Valve for fluid circulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9466695-B2
Application number	US-201414575376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

A valve is provided with a casing forming an enclosure for fluid flow with a fluid inlet and outlet, a shutter cooperating with a seat integral with the casing that closes the inlet or outlet, and a device controlling the shutter position relative to the seat. The control device includes an inductor and armature magnetically coupled for the inductor to drive the armature in rotation to selectively cause the shutter to move closer to or to move away from the seat, with the inductor being stationary relative to the casing. The armature is positioned inside the enclosure and is stationary relative to a screw carrying the shutter, with the screw cooperating with a nut integral with the casing to transform a rotation of the armature into a translation of the shutter.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A valve comprising:
a casing forming an enclosure inside which a fluid is intended to flow and having at least one inlet and at least one outlet of the fluid;
a shutter configured as to cooperate with a seat integral with the casing to close the at least at least one inlet or the at least outlet of the fluid; and
a device for controlling the position of the shutter relative to the seat,
wherein the control device comprises at least an inductor and at least one armature magnetically coupled and configured that the inductor drives the at least one armature in rotation so as to selectively cause the shutter to move closer to or to move away from the seat,
wherein the at least one armature is positioned inside the enclosure and is stationary relative to a screw carrying the shutter and having a thread, with the thread of the screw configured to cooperate with a nut integral with the casing, so as to transform a rotation of the at least one armature into a translation of the shutter, and
wherein the screw is hollow to define an inner passage for the fluid, and the screw has a wall, the wall having an inner face defining the inner passage and an outer face opposite to the inner face, said outer face being provided with said thread, and the valve is configured for the fluid to primarily flow from the at least one inlet to a first opening in the screw through the inner passage to a second opening of the screw to the at least one outlet.

2. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the inner passage for the fluid is defined by the inner face of the wall of the screw,
wherein the inner passage for the fluid and the thread provided on the outer face are situated in a same cross section of the valve, and
wherein the cross section is perpendicular to an axis of the translation of the shutter.

3. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured so that the fluid flows entirely through the screw.

4. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the casing includes a wall forming the enclosure,
wherein the inductor and the at least one armature are positioned on either side of the wall, and
wherein the nut mounts on an inner face of the wall.

5. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein the wall of the casing has an inner face, at least a portion of which is cylindrical and the screw has an inner wall, at least a portion of which is cylindrical, and
wherein a ratio of a diameter of the inner wall of the screw to a diameter of the inner face of the wall of the casing is greater than 0.6.

6. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the screw and the nut form a ball screw type connection.

7. The valve according to claim 6 , wherein the ball screw type connection is configured to be irreversible, so that a pushing force applied to the shutter, at least in the direction tending to move the shutter away from the seat, does not rotate the screw.

8. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the casing forms a monolithic part.

9. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the casing is formed of parts welded together only.

10. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the casing and the screw are made of metal.

11. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter is articulated in free rotation on the screw at least around an axis of translation of the shutter.

12. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein a mechanical connection is formed between the casing and the screw by cooperation between the screw and the nut only.

13. The valve according to claim 1 , further comprising an envelope integral with the screw and cooperating with the screw to form a tight housing to receive the at least one armature.

14. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one armature and the screw form a monolithic part.

15. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the enclosure extends in a substantially longitudinal direction corresponding to a direction of translation of the screw and at least one of the inlet and the outlet to form a low point of the enclosure at least for a position of the valve.

16. The valve according to claim 15 , wherein the longitudinal direction thereof is horizontally positioned.

17. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the casing extends in a substantially longitudinal direction corresponding to a direction of translation of the screw and has at least one of the inlet and the outlet which is offset relative to the direction of translation of the screw.

18. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises permanent magnets.

19. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises coils.

20. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor is stationary relative to the casing.

21. A system for regulating the circulation of a liquid metal comprising a metallic duct and a valve, with the valve comprising a casing forming an enclosure inside which a fluid flows and having at least one inlet and at least one outlet of the fluid, a shutter configured to cooperate with a seat integral with the casing to close at least the at least one inlet or at least the outlet of the fluid, and a device for controlling the position of the shutter relative to the seat, the system comprising:
a control device comprising at least an inductor and at least one armature magnetically coupled and configured to control driving by the inductor of the at least one armature in rotation to selectively cause the shutter to move closer to or to move away from the seat,
wherein the at least one armature is positioned inside the enclosure and is stationary relative to a screw carrying the shutter and having a thread, with the thread of the screw configured to cooperate with a nut integral with the casing, so as to transform a rotation of the at least one armature into a translation of the shutter,
wherein the screw is hollow to define an inner passage for the fluid and the screw has a wall, the wall having an inner face defining the inner passage and an outer face being opposite to the inner face, said outer face being provided with said thread, and the valve is configured for the fluid to primarily flow from the at least one inlet to a first opening in the screw through the inner passage to a second opening of the screw to the at least one outlet, and
wherein the casing and the screw are made of metal, with the valve being welded to the duct.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the fluid has a temperature greater than or equal to 350° C.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the liquid metal is liquid sodium used in a circuit of a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor.

24. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the thread provided on the outer face of the screw is so formed as to cooperate with a complementary thread carried by the nut, and wherein the thread provided on the outer face of the screw, along its entire length, faces the inner passage defined by the inner face of the screw.

25. The system of claim 21 , wherein the fluid has a temperature greater than or equal to 400° C.

26. A valve comprising:
an armature;
an inductor configured to drive the armature;
a casing comprising an inlet, a seat, a nut, and an outlet;
a shutter configured to cooperate with the seat, to close one of the inlet and the outlet; and
a screw positioned within the casing,
wherein the screw comprises:
a thread configured to cooperate with the nut to move the shutter clos

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Reg Tech

Inventors

• Taraud Pascal
• Delabergerie Arnaud
• Gastaldi Olivier
• Pennel Patrice

Classifications

• H10P50/642

  Chemical etching · CPC title

• H10D64/513

  within recesses in the substrate, e.g. trench gates, groove gates or buried gates · CPC title

• H10D30/798

  being provided in or under the channel regions · CPC title

• H10D30/751

  having composition variations in the channel regions · CPC title

• H10D64/027 Primary

  by etching at gate locations · CPC title