JPH0418196B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cylinder main valve opening/closing device, and more particularly to a cylinder main valve opening/closing device for opening and closing the main valve of a cylinder storing harmful gas.

Conventional technology For example, semiconductor material gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes may be highly toxic, flammable, self-combustible, combustible, or a combination of these gases, depending on the type of gas. There are some things of a similar nature. The cylinders storing these harmful gases were housed in cylinder storage boxes equipped with exhaust ducts, and a main valve was attached to the top of the cylinders to open and close the cylinders in order to supply the gas inside the cylinders to the outside. For this reason, a cylinder main valve opening/closing device that automatically opens and closes the main valve for opening and closing the cylinder as described above by remote control is being developed. In this way, the conventional cylinder main valve opening/closing device that opens and closes the main valve of the cylinder has an actuator installed integrally with the cylinder above the main valve of the cylinder, and operates the main valve by supplying an operation signal to this actuator. It was supposed to be configured to.

That is, an open valve pipe and a closed valve pipe that supply air to operate the actuator are connected to the actuator, and by operating a solenoid valve in response to an operation signal, air is drawn from the open valve pipe or the closed valve pipe. Supplied into the cylinder of the actuator. Therefore, the actuator is operated by the pressure of air supplied from the valve-opening pipe or the valve-closing pipe to open and close the main valve.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the cylinder main valve opening/closing device configured as described above, the driving force of the actuator is determined by the magnitude of the air pressure from the opening and closing valve piping. For this reason, the main valve of the cylinder is opened and closed by the driving force according to the air pressure from the opening and closing valve piping. When opening and closing the main valve of a cylinder, the closing torque when the main valve closes increases due to the momentum (inertia force) when the main valve handle rotates. Since the valve body bites into the valve seat, the handle must be rotated under static friction, and the handle of the main valve must be rotated with a larger torque when opening the valve than when closing the valve. Therefore, if the air pressures from the open and closed valve piping are both the same pressure, there is a risk that the driving force when opening the main valve again may be insufficient. Furthermore, if the device has a function of continuing to supply air from the closed valve piping for several seconds after the main valve is closed, the main valve will become too tight. Therefore, if the air pressure when the valve opens next time is lower than the air pressure when it closes, there is a risk that the valve will not open. Therefore, there has been a need for a device that can reliably open the valve even when the valve is opened.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder main valve opening/closing device that meets the above-mentioned needs.

The present invention includes a cylinder filled with gas, a main valve attached to the cylinder to open and close the cylinder, and a movable wall that defines the inside of the cylinder into a first chamber and the two chambers. an actuator that opens and closes the main valve by movement; a valve-opening pipe whose one end is connected to the first chamber; a valve-closing pipe whose one end is connected to the second chamber; and the other valve-opening pipes. an open-side switching valve connected to the other end of the valve-opening pipe and switched to supply compressed air to the first chamber when an operating signal is supplied; A cylinder main valve opening/closing device comprising a closing-side switching valve that switches to supply compressed air to a chamber, and a cylinder main valve opening/closing device that is configured to supply compressed air to a first chamber in the cylinder by a switching operation of the opening-side switching valve. The air pressure is transferred to the second air pressure in the cylinder by the switching operation of the closing side switching valve.
A pressure reducing valve is provided in the closed valve piping to reduce the air pressure so that the air pressure is higher than the air pressure supplied to the second chamber in the cylinder, and when the movable wall is driven in the valve opening direction, the pressure in the second chamber in the cylinder is increased. A check valve that allows air to be discharged from the pressure reducing valve is provided in parallel with the pressure reducing valve.

Function By installing a pressure reducing valve in the valve closing piping to reduce the air pressure supplied to the second chamber of the cylinder when the valve is closed, the shutoff torque when closing the main valve is reduced and the valve is relatively opened when the valve is opened. The air pressure supplied to the first chamber of the cylinder is made higher than when the valve is closed. In addition, by providing a check valve that allows air to be discharged from the second chamber in parallel with the pressure reducing valve, the air in the second chamber is prevented from flowing when the moving wall is driven toward the second chamber when the valve is opened. Since it is discharged more quickly than the valve and the movable wall can be driven with a lower load, the opening operation of the main valve can be performed reliably.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the cylinder main valve opening/closing device according to the present invention. In both figures, for example, a cylinder 1 is filled with a highly concentrated semiconductor material gas. The cylinders 1 are stored in a cylinder storage box 2 while being kept vertically at a predetermined distance from each other. A main valve 3 is attached to the top of the cylinder 1. The main valve 3 has an operating handle 3a on its upper part for opening and closing operations. Therefore, the opening degree of the main valve 3 is adjusted by rotating the operating handle 3a. Therefore, a flow rate of gas corresponding to the opening degree of the main valve 3 flows out from the cylinder 1 and is supplied to the outside of the cylinder storage box 2 via the pipe 4 connected to the main valve 3 in communication.

