Flow straightening seat ring and control valve having flow straightening seat ring

A fluid flow control device, comprising:

• a valve body defining an inlet orifice, an outlet orifice, and a gallery disposed between the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice, the inlet and the outlet orifices extending along a common first axis, the gallery extending along a second axis that is transverse to the first axis;
• and
• a control member disposed within the gallery of the valve body and displaceable along the second axis for controlling the flow of fluid through the valve body;
• a seat ring fixedly disposed within the gallery of the valve body, the seat ring comprising an annular body and a flow separator,
• the annular body including a retaining portion and an interior sidewall, the retaining portion fixedly attached to the valve body and the interior sidewall defining a port for accommodating fluid flow through the gallery,
• the flow separator disposed within at least a portion of the port of the annular body, the flow separator including a flow straightening portion defining a plurality of separate passageways, each of the plurality of separate passageways having a hydraulic diameter and a length that is larger than the hydraulic diameter, thereby separating the flow of fluid through the port into a plurality of separate flow paths to interrupt turbulence in the port and the gallery.

A fluid flow control device, comprising:

• a valve body defining an inlet orifice, an outlet orifice, and a gallery disposed between the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice, the inlet and the outlet orifices extending along a common first axis, the gallery extending along a second axis that is transverse to the first axis;
• and
• a control member disposed within the gallery of the valve body and displaceable along the second axis for controlling the flow of fluid through the valve body;
• a seat ring fixedly disposed within the gallery of the valve body, the seat ring comprising an annular body and a means for reducing pressure fluctuations,
• the annular body including a retaining portion and an interior sidewall, the retaining portion fixedly attached to the valve body and the interior sidewall defining a port for accommodating fluid flow through the gallery,
• the means for reducing pressure fluctuations fixed within the port of the annular body for reducing fluctuations in an inlet pressure at the inlet orifice of the valve body and an outlet pressure at the outlet orifice of the valve body.

A fluid flow control device, comprising:

• a valve body defining an inlet orifice, an outlet orifice, and a gallery disposed between the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice, the inlet and the outlet orifices extending along a common first axis, the gallery extending along a second axis that is transverse to the first axis;
• and
• a control member disposed within the gallery of the valve body and displaceable along the second axis for controlling the flow of fluid through the valve body;
• a seat ring fixedly disposed within the gallery of the valve body, the seat ring comprising an annular body and a means for reducing force fluctuations,
• the annular body including a retaining portion and an interior sidewall, the retaining portion fixedly attached to the valve body and the interior sidewall defining a port for accommodating fluid flow through the gallery,
• the means for reducing force fluctuations fixed within the port of the annular body for reducing fluctuations in a force applied to the control element.

A method of manufacturing a seat ring including an annular body and a flow separator, the method comprising:

• cutting a first plurality of flat pieces of a material into a first plurality of elongated slats having a first plurality of slits extending downward from an upper edge thereof;
• cutting a second plurality of flat pieces of a material into a second plurality of elongated slats having a second plurality of slits extending upward from a bottom edge thereof;
• interconnecting the first plurality of elongated slats with the second plurality of elongated slats by aligning each of the first plurality of slits with a corresponding one of the second plurality of slits and sliding the slats together such that portions of the first plurality of slats are received within the second plurality of slits of the second plurality of elongated slats and portions of the second plurality of slats are received within the first plurality of slits of the first plurality of elongated slats;
• fixing the first and second pluralities of slats together at locations adjacent to at least some of the first and second pluralities of slits to create an intermediate flow separator;
• working the intermediate flow separator into a desired shape to correspond with a cross-sectional shape of a port of a corresponding annular body of a seat ring to create a final flow separator;
• inserting the final flow separator into the port of the annular body;
• and
• fixing the final flow separator to the annular body.

A method of retro-fitting a fluid flow control device with a flow separator, the fluid flow control device comprising a valve body, a control element, and a seat ring, the valve body defining an inlet, an outlet, and a gallery disposed between the inlet and the outlet, the control element movably disposed in the gallery between a closed position and at least one open position, and the seat ring fixed in the gallery for being sealingly engaged by the control element when the control element is in the closed position, the method comprising:

• removing the control element from the gallery of the valve body, thereby exposing a gallery opening in the valve body;
• removing the seat ring from the valve body, the seat ring comprising an annular body including an interior sidewall defining a port for accommodating fluid flow through the gallery;
• positioning a flow separator into the port of the seat ring, the flow separator including a flow straightening portion and at least one foot portion, the flow straightening portion defining a plurality of separate passageways, the at least one foot portion extending radially outward from the flow straightening portion;
• fixing the at least one foot portion to an axial end surface of the annular body, thereby fixing the flow separator to the annular body;
• and
• inserting and securing the seat ring, including the annular body and the flow separator, in the gallery of the valve body such that the plurality of separate passageways are adapted to separate the flow of fluid through the port into a plurality of separate flow paths.