High pressure regulator valve

A valve adapted for regulating relatively high hydraulic fluid pressures in a conduit, said pressures being in the range of at least 10,000 to 20,000 psig, said valve including:

• a body having a first cylindrical bore defining a flow chamber and an inlet passage in said body opening into said flow chamber;
• a seat member adapted to be releasably secured to said body and closing one end of said first bore, said seat member including a seating surface facing said flow chamber, and an outlet passage formed in said seat member downstream of said seating surface;
• a plug type closure member adapted to be disposed in said first bore and including a portion engageable with said seating surface, said closure member including a control piston slidably disposed in a second bore in said body coaxial with said first bore;
• a valve actuator connected to said body including means for providing a substantial biasing force acting on said control piston, said actuator including a pressure fluid cylinder, an actuating piston disposed in said cylinder and engaged with said control piston, and a flexible diaphragm disposed in said cylinder and engaged with said activating piston and defining a pressure fluid chamber for storing fluid under pressure to act on said actuating piston to provide a substantial biasing force for urging said control piston toward said seating surface to move said closure member to the valve closed position, said cylinder including a removable head member and a cylinder member joined in sealing engagement, said head member being joined in assembly with said cylinder member and said body by a plurality of elongated tie rods engaged at one end with said head member and at their other end with a cylindrical ring engaged with a retaining shoulder formed on said body;
• and
• said body and said actuator are adapted to provide for removal of said closure member including said control piston from said body upon removal of said seat member from said body and without removal of the means providing said biasing force acting on said control piston.

A pressure regulating valve for regulating relatively high hydraulic fluid pressures in the range of at least 10,000 psig to 20,000 psig in a fluid supply conduit of a hydraulic system to minimize pressure variations in said conduit, said regulating valve comprising a body defining a flow chamber, an inlet passage in communication with said chamber and adapted to be connected to said conduit, means forming a seat member including an outlet passage opening into said chamber and having a portion forming a frusto-conical seating surface having an enlarged diameter first end facing said flow chamber and a reduced diameter second end connected to said outlet passage, a frusto-conical valve closure member disposed in said chamber and including a closure member portion engageable with said seating surface, a relatively large diameter cylindrical control piston connected to said closure member, said valve being constructed such that when said closure member is fully open the pressure drop across said valve occurs in the region between said closure member and said seating surface, said control piston including a first effective cross-sectional area equal to the area of said control piston less the area of said first end of said seating surface exposed to fluid pressure in said chamber when said closure member portion is engaged with said seating surface and responsive to said fluid pressure to urge said closure member to move away from said seating surface, said closure member portion engageable with said seating surface being configured such that a second effective cross-sectional area of said control piston, equal to the area of said control piston less the area of said second end of said seating surface is exposed to fluid pressure in said chamber upon movement of said closure member to the valve open position, the difference between said first and second effective cross-sectional areas is such as to minimize the variation between valve opening pressure and valve operating pressure in said chamber, and actuating means for urging said control piston toward a valve closed position of said closure member, said actuating means comprising a pressure fluid cylinder, an actuating piston disposed in said cylinder, and a flexible diaphragm disposed in said cylinder and operably engaged with said actuating piston and defining a pressure fluid actuator chamber for storing fluid under pressure to act on said actuating piston for urging said control piston to move said closure member to the valve closed position, and means forming a stop member for limiting the movement of said actuating piston in a direction to permit valve opening movement of said closure member and to a position of said diaphragm such that the volume of said actuator chamber is reduced only an amount to provide a pressure increase in said actuator chamber sufficient to provide a valve closing force acting on said control piston which is substantially balanced by a valve opening force acting on said control piston.

A pressure regulating valve comprising:

• a body defining a flow chamber, an inlet passage in communication with said chamber and adapted to be connected to a conduit, means forming a seat member including an outlet passage opening into said chamber and having a portion forming a seating surface, a valve closure member disposed in said chamber and including a closure member portion engageable with said seating surface, a control piston connected to said closure member and including a portion disposed in a bore in said body, said control piston including a first effective cross-sectional area exposed to fluid pressure in said chamber when said closure member is engaged with said seating surface and responsive to said fluid pressure to urge said closure member to move away from said seating surface, said closure member portion engageable with said seating surface being configured such that a second effective cross-sectional area of said control piston is exposed to fluid pressure in said chamber upon movement of said closure member to the valve open position and the difference between said first and second effective cross-sectional areas in such as to minimize the variation between valve opening pressure and valve operating pressure in said chamber, and actuating means for urging said control piston toward a valve closed position of said closure member, comprising a pressure fluid cylinder, an actuating piston disposed in said cylinder including means defining a pressure fluid chamber for storing fluid under pressure to act on said actuating piston for urging said control piston to move said closure member to the valve closed position,
• said cylinder including a removable head member and a cylinder member joined in sealing engagement and said head member is joined in assembly with said cylinder member by a plurality of elongated tie rods engaged at one end with said head member and at their other end with a cylindrical ring engaged with a retaining shoulder formed on said body.