5 is the actuator, cylinder storage box 2
It is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 2a of the cylinder 1, and is located at a position apart from the cylinder 1. The output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 passes through the top plate 2a and connects to the cylinder storage box 2.
protrudes inward. In addition, the output shaft 6 is connected to a universal joint 7.
is connected to.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a chuck, which is fitted onto the outer periphery of the operating handle 3a of the main valve 3. Further, a shaft 8a protruding from the top of the chuck 8 is connected to the universal joint 7.
Therefore, the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 is connected to the chuck 8 via the universal joint 7. 9
is an actuator, which is installed at a position away from the cylinder storage box 2, and which connects the main valve 3 to the actuator 5.
It has open/close valve switches 9a, 9b and an emergency cutoff switch 9c that supply opening/closing signals for opening and closing the valve. Reference numeral 10 denotes an air pipe that supplies air pressure to the actuator 5 to rotationally drive the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5.

A power unit 12 includes a liquefied gas container 13 filled with high-pressure gas that serves as a driving source for the actuator 5, and an unsealing mechanism 14 that opens the container in response to an emergency cutoff signal from the operating device 9. Note that the container 13 is connected to the actuator 5 via a gas pipe 15. Therefore, when the opening mechanism 14 is activated and the container 13 is opened in an emergency,
As will be described later, the high pressure gas in the container 13 is transferred to the gas pipe 1.
5 into the actuator 5, and the actuator 5 is urgently operated in the valve closing direction. As a result, the main valve 3 of the cylinder 1 is driven by the gas pressure from the container 13, not by the air pressure from the air pipe 10, and closes quickly.

Here, the configurations of the actuator 5 and the power unit 12 will be further explained with reference to FIG. The actuator 5 has electromagnetic valves 16 and 17 that are actuated by an operation signal from the operation device 9. An air pipe 10 is connected to the electromagnetic valves 16 and 17 as described later. When the solenoid valves 16 and 17 operate, air from the air pipe 10 flows through the solenoid valve 1.
6 and 17 into the cylinder section 18.
The solenoid valves 16 and 17 are respectively spring offset solenoid type switching valves, and when an open/close signal is supplied from the operating device 9, the solenoids 16a and 17a are energized to switch against the springs 16b and 17b. . Normally, the solenoid valves 16 and 17 are open to the atmosphere when not in operation. Further, the solenoid valves 16 and 17 are connected to ports 16c and 16c, respectively, which communicate with branch pipes 10a and 10b connected to the air pipe 10 via a check valve 19.
17c. Note that one of the electromagnetic valves 16 is a switching valve for valve opening, and has a port 16d communicating with a valve opening pipe 20 connected to a left cylinder chamber (first chamber) 18a of the cylinder portion 18. The other electromagnetic valve 17 is a switching valve for valve closing, and has a port 17d communicating with a valve closing pipe 21 connected to a right cylinder chamber (second chamber) 18c of the cylinder portion 18.

A pressure reducing valve 22, which is a main part of the present invention, is provided in the middle of the valve-closing pipe 21. Therefore, air piping 1
When the air pressure from 0 passes through the pressure reducing valve 22, it is reduced to a desired pressure and introduced into the right cylinder chamber 18c. That is, the air pressure introduced into the left cylinder chamber 18a of the cylinder 18 is greater than the air pressure introduced into the right cylinder chamber 18c. Therefore, as will be described later, when the main valve 3 is closed and then opened, the driving force is large and the valve can be opened reliably.

23 is a check valve (non-return valve), and the valve closing pipe 21
It is provided in the middle of the bypass piping 24 which is more branched. That is, the check valve 23 is provided in parallel with the pressure reducing valve 22. Therefore, the air introduced into the valve-closing pipe 21 via the solenoid valve 17 is prevented from flowing into the right cylinder chamber 18c from the bypass pipe 24 by the check valve 23, and all of the air passes through the pressure reducing valve 22. Further, when the piston 18b serving as a moving wall is displaced in the direction of arrow _X1 (valve opening direction), the check valve 23 allows the air discharged from the right cylinder chamber 18c to be exhausted through the bypass pipe 24.

