US 10,267,306 B2Granted

Intake pressure control system

OwnerJohn E. McLoughlininventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A pump intake pressure control apparatus includes an intake conduit joining a pump to either a pressurized or unpressurized liquid source, a wide-range flow controller configured to control the flow of liquid through the intake conduit, pressure sensors for detecting the pressure of the liquid in the intake conduit upstream and downstream of the flow controller, and an electronic master controller programmed to receive input from the pressure sensors and to actuate the wide-range flow controller to maintain the pressure downstream of the wide-range flow controller at or below a predetermined desired value. In one embodiment of the invention, the wide-range flow controller is a branched portion of the intake conduit having a valve in each branch. In another embodiment of the invention, the flow controller is a gate valve having a stationary triangular blocking member projecting into the passage between the inlet and outlet ports of the valve.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An intake pressure control system for controlling the flow of fluids into a pump, comprising:

a liquid source;
an intake conduit conducting liquid from the liquid source to the pump;
a wide-range flow controller located in the intake conduit and configured to control the flow of the liquid through the intake conduit, wherein the wide-range flow controller includes
a valve housing having a distal end,
a valve seat formed in the distal end of the valve housing,
a gate mounted for reciprocation within the valve housing, the gate having a distal surface,
a triangular blocking member supported in the distal end of the valve housing, the triangular blocking member having a base extending parallel to the valve seat and an upper vertex abutting a side wall of the valve housing, and
an actuator configured to move the gate from a fully closed position against the valve seat to a fully open position above the upper vertex of the triangular member,
wherein the gate, the triangular blocking member, and the valve housing define a triangular flow passage allowing flow to pass through the flow controller at a low flow rate when the distal surface of the gate is positioned between the valve seat and the upper vertex of the triangular blocking member, and
wherein the gate, the triangular blocking member, and the valve housing define a trapezoidal flow passage allowing flow to pass through the flow controller at a high flow rate when the distal surface of the gate is positioned above the upper vertex of the triangular blocking member;
a first pressure sensor located between the liquid source and the wide-range flow controller, and configured to detect the pressure of liquid in the conduit upstream of the wide-range flow controller;
a second pressure sensor located between the wide-range flow controller and the pump and configured to detect the pressure of the liquid in the intake conduit downstream of the wide-range flow controller;
and
an electronic master controller programmed to receive input from the first and second pressure sensors and to operate the wide-range flow controller to maintain the pressure at the second pressure sensor at or below a predetermined desired value.

11 more elements

An intake pressure control system for controlling the flow of fluids into a pump, comprising:

a liquid source;
an intake conduit conducting liquid from the liquid source to the pump;
a wide-range flow controller located in the intake conduit and configured to control the flow of the liquid through the intake conduit;
a first pressure sensor located between the liquid source and the wide-range flow controller, and configured to detect the pressure of liquid in the conduit upstream of the wide-range flow controller;
a second pressure sensor located between the wide-range flow controller and the pump and configured to detect the pressure of the liquid in the intake conduit downstream of the wide-range flow controller;
and
an electronic master controller programmed to
continuously receive pressure readings from the second pressure sensor,
receive and store an initial pressure reading from the first pressure sensor;
calculate the difference E2 between a current pressure reading P2 from the second pressure sensor and a predetermined desired pressure PD,
determine whether E2 falls within a first set of predetermined threshold limits,
operate the wide range flow controller to increase flow through the intake conduit if E2 falls outside of the first set of predetermined threshold limits and is negative,
operate the wide range flow controller to decrease flow through the intake conduit if E2 falls outside of the predetermined threshold limits and is positive,
maintain the wide range flow controller in its current state and receive a current pressure reading P1 from the first pressure sensor if E2 falls within the first set of predetermined threshold limits,
compare the current pressure P1 to the stored initial reading from the first pressure sensor,
calculate the difference E1 between P1 and the stored initial reading from the first pressure sensor,
determine whether E1 falls within a second set of predetermined threshold limits,
continue to maintain the wide range flow controller in its current state if E1 falls within the second set of predetermined pressure limits,
operate the wide range flow controller to increase flow through the intake conduit if E1 falls outside of the first set of predetermined threshold limits and is positive,
operate the wide range flow controller to decrease flow through the intake conduit if E2 falls outside of the predetermined threshold limits and is negative.

17 more elements

An intake pressure control system for controlling the flow of fluids into a pump, comprising:

a pressurized liquid source;
an intake conduit conducting liquid from the liquid source to the pump;
a wide-range flow controller located in the intake conduit and configured to control the flow of the liquid through the intake conduit, the wide-range flow controller including a valve that is moveable between a fully open position and a fully closed position;
a first pressure sensor located between the liquid source and the wide-range flow controller, and configured to detect the pressure of liquid in the conduit upstream of the wide-range flow controller;
a second pressure sensor located between the wide-range flow controller and the pump and configured to detect the pressure of the liquid in the intake conduit downstream of the wide-range flow controller;
and
an electronic master controller programmed to receive input from the first and second pressure sensors and to actuate the wide-range flow controller to reduce flow through the conduit when the second pressure sensor detects that the pressure of the liquid in the conduit downstream of the wide-range flow controller exceeds a predetermined negative value.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/052,295Filed 1 Aug 2018 · continuation in part
Priority: 15 Feb 2017
Published: US 2018/0328355 A16 Dec 2018
Granted: 23 Apr 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

F04B 49/06
Control , e.g. of pump delivery, or pump pressure of, or safety measures for, machines, pumps, or pumping installations, not otherwise provided…:…
A62C 31/00
Delivery of fire-extinguishing material
F04B 17/05
Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors: driven by internal-combustion engines
F04B 23/02
Pumping installations or systems: having reservoirs

Family

Application15/433,734Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Feb 2017
Application16/030,634Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Jul 2018
US 10,018,195 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Jul 2018
US 2018/0347558 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Dec 2018
Application16/030,634Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0328355 A1Published application
US 10,267,306 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.