Flow regulating control valve and method for regulating fluid flow
First Claim
1. A fluid regulating control valve, comprising:
- a housing having an upstream region and a downstream region and having a control orifice formed therein adjacent the downstream region;
a piston slidably disposed within the housing, the piston having a fluid passage defining an intermediate region disposed between the upstream region and the downstream region, the piston also having an edge adjacent the upstream region;
an elastic member disposed within the housing for opposing translation of the piston within the housing;
a throttling element adjacent the upstream region, the throttling element having a throttling surface adjacent the edge of the piston, the throttling surface and the edge defining a throttling orifice therebetween; and
an equalization aperture formed in the housing to allow a fluid in the downstream region to enter an equalization chamber defined by a region between an inside surface of the housing and an outside surface of the piston.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to one aspect of the invention, a fluid regulating control valve includes a housing having an upstream region and a downstream region and having a control orifice formed therein adjacent the downstream region and a piston slidably disposed within the housing. The piston has a fluid passage defining an intermediate region disposed between the upstream region and the downstream region and an edge adjacent the downstream region. The valve also includes an elastic member disposed within the housing for opposing translation of the piston within the housing and a throttling element adjacent the upstream region. The throttling element has a throttling surface adjacent the edge of the piston, in which the throttling surface and the edge define a throttling orifice therebetween. The valve further includes an equalization aperture formed in the housing to allow a fluid in the downstream region to enter an equalization chamber defined by a region between an inside surface of the housing and an outside surface of the piston.
72 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fluid regulating control valve, comprising:
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a housing having an upstream region and a downstream region and having a control orifice formed therein adjacent the downstream region;
a piston slidably disposed within the housing, the piston having a fluid passage defining an intermediate region disposed between the upstream region and the downstream region, the piston also having an edge adjacent the upstream region;
an elastic member disposed within the housing for opposing translation of the piston within the housing;
a throttling element adjacent the upstream region, the throttling element having a throttling surface adjacent the edge of the piston, the throttling surface and the edge defining a throttling orifice therebetween; and
an equalization aperture formed in the housing to allow a fluid in the downstream region to enter an equalization chamber defined by a region between an inside surface of the housing and an outside surface of the piston. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
where d is the diameter of the piston, W is the width of each of the three ports, and x is a distance from the edge of the piston to a fully closed position defined by a position of the piston in which the edge of the piston touches the inclined sidewall of the cavity of the throttling element.
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9. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 1, wherein the edge of the piston is square.
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10. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 1, wherein a size of the throttling orifice changes as the piston translates in response to a change in a pressure of the fluid in the upstream region.
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11. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 10, wherein the size of the throttling orifice decreases as the piston translates toward the upstream region in response to an increase in the pressure of the fluid in the upstream region.
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12. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 10, wherein a size of the throttling orifice increases as the piston translates toward the downstream region in response to a decrease in the pressure of the fluid in the upstream region.
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13. A fluid regulating control valve, comprising:
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a housing having an upstream region and a downstream region and having a control orifice formed therein, the control orifice adjacent the downstream region;
a piston slidably disposed within the housing, the piston comprising a flange portion and a stem portion, the stem portion having a fluid passage defining an intermediate region disposed between the upstream region and the downstream region, the stem portion also having an edge adjacent the upstream region, the flange portion having a first side exposed to the intermediate region and a perimeter slidably engaged with an inside surface of the housing;
an elastic member disposed within the housing for opposing translation of the piston within the housing;
a throttling element adjacent the upstream region, the throttling element having a throttling surface adjacent the edge of the piston, the throttling surface and the edge defining a throttling orifice therebetween;
an equalization aperture formed in the housing to allow a fluid in the downstream region to enter an equalization chamber defined by a region between an inside surface of the housing and an outside surface of the piston;
a seal disposed between the housing and a perimeter of the piston to reduce leakage of the fluid from the upstream region to the equalization chamber;
a piston ring disposed between a perimeter of the piston and an inner surface of the housing for reducing leakage of the fluid therebetween; and
wherein a size of the throttling orifice changes as the piston translates in response to a change in a pressure of the fluid in the upstream region. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
where d is the diameter of the piston, W is the width of each of the three ports, and x is a distance from the edge of the piston to a fully closed position defined by a position of the piston in which the edge of the piston touches the inclined sidewall of the cavity of the throttling element.
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18. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 13, wherein the edge of the piston is square.
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19. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 13, wherein the size of the throttling orifice decreases as the piston translates toward the upstream region in response to an increase in the pressure of the fluid in the upstream region.
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20. The fluid regulating control valve of claim 13, wherein a size of the throttling orifice increases as the piston translates toward the downstream region in response to a decrease in the pressure of the fluid in the upstream region.
Specification