A check valve 25 is provided in the gas pipe 15 from the power unit 12. Therefore, the gas pipe 15 is connected to the valve-closing pipe 21 between the electromagnetic valve 17 and the pressure reducing valve 22 via the check valve 25.

Note that the power unit 12 is provided with a safety valve 26 branched from the gas pipe 15. Safety valve 26
When the pressure from the container 13 reaches a predetermined pressure during an emergency shutdown, the valve opens and opens to the atmosphere, and the gas pipe 1
5 from being damaged by the high pressure of the gas from the container 13.

Next, the operation of the cylinder main valve opening/closing device configured as described above will be explained.

Normally, when opening and closing the main valve 3 of the cylinder 1, the on-off valve switches 9a and 9b of the operating device 9 are operated to supply an operating signal to the actuator 5. When a valve opening signal is supplied to the actuator 5 by operating the valve opening switch 9a, the solenoid 16a of the solenoid valve 16 is energized, and the solenoid valve 16 is activated by the spring 16b.
Switches against the Therefore, the ports 16c and 16d of the solenoid valve 16 are communicated with each other, and air from the air pipe 10 is introduced into the left cylinder chamber 18a of the cylinder 18 through the solenoid valve 16 and the valve opening pipe 20.
Note that the valve-opening pipe 20 is not provided with a pressure reducing valve 22, and air at a high pressure is supplied to the left cylinder chamber 18a. The electromagnetic valve 16 operates while the operation signal is supplied, and when the energization to the solenoid 16a is stopped, the solenoid valve 16 automatically returns to the non-operating state due to the elastic force of the spring 16b.

The piston 18b within the cylinder 18 is pushed in the direction of arrow _X1 by the air pressure supplied from the valve opening pipe 20 and is displaced in the same direction. Piston 18b
The displacement is converted into rotation of the output shaft 6 via a transmission mechanism (not shown) such as a rack and pinion. Furthermore, the operating handle 3a is rotated via the output shaft 6, the universal joint 7, and the chuck 8, and the opening degree of the main valve 3 is opened.

Note that as the piston 18b is displaced in the direction of arrow _X1 , the right cylinder chamber 18 of the cylinder 18
The air in c is connected to the closed valve piping 21, the bypass piping 24,
It flows out to the solenoid valve 17 via the check valve 23 and is released to the atmosphere through the port 17d of the solenoid valve 17.

Further, when a valve closing signal is supplied to the actuator 5 by operating the valve closing switch 9b, the solenoid valve 17
is operated and switched in the same manner as the solenoid valve 16 for opening the valve. Therefore, the ports 17c, 1 of the solenoid valve 17
7d are communicated with each other, and air from the air pipe 10 is introduced into the right cylinder chamber 18c of the cylinder 18 through the solenoid valve 17, the valve-closing pipe 21, and the pressure reducing valve 22.
Therefore, the piston 18b is pushed in the direction of arrow _X2 by the air pressure supplied from the valve-closing pipe 21 and is displaced in the same direction. Then, the opening degree of the main valve 3 is reduced via the output shaft 6, the universal joint 7, and the chuck 8. Therefore, the main valve 3 of the cylinder 1 is the operating device 9.
The valve is opened and closed by remote control, and its opening degree is adjusted. In addition, the controller 9 has a battery (not shown).
is built-in, so that the solenoid valves 16, 17 and the opening mechanism 14 can be operated reliably even during a power outage.

Note that as the piston 18b is displaced in the direction of arrow _X2 , the air in the left cylinder chamber 18a is released to the atmosphere via the valve opening pipe 20 and the solenoid valve 16. Further, when the electromagnetic valve 17 is activated to introduce air pressure into the valve-closing pipe 21, the check valve 25 prevents air pressure from flowing into the gas pipe 15. Therefore, the power unit 12 is prevented from receiving air pressure from the air pipe 10.

The solenoid valves 16 and 17 operate only when supplied with an on-off valve signal from the operating device 9, respectively, and return to the atmosphere open state after being operated. For this reason, the piston 18
After b is supplied with air pressure from the open and closed valve pipes 20 and 21, both sides become atmospheric pressure and are balanced, and remain at that position without being displaced arbitrarily, and the valve opening of the main valve 3 is changed. keep it.

Further, when the main valve 3 is closed by operating the valve-closing switch 9b, the solenoid valve 17 continues to be operated for several seconds even after the main valve 3 is closed, and air continues to be introduced from the air pipe 21. When closing the valve, the force for closing the valve becomes large just before the main valve 3 closes, but even after the valve is closed, the driving force that displaces the operating handle 3a in the valve closing direction acts, so the main valve 3 is reliably closed. I can do it.

