Control valve trim assembly having a cage with diamond-shaped openings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587764-B2
Application number	US-201414515679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2014
Priority date	Oct 22, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A fluid valve includes a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway. A valve seat is disposed within the fluid passageway. A fluid control member is movably disposed within the fluid passageway, the fluid control member cooperating with a trim assembly to control fluid flow through the fluid passageway. The trim assembly includes a cage having a plurality of diamond-shaped openings disposed in a wall thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid valve comprising:
a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway;
a trim assembly disposed within the fluid passageway; and
a fluid control member movably disposed within the fluid passageway, the fluid control member cooperating with the trim assembly to control fluid flow through the fluid passageway;
wherein the trim assembly includes a cage having a valve seat at one end and a first plurality of diamond-shaped openings disposed in a wall of the cage, the diamond-shaped openings extending through the cage perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the cage, the plurality of diamond-shaped openings including a first row of diamond-shaped openings located adjacent to one another about a circumference of the cage, each diamond-shaped opening in the first row having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of other diamond-shaped openings in the first row and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cage, and a second row of diamond-shaped openings located adjacent to one another about a circumference of the cage, each diamond-shaped opening in the second row having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of other diamond-shaped openings in the second row and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cage, the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the first row being offset from the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the second row, thereby forming a web of material between the diamond-shaped openings, the web of material having a first leg, a second leg, a third leg, and a fourth leg that intersect at a center portion.

2. The fluid valve of claim 1 , wherein the cage includes a second plurality of openings, at least one opening in the second plurality of openings having a shape other than a diamond-shape.

3. The fluid valve of claim 2 , wherein the at least one opening in the second plurality of openings is circular in shape.

4. The fluid valve of claim 2 , wherein the at least one opening in the second plurality of openings is arranged closer to the valve seat than the first plurality of openings.

5. The fluid valve of claim 4 , wherein fluid flows through the second plurality of openings during normal system demand.

6. The fluid valve of claim 4 , wherein fluid flows through both the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings during a surge condition.

7. The fluid valve of claim 2 , wherein the first plurality of openings defines a high flow region and the second plurality of openings defines a flow characterizing region.

8. The fluid valve of claim 1 , wherein at least one opening in the first plurality of openings includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a first edge and a second edge, the first edge and the second edge forming a first intersection.

9. The fluid valve of claim 8 , wherein the intersection includes an angle in the range of approximately 10 degrees to approximately 80 degrees.

10. The fluid valve of claim 8 , wherein the second portion includes a third edge and a fourth edge forming a second intersection.

11. The fluid valve of claim 10 , wherein the first edge and the third edge are joined by a flat segment that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the opening.

12. The fluid valve of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of diamond-shaped openings further comprises a third row of diamond-shaped openings located adjacent to one another about a circumference of the cage, each diamond-shaped opening in the third row having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of other diamond-shaped openings in the third row, parallel to the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the first row, and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cage, while being offset from the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the second row.

13. A cage for a control valve trim assembly, the cage comprising:
a cage body having an opening at one end and a wall extending from the opening; and
a plurality of diamond-shaped openings disposed in the wall,
wherein the diamond-shaped openings extend through the wall perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the cage body, the plurality of diamond-shaped openings including a first row of diamond-shaped openings located adjacent to one another about a circumference of the cage body, each diamond-shaped opening in the first row having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of other diamond-shaped openings in the first row and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cage body, and a second row of diamond-shaped openings located adjacent to one another about a circumference of the cage body, each diamond-shaped opening in the second row having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axes of other diamond-shaped openings in the second row and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cage body, the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the first row being offset from the longitudinal axes of the diamond-shaped openings in the second row, thereby forming a web of material between the diamond-shaped openings, the web of material having a first leg, a second leg, a third leg, and a fourth leg that intersect at a center portion.

14. The cage of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of circular openings.

15. The cage of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of diamond-shaped openings is farther from a valve seat than the plurality of circular openings.

16. The cage of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of diamond-shaped openings defines a high flow region of the cage and the plurality of circular openings defines a flow characterizing region of the cage.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Juhnke David Charles
• Crompton Joshua Charles

Classifications

• F16K47/08 Primary

  for decreasing pressure {or noise level} and having a throttling member separate from the closure member {, e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths} · CPC title

• Y10T137/86734

  With metering feature · CPC title

• F16K3/34 Primary

  Arrangements for modifying the way in which the rate of flow varies during the actuation of the valve · CPC title

• F16K3/24

  with cylindrical valve members · CPC title