Fluid Pressure Reduction Device for High Pressure-Drop Ratios

• US 20080023086A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Catron, Frederick W., Fagerlund, Allen C., Grabau, Ted D., DePenning, Charles L., Alman, Paul T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,766,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/625.28
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/08 for decreasing pressure or noise level and having a throttling member separate from the closure member , e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86718 Dividing into parallel flow paths with recombining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86734 With metering feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86759 Reciprocating

Abstract

A fluid pressure reduction device comprises two or more stackable annular plates. Each disk having a perimeter and a hollow center aligned along a longitudinal axis when the annular plates are stacked one on top of the other. Each disk further comprising at least one inlet flow sector having an inlet flow stage for defining a first inlet area and a first outlet area, and at least one outlet flow sector having an outlet flow stage defining a second inlet area and a second outlet areas wherein the ratio of the second inlet area to the second outlet area is predetermined to define a backpressure at the outlet flow stage to provide a sub-sonic fluid flow at the perimeter.

Claims

1. A fluid pressure reduction device comprising:

two or more stackable annular plates, each disk having a perimeter and a hollow center aligned along a longitudinal axis when the annular plates are stacked one on top of the other, wherein each disk further comprises;

at least one inlet flow sector having an inlet flow stage for defining a first inlet area and a first outlet area, and

at least one outlet flow sector having an outlet flow stage defining a second inlet area and a second outlet area, wherein the ratio of the second inlet area to the second outlet area is predetermined to define a backpressure at the outlet flow stage to provide a sub-sonic fluid flow at the perimeter.

2. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one inlet flow stage further comprises;

at least one a fluid inlet slot partially extending from the hollow center towards the perimeter, and

a first plenum being radially aligned and adjacent to the fluid inlet slot; and

partially extending from the perimeter towards the hollow center, and the at least one outlet flow stage further comprises;

at least one fluid outlet slot partially extending from the perimeter towards the hollow center, and a second plenum being radially adjacent to the fluid outlet slot and partially extending from the hollow center towards the perimeter.

3. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 2, wherein a first disk is selectively positioned to be stacked on top of a second disk to enable fluid flow from the fluid inlet slot of the inlet flow stage of the first disk to the second plenum of the outlet flow stage of the second disk such that a fluid flow is split into an upper and a lower axial direction to flow into adjacent plenum slots with multiple radial flow directions, and then distributed through the at least one outlet stage slot in at least one disk.

4. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 1, wherein each disk comprises a plurality of flow stages wherein a first flow stage and a second flow stage substantially reduce the fluid pressure therein.

5. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 4, wherein a third flow stage and a fourth flow stage substantially reduce the aerodynamic noise of the fluid pressure reduction device.

6. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 5, wherein the first flow stage and the second flow stage comprise passageways that define contraction-expansion pairs of a nozzle-type configuration.

7. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 6, wherein the third flow stage and the fourth flow stage comprise passageways that are generally rectangular in shape.

8. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 5, wherein the first and second flow stages are configured to provide a pressure-drop ratio of between range of 0.50 and 0.78.

9. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 8, wherein the third and fourth flow stages are configured to provide a pressure-drop ratio of between 0.30 and 0.40.

10. A fluid pressure reduction device according to claim 1, wherein each disk includes mounting apertures located in the periphery of each disk and the device further includes a plurality of elongated fasteners each adapted to pass through a respective one of the mounting aperture in each of the annular plates for maintaining the stacked annular plates mounted together.

11. A fluid pressure reduction device according to claim 10, wherein each mounting aperture includes a fluid passageway in communication with the fluid flowing through the fluid pressure reduction device.

12. A fluid pressure reduction device comprising:

a plurality of stacked annular plates, each disk having a perimeter and a hollow center aligned along a longitudinal axis when the annular plates are stacked on top of one another, wherein each disk further comprises;

an inlet flow sector having an inlet flow stage comprising a fluid inlet slot partially extending from the hollow center towards the perimeter and a first plenum being radially adjacent to the fluid inlet slot and partially extending from the perimeter towards the hollow center, and

an outlet flow sector having an outlet flow stage comprising a fluid outlet slot partially extending from the perimeter towards the hollow center and a second plenum being radially adjacent to the fluid outlet slot and partially extending from the hollow center towards the perimeter.

13. A fluid pressure reduction device according to claim 12, wherein adjacent stacked annular plates are selectively positioned to enable fluid flow from the fluid inlet stage of a first disk into the second plenum of adjacent annular plates such that the fluid flow path is split into axial and radial flow directions, and then distributed through the first plenum of the first disk to the outlet slots of the adjacent annular plates.

15. A fluid pressure reduction device according to claim 12, wherein each disk includes mounting apertures spatially separated on the disk, each mounting aperture having a fluid passageway in communication with the fluid flowing through the fluid pressure reduction device.

16. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 13, wherein each disk comprises a plurality of flow stages wherein a first flow stage provides fluid flow to a second flow stage, and the second flow provides fluid flow to a third flow providing fluid flow stage.

14. A fluid pressure reduction device according to claim 14, wherein the device includes a plurality of elongated fasteners each adapted to pass through a respective one of the mounting aperture in each of the annular plates for maintaining the stacked annular plates mounted together.

17. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 17, wherein the third flow stage provides fluid flow to a fourth flow stage.

18. The fluid pressure reduction device of claim 18, wherein the fourth flow stage provides a backpressure sufficient to induce sub-sonic fluid flow at the perimeter.