Adjustable pressure regulator

An adjustable gas pressure regulator comprising:

• an elongated regulator body having an elongated valve chamber therein, the valve chamber having an inlet for pressurized gas and having an open end that serves as a valve chamber outlet;
• a valve seat mounted for adjustable movement in an end of the valve chamber opposite the open end, the valve seat being axially movable in the valve chamber toward and away from the open end, the valve seat having an internal conduit therethrough, the conduit having an inlet in communication with the valve chamber inlet and having an outlet in communication with the valve chamber outlet, the conduit outlet serving as the valve seat outlet, the valve seat sealing the valve chamber between the valve chamber inlet and outlet so that fluid flowing from the chamber inlet to the chamber outlet is constrained to flow through the valve seat internal conduit;
• an adjustment mechanism interconnecting the valve seat with the valve body, the adjustment mechanism being manually manipulatable to move the valve seat toward and away from the valve chamber outlet;
• a piston having an inner portion mounted for reciprocating movement in the open end of the valve chamber, the piston sealing the open end of the valve chamber but having an opening therethrough for conveying gas from the interior of the valve chamber to the valve chamber outlet, the piston having an inner end positioned opposite to the valve seat outlet, the piston having an enlarged outer portion positioned outside the valve chamber;
• an enlarged piston cylinder mounted over the open end of the valve chamber, the enlarged piston cylinder receiving the enlarged outer portion of the piston therein, the outer portion of the piston reciprocating in the enlarged piston cylinder as the inner portion of the piston reciprocates in open end of the valve chamber, the enlarged piston cylinder having an enlarged pressure chamber over an outer end of the outer portion of the piston, the enlarged pressure chamber being in communication with a regulator outlet and in communication with the valve chamber outlet;
• a floating seal positioned between the inner end of the piston and the outlet of the valve seat, the floating seal closing the outlet in the valve seat when the piston reciprocates inwardly to the point where the floating seal is clamped between the inner end of the piston and the valve seat outlet;
• and
• a resilient biasing means urging the piston toward a retracted position where the valve seat outlet is open, the spring characteristics of the resilient biasing means being such that the inward force on the enlarged outer portion of the piston exceeds the sum of the force of the resilient biasing means and the outward force exerted by the pressurized gas on the end of the inner portion of the piston when a regulator output pressure reaches a desired regulated pressure.