thrust bearing assembly 54 includes an anti-rotation mount or plate 60, a bearing housing 62 threaded in the mount, an upper bearing race 64, a lower bearing race 66, a plurality of ball bearings 68 (e.g., 16 ball bearings), and a cage 70 separating the ball bearings from one another.
The non-drive-end thrust bearing assembly 56 includes an anti-rotation mount or plate 72, a bearing housing 74 threaded in the mount, an upper bearing race 76, a lower bearing race 78, a plurality of ball bearings 80 (e.g., 16 ball bearings), and a cage 82 separating the ball bearings from one another. The upper and lower races 76, 78 include respective annular race tracks 76A, 78A on which the ball bearings 80 roll around the axis of rotation. The lower race 78 includes a race track support body 78B configured to provide robust support to the race track 78A. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower race 78 is a unitary component in which the race track 78A and race track support body 78B are formed integrally of the same piece of material (e.g., by machining a blank of material). The race track 78A is defined by an annular surface on the upper end of the race track support body 78B. However, it will be appreciated that the race track 78A and race track support body 78B could be formed of separate pieces of material and movable (e.g., rotatable) with respect to each other without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the lower race could include a collar and a washer separate from the collar, the washer defining the race track, and the collar defining the race track support body.
In the illustrated embodiment, the ball bearings 80 and annular tracks are sized such that the ball bearings engage the annular tracks 76A, 76B along relatively large semicircular surface segments of the ball bearings. However, non-recessed race tracks can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The lower bearing race 78 desirably has a seal with the bearing housing 74. In the illustrated embodiment, the race track support body 78B has an outer annular recess 84. The annular recess holds a gasket (e.g., O-ring) 86 for forming a seal with an inside of the bearing housing 74.
In a particularly advantageous aspect of the gate valve 12, the non-drive-end bearing assembly 56 is configured to withstand a potential mode of failure in which the gate valve is “dead headed” by closing the valve and continuing to rotate the drive shaft 52. For example, although not recommended, some users may actuate the drive assembly 24 by engaging an impact wrench (e.g., ¾″ impact wrench carrying an appropriate socket) with the nut at the upper end of the drive assembly. The user may do this to overcome difficulty in closing the valve due to phosphorous pentasulfide powder blocking closure of the gate. Before the user realizes the valve 12 is fully closed, the user may continue to rotate the drive shaft 52 by applying high torque via the impact wrench. When the gate follower 42 is in engagement with the lower web 48, further rotation of the drive shaft 52 tending to drive the follower farther downward will cause the drive shaft to attempt to pull the lower bearing assembly 56 upward through the opening in the lower web 48. The result is application of substantial thrust force (force parallel to the axis of rotation) to the lower bearing assembly 56.
To provide resistance to damage when the gate valve 12 is dead-headed, the lower race 78 of the non-drive-end bearing assembly 56 is threaded to the lower end of the drive shaft 52, is secured to the drive shaft by a roll pin 90 for conjoint rotation with the drive shaft, and has a relatively robust construction. Any one or more of these features, or combinations or variations thereof, can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. The lower end of the drive shaft 52 has a suitably threaded portion 52B (e.g., ⅝″-18) (desirably, a coarse thread) and the lower race 78 has a corresponding threaded opening 78C. The threading of the lower race 78 to the drive shaft 52 provides substantial engagement surface area of the lower race with the drive shaft. This assists the lower race 78 in maintaining its position on the drive shaft 52 and transferring thrust force to the drive shaft over a relatively large surface area via the threaded engagement when the drive shaft is subjected to substantial thrust force tending to force the upper race 76 toward the lower race 78. The roll pin 90 extends through a transverse bore 96 in the drive shaft 52 and has ends extending in aligned opposite openings 98 in the lower race 78. The roll pin 90 prevents the lower race 78 from unthreading from the drive shaft 52 and assists in resisting thrust force applied to the lower race. Desirably, the roll pin 90 is installed such that an elongate gap 90A extending longitudinally in the wall of the roll pin and facing radially away from a longitudinal axis LA of the roll pin faces along or codirectional with the axis of rotation A1, not transverse to the axis of rotation, such that the gap does not tend to reduce by compression of the roll pin under the thrust forces. The lower race 78 has a particularly robust construction in that the race is relatively thick and tall, making the lower race less likely to crack or otherwise break when under substantial thrust force. The robustness of the race track support body 78B can be described by reference to a width W1 (
Bins or containers including gate valves of the type described herein have been subjected to field testing and have been found to withstand harsh operating conditions. In particular, a previous point of failure was damage to components of the lower thrust bearing assembly when the user continued rotating the drive shaft tending to drive the gate further downward when the gate was bottomed out with the follower in engagement with the lower web of the housing. However, the construction of the lower thrust bearing described herein has been found to withstand substantial abuse without breaking. The lower race and connection of the lower race to the drive shaft is believed to result in a particularly robust construction that is able to withstand high thrust forces of “dead-heading” the gate valve. In testing, a lower race as shown and described herein remained undamaged after dead-heading the gate valve and applying torque up to 276 ft-lbs to the drive shaft via the nut 50. Prior bearings started exhibiting damage at less than 100 ft-lbs.
With reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the container 10 has a generally rectangular shape, although the container can have other shapes. The container 10 includes a mouth 16. The mouth 16 defines (e.g., includes) an opening 18 in communication (e.g., fluid communication) with the interior. In the illustrated embodiment, opening 18 is generally circular. The materials pass into and out of the interior of the container 12 through the opening 18 in the mouth 16. In one embodiment, the mouth 16 may be part of a valve, such as gate valve 12, but the mouth 16 could be considered separate from and connected to the valve 12. The lid 14 is releasably secured to the mouth 16 to cover the opening 18. It is understood aspects of the mouth 16 and lid 14 could be used in other types and configurations of containers and lids, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the lid 14 can be used on a mouth of a valve or a valved container such as shown and described above.
Referring to
Referring to
Desirably, the lid 14 forms a sealed connection (e.g., fluid tight seal) with the mouth 16 when the lid is mounted on and secured to the mouth. The container system 10 may include a sealer 140 configured to be disposed between and engage the lid 14 and the mouth 14 when the lid is secured to mouth. The sealer 140 facilitates the formation of the fluid tight seal between the lid 14 and the mouth 16. The sealer 140 may be a gasket, O-ring or any other suitable device. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealer 140 is carried by the lid 14, and is disposed within a circumferential channel of the cover 132, adjacent the wall 134. The sealer 140 is compressed between and against the cover 132 and the sealing surface 124 of the mouth 16 to facilitate the formation of the fluid tight seal (
Referring to
The retainers 152 are circumferentially arranged on the mouth 16. The retainers 152 are spaced apart (e.g., circumferentially spaced apart) from one another to define a plurality of gaps 156. Each gap 156 is disposed between two adjacent retainers 152. In the illustrated embodiment, there are six retainers 152 and six gaps 156, although more or fewer retainers and gaps are within the scope of the present disclosure. Each gap 156 has an open front, with opposite sides defined by the two adjacent retainers 152 and a back defined by the wall 122. The retainers 152 are arranged on the outer surface 126 of the wall 122. Each retainer 152 extends radially outward from the outer surface 126. The retainers 152 are generally disposed at or adjacent to the free end (e.g., sealing surface 124) of the wall 122. Each retainer 152 is generally elongate and extends circumferentially along the wall 22. Referring to
The catches 154 are circumferentially arranged on the lid 14. The catches 154 are spaced apart (e.g., circumferentially spaced apart) from each other on the lid 14 (e.g., wall 134). Each catch 154 is arranged or disposed on the lid 14 so that it can pass through one of the gaps 156 when the lid is mounted on the mouth 16, as shown in
The lid 14 is rotated relative to the mouth 16 (broadly, “screwed onto” the mouth) to secure the lid to the container 12, after the lid is received on the mouth by moving the catches 154 through the gaps 156. Each catch 154 is configured to engage one of the retainers 152 when the lid 14 is rotated relative to the mouth 16 to secure the lid to the mouth. As the lid 14 is rotated, the catches 154 move circumferentially between the first ends 158 of the retainers 152 and the base 120 and toward the second ends 160. The catches 154 generally ride or slide along the ramps 162 of the retainers 152 as the lid 14 is rotated. This compresses the sealer 140 between the lid 14 and the sealing surface 124 to form a fluid tight seal therebetween. The ramps 162 have a height (e.g., a height at some point along their length) that is greater than the distance between the catches 154 and the cover 132 (more broadly, a height from the sealing surface 124 to the ramp surface that is greater than the distance between the catches and the cover). Accordingly, as the lid 14 continues to rotate relative to the mouth 14, the catches 154 will engage and bind against the retainers 152 (e.g., ramps 162), thereby securing the lid on the mouth.
