Flow rate scale field calibration for balancing valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11274767-B2
Application number	US-202117245577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2021
Priority date	Jan 13, 2012
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A balance or flow limiting valve features a valve body/member having a flow rate indicator/scale containing setting having printed flow rates calibrated in units of measure in volume per time increment between a minimum flow rate position (MIN) and a maximum flow rate position (MAX); and a knob/handle having a position indicator and being moveable to any continuous position on the flow rate indicator/scale between MIN and MAX in response to a user applied force, where the relationship between the flow rate indicator/scale and the position indicator is based on calibrated flow characteristics of the balance or flow limiting valve. The user can set an exact desired flow rate in one operation by moving the knob/handle to a desired position between MIN and MAX without consulting a printed flow curve or balance calculator to determine the desired exact flow rate.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus, Apparatus, including a balance or flow limiting valve, comprising:
a valve body ( 12 ) configured with a flow rate indicator or scale ( 44 ) containing settings each having a printed flow rate calibrated in appropriate units of measure in volume per time increment between minimum and maximum flow rate positions; and
a knob ( 48 ) having a position indicator ( 48 a ), the knob ( 48 ) being configured to be moved to any continuous position on the flow rate indicator or scale ( 44 ) between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions in response to force applied by a user,
where the relationship between the flow rate indicator or scale ( 44 ) of the valve body ( 12 ) and the position indicator ( 48 a ) of the knob ( 48 ) is based at least partly on calibrated flow characteristics of the balance or flow limiting valve, so that the user can set a substantially exact desired flow rate in one operation by moving the knob ( 48 ) to a desired position between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions without consulting a printed flow curve or other form of a balance calculator to determine the desired exact flow rate of the balance or flow limiting valve, characterized in that
the valve body ( 12 ) is configured with a first cavity ( 12 a ) to receive a combination of a seal ( 14 a ), ball ( 14 b ), a seat ( 14 c ), an O-ring ( 14 d ) and a ball retainer ( 14 e ),
the valve body ( 12 ) is also formed with a second cavity coupled to the first cavity and configured to receive a combination of a pressure/temperature port stem ( 20 ) and a stem bonnet bushing ( 22 ),
the balancing valve ( 10 ) includes an on/off handle ( 24 ) having a handle retaining portion ( 24 a ), the balancing valve ( 10 ) also includes a retaining ring ( 26 ) configured to attach to the pressure/temperature port stem ( 20 ), so as to couple together the pressure/temperature port stem ( 20 ), the stem bonnet bushing ( 22 ) and the handle retaining portion ( 24 a ), so that the on/off handle ( 24 ) can turn the pressure/temperature port stem ( 20 ),
the valve body ( 12 ) is also formed with a third cavity configured to receive a pressure/temperature port ( 30 ),
the valve body ( 12 ) is also formed with a fourth cavity that is coupled to the third cavity-, the fourth cavity is configured to receive a combination of a flow pressure regulating cartridge ( 40 ), a cartridge retainer ( 42 ) and the flow rate scale or indicator ( 44 ), wherein the knob ( 48 ) is configured in relation to the flow rate scale or indicator ( 44 ) and the cartridge retainer ( 42 ), the knob ( 48 ) is coupled to the flow pressure regulating cartridge ( 40 ), and the knob ( 48 ) is configured to be rotated in relation to the flow rate scale or indicator ( 44 ) and to turn the flow pressure regulating cartridge ( 40 ) so as to determine the flow rate of the balancing valve ( 10 ).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the knob ( 48 ) is configured to rotate or to slide.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the appropriate unit of measure is gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per hour (LPH), or other volumetric unit of measure for fluid volume per length of time.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein intermediate calibrated printed flow rate settings (1-5) between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions correspond to printed flow rates that are all calibrated to the same predetermined degree of exactitude, including about a tenth of a gallon per minute (GPM), between a minimum (MIN) printed flow rate and a maximum (MAX) printed flow rate.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined degree of exactitude includes a predetermined degree of calibration that is measured in about a hundredth of a gallon per minute (GPM).

6. An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the same predetermined degree of exactitude falls in a range of about a tenth to about a thousandth of a gallon per minute (GPM).

7. An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the valve body/member ( 12 ) is configured so that flow is substantially linear and within about the same predetermined degree of exactitude when the knob ( 48 ) is moved to other settings between adjacent calibrated printed flow rate settings (1-5).

8. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the appropriate unit of measure is gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per hour (LPH), or other volumetric unit of measure for fluid volume per length of time.

9. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein intermediate calibrated printed flow rate settings (1-5) between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions correspond to printed flow rates that are all calibrated to the same predetermined degree of exactitude, including about a tenth of a gallon per minute (GPM), between a minimum (MIN) printed flow rate and a maximum (MAX) printed flow rate.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein intermediate calibrated printed flow rate settings (1-5) between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions correspond to printed flow rates that are all calibrated to the same predetermined degree of exactitude, including about a tenth of a gallon per minute (GPM), between a minimum (MIN) printed flow rate and a maximum (MAX) printed flow rate.

Assignees

• Fluid Handling Llc

Inventors

• Evans Jr Stanley Paul
• Rosca Florin
• Huse Glenn Edward
• Kahn Donald Arthur

Classifications

• Y10T137/8309

  Pointer integral with handle · CPC title

• G05D7/01

  without auxiliary power · CPC title

• Y10T137/8225

  Position or extent of motion indicator · CPC title

• F16K37/0016 Primary

  having a graduated scale · CPC title