Accumulator for energy storage and delivery at multiple pressures

An accumulator comprising a piston movably mounted in a casing, the piston having a primary face and an opposing series of secondary faces, each face having its own chamber within the casing, wherein each chamber of the secondary faces includes a secondary chamber line which can be selectively placed in fluid communication with a common system pressure line, whereby the common system pressure line has a pressure inversely proportional to the summation of the areas of the secondary faces whose secondary chambers are connected to the common system pressure line.

An accumulator comprising a piston movably mounted in a casing, the piston having a primary face adjacent a primary chamber and an opposing series of at least two secondary faces, each secondary face adjacent its own secondary chamber within the casing,

• wherein each secondary chamber is connected to a respective valve selectively connecting the secondary chamber to a reservoir or connecting the secondary chamber to a common system pressure line,
• whereby the common system pressure line thereby has pressure inversely proportional to the sum of the areas of the secondary faces of the secondary chambers connected thereto.

An accumulator comprising a piston movably mounted in a casing, the piston having a primary face adjacent a primary chamber and an opposing series of at least two secondary faces, each secondary face being adjacent its own secondary chamber within the casing,

• wherein N secondary chambers of the secondary faces include respective secondary chamber lines selectively and independently connectable to a common system pressure line, N being greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to the number of secondary chambers,
• and further wherein none of the N secondary chambers are connected to the primary chamber,
• whereby the common system pressure line may be selectively set to a maximum of 2.sup.N possible pressures which are inversely proportional to the summation of the areas of the secondary faces whose secondary chambers are connected to the common system pressure line.