Flow control valve

A flow control valve comprising:

• a housing, which defines a longitudinally extending passage between an flow inlet and a flow outlet of the housing;
• a closing element in the passage, wherein at least a portion of the closing element is movable between a fully open position, in which a gas is allowed to flow past the closing element, and a fully closed position, in which the closing element closes said passage near the flow inlet, so that no gas is allowed to flow past the closing element, wherein a clearance for gas flow is provided between the closing element and an inner wall of the housing when said portion of the closing element is in the open position;
• a motor casing provided in the passage downstream of the closing element, wherein the closing element is arranged to slide along the motor casing, the motor casing comprising an electric motor for causing the closing element to move between the open and closed positions and wherein the motor is connected to the closing element via a driving element;
• a pressure difference sensor for detecting a pressure difference across the closing element;
• a position sensor for detecting a position of the closing element or said portion thereof between the fully open and the fully closed position;
• and
• an electronic memory loaded with a table of positions of the closing element or said portion thereof and corresponding valve-specific constant values;
• and
• an electronic processor programmed to determine a flow rate based on the pressure difference, the position and the corresponding valve-specific constant at any detected position of the closing element or said portion thereof.