Instrument mounting system for fluid control device
OwnerMichel K. Lovellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid control device can include an actuator with a cylinder defining an interior volume, a piston arranged within the interior volume of the cylinder, the piston being translatable within the interior volume of the cylinder to control operation of the fluid control device, and an integrated instrument mounting system. The integrated instrument mounting system can include a lid removably mounted to an end of the cylinder to seal the interior volume of the cylinder, the lid defining a first port forming a flow path for instrument gas to pass into the interior volume of the cylinder, and an instrument mounted to the lid via the first port, the instrument and the lid together forming a unitary assembly.
Claims20
A fluid control device, comprising:
- an actuator, including:
- a cylinder defining an interior volume;
- a piston arranged within the interior volume of the cylinder, the piston being translatable within the interior volume of the cylinder to control operation of the fluid control device;
- and
- an integrated instrument mounting system, including:
- a lid removably mounted to an end of the cylinder to seal the interior volume of the cylinder, the lid defining a first port forming a flow path for instrument gas to pass into the interior volume of the cylinder;
- and
- an instrument mounted to the lid via the first port, the instrument and the lid together forming a unitary assembly.
A method of installing an instrument on a valve, the method comprising:
- providing a valve actuator that includes:
- a cylinder defining an interior volume;
- and a piston arranged within the interior volume of the cylinder, the piston being translatable within the interior volume of the cylinder to control operation of the valve;
- and
- removably mounting a unitary assembly to an end of the cylinder to seal the interior volume of the cylinder, the unitary assembly including:
- a lid that seals the interior volume and defines an instrument port forming a flow path for instrument gas to pass into the interior volume of the cylinder;
- and an instrument mounted to the lid via the instrument port.
A method of retrofitting an actuator of a fluid control device, the method comprising:
- removing a first lid from an end of a cylinder of the actuator, the cylinder housing a piston within a sealed interior volume defined by the cylinder and the first lid, the piston to translate within the interior volume to control operation of the fluid control device;
- and
- removably mounting a second lid to the end of the cylinder, the second lid including an instrument mounted directly to the lid to form a unitary assembly, the instrument mounted to the lid via an instrument port defining a flow path for instrument gas to pass into the interior volume of the cylinder to control operation of the fluid control device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.