US-20260126121-A1 - NON-RETURN VALVE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A REFRIGERATION OR HEAT CIRCUIT

US20260126121A1US 20260126121 A1US20260126121 A1US 20260126121A1US-20260126121-A1

Abstract

Non-return valve for a refrigeration or heat circuit, which is insertable into a connection opening of a connection device or a pipe. The non-return valve has a valve closing member with a closing body. A closing surface of the closing body bears against the valve seat in an initial position of the valve closing member and closes a through opening. The closing body extends from the closing surface in the opposite direction to the travel movement into the working position of the closing body, and the closing body has a convex contour at the free end face end, which is connected to the closing surface by a concave contour.

Inventors

Eike Willers
Andreas Auweder

Assignees

OTTO EGELHOF GMBH & CO. KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230928
Priority Date: 20221004

Claims (20)

1 . Non-return valve for a refrigeration or heat circuit, which is insertable into a connection opening of a connection device or a pipe, with a one-piece or multi-piece housing, which comprises at least one base housing, wherein a feed opening is provided on the inlet side and a discharge opening is provided on the outlet side of the base housing, which are connected to one another by a flow channel, with a guide element which is provided on the base housing and through which a valve closing member is displaceably guided, the valve closing member being arranged in an initial position by a force storage element and the valve closing member being displaceable against a force of the force storage element into a working position in the direction of the discharge opening with a closing body which is arranged on the valve closing member and has a closing surface which, in an initial position of the valve closing member, bears against a valve seat of the connecting device or of the pipe or a valve housing of the housing, and closes a through-opening, with a sealing element arranged adjacent to the closing body, which rests against the valve seat and the base housing the guide element and the force storage element acting on the valve closing member are provided downstream of the valve seat, wherein the closing body extends from the closing surface in the opposite direction to a travel movement of the valve closing member from the starting position into the working position, and wherein the closing body has a convex contour at the free end face end, which is connected to the closing surface by a concave contour wherein the guide ribs extend from the closing surface of the closing body in the direction of the free end face end of the closing body or up to the free end face end of the closing body.
2 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein a flowing transition is formed between the convex contour and the closing surface by the concave contour.
3 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the convex contour merges directly into the concave contour and the concave contour merges directly into the closing surface of the closing body.
4 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein a length L of the closing body starting from the closing surface up to the free end face end of the closing body is greater than a travel movement of the valve closing member from the starting position into the working position.
5 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the closing body is formed hemispherically or with a parabolic cross-section at its free end face end and in that an equator surface with a radius R 1 , which is smaller than a radius R 3 of a cross-sectional area of the closing surface, is formed remote from the free end face end by the convex contour.
6 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the concave contour between the convex contour and the closing surface is formed by a radius R 2 or by a curve with a changing gradient or a changing radius.
7 . Non-return valve according to claim 4 , wherein a length L of the closing body, starting from the closing surface to the free end face end of the closing body is in a range between 0.25 and 5 in relation to the radius R 1 of the equator surface.
8 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the free end face end of the closing body extends upstream beyond the valve seat after the valve closing member has assumed the working position and the end of the closing body in the working position of the valve closing member projects into the inlet opening adjacent to the valve seat.
9 . Non-return valve according to claim 4 , wherein a ratio between the radius R 3 of the cross-sectional area of the closing surface and the length L of the closing body, starting from the closing surface to the free end face end of the closing body, is in a range of 3 to 0.3.
10 . (canceled)
11 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein two or more guide ribs, aligned at the same circumferential angle to one another, are provided on the closing body.
12 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the guide ribs have a guide surface which, starting from the closing surface of the closing body, extend in the direction of the free end face end of the closing body and are aligned parallel to one another, and is guided along an inner wall of the inlet opening or in a transition region between a valve seat surface of the valve seat and the inner wall of the inlet opening.
13 . Non-return valve according to claim 12 , wherein between the guide surface of the guide rib and the free end face end of the closing body an inflow surface is formed which is straight, curved or rounded.
14 . Non-return valve according to claim 12 , wherein the guide surface of the guide rib extends at least from the closing surface of the closing body to the equator surface on the closing body.
15 . Non-return valve according to claim 12 , wherein the guide surface of the guide rib has a length F R which is smaller than a maximum travel movement of the closing body from the starting position into the working position.
16 . Non-return valve according to claim 12 , wherein the guide surface of the guide rib has a length F R which is equal to or greater than a maximum travel movement of the closing body from the starting position to the working position.
17 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein in that the valve closing member is guided in a first stroke phase from the starting position in the direction of the working position up to an intermediate position by the guide ribs in the inlet opening and in a second stroke phase from the intermediate position up to the working position the guide ribs come free from the inlet opening and the valve closing member is guided by a guide section of the closing body and a guide section of the base housing.
18 . Non-return valve according to claim 17 , wherein the length F R of the guide surface on the guide rib is smaller than a guide length F L between the sleeve of the base housing and a guide section of the closing body which faces the base housing.
19 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing element is arranged downstream of the closing surface of the closing body and the closing force of the force storage element is transmitted to the valve seat via the closing surface of the closing body and/or the sealing element only bears against the valve seat in a sealing manner.
20 . Non-return valve according to claim 1 , wherein at least one guide element is provided on the valve closing member aligned in the opposite direction to the closing body by means of which guide element the valve closing member is displaceably guided in the base housing.

