Reduced length pressure compensating liquid flow regulator

Abstract

A reduced length, pressure compensating liquid flow regulator includes a poppet defining a longitudinally extending hollow cylinder having a front sense orifice and a rear orifice. A retainer maintains a biasing spring disposed at least partially within the cylinder, the retainer including a front sidewall defining a central aperture and a rear sidewall surface defining rear side slots, the retainer front sidewall forming an annular space between the cylinder rear orifice and the retainer front sidewalls. A seat has a closed front face spaced from and facing the cylinder, side passages rearwardly of the seat front face, and a downstream passage. The biasing spring biases the cylinder rear orifice longitudinally away from the seat. A hollow housing slidably receives the cylinder and fixedly receives the retainer means and the seat, the housing directing liquid flow from the retainer side slots into the seat side passages. The magnitude of the spacing between the seat front face and the cylinder rear orifice is self-adjusting as an inverse function of the magnitude of the flow rate, thereby to provide a substantially constant flow rate through the regulator by compensating for variations in the pressure differential across the sense orifice.

Description

Background of the invention [0001] This invention relates to a pressure compensated liquid flow regulator and, more particularly, to such a regulator having a reduced length. [0002] The prior art teaches a liquid flow regulator which controls hydraulic flow to a predetermined level regardless of the pressure differential across the regulator. For example, such a flow conditioner is commercially available from Westbrook Corporation of Connecticut under the trade mark 500 Flosert. This product controls hydraulic flow at a predetermined level by maintaining a constant pressure drop across a fixed or sensing orifice, regardless of the pressure differential across the regulator. The spring or bias of the flow regulator is external to the metering poppet, thus limiting the use of the regulator in situations where only limited length regulators can be accommodated. For example, a slot for a flow regulator may have a mounting hole length of less than 1 inch in length, whereas prio...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0003] Prior art flow regulators have not been entirely satisfactory in use because they do not regulate liquid flow to a tight enough range to be useful for specific demanding customer applications

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