An air-bleed valve for radiators of thermosiphon heating systems provided with floating body

Abstract

 The present invention relates to an air-bleed valve for radiators of thermosiphon heating systems internally provided with a collar on which an elastically flexible tube with floating body is fitted.

Description

[0001] The present patent application relates to an air-bleed valve for radiators of thermosiphon heating systems capable of guaranteeing the complete ejection of the air contained inside the radiator.

[0002] As it is known, radiators are composed of several modular radiant elements combined together. Each element consists in a tubular column externally provided with fins to favour the thermal exchange between the hot water contained in the radiator and the air that touches the external surface of the radiator.

[0003] An opposed pair of threaded hubs is provided on the top and the bottom of each column. Connection nipples are screwed onto the hubs to join the adjacent pairs of radiant elements, as well as to provide communication between the columns of the radiator.

[0004] The upper hub of one ending element is always provided with a plug. An air-bleed valve is screwed onto the central part of the plug, in order to bleed - as necessary - the air contained inside the radiator, which tends to spontaneously raise and stagnate in the upper part of the radiator.

[0005] As it is known, the presence of air inside the radiator prevents it from filling with hot water, thus reducing the thermal exchange between the radiator and the external air that touches the radiator, and the air-bleed valve is therefore necessary. By opening the valve, the air bubbles contained inside the radiator can spontaneously exit the radiator.

[0006] As mentioned earlier, the air-bleed valve is screwed onto the central part of the plug that closes the upper hub of the last radiator element. In any case, it is practically impossible to bleed all the air contained in the radiator, since the valve must be closed as soon as water starts to come out in a continuous, regular way. This obviously occurs when the water level inside the radiator reaches the drain hole of the valve.

[0007] In other words, when the air-bleed valve is closed, a gap filled with air remains inside the radiator. The air gap extends over the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the drain hole of the air-bleed valve.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to produce a new model of air-bleed valve for thermosiphon heating systems capable of guaranteeing the complete ejection of the air contained inside the radiator, particularly the air that stagnates in the gap extending over the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the drain hole of the air-bleed valve.

[0009] This objective has been reached by fitting an internal flexible tube ending with a floating body onto the drain hole of an ordinary air-bleed valve. In this way, the end of the tube is bent and lifted upwards as the water level inside the radiator raises over the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the drain hole of the air-bleed valve.

[0010] This means that, when bleeding the air, water will come out of the air-bleed valve according to the invention only when the water level has reached the highest point of the gap, against whose top the floating body is pressed.

[0011] It is evident that as the water raises inside the gap, the air contained in the gap is ejected outside through the tube, whose opening always remains over the water level thanks to the floating body located in the opening.

[0012] For major clarity the description of the air-bleed valve according to the present invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration and not in a limiting sense, whereby:

• Fig. 1 is a side view of the air-bleed valve according to the invention.

[0013] With reference to Fig. 1, the air-bleed valve (1) according to the invention comprises an ordinary body valve (1), internally provided with a special collar (2) inside which a small tube (3) is forced. On one side the tube (3) ends with an enlarged head (3a) suitable for being forced inside the collar (2).

[0014] The other side of the tube (3) is provided with a floating body (4), made up of a cylindrical coupling whose bottoms are hermetically closed by means of two discs (3b) located on the tube (3). The discs (3b) are forced inside the ending sections of the cylindrical coupling (4).

[0015] Finally, it must be noted that the tube (3) is made of elastically flexible material, such as rubber, to allow it to bend upwards under the pressure of the water against the floating body (4) when the water level inside the radiator raises over the horizontal plane A-A passing through the axis of the drain hole of the air-bleed valve (1).

Claims

1. An air-bleed valve for radiators of thermosiphon heating systems, of the type comprising an ordinary valve body (1), characterised in that the body (1) is internally provided with a collar (2) inside which an elastically flexible tube (3) is forced, ending at one side with an enlarged head (3a) suitable for being forced inside the collar (2) and supporting a floating body (4) at the other side.

2. An air-bleed valve for radiators of thermosiphon heating systems according to the previous claim, characterised in that the floating body (4) is made up of a cylindrical coupling, whose bottoms are hermetically closed by means of two discs (3b) located on the tube (3), which are forced inside the ending sections of the cylindrical coupling (4).

Drawing