US 2014/0209178 A1Published application

Fluid Regulator With Integrated Rapid Pressurization Bypass Valve

AssigneeTescom Corporation

InventorsTodd William Larsen, Chad Ray Kirchner, Gordon Cameron Muir

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A fluid flow control device includes a regulator for operating at high pressures and an integral bypass valve. The regulator and the bypass valve each include a control assembly that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The regulator and bypass valves are biased into the open positions and adapted to move into the closed positions when an operating pressure rises to above respective regulator and bypass set-point pressures. The bypass set-point pressure is lower than the regulator set-point pressure such that when the operating pressure rises above the bypass set-point pressure, the bypass valve automatically closes and allows the regulator to perform under normal operating conditions. So configured, the bypass valve is arranged to accommodate at least some of the fluid flow through the system until the operating pressure reaches the normal operating pressure, which is somewhere between the bypass and regulator set-point pressures.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A fluid flow control device, comprising:

a valve body defining an inlet, an outlet, a gallery disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a regulator cavity disposed between the gallery and the outlet, and a bypass cavity disposed between the gallery and the outlet;
a regulator flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the regulator cavity, the regulator flow path having a first effective cross-sectional area;
a bypass flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the bypass cavity, the bypass flow path having a second effective cross-sectional area that is greater than the first effective cross-sectional area;
a bypass valve connected to the valve body and including a bypass control assembly, the bypass control assembly including a bypass control element and a bypass biasing device, the bypass control element being movable relative to the bypass cavity of the valve body between an open position allowing fluid flow through the bypass flow path and a closed position preventing fluid flow through the bypass flow path, the bypass biasing device urging the bypass control element toward the open position such that the bypass control element only occupies the closed position when a fluid pressure in the bypass cavity is equal to or greater than a bypass set-point pressure;
and
a regulator connected to the valve body and including a regulator control assembly, the regulator control assembly including a regulator control element and a regulator biasing device, the regulator control element being movable relative to the regulator cavity of the valve body between an open position, which does not prevent fluid from flowing through the regulator flow path, and a closed position, which does prevent fluid from flowing through the regulator flow path, the regulator biasing device urging the regulator control element toward the open position such that the regulator control element occupies the open position until a fluid pressure in the regulator cavity of the valve body is equal to or greater than a regulator set-point pressure,
wherein the regulator set-point pressure is greater than the bypass set-point pressure.

4 more elements

A fluid flow control device, comprising:

a valve body defining an inlet, an outlet, a gallery disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a regulator cavity disposed between the gallery and the outlet, a bypass cavity disposed between the gallery and the outlet, and a seating orifice disposed in the bypass cavity;
a regulator flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the regulator cavity;
a bypass flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the bypass cavity;
a regulator connected to the valve body for controlling the flow of fluid along the regulator flow path, the regulator including a regulator control assembly configured to occupy an open position, which does not prevent fluid from flowing through the regulator flow path, and a closed position, which does prevent fluid from flowing through the regulator flow path, the regulator control assembly further being biased into the open position such that the regulator control assembly occupies the open position until a fluid pressure in the gallery sensed by the regulator is equal to or greater than a regulator set-point pressure;
and
a bypass valve connected to the valve body and including a bypass dome, a bypass control element, and a bypass biasing device, the bypass dome removably connected to the valve body adjacent to the bypass cavity, the bypass control element slidably disposed in the bypass cavity and including a first end defining a seating surface disposed adjacent to the seating orifice and a second end defining a sensing surface disposed adjacent to the bypass dome, the bypass biasing device disposed between the bypass control element and the seating orifice,
the bypass control element being movable between an open position, wherein the seating surface is spaced away from the seating orifice, and a closed position, wherein the seating surface engages the seating orifice, the bypass biasing device urging the bypass control element toward the open position such that the bypass control element occupies the open position until a fluid pressure in the gallery sensed by the sensing surface of the bypass control element is equal to or greater than a bypass set-point pressure,
wherein the bypass set-point pressure is less than the regulator set-point pressure.

5 more elements

A method of pressurizing a fluid line with a regulator having an automatic bypass function, the method comprising:

supplying fluid to an inlet of a valve body, the valve body also defining an outlet, a gallery disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a regulator cavity in communication with the gallery, and a bypass-cavity in communication with the gallery;
biasing a bypass control assembly of a bypass control device connected to the bypass cavity of the valve body into an open position, thereby opening a bypass flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the bypass cavity;
biasing a regulator control assembly of a regulator connected to the regulator cavity of the valve body into an open position, such that the regulator control assembly does not prevent fluid from flowing through a regulator flow path that extends between the inlet and the outlet of the valve body via the gallery and the regulator cavity;
sensing a pressure of the fluid in the gallery of the valve body with a sensing surface of the bypass control assembly;
sensing a pressure of the fluid in the gallery of the valve body with a sensing surface of the regulator control assembly;
automatically moving the bypass control assembly into a closed position when the pressure sensed by the sensing surface of the bypass control assembly is equal to or greater than a bypass set-point pressure, thereby preventing fluid from flowing through the bypass flow path;
and
maintaining the regulator control assembly in its open position when the pressure sensed by the sensing surface of the regulator control assembly is equal to or greater than the bypass set-point pressure.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.