Flange-mounted inline valve with integrated electrical feed

Abstract

A flange-mounted inline valve arrangement includes a flange having an internal fluid passage, and an inline electrically-operable valve coupled to the flange. The inline valve includes a valve body and a valve member movable relative to the fluid passage in the flange for controlling flow. The valve arrangement also includes an electrical feed that connects to the electrically-operable valve through the flange for enabling an electrical connection external to the flange and other system piping. At least part of the electrical feed may be in a flow path and is fluidly sealed to prevent electrical shorts. The valve arrangement may be installed into the system as a single unit with an exterior coupling of the electrical feed on an exterior part of the flange to easily make the external electrical connection. The valve arrangement may be used in a chiller, where the inline valve is an electronic expansion valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.