Regulating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215291-B2
Application number	US-201715593070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	Oct 29, 2013
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A regulating device may include a housing that defines an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, with a flow restriction seat between the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber. A flow restriction valve is movable relative to the flow restriction seat to adjust the flow between the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber of the regulating device. A servo valve having a servo chamber may be used to adjust the position of the flow restriction valve. The servo chamber may be fluidly coupled to the inlet chamber though a fixed flow restriction and to the outlet chamber though an adjustable flow restriction. A stepper motor may be used to adjust the servo valve to adjust the adjustable flow restriction between the servo chamber and the outlet chamber. This causes a change of the servo pressure, which moves the flow restriction valve and adjusts the flow of the regulating device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas regulating device, comprising
a housing defining a gas inlet chamber having a gas inlet pressure and a gas outlet chamber having a gas outlet pressure, the housing further having a flow restriction seat that defines a flow path between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber that extends along a flow axis;
a flow restriction valve movable relative to the flow restriction seat to adjust a flow between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber in the flow path, wherein the flow restriction valve is movable along the flow axis of the flow path;
a servo valve including:
a valve body attached to a membrane, wherein the membrane defines at least part of the servo chamber in which the servo pressure is present and the membrane positioned between a first membrane support plate and a second membrane support plate;
a servo chamber in which a servo pressure is present, wherein the servo chamber is fluidly coupled to the gas inlet chamber through a fixed orifice and to the gas outlet chamber through an adjustable orifice; and

a stepper motor for adjusting the adjustable orifice between the servo chamber and the gas outlet chamber, which is configured to cause a change of the servo pressure present in the servo chamber, which is configured to move the flow restriction valve relative to the flow restriction seat along the flow axis to thereby adjust the flow between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber of the housing,
wherein the fixed orifice is provided by an opening in the flow restriction valve, and the adjustable orifice is defined by the valve body of the servo valve and by the first membrane support plate.

2. The gas regulating device of claim 1 , wherein:
when the stepper motor is driven in a first direction, the servo valve is moved in a first direction thereby decreasing or closing the adjustable orifice, thereby changing the servo pressure present in the servo chamber towards the gas inlet pressure present in the gas inlet chamber and thereby decreasing or alternatively increasing flow between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber; and
when the stepper motor is driven in a second direction, the servo valve is moved in a second direction thereby increasing or opening the adjustable orifice, thereby changing the servo pressure present in the servo chamber towards the gas outlet pressure present in the gas outlet chamber and thereby increasing or alternatively decreasing flow between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber.

3. The gas regulating device of claim 1 , wherein:
the flow restriction valve is coupled to the first membrane support plate through a hollow valve stem; and
a servo flow channel provided by the hollow valve stem of the flow restriction valve, by the valve body of the servo valve and by the first membrane support plate, is coupled to the gas inlet chamber through the fixed orifice, to the gas outlet chamber through the adjustable orifice, and to the servo chamber.

4. The gas regulating device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable orifice comprises multiple flow channels, wherein the multiple flow channels are arranged in a circumferential pattern around an axis along which the flow restriction valve is axially movable.

5. A method for adjusting a position of a flow restriction valve in an axial direction between a gas inlet chamber and a gas outlet chamber in order to adjust the flow of gas between the gas inlet chamber and a gas outlet chamber, wherein the flow of gas impinges on the flow restriction valve and provides a force on the flow restriction valve in the axial direction, the method comprising:
using a stepper motor to adjust a position of a servo valve in a first direction, which decreases a size of an adjustable orifice between a servo chamber and the gas outlet chamber, wherein a fixed orifice is present between the servo chamber and the gas inlet chamber, wherein decreasing the size of the adjustable orifice changes a pressure in the servo chamber towards a gas inlet pressure in the gas inlet chamber and moves the flow restriction valve in a first axial direction thereby adjusting a flow of gas acting on the flow restriction valve in the axial direction between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber, wherein the servo valve including a valve body attached to a membrane, wherein the membrane defines at least part of the servo chamber in which the servo pressure is present and the membrane positioned between a first membrane support plate and a second membrane support plate; and
using the stepper motor to adjust the position of the servo valve in a second direction, which increases the size of the adjustable orifice between the servo chamber and the gas outlet chamber, wherein increasing the size of the adjustable orifice changes the pressure in the servo chamber towards a gas outlet pressure in the gas outlet chamber and moves the flow restriction valve in a second axial direction thereby adjusting the flow of gas acting on the flow restriction valve in the axial direction between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber,
wherein the fixed orifice is provided by an opening in the flow restriction valve, and the adjustable orifice is defined by the valve body of the servo valve and by the first membrane support plate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein decreasing the size of the adjustable orifice changes the pressure in the servo chamber towards the gas inlet pressure in the gas inlet chamber and decreases the flow of gas between the gas inlet chamber and a gas outlet chamber.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein increasing the size of the adjustable orifice changes the pressure in the servo chamber towards the gas outlet pressure in the gas outlet chamber and increases the flow of gas between the gas inlet chamber and a gas outlet chamber.

8. A regulating device, comprising
a housing providing a first chamber in which a first pressure is present and a second chamber in which a second pressure is present, the housing further providing a flow restriction seat that defines a flow path between the first chamber and the second chamber that extends along a flow axis;
a flow restriction valve positioned in the housing, wherein the flow restriction valve comprises a valve body acting together with the flow restriction seat to adjust a flow from the first chamber into the second chamber, the flow restriction valve being movable along the flow axis of the flow path;
a servo valve positioned in the housing, wherein the servo valve comprises a valve body attached to a membrane, wherein the membrane defines at least part of a servo chamber in which a servo pressure is present, the membrane positioned between a first membrane support plate and a second membrane support plate, and wherein the servo chamber is connected to the first chamber though a fixed orifice, and the servo chamber is connected to the second chamber though an adjustable orifice; and
a stepper motor for moving the valve body of the servo valve, thereby adjusting the adjustable orifice, wherein the adjustment of the adjustable orifice causes a change of the servo pressure present in the servo chamber which is used to move the flow restriction valve to adjust the flow from the first chamber into the second chamber,
wherein the fixed orifice is provided by an opening in the flow restriction valve, and the adjustable orifice is defined by the valve body of the servo valve and by the first membrane support plate.

9. The regulating device of claim 8 , wherein:
when the stepper motor is driven in a first direction, the valve body of the servo valve is moved in a first direction thereby decreasing or closing the adjustable orifice, thereby changing the servo pressur

Assignees

• Honeywell Technologies Sarl
• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Super Willem

Classifications

• F23N2235/14

  electromagnetically operated · CPC title

• F23N2235/16

  variable flow or proportional valves · CPC title

• F23N2235/18

  Groups of two or more valves · CPC title

• F23N2235/20

  Membrane valves · CPC title

• F16K31/04

  using a motor · CPC title