Fast opening, high pressure valve 1

[MrFission]

Hello,

I'm working on an exotic project where I need a fast opening, high pressure valve. I'm not an expert in valves, obviously as you can see from this question. The required specs are below, I've been told there are no currently available solutions for my problem. If you have ideas please let me know.

Gas: helium
Orifice: ideally ½ inch, as small as ¼ inch would be ok
Operation: Starts closed with air at STP on one side, helium at 5000 psi on the other side; when I need to have the valve open an ideal opening time would be <1 millisecond.

Any ideas – or is this pie in the sky? One time use rupture disks are not acceptable.

Thanks

 

[MikeHalloran]

I can think of a way to make it open fast, and close fast
...
and then you have to replace the explosives.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[israelkk]

A 1/2 orifice means that the plunger has to move 1/8 to fully open the flow. There is no way that the plunger with sealing forces due to 5000psi can move so fast. Even with 1/4 orifice it is probably impossible. You need to add to the mechanical time the electrical time to achieve the magnetic flux to pull the plunger too. How much current you can provide and how high voltage can you provide? What are the valve maximum dimensions?

 

[MrFission]

To israelkk,

As you can tell we don't know if this is feasible, we're exploring. Ideally I would like to buy the valve because designing the valve isn’t my goal, but if I have to design and build from scratch then so be it - oh well.

You've written that we need "... to achieve the magnetic flux to pull the plunger...". Would it be possible to instead have a system where a magnet is used to actively keep the valve closed, and then short the load to the magnet, releasing the valve? I don’t need to reclose quickly, and after it’s been opened the pressure delta will be gone.

Since we're only exploring right now it is fair to consider a wide range of operating conditions, including high supply currents and voltages.

Also, we have no particular constraints on valve size, just that we need a large orifice because we need to move a lot of gas fast.

Do you know of any companies that might specialize and be interested in this?

 

[gerhardl]

MrFission,

I believe MikeHalloran is on the right track. The fastest opening devices known are bursting discs for fire-fighting purposes covering high-pressurized vessels with inert gases, opening initiated by firing off a bullet from a pre-arranged 'barrel-firing' arrangement.

All this is commercially available, and the pressure contained should be no problem, technology known and tested.

Problem is probably room (size more than required) and weight, and possibly price, and that the device has to be reloaded and disc replaced.... But it will in all probability work, but need more than 1 millisecond.

Have a look at the Fike gas cartridge initiator below

The same company has available solenoid solutions, have a look either in the US connection or the European office in Belgium, last having been involved with discussion of the EN rules for vessel and firefighting and explosion protection.

http://www.fike.com/products/fsco2.asp

http://www.fike.com/products/epsuppression.html

 

[israelkk]

As I understand this is not a one shot device. As you said the closing time can be larger than the opening time. The forces needed from the solenoid are in the range of 150-200 kgf. Therefore, you are dealing with a massive solenoid. The dimensions for such solenoid valve are probably: diamater larger than 200 mm and length larger than 200 mm. To get the high forces the plunger need to be quite large and the higher the supplied voltage and current the faster the solenoid can be.

This is not just a solenoid, it is a valve, therefore sealing is an issue too especially with Helium. How much internal and external leak is allowed? What is the operation mode of this solenoid. How many consecutive opening and closing in a minute/hour/day?

How many solenoids you need?

Where are located?