US 11,466,793 B1Granted

Pressure compensated bellows valve

AssigneeFlowserve Management Company

InventorsPaul Jeffrey Parish, Michael P. Nelson

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Abstract

A bellows seal valve includes a pressurization port that can be used to apply a compensating pressure to the “atmosphere” side of the bellows, i.e. the side of the bellows that is opposite to the process fluid. The atmosphere side can be on the interior or exterior of the bellows. The compensating pressure can be greater than the process fluid pressure, to ensure that any leakage will be of pressurizing fluid into the process fluid or into the environment, and that no process fluid will escape into the environment. The pressure or flow rate of the pressurizing fluid can be monitored to detect bellows and packing leaks. A pressurizing fluid exit port can be provided, so that the pressurizing fluid can be circulated through the valve, thereby moderating the bellows temperature under conditions of extreme process fluid temperature.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A bellows valve system comprising a bellows valve, the bellows valve comprising:

a valve seat;
a valve plug configured to control a flow of process fluid through the bellows valve according to a separation between the valve plug and the valve seat;
a valve stem in mechanical communication with the valve plug and configured such that linear actuation of the valve stem controls the separation between the valve plug and the valve seat;
a bellows housing surrounding a bellows portion of the valve stem;
a bellows surrounding the bellows portion of the valve stem within the bellows housing, a proximal end of the bellows being fixed and sealed to the bellows housing, a distal end of the bellows being fixed and sealed to the valve stem, such that the bellows is compressed and extended as the valve stem is actuated, the bellows being configured such that the process fluid contacts a first surface of the bellows but is prevented by the bellows from reaching a second surface of the bellows;
a bellows pressurization port configured to allow a bellows pressurizing fluid to enter into the bellows valve and to apply a compensating pressure to the second surface of the bellows;
and
a pressurization fluid source, a pressurizing fluid pressure regulating apparatus comprising a pump and a temperature regulator, and a pressurization fluid line that provides fluid communication between the pressurization fluid source and the bellows pressurization port of the bellows valve.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.