Compressor throttling valve assembly
AssigneeCameron International Corporation
InventorsThomas E. Gerber, Mark R. Sabin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A throttling valve assembly has an outer housing that is sealed. An actuator is connected to a pressure balanced shaft that extends into the housing to operate a plurality of linkages that can rotate blades in tandem. With the surrounding housing sealed, the shaft penetrations of the blade support shafts no longer need seals or a purge system to supply process gas during times of reduced pressure in situations with the blades nearly closed. A pressure equalization system has balance passages internal to the housing to allow flow from higher pressure zones to lower pressure zone of the process gas so as to avoid creation of a condition that can draw air into any zones of reduced pressure in the housing.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a flow control device, comprising:
- a conduit comprising a first wall surrounding a fluid path;
- a flow control member disposed internal to the conduit along the fluid path;
- a chamber disposed external to the conduit between the first wall and a second wall;
- and
- a shaft coupled to the flow control member, wherein the shaft is configured to move the flow control member between an open position and a close position, the shaft extends through the first wall from the fluid path to the chamber, and the shaft has a shaft axis oriented crosswise to a flow axis along the fluid path.
A system, comprising:
- a flow control device, comprising:
- a fluid conduit;
- an element disposed inside the fluid conduit;
- a chamber surrounding the fluid conduit;
- and
- an actuator disposed in the chamber, wherein the actuator is coupled to the element, and the chamber maintains a substantially constant volume during movement of the actuator.
A method, comprising:
- actuating a valve member disposed internal to a fluid conduit from a chamber disposed external to the fluid conduit;
- and
- equalizing pressure of the chamber during actuation of the valve member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.