Control valves for waterjet systems and related devices, systems, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10010999-B2
Application number	US-201514745061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2015
Priority date	Aug 16, 2012
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Control valves for waterjet systems, control-valve actuators, waterjet systems, methods for operating waterjet systems, and associated devices, systems, and methods are disclosed. A control valve configured in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a first seat having a tapered inner surface, a second seat having a contact surface, and an elongated pin having a shaft portion and an end portion. The pin is movable relative to the first and second seats between a shutoff position and one or more throttling positions. When the pin is at the shutoff position, the end portion of the pin is in contact with the contact surface. When the pin is at the throttling position, the end portion of the pin is spaced apart from the contact surface and the tapered inner surface and the shaft portion of the pin at least partially define a throttling gap.

First claim

We claim:

1. A waterjet system, comprising:
a fluid container;
a control valve positioned to receive fluid from the fluid container, wherein the control valve includes a seat, a pin, and an actuator including a piston movable to change a spacing between the seat and the pin;
a cutting head including a waterjet outlet downstream from the control valve;
a load cell configured to detect a hydraulic force from the fluid within the control valve acting against the piston in a first direction, wherein force acting against the piston in the first direction tends to increase the spacing, and force acting against the piston in a second direction opposite to the first direction tends to decrease the spacing; and
a controller operably connected to the load cell and the actuator, wherein the controller is programmed with instructions that, when executed, cause a change in a pneumatic input to the actuator based at least in part on the detected hydraulic force, wherein the change in the pneumatic input changes a pneumatic force acting against the piston in the second direction.

2. The waterjet system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of the fluid downstream from the control valve, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause a change in the pneumatic input to the actuator based at least in part on the detected pressure.

3. The waterjet system of claim 1 , further comprising a pump configured to pressurize the fluid upstream from the control valve, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause a change in the pneumatic input to the actuator based at least in part on an operating parameter of the pump.

4. The waterjet system of claim 1 wherein the control valve is configured to selectively reduce a pressure of the fluid downstream from the control valve to a steady-state pressure within a range from 1,000 psi to 25,000 psi as the fluid flows through the control valve toward the waterjet outlet.

5. The waterjet system of claim 1 wherein the control valve is configured to selectively reduce a pressure of the fluid downstream from the control valve to two or more different steady-state pressures within a range from 1,000 psi to 25,000 psi as the fluid flows through the control valve toward the waterjet outlet.

6. The waterjet system of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid-pressurizing device configured to supply the fluid to the fluid container, wherein the control value and the cutting head are movable relative to the fluid-pressurizing device.

7. The waterjet system of claim 6 , wherein:
the fluid container includes a conduit extending between the fluid-pressurizing device and the control valve;
the conduit includes a joint configured to facilitate movement of the control valve and the cutting head relative to the fluid-pressurizing device; and
the control valve is downstream from the joint.

8. The waterjet system of claim 7 wherein the joint has two or more degrees of freedom.

9. The waterjet system of claim 7 wherein the joint is a swivel joint including a seal with a pressure rating greater than 30,000 psi.

10. The waterjet system of claim 1 wherein:
the seat has a passage and a tapered inner surface extending around the passage;
the pin has an end portion and a shaft portion upstream from the end portion; and
the control valve is configured to throttle the fluid between the tapered inner surface of the seat and the shaft portion of the pin.

Assignees

• Omax Corp

Inventors

• Raghavan Chidambaram
• Olsen John H
• Kelley Douglas
• Tremoulet Jr Olivier L
• Marks Rick
• Kashierski Andre

Classifications

• B24C1/00

  Methods for use of abrasive blasting for producing particular effects; Use of auxiliary equipment in connection with such methods · CPC title

• B24C7/0023 Primary

  of feed pressure · CPC title

• B24C1/045

  for cutting (energy dissipating devices therefor B26F3/008) · CPC title