Exhaust valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9546010-B2
Application number	US-201113978700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2011
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

Various embodiments of exhaust valves are described. In an example, an exhaust valve assembly includes a valve body having a cylinder, a piston disposed within the cylinder, and a sealing material disposed within a trough at the bottom of the cylinder. The selection of the sealing material may be based on an operational temperature that is above a melting point of the sealing material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
placing a raw material in a container comprising an opening;
removably coupling the opening in the container with an exhaust valve assembly comprising:
a valve body comprising a cylinder and a trough disposed within the cylinder along a bottom portion of the valve body;
a piston slideably engaged within the cylinder, wherein at least a portion of the piston is configured to reside within the trough when the piston is in a resting position; and
a piston sealing material disposed within the trough, wherein the piston sealing material has a melting point below a first operational temperature;

heating the container holding the raw material to generate an exhaust gas, wherein the exhaust gas passes through the opening, elevates the piston, and melts the piston sealing material; and
allowing the container to cool to cease generation of exhaust gas, wherein a decrease in exhaust gas pressure allows the piston to return to the resting position, and wherein the piston sealing material solidifies as the container cools, thereby creating an air-tight seal.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the exhaust valve assembly from the opening of the container.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raw material is lithium iron phosphate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first operational temperature is based on an exhaust gas temperature for a lithium iron phosphate pre-sintering process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operational temperature is between 200° C. and 400° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operational temperature is between 200° C. and 500° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operational temperature is between 300° C. and 400° C.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operational temperature is between 300° C. and 500° C.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust valve assembly is removably coupled to the opening of the container by screwing a threaded surface on an outer periphery of the valve body into a receptive threaded surface disposed along an inner periphery of the opening of the container, and wherein a thread sealing material is compressed between the threaded surfaces of the valve body and the opening of the container.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the thread sealing material comprises a powdery mixed metallic material.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising forming the thread sealing material into a shaped wire band.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning a retention plate within the valve body above the piston.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the piston comprises a high temperature resistant ceramic material.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the valve body further comprises a spring configured to exert a downward force on the piston.

Assignees

• Huo Jiyan
• Univ Beijing

Inventors

• Huo Jiyan

Classifications

• B65B17/00 Primary

  Other machines, apparatus, or methods for packaging articles or materials · CPC title

• B65B63/08

  for heating or cooling articles or materials to facilitate packaging · CPC title

• B65B31/00

  Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers · CPC title

• F16K31/002 Primary

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• B65B7/2842

  Securing closures on containers (in general B65B51/00) · CPC title