Vent assembly and method for a digital valve positioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989159-B2
Application number	US-201514701072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

A digital valve positioner for use with an actuator. The digital valve positioner includes a housing, at least one exhaust port opening formed in the housing, and a vent assembly operatively coupled to the at least one exhaust port opening. The vent assembly includes a body having a bore, a valve seat surrounding the bore, and a check valve disposed within the bore. The check valve is arranged to shift from a closed position seated against the valve seat to an open position disposed away from the valve seat. A plurality of barriers is disposed around and positioned to enclose the check valve. The plurality of barriers is arranged to prevent an external medium from entering the check valve and to provide a tortuous flow path for the exhaust medium reducing sound through the vent assembly.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A digital valve positioner for use with an actuator, the digital valve positioner comprising:
a housing;
at least one exhaust port opening formed in the housing;
a vent assembly operatively coupled to the at least one exhaust port opening, the vent assembly including:
a body operatively coupled to the at least one exhaust port opening, the body including a bore and an outer end surface and defining an inlet and an outlet, the bore disposed between the inlet and the outlet, and a plurality of apertures disposed in the outer end surface and around the bore,;
a valve seat surrounding the bore; and
a check valve disposed within the bore, the check valve arranged to shift from a closed position seated against the valve seat to an open position disposed away from the valve seat when an exhaust medium flows through the at least one exhaust port opening, the exhaust medium being directed through the plurality of apertures and into the check valve; and
a plurality of barriers disposed around the check valve and positioned to enclose the check valve, the plurality of barriers arranged to prevent an external medium from entering the check valve and to provide a tortuous flow path for the exhaust medium reducing sound through the vent assembly, the body disposed over the at least one exhaust port opening, and each barrier of the plurality of barriers including an elongate protrusion extending from the outer end surface of the body and having a first end and a second end, at least one of the first and second ends overlapping with one or more of the first or second ends of another elongate protrusion of the plurality of barriers to enclose the check valve.

2. The digital valve positioner of claim 1 , the at least one exhaust port opening comprising two exhaust port openings, the body disposed over the at least two exhaust openings.

3. The digital valve positioner of claim 1 , the vent assembly further comprising a cap disposed over the plurality of barriers to further enclose the check valve and reduce sound through the vent assembly, and a screen disposed between the body and the cap, the screen allowing the exhaust medium flowing through the plurality of barriers to be released to the atmosphere.

4. The digital valve positioner of claim 1 , the check valve comprising an umbrella check valve.

5. The digital valve positioner of claim 1 , the check valve positioned in the closed position, such that when the exhaust medium flows through the at least one exhaust port opening, the exhaust medium is directed through the plurality of apertures and into the check valve, shifting the check valve to the open position to release exhaust medium through the plurality of barriers and into the atmosphere.

6. The digital valve positioner of claim 1 , the body further including a second bore, a second valve seat surrounding the second bore, and a second check valve disposed within the bore, the second check valve arranged to shift from a closed position seated against the valve seat to an open position disposed away from the valve seat when the exhaust medium flows through the at least one exhaust opening, and the plurality of barriers disposed around the second check valve and positioned to enclose the second check valve, preventing the external medium from entering the second check valve.

7. An actuator comprising:
an actuator housing; and
the digital valve positioner of claim 1 , wherein the digital valve positioner is operatively connected to the actuator housing to convert an input signal to a pneumatic output pressure to the actuator.

8. A vent assembly for a digital valve positioner operatively coupled to an actuator, the vent assembly comprising:
a body having an inlet, an outlet, a bore disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a plurality of apertures surrounding the bore, a valve seat surrounding the plurality of apertures, the body adapted to be operatively secured to an exhaust port opening of the digital valve positioner;
an umbrella valve disposed within the bore, the umbrella valve biased in a closed position, such that the umbrella valve is shiftable between the closed position seated against the valve seat and an open position disposed away from the valve seat when an exhaust medium flows through the inlet of the body; and
an enclosure disposed around the umbrella valve and positioned to enclose the umbrella valve, the enclosure comprising a plurality of barriers arranged to prevent an external medium from entering the umbrella valve and to provide a tortuous flow path for the exhaust medium reducing sound through the vent assembly without affecting flow capacity,
the body including an outer end surface, the plurality of barriers extending from the outer end surface, each barrier of the plurality of barriers including an elongate protrusion having a first end and a second end, at least one of the first and second ends overlapping with one or more of the first or second ends of another barrier of the plurality of barriers to enclose the umbrella valve.

9. The vent assembly of claim 8 , the enclosure further comprising a cap removably disposed over the plurality of barriers to further enclose the umbrella valve and reduce sound through the vent assembly, and a screen disposed between the plurality of barriers and the cap, the screen allowing the exhaust medium flowing through the tortuous flow path of the plurality of barriers to exit to the atmosphere.

10. The vent assembly of claim 8 , the each barrier of the plurality of barriers comprising a post extending from a cap, the cap having a concave portion adapted to receive the umbrella valve when the umbrella valve is in an open position, the concave portion surrounded by the plurality of barriers, and each post offset from each of the other posts to enclose the umbrella valve.

11. The vent assembly of claim 8 , the body further including a second bore, a second valve seat surrounding the second bore, and a second check valve disposed within the bore, the second check valve arranged to shift from a closed position seated against the valve seat to an open position disposed away from the valve seat when the exhaust medium flows through the at least one exhaust opening, and the plurality of barriers disposed around the second check valve and positioned to enclose the second check valve, preventing the external medium from entering the second check valve.

12. A method of venting a digital valve positioner operatively coupled to an actuator, the digital valve positioner comprising a housing and at least one exhaust port opening formed in the housing, the method comprising:
providing a vent assembly comprising a check valve surrounded by a plurality of barriers;
operatively securing the vent assembly to the at least one exhaust port opening;
directing an exhaust medium into the check valve and through the plurality of barriers, reducing the sound of the exhaust medium flowing through the vent assembly; and
preventing an external medium from entering the check valve without affecting the flow capacity of the digital valve positioner,
wherein directing the exhaust medium into the check valve and through the plurality of barriers comprises directing the exhaust medium through a plurality of apertures disposed around a bore of a body of the vent assembly, into the check valve disposed within the bore, and radially outward into the plurality of barriers, at least one barrier of the plurality of barriers including an elongate protrusion extending from the body and having a first end and a second end, at least one of the first and second ends overlapping with one or more of the first or second ends of another elongate protrusio

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Winkler Richard J
• Junk Kenneth W
• Jelken Shannon E
• Roessler Francis C
• Mack Christopher J

Classifications

• Y10T137/0324

  With control of flow by a condition or characteristic of a fluid · CPC title

• 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

• F15B21/044

  Removal or measurement of undissolved gas, e.g. de-aeration, venting or bleeding · CPC title

• F16K47/04

  for decreasing pressure {or noise level}, the throttle being incorporated in the closure member · CPC title

• F16K31/12

  actuated by fluid ({fluid-actuated lift valves F16K1/126} ; fluid-actuated check valves F16K15/00; fluid-actuated safety valves F16K17/00) · CPC title