Description

The invention relates to a non-return valve, in particular for a refrigeration or heat circuit. WO 2019/219732 A1 discloses a non-return valve for a refrigeration or heat circuit, which can be inserted into an inlet opening of a connection device or a pipe. This non-return valve comprises a one-piece or multi-piece housing with at least one base housing, wherein a feed opening is provided on the inlet side and a discharge opening is provided on the outlet side of the base housing, which are connected to one another by a flow channel. The base housing comprises at least one guide element through which a valve closing element is guided so that it can be moved from a starting position or closing position to a working position or opening position. A force storage element acts in the opposite direction to the opening movement of the valve closing element. The base housing, the guide element and the force storage element acting on the valve closing member are provided downstream of a valve seat, against which a closing surface of a closing body of the valve closing member rests in the starting position. The invention is based on the task of forming a non-return valve which enables a reduction in pressure loss in a medium flowing through the non-return valve. This task is solved by a non-return valve with a valve closing member, which comprises a closing body with a closing surface, preferably adjacent to the closing surface, in particular downstream of the closing surface of the closing body, a sealing element, which, in an initial position, bear against the valve seat and close a flow channel and the closing body extends from the closing surface in a direction opposite to a travel movement of the closing body into the working position and the closing body has a convex contour at a free end face end, which is connected to the closing surface of the closing body by a concave contour. This shape of the closing body, which extends in the opposite direction to the direction of flow of a medium starting from the valve seat or the closing surface, which rests in the valve seat, enables flow optimization to be achieved. In particular, this can reduce turbulence in the medium, especially when flowing towards the valve seat. By increasing the laminar part of the flow in the medium that flows through the open non-return valve, it is possible to reduce the pressure loss. Particularly in the case of non-return valves that are used on a low-pressure side of a refrigeration or heat circuit, a reduction in pressure losses can lead to an improvement in efficiency. This has a positive effect on heat dissipation, for example, which can be increased as a result. It is preferable that a flowing transition is formed between the convex contour starting from the front end of the closing body and the closing surface of the closing body through the concave contour. Advantageously, gentle gradients are provided in order to achieve smooth flow zones. Furthermore, it is preferable that the convex contour at the free end face end of the closing body merges directly into the concave contour and that the concave contour merges directly into the closing surface. This means that no straight sections are formed. The direct transition between the contours and from the convex contour into the closing surface can further optimize the flow. The length L of the closing body, starting from the closing surface to the end face of the closing body, is preferably greater than a movement of the closing body from the starting position to the working position. This means that regardless of the opening stroke of the closing body, it is positioned towards or in the inlet opening and acts to promote flow, in particular to reduce pressure loss. Preferably, the length FR of the guide surface on the guide rib is smaller than a guide length FL between a sleeve of the base housing and a guide section of the closing body pointing towards the base housing. This means that in a first stroke phase, the closing body can be guided between the guide ribs and the valve seat or the inlet opening and in a second stroke phase the closing body can be guided on the base housing. This allows the closing body to be guided over the entire opening stroke of the valve closing element. In addition, the passage at the valve seat can be fully released. The convex contour formed at the front end of the closing body can be hemispherical or have a parabolic cross-section. Away from the front end of the closing body, the hemispherical contour or parabolic contour can have an equatorial surface with a radius R1 that is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the closing surface. This can be an optimization variable for reducing the pressure loss. The concave contour on the closing body, which extends between the convex contour and the closing surface of the closing body, preferably has a radius R2. This enables a continuous transition. Alternatively, in-stead of the radius R2, a curve of the c