Unitary fluid flow production and control system
First Claim
1. A fluid flow production system comprising(a) a conduit,(b) a variable speed pump for developing flow of a fluid in the conduit, the rate of said flow being variable in response to a control signal,(c) means coupled into the flow developing means for selectively varying one or more geometric parameters of the flow developing means in response to a geometry determining signal, capable of independently varying the flow rate and fluid pressure in the conduit,(d) flow rate sensing means disposed in the conduit for producing a signal representing the flow rate in the conduit,(e) fluid pressure sensing means disposed in the conduit for producing a signal representing the fluid pressure in the conduit, and(f) manually settable control means responsive to said flow rate signal and fluid pressure signal for producing a control signal and geometry determining signal for supply to the variable speed pump and geometry varying means respectively to cause development of a desired flow rate and fluid pressure in the conduit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fluid flow production and control system includes a variable speed pump defining a fluid flow path therethrough and a fluid flow path outlet, for operating at a speed determined by an input speed control signal. Also included is a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of fluid at the outlet, and a flow rate sensor for detecting the flow rate of fluid at the outlet. One or more dimensional parameters of the flow path, such as the cross-sectional area, venting ports along the direction of the flow path, and the like, may be varied in response to a parameter control signal. A control unit coupled to the pressure sensor and flow rate sensor and responsive to detected pressures and flow rates supplies an input speed control signal to the pump and a parameter control signal to the dimensional parameter varying mechanism to thereby produce a selected flow rate and fluid pressure at the outlet.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A fluid flow production system comprising
(a) a conduit, (b) a variable speed pump for developing flow of a fluid in the conduit, the rate of said flow being variable in response to a control signal, (c) means coupled into the flow developing means for selectively varying one or more geometric parameters of the flow developing means in response to a geometry determining signal, capable of independently varying the flow rate and fluid pressure in the conduit, (d) flow rate sensing means disposed in the conduit for producing a signal representing the flow rate in the conduit, (e) fluid pressure sensing means disposed in the conduit for producing a signal representing the fluid pressure in the conduit, and (f) manually settable control means responsive to said flow rate signal and fluid pressure signal for producing a control signal and geometry determining signal for supply to the variable speed pump and geometry varying means respectively to cause development of a desired flow rate and fluid pressure in the conduit.
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12. A fluid flow control system comprising
a variable speed pump defining a fluid flow path therethrough and a fluid flow path outlet for operating at a speed determined by an input speed control signal to pump fluid along the fluid flow path and out the outlet at a rate which increases with the increase in speed of the pump and vice-versa, and at a pressure which increases with the increase in speed of the pump and vice-versa, pressure sensor means for detecting the pressure of fluid at the outlet, flow rate sensor means for detecting the flow rate of fluid at the outlet, means coupled to the pump for varying one or more dimensional parameters of the flow path in response to a parameter control signal, to thereby vary the flow rate and pressure of fluid in the flow path, and control means coupled to the pressure sensor means and flow rate sensor means and responsive to the detected pressures and flow rates for supplying an input speed control signal to the pump and a parameter control signal to the varying means to thereby independently produce a selected flow rate and fluid pressure at the outlet.
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16. A method of independently controlling the flow rate and output pressure of a variable speed fluid pump having a fluid flow path defined therein, said method comprising
(a) detecting the fluid flow rate of the pump, (b) detecting the output fluid pressure of the pump, (c) selectively varying the speed of the pump to thereby change the flow rate and output pressure of the pump, and (d) selectively varying one or more configurational parameters of the fluid flow path of the pump, in conjunction with step (c), to thereby develop a certain flow rate and output pressure for the pump.
Specification