Automatic separator valve
US5161564A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 16, 1991 |
| Grant date | Nov 10, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 16, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/7404
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An automatically resetting mechanical valve used to control unwanted discharge of liquids less dense than water, principally oil, which may be present in waste water flows. The valve is closed by sinking both a primary float and a secondary float, each less dense than water but more dense than the liquid whose discharge is to be stopped. The sinking primary float effectively closes an orifice in an outlet conduit upon the sinking primary float's becoming sufficiently immersed in the less dense liquid. Upon the reintroduction of water, the secondary float acts upon a lever of high mechanical advantage, which pries the primary float upward, which, in turn, allows hydraulic pressure inside and outside the conduit to equalize, thereby allowing the primary float to unseat and the valve to automatically re-open.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.