First-Stage Pressure Regulator with Sliding Wall Against Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing underwater pressure regulating devices face issues with freezing due to the expansion of gas from high to intermediate pressure, which can lead to component damage and operational inefficiencies, particularly in cold water conditions, and the use of fluids with low freezing points complicates maintenance and increases the risk of contamination.
Innovation Solution
A regulator first stage for two-stage delivering assemblies uses a rigid, movable wall element made of high mechanical resistance material, such as stainless steel or chrome-plated brass, which is sealingly slidable within a housing chamber, eliminating the need for membranes and fluids with low freezing points, thereby preventing freezing and maintaining component integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a membrane is used to transfer external pressure in a first stage regulator, then the regulator provides thermal insulation and prevents contamination, but the membrane is susceptible to freezing and tearing in cold water conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from a flexible membrane to a rigid piston made of freez-resistant material, fundamentally altering how the component interacts with cold temperatures while maintaining the pressure transfer function
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid piston replicates the pressure-sensing function of the membrane through a different physical mechanism, copying the essential function while eliminating the vulnerability to freezing and tearing
2Reliability
If fluids with low freezing points are used to prevent freezing, then the regulator operates in cold water conditions, but maintenance becomes more complex and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the fluid medium entirely from the pressure transfer mechanism, replacing it with a direct mechanical piston system that requires no special fluids and simplifies maintenance while enabling cold water operation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a rigid piston is used instead of a membrane, then freezing and tearing are prevented, but the thermal insulation benefit is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary fluid chamber between the piston and the external environment, allowing the rigid piston to maintain mechanical integrity while the fluid chamber provides thermal buffering and insulation similar to the membrane's original function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively prevents freezing and component damage, ensures reliable operation in cold water conditions, and simplifies maintenance by maintaining the pressure difference across the membranes constant, reducing the risk of membrane tearing and contamination, while maintaining the benefits of membrane regulators regarding thermal insulation and contamination prevention.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor member exposed to the pressure of the external environment of said two chambers, which member comprises means to transmit the mechanical stress exerted on said sensor member by the pressure of the external environment
Implementation Method 2
on which an elastic pre-load is further exerted. The elastic pre-load defines, after appropriate calibration, the intermediate pressure value to be added to the ambient pressure
Implementation Method 3
the presence of the membrane so that the external environment pressure and the elastic pre-load cause a deflection of the membrane itself in the opening direction of the delivering valve
Implementation Method 4
the cooling generated by the operation of the first stage due to the expansion of the breathable gas for the transition from high pressure to intermediate pressure
Data Source
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AI summary
Regulator first stage for two-stage delivering assemblies, comprising a first chamber for a breathable high pressure gas, the chamber being connected or able to be connected through an inlet to a high pressure gas source; a second chamber for the breathable gas at an intermediate pressure, which chamber for the intermediate pressure gas has an outlet for the intermediate pressure gas and being connected or able to be connected to a user of said intermediate pressure gas; a pressure reducing valve which connects said first chamber and said second chamber with each other and which valve comprises a valve seat having an opening for the communication between said first and said second chambers and a cut-off cooperating with said valve seat and displaceable from a closed position of said passage opening to an open position of said passage opening and vice versa, said cut-off being dynamically connected to a sensor member exposed to the pressure of the external environment of said two chambers, which member comprises a transmitting mechanism to transmit the mechanical stress exerted on said sensor member by the pressure of the external environment of the cut-off itself characterized in that said sensor member of the external environment pressure consists of at least one movable wall element which is sealingly slidable in a housing chamber, and which constitutes the interface wall of said housing chamber towards the external environment, and wherein said transmitting mechanism connects said movable wall with said cut-off.