Fluid pulsation dampeners

Abstract

A pulsation dampener includes: a housing having in internal cavity; an expandable bellows positioned within the internal cavity of the housing, the expandable bellows having a proximal end, a distal end, and an expandable portion between the proximal and distal ends; a bellows support member coupled to an interior side of the distal end of the expandable bellows and extending longitudinally away from the distal end of the expandable bellows toward the proximal end of the expandable bellows; and a cap fixed with respect to the housing and positioned to support the bellows support member when the expandable bellows is in a longitudinally compressed configuration.

1 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A pulsation dampener comprising:
 a housing;   an expandable bellows comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and an expandable portion between the proximal end and the distal end, the expandable portion having a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration,   wherein the proximal end of the expandable bellows is in a fixed position with respect to the housing, and wherein the distal end of the expandable bellows is positioned to be moveable along a longitudinal direction within at least a portion of the housing;   a first variable volume chamber configured to have a smaller volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration;   a second variable volume chamber configured to have a larger volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration; and   a bellows support member coupled to the distal end of the expandable bellows, such that the bellows support member can move along the longitudinal direction with the distal end of the expandable bellows,   wherein the bellows support member comprises a support portion that is positioned to engage a support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration,   wherein the support portion of the bellows support member is positioned to be separated from the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the expanded configuration, and   wherein the bellows support member is sized such that the bellows support member fills at least 50% of a volume radially inward of the expandable portion of the expandable bellows with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration.   
     
     
         21 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 20 , wherein the engagement of the support portion of the bellows support member and the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration is configured to limit movement along the longitudinal direction of the distal end of the expandable bellows toward the proximal end of the expandable bellows. 
     
     
         22 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 21 , wherein the engagement of the support portion of the bellows support member and the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration is further configured to at least partially restrict movement along a lateral direction of the support portion of the bellows support member with respect to the support portion of the housing. 
     
     
         23 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 22 , wherein at least one of the support portion of the bellows support member or the support portion of the housing comprises an at least partially tapered shape that engages the other of the support portion of the bellows support member or the support portion of the housing. 
     
     
         24 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 22 , wherein each of the support portion of the bellows support member and the support portion of the housing comprises an at least partially tapered shape, the at least partially tapered shapes positioned to be engaged with one another with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration. 
     
     
         25 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 20 , wherein the housing comprises a cap that at least partially retains the proximal end of the expandable bellows in the fixed position, and
 wherein the cap comprises the support portion of the housing.   
     
     
         26 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 25 , wherein the proximal end of the expandable bellows comprises a flange that is sealed between the cap of the housing and another portion of the housing. 
     
     
         27 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 20 , wherein at least the expandable portion of the expandable bellows comprises polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the bellows support member comprises a material having a higher rigidity than the PTFE. 
     
     
         28 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a valve in fluid communication with the first variable volume chamber to allow introduction of gas to pressurize the first variable volume chamber; and   a fluid port in fluid communication with the second variable volume chamber to allow for fluid communication between the second variable volume chamber and a fluid piping system external to the pulsation dampener.   
     
     
         29 . A pulsation dampener comprising:
 a housing;   an expandable bellows comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and an expandable portion between the proximal end and the distal end, the expandable portion having a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration,   wherein the proximal end of the expandable bellows is in a fixed position with respect to the housing, and wherein the distal end of the expandable bellows is positioned to be moveable along a longitudinal direction within at least a portion of the housing;   a first variable volume chamber configured to have a smaller volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration;   a second variable volume chamber configured to have a larger volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration; and   a bellows support member coupled to the distal end of the expandable bellows, such that the bellows support member can move along the longitudinal direction with the distal end of the expandable bellows,   wherein the bellows support member comprises a support portion, the housing comprises a support portion, and at least one of the support portion of the bellows support member or the support portion of the housing comprises an at least partially tapered shape positioned to engage the other of the support portion of the bellows support member or the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration, in order to at least partially restrict movement along a lateral direction of the support portion of the bellows support member with respect to the support portion of the housing, and   wherein the support portion of the bellows support member is positioned to be separated from the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the expanded configuration.   
     
     
         30 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 29 , wherein the engagement of the support portion of the bellows support member and the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration is further configured to limit movement along the longitudinal direction of the distal end of the expandable bellows toward the proximal end of the expandable bellows. 
     
     
         31 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 29 , wherein each of the support portion of the bellows support member and the support portion of the housing comprises an at least partially tapered shape, the at least partially tapered shapes positioned to be engaged with one another with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration. 
     
     
         32 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 29 , wherein the at least partially tapered shape is positioned to center the support portion of the bellows support member with respect to the proximal end of the expandable bellows with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration. 
     
     
         33 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 29 , wherein the bellows support member is sized such that the bellows support member fills at least 50% of a volume radially inward of the expandable portion of the expandable bellows with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration. 
     
     
         34 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 29 , wherein at least the expandable portion of the expandable bellows comprises polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the bellows support member comprises a material having a higher rigidity than the PTFE. 
     
     
         35 . A pulsation dampener comprising:
 a housing;   an expandable bellows comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and an expandable portion between the proximal end and the distal end, the expandable portion having a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration,   wherein the proximal end of the expandable bellows is in a fixed position with respect to the housing, and wherein the distal end of the expandable bellows is positioned to be moveable along a longitudinal direction within at least a portion of the housing;   a first variable volume chamber configured to have a smaller volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration;   a second variable volume chamber configured to have a larger volume with the expandable portion in the expanded configuration than with the expandable portion in the compressed configuration; and   a bellows support member coupled to the distal end of the expandable bellows, such that the bellows support member can move along the longitudinal direction with the distal end of the expandable bellows,   wherein the bellows support member comprises a support portion that is positioned to engage a support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the compressed configuration, and   wherein the proximal end of the bellows comprises a flange that is sealed between a first portion of the housing that is in fluid communication with the first variable volume chamber and a second portion of the housing that is in fluid communication with the second variable volume chamber.   
     
     
         36 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 35 , wherein the second portion of the housing comprises the support portion of the housing, and wherein the second portion of the housing further comprises a fluid passage in fluid communication with the second variable volume chamber to allow for fluid communication between the second variable volume chamber and a fluid piping system external to the pulsation dampener. 
     
     
         37 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 35 , wherein the flange of the proximal end of the bellows extends proximally and comprises a larger diameter at a proximal end of the flange than at a distal end of the flange. 
     
     
         38 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 35 , wherein the support portion of the bellows support member is positioned to be separated from the support portion of the housing with the expandable portion of the expandable bellows in the expanded configuration. 
     
     
         39 . The pulsation dampener of  claim 35 , wherein at least the expandable portion of the expandable bellows and the flange of the proximal end of the expandable bellows comprise polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the bellows support member comprises a material having a higher rigidity than the PTFE.