Multi-path selector valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9739383-B2
Application number	US-201514811637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Jul 29, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A multi-path selector valve used in liquid chromatography and other analytical methods for directing fluid along alternate paths of a flowstream. The selector valve has a stator and a rotor. The dynamic face of the stator has a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring, a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring, and an annular collection groove formed in the dynamic face. The inner ring, outer ring, and annular collection groove are concentric circles. The rotor's dynamic face is configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, and has two fluid flow paths. One fluid flow path has one end at a rotational center of the rotor and another end of the fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring. The second fluid flow path has one end that is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and another end that is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual selector valve assembly, comprising:
a stator having a front face and a rear face, wherein the rear face comprises:
a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring;
a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring; and
an annular collection groove formed in the rear face, wherein the annular collection groove forms a full circle; and

a rotor having a front face configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, the rotor having a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path, the first fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first fluid flow path is at a rotational center of the rotor and the second end of the first fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring, and the second fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and the second end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring.

2. The selector valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid flow path is a first groove and the second fluid flow path is a second groove.

3. The selector valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid flow path provides a flow path from an opening at a center of the rear face of the stator to a stator opening along the inner ring.

4. The selector valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second fluid flow path provides a flow path from a stator opening along the outer ring to the annular collection groove.

5. The selector valve assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a passage from an input port on the front face of the stator to the opening at the center of the rear face of the stator; and
a passage from the annular collection groove to an output port on the front face of the stator.

6. A dual selector valve assembly, comprising:
a stator having a front face and a rear face, wherein the rear face comprises:
a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring;
a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring; and
an annular collection groove formed in the rear face; and

a rotor having a front face configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, the rotor having a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path, the first fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first fluid flow path is at a rotational center of the rotor and the second end of the first fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring, and the second fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and the second end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring, wherein the first fluid flow path is a first subterranean passage that extends below a surface of the rotor and the second fluid flow path is a second subterranean passage that extends below the surface of the rotor.

7. The selector valve assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the subterranean passages comprises two substantially linear passage components that both subtend and converge together, forming a substantially V-shaped subterranean passage.

8. A dual selector valve assembly, comprising:
a stator having a front face and a rear face, wherein the rear face comprises:
a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring;
a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring; and
an annular collection groove formed in the rear face; and

a rotor having a front face configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, the rotor having a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path, the first fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first fluid flow path is at a rotational center of the rotor and the second end of the first fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring, and the second fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and the second end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring, wherein the annular collection groove, the inner ring, and the outer ring are concentric circles on the rear face of the stator.

9. The selector valve assembly of claim 8 , wherein the annular collection groove is positioned between the inner ring and the outer ring.

10. The selector valve assembly of claim 8 , wherein the inner ring is positioned between the annular collection groove and the outer ring.

11. A dual selector valve assembly, comprising:
a stator having a front face and a rear face, wherein the rear face comprises:
a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring;
a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring; and
an annular collection groove formed in the rear face; and

a rotor having a front face configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, the rotor having a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path, the first fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first fluid flow path is at a rotational center of the rotor and the second end of the first fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring, and the second fluid flow path comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and the second end of the second fluid flow path is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring, wherein the first fluid flow path is a first groove and the second fluid flow path is a second groove and wherein the first and second grooves are formed in the rear face of the rotor.

12. A selector valve assembly, comprising:
a stator having a front face and a rear face, wherein the rear face comprises:
a plurality of openings arranged along an inner ring;
a plurality of openings arranged along an outer ring; and
an annular collection groove formed in the rear face, wherein the annular collection groove forms a full circle; and

a rotor having a front face configured to mate with the rear face of the stator, the rotor having a first subterranean passage and a second subterranean passage, the first subterranean passage comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first subterranean passage is at a rotational center of the rotor and the second end of the first subterranean passage is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the inner ring, and the second subterranean passage comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the second subterranean passage is configured to be aligned with the annular collection groove and the second end of the second subterranean passage is configured to be aligned with a stator opening along the outer ring.

13. The selector valve assembly of claim 12 , wherein each of the subterranean passages comprises two substantially linear passage components that both subtend and converge together, forming a substantially V-shaped subterranean passage.

14. The selector valve assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first subterranean passage provides a flow path from an opening at a center of the rear face of the stator to a stator opening along the inner ring and the seco

Assignees

• Idex Health & Science Llc

Inventors

• Nichols Jon A
• Smyth James

Classifications

• G01N2030/202

  rotary valves · CPC title

• G01N2030/201

  multiport valves, i.e. having more than two ports · CPC title

• G01N30/468

  involving switching between different column configurations · CPC title

• F16K11/0743 Primary

  with both the supply and the discharge passages being on one side of the closure plates · CPC title

• G01N30/20

  using a sampling valve · CPC title