Pressure reducing valve

A pressure reducing valve comprising:

• a valve chamber that is provided in a housing and into which fluid is introduced;
• a pressure reducing chamber that is provided in the housing and that communicates with the valve chamber via a valve hole formed in a valve seat provided between the pressure reducing chamber and the valve chamber;
• and
• a valve element that is arranged inside the valve chamber and that is configured to be seated on an inner peripheral surface of the valve seat that delimits the valve hole, wherein
• when the valve element is open, the pressure reducing valve reduces a pressure of the fluid by causing the fluid to move to the pressure reducing chamber via the valve hole,
• the valve element has a single stage taper portion configured to be seated on the inner peripheral surface delimiting the valve hole,
• the inner peripheral surface delimiting the valve hole includes a first area, a second area, and a third area in order from an upstream side of a flow direction of the fluid,
• the first area is provided such that, when the valve element is open, a height of a flow passage defined between the first area and the single stage taper portion of the valve element gradually reduces toward a downstream side of the flow direction, the first area delimits a portion of the valve hole and does not include an upstream-most face of the valve seat in the flow direction of the fluid,
• the second area is provided such that a height of a flow passage defined between the second area and the single stage taper portion is constant when the valve element is open and the entire second area contacts the single stage taper portion when the valve element is closed, and
• the third area is provided such that, when the valve element is open, a height of a flow passage defined between the third area and the single stage taper portion gradually increases toward the downstream side of the flow direction.