Pressure Regulator

A regulator for regulating outlet pressure of a fluid contained in a tank, comprising:

• a first piston having an end and a first bore through which the fluid may pass;
• a first spring for biasing the first piston in a first, axial direction, the piston being movable against the bias when exposed to pressure in the tank;
• a second piston having an end and a second bore through which the fluid may pass;
• a second spring for biasing the second piston in a second direction opposite from the first direction and away from the end of the first piston, the second piston being movable against the bias when exposed to the outlet pressure;
• and
• a seat engageable with one piston and movably associated with the other piston such that the seat is axially movable with respect to and along an outer surface of an axially extending portion of the other piston, the seat having an opening through which the fluid may flow so that the fluid may pass from the first bore to the second bore, the seat being movable between an unseated position for allowing the fluid to flow through the opening and a seated position for inhibiting flow through the opening;
• the ends of the first and second pistons being separated by a first distance such that the seat is in the unseated position to allow the fluid to flow out of the tank, and the ends of the first and second pistons being positioned closer together than the first distance such that the seat is in the seated position to inhibit flow out of the tank when the outlet pressure reaches a threshold.

A regulator for regulating outlet pressure of natural gas contained in a tank, comprising:

• a body having an axis;
• a first piston disposed in the body, the first piston having an end and a first bore through which the natural gas may pass;
• a first spring for biasing the first piston in a first, axial direction, the piston being movable against the bias when exposed to pressure in the tank;
• a second piston disposed in the body, the second piston having an end and a second bore through which the natural gas may pass;
• and
• a second spring for biasing the second piston in a second direction opposite from the first direction and away from the end of the first piston, the second piston being movable against the bias when exposed to the outlet pressure;
• the ends of the first and second pistons being separated by a first distance to allow the natural gas to flow out of the tank, through the first bore and then through the second bore, and the ends of the first and second pistons being positioned closer together than the first distance to inhibit flow out of the tank when the outlet pressure reaches a threshold;
• wherein the pistons have a common axis parallel to and offset from the axis of the body.

A regulator for regulating outlet pressure of a fluid contained in a tank, the regulator comprising:

• a body having an outlet;
• a first piston disposed in the body and having an end and a first bore through which the fluid may pass, the first piston being movable in response to pressure in the tank when exposed to the pressure in the tank;
• and
• a second piston disposed in the body and having an end, a second bore in fluid communication with the first bore, and a radially extending passage in fluid communication with the second bore and the outlet for diverting the fluid at an angle to a direction defined by the second bore, the second piston being movable toward and away from the end of the first piston in response to the outlet pressure;
• the ends of the first and second pistons being separated by a first distance to allow the fluid to flow out of the tank, through the bores and then through the radially extending passage and the ends of the first and second pistons being positioned closer together than the first distance to inhibit flow out of the tank when the outlet pressure reaches a threshold.