Anti-spike pressure management of pressure-regulated fluid storage and delivery vessels

A method for at least partially attenuating pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from a pressure-regulated fluid storage and dispensing vessel of a fluid supply package, comprising use of one or more pressure spike-attenuating assemblies selected from the group consisting of:

• (1) assemblies adapted to adjust buffer volume between the fluid storage and dispensing vessel and a mass flow controller disposed in flow circuitry coupled to the vessel, so as to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (2) pressure regulator assemblies in which internal friction necessary to open the poppet element of the pressure regulator in the vessel is effective to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (3) assemblies that, immediately prior to initiating fluid flow, drop delivery line pressure slightly, by maintaining the delivery line in an evacuated state, and pulse a valve so as to drop pressure in the line, momentarily flowing a higher fluid flow rate through a mass flow controller disposed in flow circuitry coupled to the vessel, to correspondingly lower delivery line fluid pressure immediately prior to inception of fluid flow;
• (4) assemblies that, immediately prior to initiating fluid flow, reduce delivery line pressure by pulsing directly to vacuum, or by flowing gas through a mass flow controller in the delivery line at an increased flow rate (in relation to normal flow rate of dispensed fluid), or by opening the delivery line directly to vacuum without pulsing;
• assemblies that pre-qualify a pressure-regulated vessel, by a quality assurance determination of pressure profile when the vessel is connected to a manifold that is at a pressure equal to or higher than the pressure regulator closure pressure and delivery line pressure is gradually decreased until the regulator opens, whereupon the shape of the pressure profile, at the time of regulator opening provides an indication of whether the pressure-sensitive element is sticking or not;
• (5) regulator assemblies, comprising poppet and pressure regulator sealing surfaces adapted to prevent poppet sticking when the poppet is first opened, in which frictional force required to be overcome in displacing the poppet from its seating structure is effective to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing, wherein said regulator assemblies include one or more of:
• (i) materials of construction having a low level of deformation in use, (ii) poppets having a spherical sealing shape, (iii) poppet seating structure comprising a non-metallic material of construction, and (iv) poppets comprising metal material of construction and poppet seating structure comprising a fluid-compatible plastic material of construction;
• (6) pressure regulators comprising a pressure-sensing assembly including one or more of:
• (i) a bellows structure having a number of diaphragm elements, material of construction, thickness, and elasticity, so that the travel distance of the poppet element at least partially attenuates pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (ii) orifice size of the pressure regulator device that at least partially attenuates pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing, (iii) regulator geometry that at least partially attenuates pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (7) regulator assemblies comprising one or more of:
• (i) multiple springs upstream of the poppet and arranged to assist in controlling poppet movement, as a damping element when the poppet element sticks and then suddenly opens;
• (ii) a pressure adjustment mechanism for increasing pressure within the pressure sensing assembly of the pressure regulator device, so that regulator outlet pressure is correspondingly increased, thereby shortening the period of time between inception of fluid flow and opening of the poppet element in the pressure regulator;
• (iii) a pressure adjustment mechanism for decreasing inlet pressure to the pressure regulator, so that the force exerted on the poppet element by fluid is reduced, thereby reducing the force required to be overcome upon opening of the poppet;
• (iv) a flow adjustment mechanism, operative to closely conform fluid flow to a fluid-utilizing apparatus;
• (v) filters positioned downstream of regulator(s), with a pore size that restricts high-end flow rates, and (vi) restricted flow orifice elements at an outlet of the regulator(s), e.g., including provision of a restricted flow orifice (RFO) device(s) and/or filter(s) between successive ones of series-connected pressure regulators, so that when a pressure regulator opens, the rate of gas flowing past the poppet is restrained to attenuate the pressure spike or to otherwise eliminate pressure oscillation issues;
• (8) assemblies comprising at least one restricted flow orifice (RFO) element at a delivery port of the valve head of the fluid storage and dispensing vessel to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (9) assemblies adapted to adjust pigtail volume between a delivery port of the fluid storage and dispensing vessel and a mass flow controller in an associated delivery line in fluid flow communication with said delivery port, so that the volume of fluid spiked to higher pressure and duration of flow perturbation incident to fluid pressure-spiking behavior are correspondingly reduced;
• (10) assemblies adapted to limit fluid flow between successive ones of multiple pressure regulators in an interior volume of said fluid storage and dispensing vessel, comprising a flow path reducer in a conduit connecting said successive ones of said multiple pressure regulators;
• (11) assemblies adapted to limit fluid flow between successive ones of multiple pressure regulators in an interior volume of said fluid storage and dispensing vessel, comprising a set point adjustment mechanism, arranged to modulate outlet pressure of a first, upstream one of said multiple pressure regulators, so that force on a poppet of a second, downstream regulator, and volume of fluid between the first and second pressure regulators is adjusted to an extent effective to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• (12) pressure regulator assemblies comprising a matably engageable poppet and seat structure, constructed and arranged so that contact between the poppet and seat structure when engaged with one another is made at an obtuse angle therebetween, wherein the poppet has a round, blunt sealing surface reposable on a flat cylindrical seat structure;
• (13) pressure regulator assemblies comprising a matably engageable poppet and seat structure, wherein the seat structure comprises a hard, stiff, fluid-compatible polymer material and the poppet comprises a metal material;
• (14) pressure regulator assemblies comprising a poppet stem and retainer spring assembly that attaches a poppet to a bellows of the pressure regulator, wherein a gap between the retainer spring and poppet stem has a gap dimension, that is effective to at least partially attenuate pressure-spiking behavior of fluid dispensed from the vessel at inception of fluid dispensing;
• and
• (15) pressure regulator assemblies comprising a flow control element that is openable and closable in response to pressure at a discharge port of the fluid supply package, and pressurization/depressurization assemblies arranged to repetitively and alternatingly apply pressure and reduce pressure at the discharge port so that the flow control element of the pressure regulator assembly is cyclically opened and closed for a predetermined time period to stabilize pressure and suppress pressure oscillations in subsequent dispensing operation of the fluid supply package.