Desirably, the distance between the catches 156 and the cover 132 is less than the height of the second end 160 of the retainers 152, to inhibit the catches 156 from moving past the second end and limit the rotation of the lid 14. In this manner, the second end 160 of the retainers 152 are stops that limit and inhibit the rotation of the lid 14. Thus, the lid 14 can only be turned in one direction (e.g., clockwise) when the lid is mounted on the mouth 16 to secure the lid to the mouth. Likewise, the second ends 60 of the retainers 152 limit and stop the rotation of the lid 14 when the lid is being rotated (e.g., rotated in the opposite direction (i.e., counter-clockwise)) to remove the lid from the mouth. This aligns the catches 154 with the gaps 156 to enable the lid 14 to be more easily removed from (e.g., lifted off) the mouth 16.
The lid 14 can be secured to (and removed from) the mouth 16 by rotating the lid less than about 360 degrees about the axis A (e.g., less than about one turn). Desirably, the lid 14 can be secured to the mouth 16 by rotating the lid less than about 180 degrees, more desirably less than about 90 degrees, more desirably less than about 60 degrees, more desirably less than about 45 degrees, more desirably less than about 30 degrees, even more desirably within an inclusive range of about 10 degrees to 30 degrees (e.g., by about 20 degrees). Reducing the amount of rotation makes securing and removing the lid 14 to the mouth 16 easier and faster.
The closure 150 is configured to allow the lid 14 to be mounted on the mouth 16 only when the lid and mouth are in a specific orientation relative to each other. In other words, the closure 150 is configured such that only one clocked orientation of the lid 14 and the mouth 16 (relative to each other) enables the lid to be mounted on the mouth. As shown in
The asymmetrical circumferential arrangement of the catches 154 and gaps 156 enables the lid 14 to be mounted on the mouth 16 when the lid and mouth are in only one orientation relative to one another. In the illustrated embodiment, five of the catches 154 and gaps 156 are generally evenly (e.g., symmetrically) arranged (e.g., spaced apart) about the axis A, with the remaining one of the catch and gap being unevenly arranged about the axis to create the asymmetrical arrangement. In the illustrated embodiment, the unevenly arranged catch and gap are each designated by a trailing prime—i.e., catch 154′ and gap 156′. In the illustrated embodiment, the evenly spaced apart catches 154 and gaps 156 are spaced apart about the axis A by approximately 60 degrees with the unevenly spaced apart catch 154′ and gap 156′ being spaced apart about the axis from the evenly spaced apart catches or gaps on either side thereof by approximately 70 degrees and about 50 degrees, respectively. Once aligned, the lid 14 is moved toward the mouth 16 with the catches 154 passing through the gaps 156 between the retainers 152. Once the catches 154 move through the gaps 156, the lid 14 is rotated to secure the lid to the mouth 16. Other configurations of closures (e.g., other catches, retainers, and/or gaps), such as symmetrical arrangements, are within the scope of the present disclosure.
