Rotary shear valve assembly with hard-on-hard seal surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9388908-B2
Application number	US-201414532875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2014
Priority date	Jul 13, 2009
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

A multi-position rotary shear valve assembly having a substantially metallic or ceramic stator device and a substantially metallic or ceramic rotor device. The stator device defines a substantially planar stator face and at least two or more stator channels in fluid communication with the stator face at corresponding stator ports, while the rotor device includes a substantially planar rotor face defining one or more rotor channels. A tribological coating is disposed atop at least one of the rotor face and the stator face, which enables a substantially fluid-tight, selective relative rotation between the rotor face and the stator face, at a rotor-stator interface, between two or more rotor positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high pressure rotary shear valve assembly comprising:
a stator member defining a stator face and at least two or more stator channels in fluid communication with said stator face at corresponding stator ports, said stator face being composed substantially of one of a metallic material and a ceramic material; and
a rotor assembly including:
a head portion rotating about a rotational axis, and defining a distal facing seating surface,
a rotor member having a rotor face defining one or more rotor channels and an opposite, proximal facing contact surface, said rotor face being composed substantially of one of a metallic material and a ceramic material, said stator member and said rotor member being sufficiently compressed together at a high compression pressure enabling leak-tight, high pressure fluid flow between corresponding stator ports and at least one rotor channel at a rotor-stator interface therebetween, and
a compliant element supportively disposed between the head portion and the rotor member such that a proximal contact face of said compliant element contacts the distal facing seating surface of said head portion along a first contact area, and an opposite, distal contact face of said compliant element contacts the proximal facing contact surface of said rotor member along a second contact area, said compliant element further being comprised of a material exhibiting high tensile and compressive strength sufficient to permit the transfer of the high compressive forces in an axial direction to the rotor face, yet sufficiently compliant to permit minute pivotal, self-reorientation of the rotor face about said rotational axis to an orientation substantially parallel to and substantially flush against the stator face.

2. The valve assembly according to claim 1 , further including:
a tribological coating disposed atop at least said stator face.

3. The valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
said distal facing seating surface of said head portion, said proximal and distal contact face of said compliant element, and said proximal facing contact surface of said rotor member are all substantially planar.

4. The valve assembly according to claim 3 , wherein
said stator face of the stator element defines a stator area, and
said second contact area between said rotor member and said compliant element being greater than, and substantially in co-axial alignment with, said stator area.

5. The valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
said compliant element comprising a compliant shim member.

6. The valve assembly according to claim 5 , wherein
said compliant element including a compressive modulus, k, in the range of about 250 kpsi to about 300 kpsi.

7. The valve assembly according to claim 6 , wherein
said compliant element is comprised of one of Polyethylene Terephthalete Glycol (PETG) and Polyester or Polycarbonate.

8. The valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
said compliant element defining a receiving socket, a bottom portion of which is defined by said seating surface, and formed and dimensioned for aligned, sliding axial receipt of said rotor device therein.

9. The valve assembly according to claim 8 , wherein
said receiving socket further defined by an interior sidewall, formed and dimensioned for press-fit receipt and contact with an outer circumferential wall of said rotor device.

10. The valve assembly according to claim 9 , wherein
said interior sidewall and the rotor outer circumferential wall cooperate for keyed alignment therebetween.

11. The valve assembly according to claim 8 , wherein
said compliant element having a compressive modulus, k, in the range of about 400 kpsi to about 500 kpsi.

12. The valve assembly according to claim 11 , wherein
said compliant element is comprised of one of a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material, a nylon material and a 20%-30% carbon polyetheretherketone (PEEK) blend.

13. A high pressure rotary shear valve assembly comprising:
a stator member defining a stator face and at least two or more stator channels in fluid communication with said stator face at corresponding stator ports, said stator face being composed substantially of one of a metallic material and a ceramic material; and
a rotor assembly including:
a head portion rotating about a rotational axis, and defining a distal facing seating surface,
a rotor member having a rotor face defining one or more rotor channels and an opposite, proximal facing contact surface, said rotor face being composed substantially of one of a metallic material and a ceramic material, said stator member and said rotor member being sufficiently compressed together at a high compression pressure enabling leak-tight, high pressure fluid flow between corresponding stator ports and at least one rotor channel at a rotor-stator interface therebetween, and
a compliant element supportively disposed between the head portion and the rotor member such that a proximal contact face of said compliant element multiple-point contacts the distal facing seating surface of said head portion along a first contact area, and a distal contact face of said compliant element multiple-point contacts the proximal facing contact surface of said rotor member substantially along a second contact area,

wherein said head portion, said compliant element and said rotor member cooperate to permit minute pivotal, self-reorientation of the rotor face about said rotational axis to an orientation substantially parallel to and substantially flush against the stator face.

14. The valve assembly according to claim 13 , wherein
said compliant element is selected essentially from the group consisting of Polyethylene Terephthalete Glycol (PETG), Polyester, Polycarbonate, a carbon filled polymer, a PEEK, a nylon and a 20%-30% carbon PEEK blend.

15. The valve assembly according to claim 13 , wherein
said stator face of the stator element defines a stator area
said second contact area between said rotor member and said compliant element being greater than, and substantially in co-axial alignment with, said stator area.

16. The valve assembly according to claim 15 , wherein
said compliant element comprises a compliant shim member.

Assignees

• Idex Health & Science Llc

Inventors

• Tower Christopher R

Classifications

• F16K3/08 Primary

  with circular plates rotatable around their centres · CPC title

• Y10T137/86533

  Rotary · CPC title

• Y10T137/86863

  Rotary valve unit · CPC title

• F16K3/28

  with resilient valve members · CPC title

• F16K3/085

  the axis of supply passage and the axis of discharge passage being coaxial and parallel to the axis of rotation of the plates · CPC title