US 6,805,145 B2 · Method and device for maintaining a fluid pressure in a defined volume

Abstract

A method and a regulating valve for maintaining a fluid pressure within a defined volume (3), and simultaneous registering of discharge of fluid from the volume as a result of leakage or consumption. The fluid is supplied from a pressure regulating valve (20) provided with a means (5-7, 22-26) which opens for the supply of fluid to the volume (3) when the pressure therein has sunk below a first value (P1), and which shuts off the fluid supply when the pressure in the volume (3) has achieved a preset second value (P2) which is substantially higher than the first value (P1). Thus, after each opening of the regulating valve (20) there occurs a distinct pressure increase at the valve outlet. This pressure increase is registered as a pressure pulse, and the frequency of delivered pressure pulses is monitored and utilised as a measure of occurring leakage and/or consumption of the supplied fluid.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method for maintaining a fluid pressure within a defined volume, and simultaneously registering discharge of fluid from the volume as a result of leakage or consumption, characterised in that the fluid is supplied from a pressure regulating valve provided with a means opening for the supply of fluid to the volume when the pressure therein has sunk below a first value (P1), and shutting-off the fluid supply when the pressure in the volume has reached a preset second value (P2) which is substantially higher than the first value (P1), a pressure pulse delivered from the regulating valve thereby being registered, and that the frequency of delivered pressure pulses is monitored and utilised as a measure of occurring leakage and/or consumption of the fluid.

A regulating valve for maintaining a fluid pressure within a defined volume, and for simultaneous registering of the discharge of fluid from the volume as a result of leakage or consumption, which valve (20;

35) comprises a valve housing (20) having a first chamber (3) constituting said volume and communicating with a valve outlet (4), and a piston (5) arranged in the chamber (3) and being influenced in a first direction by a biasing spring (13) and a reference pressure, and cooperating through an operating rod (6) with a valve body (7) for opening and closing of a passage (8) between a valve inlet (9) and the upstream end of the chamber (3), the valve body (7) being spring-loaded towards the closed position in the opposite direction to that of the piston (5), so that the valve is closed when the piston is in equilibrium in the chamber (3) at a first pressure (P1) in the chamber, but opens when the pressure in the chamber (3) sinks below the first pressure (P1), characterised in that the valve (20;
35) is provided with a means causing that movement of the valve body (7) to the closed position of the passage (8) only takes place at a second pressure (P2) in the first chamber (3) which is substantially higher than the first pressure (P1), so that a distinct pressure pulse occurs at the valve outlet (4) after each opening of the valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and device for maintaining a fluid pressure in a defined volume

Life of this patent

Method and device for maintaining a fluid pressure in a defined volume

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7