To help an operator align the lid 14 and mouth 16 in the singular orientation, the lid and mouth may include indicia 164, 166 (e.g., alignment indicia). Indicia 164 is on the lid 14 and indicia 166 is on the mouth 16. The indicia 164, 166 indicates the specific orientation of the lid 14 and mouth 16 these elements must be in relative to each other to mount the lid on the mouth and remove the lid from the mouth. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicia 164, 166 are linear lines or grooves that are aligned (e.g., radially aligned) when the lid 14 and mouth 16 are in the proper orientation. Other configurations of the indicia are within the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
The retainers 152 and catches 154 can be a unitary, one-piece component (formed integrally) with the mouth 16 and lid 14, respectively, or the retainers and catches can be separate components joined to the mouth and lid, respectively, such as by welding. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the retainers 152 are integral with the mouth 16 and the catches 154 are separate components joined to the lid 14. In embodiment, the lid 14, mouth 16 and closure 150 are made from metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), although other suitable materials are within the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the locker 180 comprises a locking pin. The locker 180 includes a pin or dowel 182 moveable between the locked and unlocked positions. The pin 182 is generally cylindrical and elongate with opposite first and second ends (e.g., distal and proximal ends). The locker 182 includes a handle 184 adjacent the first end. The operator grasps the handle 184 to move the locker 180 between the locked and unlocked positions. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 184 is a ring (e.g., a key ring), although other configurations of the handle are within the scope of the present disclosure. The mouth 16 includes a recess 186 sized and shaped to receive the locker 180 when the locker is in the locked position. The locker 180 extends into the recess 186 when the locker is in the locked position. Specifically, the recess 186 is sized and shaped to receive the second end of the pin 182 when the pin is in the locked position. The engagement between the pin 182 and the edges defining the recess 186 inhibits the lid 14 from rotating relative to the mouth 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 20 includes the recess 186. The pin 182 is slidably mounted within a generally cylindrical opening in the lid 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the cylindrical opening is in one of the projections 170. The pin 182 is moved proximally (e.g., toward the base 120) in the cylindrical opening to position the locker 180 in the locked position and distally (e.g., away from the base) in the cylindrical opening to position the locker in the unlocked position.
In one embodiment, the locker 180 is resiliently biased toward the locked position. The locker 180 may include a spring resiliently biasing the locker toward the locked position. For example, the spring may be a coil spring surrounding a portion of the pin 182 and extending between an underside of the projection 170 and a shoulder of the pin adjacent the second end.
The locker 180 may also include a keeper 188 configured to hold the locker in the unlocked position. The keeper 188 engages the upper surface of the projection 170 to hold the locker in the unlocked position (
In operation, to attach the lid 14 to the mouth 16, the operator orients the lid relative to the mouth so that the catches 154 are aligned with the gaps 156. The operator may use the indicia 164, 166 to help align the lid 14 and mouth 16. The specific orientation of the lid 14 and mouth 16 ensures that the locker 180 will be aligned with the recess 186 when the lid is secured to the mouth. Once aligned, the operator mounts the lid 14 on the mouth 16. The operator positions the lid 14 over the mouth 16 by inserting the catches 154 through the gaps 156. The lid 14 is then rotated in a first direction relative to the mouth 16 which moves the catches 154 along the retainers 152. As the lid 14 is rotated, the catches 154 engage the retainers 152 (e.g., ramps 62) to secure the lid to the mouth 16. The engagement with the catches 154 moves the lid 14 proximally until the lid 14 and/or the sealer 140 engage the sealing surface 124 of the mouth 16. In this position, the lid 14 is generally inhibited from further rotation in the first direction (e.g., clockwise rotation) and is secured to the mouth 16. In addition, the locker 180 is generally aligned with the recess 186 in the base 120 of the mouth 16 and moves into the locked position by extending into the recess due to the biasing of the spring. The locker 180 can be moved to the unlocked position by the operator before mounting the lid 14 on the mouth 16, or more desirably, the operator simply allows the locker to move toward the unlocked position when the lid is mounted on the mouth. In this method of operation, the second end of the pin 182 engages the base 120 when the lid 14 is mounted on the mouth 16, moving the locker toward the release position. The engagement between the second end of the pin 182 and the base 120 generally keeps the locker 180 in the unlocked position as the locker rides on the base until the lid 14 is rotated far enough such that the pin is aligned with the recess 186, at which point the spring pushes the locker into the recess (e.g., the locked position).
To remove the lid 14 from the mouth 16, the operator moves the locker 180 to the unlocked position. Desirably, the operator moves the locker 180 into the holding unlocked position (e.g., moves the keeper 188 out of alignment with the recess 190) so that the keeper holds the locker in the unlocked position as the lid is removed. However, the operator could simply hold the locker 180 in the non-holding release position. When the locker 180 is in the unlocked position, the lid 14 is free to be rotated in a second direction (e.g., counter-clockwise) until the catches 154 align with the gaps 156. The catches 154 may contact the second ends 160 of the retainers 152, thereby stopping further rotation in the second direction of the lid 14 and aligning the catches with the gaps 156. When the catches 154 and gaps 156 are aligned, the lid 14 is lifted off the mouth 16. As the lid 14 is lifted, the catches 154 move through the gaps 156.
It will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/065,636 filed on Aug. 14, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US21/46003 | 8/13/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63065636 | Aug 2020 | US |
