Diaphragm-sealed valve having intermediate communication ports

A valve comprising:

• a valve cap having a first interface and a plurality of grooves extending in said first interface, the valve cap further comprising a plurality of process conduits extending therethrough, each process conduit ending in a process port opening on a corresponding one of the grooves;
• a valve body having a second interface facing the first interface of the valve cap, the valve body further comprising a plurality of passages extending transversally therein and a plunger assembly comprising:
• a plurality of plungers each mounted in one of said passages and being slideable therein between a closed position where said plunger projects towards the first interface and an open position where said plunger is retracted within said valve body, each plunger being either a normally closed plunger or a normally open plunger;
• a push plate extending within the valve body in parallel to the second interface and movable transversally thereto, the normally closed plungers being mounted on said push plate, a plurality of cavities extending through said push plate for allowing the normally open plungers therethrough;
• an upper piston extending under the push plate contiguously thereto, the normally opened plungers being mounted thereon;
• a lower piston extending under the upper piston contiguously thereto, the lower piston being rigidly connected to the push plate;
• biasing means for upwardly biasing the lower piston and downwardly biasing the upper piston;
• and
• an actuating mechanism for actuating the plungers between the opened and closed positions thereof, the actuating mechanism controlling a distance between the upper and lower pistons;
• a diaphragm compressibly positioned between the first and second interfaces;
• and
• at least one communication mechanism each operatively connecting a neighboring pair of said grooves for allowing fluid communication therebetween.