When closing the main valve 3 of the cylinder 1, the closing torque when the main valve closes increases due to the momentum (inertia force) when the handle 3a of the main valve 3 rotates. When turning the valve, the valve body of the main valve 3 bites into the valve seat, so the handle 3 is held in a state of static friction.
When opening the valve, it is necessary to rotate the handle 3a of the main valve 3 with a larger torque than when closing the valve. Therefore, when the main valve 3 is closed and then the valve opening switch 9a is operated again to open the main valve 3, the air from the air pipe 10 is not depressurized due to the operation of the solenoid valve 16 for valve opening. left cylinder chamber 1
8a. Therefore, a higher air pressure than when the valve is closed is supplied to the left cylinder chamber 18a. Therefore, a larger pressing force acts on the piston 18b than when the valve is closed, and the main valve 3 is reliably opened with a larger driving force than when the valve is closed.

Further, when an earthquake occurs, the opening mechanism 14 is operated by operating the emergency shutoff switch 9c to open the container 13. The high pressure gas in the container 13 is supplied to the valve closing pipe 21 through the gas pipe 15 and the check 25, and is introduced into the right cylinder chamber 18c via the pressure reducing valve 22. The gas in the container 13 is supplied to the actuator 5 as a driving source to urgently shut off the main valve 3.

Note that since the gas from the container 13 is reduced to a predetermined pressure or less by the pressure reducing valve 22 to drive the piston 18b, excessive tightening torque is prevented when closing the main valve 3. For this reason, when the piston 18b is displaced again to open the main valve 3, the inconvenience that an excessive valve opening torque is required due to excessive tightening at the time of closing the valve can be prevented.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the cylinder main valve opening/closing device of the present invention, a pressure reducing valve is provided in the valve closing piping to reduce the air pressure supplied to the second chamber of the cylinder when the valve is closed. By reducing the shutoff torque when closing the valve, the air pressure supplied to the first chamber of the cylinder when the valve is opened can be relatively higher than when the valve is closed. Furthermore, by providing a check valve that allows air to be discharged from the second chamber in parallel with the pressure reducing valve, when the movable wall is driven toward the second chamber when the valve is opened, the air in the second chamber passes through the check valve. It is discharged more quickly and the moving wall can be driven with less load. When opening a closed main valve, it is possible to reliably open the main valve with a larger driving force than when the valve is closed, eliminating the inconvenience of not being able to open the main valve of a cylinder by remote control. In addition, in an emergency such as an earthquake, when a container filled with high-pressure gas is opened and the main valve is closed using gas pressure, excessive tightening force is not applied to close the main valve. , it has the advantage of eliminating the inconvenience caused by the need for excessive valve opening torque when opening the valve after emergency shutoff.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of the cylinder main valve opening/closing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a piping system diagram of the actuator shown in FIG. 1. 1... cylinder, 3... main valve, 5... actuator, 9... operating device, 10... air piping, 16,
17...Solenoid valve, 18...Cylinder part, 19,2
3, 25...Check valve, 20...Valve opening piping, 2
1... Valve closed piping, 22... Pressure reducing valve, 24... Bypass piping.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder having a gas sealed therein, a main valve attached to the cylinder to open and close the cylinder, and a movable wall that defines the inside of the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber. an actuator that opens and closes the main valve by movement of the movable wall; an open valve piping whose one end is connected to the first chamber; a valve closing piping whose one end is connected to the second chamber; a valve-opening side switching valve connected to the other end of the valve piping and switched to supply compressed air to the first chamber by supplying an operation signal; and a valve-opening side switching valve connected to the other end of the valve-closing piping and switched to supply compressed air to the first chamber by supplying an operation signal. A cylinder main valve opening/closing device comprising: a closing-side switching valve that switches to supply compressed air to the second chamber; The air pressure supplied to the chamber is changed to the second air pressure in the cylinder by the switching operation of the closing side switching valve.
A pressure reducing valve is provided in the closed valve piping to reduce the air pressure so that the air pressure is higher than the air pressure supplied to the second chamber in the cylinder, and when the movable wall is driven in the valve opening direction, the pressure in the second chamber in the cylinder is increased. A cylinder main valve opening/closing device characterized in that a check valve that allows air to be discharged from the cylinder is provided in parallel with the pressure reducing valve.