Patent Abstract:
A multi-valve manifold is provided, including a valve body having a periphery about which are placed a series of valves. At least one of the series of valves fits within a depression in the valve body.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to the field of five valve manifolds and the attached assembly drawings show the general arrangement of two types of five valve manifolds incorporating angle bonnet features according to the invention. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Drawing  FIGS. 3 ,  3   a ,  4  and  4   a  show the same type of five valve manifold valve with the conventional arrangement of the valve bonnets, wherein: 
     FIGS. 3 and 3   a  show a five valve, flange by pipe manifold with the equalizer and vent valves located on the front face of the manifold. 
     FIGS. 4 and 4   a  show a five valve, flange by flange manifold with the equalizer and vent valves located on the front face of the manifold. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The general type of manifold is used in flow measurement applications in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, petrochemical, water treatment and power production. The manifold valve is installed between the primary flow measurement element (an orifice plate or similar) and the transmitter. The purpose of the primary element is to cause a pressure drop in the pipeline. There is a relationship between the size of the pressure differential caused by the primary element and the flow through the pipeline. A transmitter, typically an electronic device, measures the pressure differential. However, the conventional positioning of the valves on and normal to a front face of the prior art manifolds requires the valve handles to be small in order not to interfere with one another and makes those handles difficult to turn by hand. The present invention overcomes these difficulties by positioning some of the valves in depressions such that the valves are not normal to the front face. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention of a five valve manifold of the flange by flange type having a general “I-shape”; 
       FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a five valve manifold of the flange by pipe type having a generally “T-shape”; 
       FIG. 3  is an elevation view of a prior art flange by pipe five valve manifold; 
       FIG. 3   a  is a right side view of the prior art manifold of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an elevation view of a prior art flange by flange five valve manifold; and 
       FIG. 4   a  is a right side view of the prior art manifold of  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In such an installation as described above for flow measurement applications, there are two independent passages from the primary element through the manifold valve to the transmitter. One passage  11  is from the high pressure side of the primary element and the other passage  13  is from the low pressure side of the primary element. Two isolation or block valves ( 12 ,  14 , respectively, one on each of the high side and low side) are located within the manifold to allow the transmitter (not shown) to be isolated from the pipeline. In all the drawings attached according to embodiments of the invention the isolation/block valves  12 ,  14  are located on the sides of the manifold. 
   The other three valves  16 ,  18 ,  20  in a five valve manifold are typically located on the front face  22  of the manifold body (see prior art drawings  FIGS. 3–4 ). These valves  16 ,  18 ,  20  are either used as equalizer valves or vent valves. Five valve manifold can have either 2 equalizer valves and one vent valve, or one equalizer valve and two vent valves. 
   The equalizer valve(s) are used to control communication between the high pressure side passage  11  and the low pressure side passage  13 . When the transmitter is measuring differential pressures the high side and the low side are isolated from each other and thus the equalizer valves are closed. When it is necessary to calibrate the transmitter the equalizer valves are opened, allowing the high side and the low side to be connected. The pressure on both sides is now equalized and the transmitter can be zeroed and calibrated. 
   The vent valve(s) is used to process fluid to be vented, either to bleed off pressure or to bleed off unwanted accumulations of air, gas or other fluids that would affect the pressure measurement. 
   In the currently available manifolds of this type these three valves (the equalizer and vent valves) are located on the face  22  of the manifold  10 .  FIGS. 3–3   a  and  4 – 4   a  show this arrangement. The industry standard spacing between the high pressure side and the low pressure of the primary flow measurement element is 2⅛″, center to center. This standard spacing imposes constrains on the location of the equalizer/vent valves  16 ,  18 ,  20  and forces those valves  16 ,  18 ,  20 , when located on the face  22  of the manifold  10  to be quite close together. This in turn requires that the handles  16 ′,  18 ′,  20 ′ on those individual valves  16 ,  18 ,  20  to be quite small in order to prevent the handles from interfering with each other. These manifold valve handles  16 ′,  18 ′,  20 ′ are hand operated. The close spacing of the equalizer/vent valves  16 ,  18 ,  20  does not allow much room for hand operation of the vent/equalizer valve handles  16 ′,  18 ,  20 ′. Further the need for small handles  16 ′,  18 ′,  20 ′ makes those valve handles  16 ′,  18 ′,  20 ′ more difficult to turn by hand. 
   The invention disclosed in the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2  show embodiments of the invention wherein two of these three valves  160 ,  180 ,  200  located on surfaces  24 ,  26  angled off the front face  220  of the manifold body  100 . This permits the handles  160 ′,  180 ′,  200 ′ to be separated allowing for both larger handles and more access room for hand operation. This makes operation of these valves  160 ,  180 ,  200  both easier and more convenient. 
   It will be apparent from the foregoing that many other variations and modifications may be made to the invention described herein without departing from the essential concept of the invention. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are exemplary only and not intended as limitations on the scope of the present invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8