A safety flow control device for stopping the flow of fluid therethrough when there is a break or leak in the flow path downstream of said device, comprising:
- a housing having a first end and a second end;
- an inlet port located in said first end of said housing for admitting fluid to said housing;
- an outlet port located in said second end off said housing for discharging fluid from said housing;
- a cylindrical valve chamber located in said housing, said cylindrical valve chamber having a first end and a second end, said first end of said cylindrical valve chamber being in fluid communication with said fluid inlet port;
- a washer-shaped sealing shoulder located at said second end of said cylindrical valve chamber;
- a safety flow channel located in said housing, said safety flow channel having a first end and a second end, said first end of said safety flow channel being defined by said shoulder and being in fluid communication with said second end of said cylindrical valve chamber, said second end of said safety flow channel being in fluid communication with said fluid outlet port;
- a piston valve body located for reciprocating movement in said cylindrical valve chamber, said piston valve body having a plurality of longitudinally extending flow channels therethrough, said first end of said safety flow channel being blocked by said piston valve body when said body abuts said washer-shaped shoulder;
- and
- means for biasing said piston valve body away from said washer-shaped shoulder, said biasing means thereby allowing fluid entering said first end of said cylindrical valve chamber to flow through said piston flow channels and into said safety flow channel, said piston overcoming the biasing of said biasing means to move into contact with said washer-shaped shoulder thereby sealing said safety flow channel from being in fluid communication with said inlet port, when a break or leak in the flow path occurs downstream of said device;
- wherein said cylindrical valve chamber comprises a first aperture provided in said housing such that said first aperture extends from said first end of said housing toward the second end of said housing;
- wherein said safety flow channel comprises a second aperture provided in said housing such that said second aperture extends from said second end of said housing toward said first end of said housing, said first and second apertures being coaxial and in fluid communication with each other;
- a third aperture provided in said housing such that said third aperture extends orthogonally through said first aperture;
- a fourth aperture provided in said housing such that said fourth aperture extends orthogonally through said second aperture;
- a fifth aperture extending from said first end of said housing to said second end of said housing, said fifth aperture being spaced away from said first and second apertures, one end of said fifth aperture comprising said inlet port, the other end of said fifth aperture comprising said outlet port, said third and fourth apertures being in fluid communication with said fifth aperture;
- means for controlling the flow path taken by fluid entering said inlet port, wherein said means for controlling the flow path is selectively manipulatable to multiple positions corresponding to multiple flow paths, said device further including:
- means for manipulating said flow path control means to a selected one of said multiple positions;
- opto-electronic means for sensing when said manipulating means has manipulated said flow path control means to a selected one of said multiple positions, said opto-electronic means being operatively associated with, and providing input to, integrated circuit means;
- and
- remote microprocessing means for electronically activating and deactivating said manipulating means, wherein said microprocessing means is remote from, and is responsive to, said integrated circuit means, and wherein said manipulating means is responsive to said microprocessing means.