Bidirectional piston valve
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Energy Research and Development Administration
InventorHarry C. Fischer
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Abstract
This invention is a reversing valve having an inlet, an outlet, and an inlet-outlet port. The valve is designed to respond to the introduction of relatively high-pressure fluid at its inlet or, alternatively, of lower-pressure fluid at its inlet-outlet port. The valve includes an axially slidable assembly which is spring-biased to a position where it isolates the inlet and connects the inlet-outlet port to the outlet. The admission of high-pressure fluid to the inlet displaces the slidable assembly to a position where the outlet is isolated and the inlet is connected to the inlet-outlet port. The valve is designed to minimize pressure drops and leakage. It is of a reliable and comparatively simple design.
Claims5
A valve comprising:
- a housing provided with an inlet port and an outlet port having a common axis and also provided with an inlet-outlet port defining a valve seat,
- a piston slidably fitted in said housing for movement along said axis and partitioning said housing into a first compartment including said inlet port and a second compartment including said outlet port and valve seat, the head of said piston confronting said inlet port and being formed with an axial passage communicating with a discharge port in the sidewall of the stem of said piston,
- a valve disc assembly carried by said piston, said assembly including a hub portion slidably engaging said stem and including a disc for sealably engaging said seat,
- means carried by said piston for resiliently biasing said disc assembly outwardly away from the piston head and
- means carried by said piston for limiting the outward movement of said disc assembly to a position where said hub portion sealably covers said discharge port, whereby admission to said inlet port of fluid at a selected pressure moves said piston toward said seat to a position where engagement of said disc assembly and said seat displaces said disc assembly inwardly along said stem and uncovers said discharge port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.