Pressure averaging sense tube for gas regulator
AssigneeFisher Controls International LLC
InventorsSeth Kranz, Joseph Losh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A regulator comprises a regulator valve and an actuator. The actuator is coupled to the regulator valve and comprises a control element for controlling the flow of fluid through the regulator valve. The actuator is additionally equipped with a pressure averaging sense tube to sense the actual pressure at the outlet of the regulator valve. The actual pressure is then supplied to a sensing element such as a diaphragm of the actuator to adjust the position of the control element. The pressure averaging sense tube includes an open sensing end and an elongated slot. The elongated slot advantageously senses and averages the pressure across the length of the sense tube to maximize the accuracy of the pressure signal supplied to the sensing element.
Claims27
A fluid regulating device, comprising:
- a valve comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a valve port disposed between the inlet and the outlet for allowing fluid to flow through the valve;
- an actuator coupled to the valve and comprising a control assembly, the control assembly comprising a control element and a diaphragm operably connected to the control element, the control element extending into the valve and adapted to be displaced relative to the valve port for controlling the flow of a fluid between the inlet and the outlet;
- a sense tube comprising a sensing portion and a mounting portion, the sensing portion comprising a tubular wall extending along a central longitudinal axis and an open end defined by the tubular wall and disposed proximate to the outlet of the valve and the mounting portion disposed proximate to the diaphragm of the actuator, the open end of the sensing portion comprising a complete cross-section through the tubular wall and disposed in a first plane that intersects the central longitudinal axis;
- and
- an elongated slot defined by the tubular wall of the sensing portion of the sense tube and extending from the open end to the mounting portion, the elongated slot disposed in a second plane that intersects the first plane such that the sensing portion is adapted to average the pressure at the outlet of the valve such that the sense tube communicates the averaged pressure to the diaphragm.
A fluid regulating device, comprising:
- a valve comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a valve port disposed between the inlet and the outlet for allowing fluid to flow through the valve;
- an actuator coupled to the valve and comprising a control assembly for controlling the flow of a fluid between the inlet and the outlet, the control assembly comprising a control element and a diaphragm operably connected to the control element, the control element extending into the valve and adapted to be displaced relative to the valve port;
- and
- a sense tube comprising a sensing portion and a mounting portion, the sensing portion comprising a tubular wall extending along a central longitudinal axis and a sensing end that is an open end defined by the tubular wall of the sense tube disposed proximate to the outlet of the valve and the mounting portion disposed proximate to the diaphragm, the open end of the sensing portion comprising a complete cross-section through the tubular wall and disposed in a first plane that intersects the central longitudinal axis;
- and
- a plurality of sensing locations spaced along the length of and defined the tubular wall of the sensing portion from the open end to the mounting portion, the plurality of sensing locations disposed in a second plane that intersects the first plane, wherein the open end and the plurality of sensing locations are adapted to cooperatively average the pressure at the outlet of the valve such that the sense tube communicates the averaged pressure to the diaphragm.
A pressure averaging sense tube for use with a fluid regulating device, the fluid regulating device including an inlet, an outlet, a valve port disposed between the inlet and the outlet, and a control assembly adapted to be displaced relative to the valve port in response to a signal generated by the pressure averaging sense tube, thereby controlling the flow of a fluid between the inlet and the outlet, the pressure averaging sense tube comprising:
- a sensing portion comprising a tubular wall extending along a central longitudinal axis and an open end defined by the tubular wall and adapted to be disposed proximate to the outlet of the fluid regulating device, the open end of the sensing portion comprising a complete cross-section through the tubular wall and disposed in a first plane that intersects the central longitudinal axis;
- a mounting portion disposed at an angle relative to the sensing portion and adapted to be disposed proximate to the control assembly of the fluid regulating device;
- and
- an elongated slot formed in the tubular wall of the sensing portion and extending from the open end to the mounting portion, the elongated slot disposed in a second plane that intersects the first plane such that when the pressure averaging sense tube is installed within the fluid regulating device, the sensing portion is adapted to average the pressure at the outlet such that the pressure averaging sense tube communicates the averaged pressure to the control assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.