Multi-stage ratio pressure regulator system

A method for regulating the pressure of a fluid comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a first fluid pressure regulator comprising:
• i. a body having a cylinder cavity;
• ii. a piston disposed within said cylinder cavity of said body, said piston having a first end and a second end each having a surface area, said surface area of said first piston end being unequal in size to said surface area of said second piston end;
• iii. a fluid passage associated with said body for admitting fluid against said first piston end;
• iv. said piston having formed therethrough a passage for fluid to flow from said first piston end to second piston end;
• b. placing said first fluid regulator into a probe;
• c. inserting said probe into a pressurized fluid having a prevailing temperature, and allowing said probe to reach said prevailing temperature of said pressurized fluid;
• d. allowing fluid to flow, via said fluid passage, to said first end of said piston, so as to apply fluid pressure to said first end of said piston;
• e. flowing fluid through said passage formed through said piston from said first end of said piston to said second end of said piston, so as to apply fluid pressure to said second end of said piston;
• f. allowing fluid pressure applied said greater surface area of said second piston end to form an unbalance of forces resulting from the application of fluid pressure to said first and second piston ends having unequal surface areas;
• g. regulating the fluid flow via said fluid pressure applied to said first and second piston ends having unequal areas so as to reposition said piston such that throttling of the flow of said fluid is increased when the force exerted by one end of said piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said piston, providing regulated fluid flow, while
• h. allowing said prevailing temperature of said pressurized fluid to maintain said first fluid regulator at isothermal condition;
• i. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said piston which can be maintained at a reference pressure derived from a source downstream of said first fluid regulator, so as to affect the movement of said piston.

The method of obtaining a sample from a pressurized gas stream at a prevailing temperature containing entrained liquid, comprising the steps of:

• a. housing first and second pressure reducers in serial communication in an insertion probe;
• b. inserting said insertion probe into said pressurized gas stream, and allowing said first and second pressure regulators to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream so that said first and second regulators reach the prevailing temperature of said gas stream;
• c. flowing a sample of said pressurized gas stream into said first pressure regulator, reducing the pressure of said sample by a first predetermined pressure control ratio, providing a first reduced gas;
• d. allowing said first and second pressure regulators to continue to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream, as well as said first reduced gas to about said prevailing temperature of said gas stream, so as to minimize Joules Thomson cooling effect from the pressure from step “c” on said first reduced gas;
• e. flowing said first reduced gas into said second pressure regulator, reducing the pressure of said first reduced gas by a second predetermined pressure control ratio;
• f. allowing said first and second pressure regulators to continue to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream, as well as said second reduced gas to about said prevailing temperature of said gas stream, so as to minimize Joules Thomson cooling effect from the pressure from step “e” on said first reduced gas;
• whereby said first and second predetermined ratios of pressure reduction of said first and second pressure regulators, respectively, are selected to provide a generally uniform distribution of Joules-Thomson cooling at each stage so as to minimize the likelihood of liquid condensation resulting therefrom.

A method for reducing the pressure of a fluid at a predetermined ratio, comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a pressure regulator comprising a piston having first and second ends having unequal surface areas to facilitate a predetermined ratio of pressure reduction pressure control;
• b. allowing a fluid to apply fluid pressure to said first and second ends of said piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second piston ends due to their unequal surface areas;
• c. allowing said fluid to flow to and apply said fluid pressure to said second end of said piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second piston ends due to their unequal surface areas;
• d. utilizing said force differential to facilitate movement of said piston, so as to facilitate throttling of said fluid flow when the force exerted upon one end of said piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said piston;
• e. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said piston which is referenced at a fluid reference pressure to influence said force differential applied to said first and second piston ends, and the resulting flow of fluid associated therewith;
• f. providing a second pressure regulator fluidly engaging said first pressure regulator in series relationship;
• g. flowing said pressure regulated fluid from said first pressure regulator to said second pressure regulator, utilizing said second pressure regulator to drop the pressure of said pressure regulated fluid, so as to provide second regulated pressure fluid;
• and
• h. utilizing said regulated pressure fluid as said fluid reference pressure of step “e”;
• and
• i. providing said first and second pressure regulators into an insertion probe, inserting said insertion probe into a pressurized gas stream at a prevailing temperature, and allowing said insertion probe and first and second regulators to thermodynamically engage said prevailing temperature of said pressurized gas stream.