Pressure absorber for a fluid system and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777880-B2
Application number	US-201615167145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is an absorber system for absorbing pressure shocks and fluid volume shocks in a fluid system. In particular, the absorber system includes a housing with a joint for insertion within a fluid system, wherein the housing interior is in fluid communication with fluid in the fluid system. As such, when a pressure and/or fluid volume shock is developed within the fluid system, fluid is forced into the housing via the joint. A membrane is disposed within the housing in such a way that the fluid impacts the membrane which, in response, flexes to absorb and control the pressure and/or fluid volume shock within the fluid system. The absorber system, thus, controls pressure and/or fluid volume shock within a system and can prevent water hammer and other problems which can result from the development of pressure and/or fluid volume shock.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An absorber system insertable within a fluid system, comprising:
a hollow housing having a single opening;
a joint in fluid communication with the hollow housing; and
a membrane disposed within the hollow housing such that fluid forced into the housing through the joint comes into contact with the membrane, wherein the membrane is flexible so as to absorb a shock wave from the fluid force and thus reduce the shock wave in the fluid system, and the membrane is both hollow and contains one or more air pockets within the walls of the hollow membrane, and wherein the membrane is a separate part contained within but not mechanically connected to the housing.

2. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein pressure applied to the membrane causes the membrane to flex and compress inwardly within a hollow portion of the membrane.

3. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein pressure applied to the membrane causes the membrane to flex and compress inwardly within the one or more air pockets.

4. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of PORON®, rubber, butyl, ethylene propylene diene monomers (EPDM), neoprene, silicone, flexible PVC, and combinations thereof.

5. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the hollow membrane is provided with a first flexibility, and wherein the one or more air pockets are provided with at least a second flexibility different than the first flexibility.

6. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the hollow membrane is formed with differing wall thicknesses along the hollow membrane so as to provide the membrane with varying flexibilities.

7. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the hollow membrane is formed of a plurality of materials along the hollow membrane so as to provide the membrane with varying flexibilities.

8. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more air pockets are provided with at least two differing flexibilities.

9. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the housing is similar in shape and/or size to an entire outer surface of the membrane.

10. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is spherically shaped.

11. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is cylindrically shaped and is disposed within the housing so that fluid force comes into contact with a flat drum side which flexes to absorb pressure.

12. The shock wave absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is egg shaped and is disposed within the housing so that fluid force comes into contact with the egg shaped membrane parallel to a major axes of the egg shaped membrane, such that the egg shaped membrane flexes across the major axis rather than a minor diameter.

13. A pressure absorber for a fluid system comprising a flexible membrane, the flexible membrane being both hollow and containing one or more air pockets within the walls of the hollow membrane, wherein the flexible membrane compresses into a hollow of the membrane and/or within one or more air pockets to absorb a shock wave contacting the membrane, the membrane selected from the group consisting of a membrane including an air cushion with pre-charge of air, and a membrane that is both rigid and flexible to absorb pressure without a pre-charge cushion of air.

14. The pressure absorber of claim 13 , wherein the membrane is fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of PORON®, rubber, butyl, ethylene propylene diene monomers (EPDM), neoprene, silicone, flexible PVC, and combinations thereof.

15. The pressure absorber of claim 13 , wherein the hollow membrane is provided with a first flexibility, and wherein the one or more air pockets are provided with at least a second flexibility different than the first flexibility.

16. The pressure absorber of claim 13 , wherein the hollow membrane is formed with differing wall thicknesses along the hollow membrane so as to provide the membrane with varying flexibilities.

17. The pressure absorber of claim 13 , wherein the hollow membrane is formed of a plurality of materials along the hollow membrane so as to provide the membrane with varying flexibilities.

18. The pressure absorber of claim 13 , wherein the one or more air pockets are provided with at least two differing flexibilities.

19. The absorber system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane contains an air precharge housed therein.

Assignees

• Amtrol Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Van Haaren Christopher A
• Kampf Christopher
• Cogliati Michael
• Goudas Alexander

Classifications

• F16L55/053 Primary

  the gas in the reservoir being separated from the fluid in the pipe · CPC title

• F16L55/043

  specially adapted for protecting instruments from water hammer or vibrations · CPC title