Quick change valve trim assembly
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pressure regulator comprising:
- a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway, and an orifice being disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;
a valve seat disposed within the fluid passageway;
a movable valve plug, the valve plug being disposed within the fluid passageway, the valve plug interacting with the valve seat to selectively open or close the fluid passageway, the valve plug including an annular ridge; and
a cage disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounding the valve plug, the cage including a mechanical stop, the annular ridge and the mechanical stop sized to engage one another to thereby limit movement of the valve plug relative to the cage in a direction away from the valve seat,wherein the mechanical stop is an internal ring having a diameter that is smaller than a widest diameter of the annular ridge, wherein the annular ridge is disposed a first distance from the valve seat and the mechanical stop is disposed a second distance from the valve seat, the second distance greater than the first distance,wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the diameter of the internal ring.
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Abstract
A pressure regulator includes a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway. An orifice is disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. A valve seat is disposed within the fluid passageway. A movable valve plug is disposed within the fluid passageway, and the valve plug interacts with the valve seat to selectively open or close the fluid passageway. A cage is disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounds the valve plug, and the cage includes a mechanical stop that limits movement of the valve plug within the cage away from the valve seat.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A pressure regulator comprising:
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a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway, and an orifice being disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet; a valve seat disposed within the fluid passageway; a movable valve plug, the valve plug being disposed within the fluid passageway, the valve plug interacting with the valve seat to selectively open or close the fluid passageway, the valve plug including an annular ridge; and a cage disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounding the valve plug, the cage including a mechanical stop, the annular ridge and the mechanical stop sized to engage one another to thereby limit movement of the valve plug relative to the cage in a direction away from the valve seat, wherein the mechanical stop is an internal ring having a diameter that is smaller than a widest diameter of the annular ridge, wherein the annular ridge is disposed a first distance from the valve seat and the mechanical stop is disposed a second distance from the valve seat, the second distance greater than the first distance, wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the diameter of the internal ring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A pressure regulator comprising:
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a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet connected by a fluid passageway, and an orifice being disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet; a valve seat disposed within the fluid passageway; a movable valve plug, the valve plug being disposed within the fluid passageway, the valve plug interacting with the valve seat to selectively open or close the fluid passageway; and a cage disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounding the valve plug, the cage including a mechanical stop that limits movement of the valve plug relative to the cage away from the valve seat; wherein the mechanical stop is an internal ring having a smaller diameter than a widest diameter on the valve plug; wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the internal ring diameter; and wherein the first region is located farther from the valve seat than the second region. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A trim assembly for a pressure regulator, the trim assembly comprising:
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a valve seat; a valve plug, the valve plug being movable relative to the valve seat, the valve plug interacting with the valve seat to selectively open or close the valve seat, the valve plug including an annular ridge; and a cage disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounding the valve plug, the cage including a mechanical stop, the annular ridge and the mechanical stop sized to engage one another to thereby limit movement of the valve plug relative to the cage in a direction away from the valve seat, wherein the annular ridge is disposed a first distance from the valve seat and the mechanical stop is disposed a second distance from the valve seat, the second distance greater than the first distance, wherein the mechanical stop is an internal ring having a diameter that is smaller than a widest diameter of the valve plug, and wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the diameter of the internal ring. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A trim assembly for a pressure regulator, the trim assembly comprising:
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a valve seat; a valve plug, the valve plug being movable relative to the valve seat, the valve plug interacting with the valve seat to selectively open or close the valve seat; and a cage disposed in the fluid passageway, the cage surrounding the valve plug, the cage including a mechanical stop that limits movement of the valve plug relative to the cage away from the valve seat; wherein the mechanical stop is an internal ring having a smaller diameter than a widest diameter on the valve plug; wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the internal ring diameter; and wherein the first region is located farther from the valve seat than the second region. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of removing a trim assembly from a pressure regulator, the method comprising:
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removing a bonnet from a pressure regulator; pulling on a valve stem that is connected to a valve plug to move the valve plug in relation to a cage until the valve plug engages a mechanical stop on the cage; and continuing to pull on the valve stem until the valve plug and the cage are extracted from a valve body as a unit; and forming the mechanical stop by an internal ring having a smaller diameter than a largest diameter of the valve plug; wherein the cage includes a first region having a first diameter and a second region having a second diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter and both the first and second diameters being larger than the internal ring diameter; and locating the first region farther from a valve seat than the second region.
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Specification