US 8,272,399 B2Granted

Fluid admission system for providing a pressure-balanced valve

AssigneeWoodward, Inc.

InventorsTimothy J. Farrow, Gregory J. Brodsack, Ronald L. Witt

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Abstract

A valve assembly includes a valve housing located between a fluid inlet region maintained at a first pressure and a fluid outlet region maintained at a second pressure. A movable metering plate is located within valve housing. A fixed metering plate interacts with the movable metering plate to meter fluid flow through the valve housing. An armature is coupled to the movable metering plate and is configured to move the movable metering plate from a closed position toward an open position. The fluid admission system further includes a balancing region to balance pressure related forces acting on the movable portions of the valve, including the metering plate. A balance passageway is in communication with the balancing region and the fluid outlet region to maintain the balancing region at the second pressure of the fluid outlet region when the movable metering plate is in the closed position.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A fluid admission system comprising:

a valve housing having a fluid inlet region and a fluid outlet region;
a fixed metering plate;
a movable metering plate movable relative to the fixed metering plate along a linear travel axis between a closed position wherein a seal surface of the movable metering plate abuts an abutment surface of the fixed metering plate to prevent fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region and an open position wherein the movable metering plate and the fixed metering plate are separated by a distance to allow fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region;
an armature coupled to the movable metering plate configured to move the movable metering plate relative to the fixed metering plate;
a balancing arrangement operably coupled to the movable metering plate for applying biasing to the movable metering plate;
a balancing chamber completely fluidly separated from the fluid inlet region by the balancing arrangement when the movable metering plate is in the closed position, the balancing arrangement having a first balancing area acted on by a first fluid pressure within the inlet region to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the open position and the balancing arrangement having a second balancing area acted on by a second fluid pressure within balancing chamber, the second fluid pressure being independent of the first fluid pressure in the closed position, to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
wherein the movable metering plate has a first effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and that is acted on by the first fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
the movable metering plate has a second effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and is exposed to the second fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the open position, the second effective surface area being formed by the portion of the seal surface that overlaps the flow opening of the fixed metering plate and is not abutted against the abutment surface;
the first balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
the second balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
and
wherein the fluid inlet region is fluidly coupled to a source of a first fluid at a first fluid pressure (P1) and the fluid outlet region is fluidly coupled to a source of a second fluid at a second fluid pressure (P2) that is less than the first fluid pressure, and wherein the first effective surface area (A1′), the second effective surface area (A1″), the first balancing area (A2′), and the second balancing area (A2″) are configured to satisfy the following equation:
P1*(A1′)+P2*(A2″)=P1*(A2′)+P2*(A1″).

10 more elements

A fluid admission system comprising:

a valve housing having a fluid inlet region and a fluid outlet region;
a fixed metering plate;
a movable metering plate movable relative to the fixed metering plate along a linear travel axis between a closed position wherein a seal surface of the movable metering plate abuts an abutment surface of the fixed metering plate to prevent fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region and an open position wherein the movable metering plate and the fixed metering plate are separated by a distance to allow fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region;
an armature coupled to the movable metering plate configured to move the movable metering plate relative to the fixed metering plate;
a balancing arrangement operably coupled to the movable metering plate for applying biasing to the movable metering plate;
a balancing chamber completely fluidly separated from the fluid inlet region by the balancing arrangement when the movable metering plate is in the closed position, the balancing arrangement having a first balancing area acted on by a first fluid pressure within the inlet region to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the open position and the balancing arrangement having a second balancing area acted on by a second fluid pressure within balancing chamber, the second fluid pressure being independent of the first fluid pressure in the closed position, to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
wherein the movable metering plate has a first effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and that is acted on by the first fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
the movable metering plate has a second effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and is exposed to the second fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the open position, the second effective surface area being formed by the portion of the seal surface that overlaps the flow opening of the fixed metering plate and is not abutted against the abutment surface;
the first balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
the second balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
and
wherein the fluid inlet region is fluidly coupled to a source of a first fluid at a first fluid pressure (P1) and the fluid outlet region is fluidly coupled to a source of a second fluid at a second fluid pressure (P2) that is less than the first fluid pressure, and wherein the first effective surface area (A1′), the second effective surface area (A1″), the first balancing area (A2′), and the second balancing area (A2″) are configured to satisfy the following equation:
P1*(A1′)+P2*(A2″)=X*(P1*(A2′)+P2*(A1″)),
wherein X is between about 0.8 and 1.2.

11 more elements

A fluid admission system comprising:

a valve housing having a fluid inlet region and a fluid outlet region;
a fixed metering plate;
a movable metering plate movable relative to the fixed metering plate along a linear travel axis between a closed position wherein a seal surface of the movable metering plate abuts an abutment surface of the fixed metering plate to prevent fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region and an open position wherein the movable metering plate and the fixed metering plate are separated by a distance to allow fluid flow from the fluid inlet region to the fluid outlet region;
an armature coupled to the movable metering plate configured to move the movable metering plate relative to the fixed metering plate;
a balancing arrangement operably coupled to the movable metering plate for applying biasing to the movable metering plate;
a balancing chamber completely fluidly separated from the fluid inlet region by the balancing arrangement when the movable metering plate is in the closed position, the balancing arrangement having a first balancing area acted on by a first fluid pressure within the inlet region to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the open position and the balancing arrangement having a second balancing area acted on by a second fluid pressure within balancing chamber, the second fluid pressure being independent of the first fluid pressure in the closed position, to operably bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
wherein the movable metering plate has a first effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and that is acted on by the first fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the closed position;
the movable metering plate has a second effective surface area that is normal to the travel axis and is exposed to the second fluid pressure to bias the movable metering plate toward the open position, the second effective surface area being formed by the portion of the seal surface that overlaps the flow opening of the fixed metering plate and is not abutted against the abutment surface;
the first balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
the second balancing area is an effective area being normal to the travel axis;
and
wherein the first balancing area and the first effective area are equal and the second balancing area and the second effective area are equal.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/482,871Filed 11 Jun 2009 · us provisional application
Priority: 13 Jun 2008
Published: US 2009/0309053 A117 Dec 2009
Granted: 25 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

F16K 31/0689
Braking, pressure equilibration, shock absorbing: braking of the valve element
F02M 21/0239
Valves; Pressure or flow regulators in the fuel supply or return system: pressure or flow regulators therefor
F02M 51/0642
Having a plate-shaped or undulated armature not entering the winding: the armature having a valve attached thereto
Y02T 10/30
Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles: use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels