Flow regulator

Abstract

A regulator including a movably, preferably hingedly, mounted member having a distal face, exposed to a reference pressure, and a frontal face, exposed to fluid passing through the regulator. Attached to the member is a structure that variably impedes fluid flowing through the regulator. The amount that this structure impedes the fluid flow varies as a function of the difference between the pressure of fluid on the frontal face of the member and the reference pressure. The impeder may be an integral part of the piston extending into the path of the fluid flowing through the regulator, or it may be a separate structure attached to the member. As the member moves in response to changes in pressure differential across the piston, each movable segment is displaced with respect to its corresponding fixed segment. As the corresponding segments are further displaced with respect to each other, the impedance to flow increases. A restoring force or torque exerts a force on the member so as to tend to lessen the resistance on the fluid flow, and so that when there is no flow through the passageway the resistance is relatively low. The member may be mounted at the top of the regulator in order to make the regulator easy to clean to clean and maintain. A dashpot may be included in the regulator so as to reduce high-frequency oscillations that may occur in a finely tuned regulator. The regulator may include a bypass channel that permits a portion of the flow to bypass the impeder. A variable throttle valve mounted in the bypass channel is used to adjust the effect of the bypass channel.

I claim: 
     
       1. A device for regulating the flow of fluid through a passageway, the device comprising: a conduit having a wall defining the passageway through the device;   a member having a top face, exposed to a reference pressure, and a bottom face forming a portion of the conduit wail, the member being hingedly mounted about a pivot point;   a gate, attached to the member at a point downstream from the pivot point, the gate extending into the passageway so as to variably impede fluid flowing through the passageway at a constriction point, the gate's impedance on the fluid flow varying as a function of the pressure differential across the member's top and bottom faces, the gate and the member being mounted so that each moves in a direction transverse to the direction of the fluid through the constriction point; and   restoring means for exerting a torque on the member around the pivot point so as to tend to cause the gate to lessen the impedance on the fluid flow, and so that when there is no flow through the passageway the amount that the gate impedes the flow is relatively low, the restoring means including the weight of the member upstream of the pivot point.   
     
     
       2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the member includes a counterweight movably mounted to the member with respect to the pivot point so as to permit adjustment of the torque exerted on the member. 
     
     
       3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the gate includes a movable grate attached to the member so that it moves with the member, and wherein the conduit includes a fixed grate fixedly attached to the conduit so that the fixed grate does not move with respect to the conduit, the fixed and movable grates being located adjacent each other and defining a plurality of constriction points, the size of each constriction point varying as the member moves. 
     
     
       4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the gate is fixedly attached to the member. 
     
     
       5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the gate includes a movable grate fixedly attached to the member so that it moves with the member, and wherein the conduit includes a fixed grate fixedly attached to the conduit so that the fixed grate does not move with respect to the conduit, the fixed and movable grates being located adjacent each other and defining a plurality of constriction points, the size of each constriction point varying as the member moves. 
     
     
       6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the member includes a counterweight movably mounted to the member with respect to the pivot point so as to permit adjustment of the torque exerted on the member. 
     
     
       7. A device for regulating the flow of fluid, the device comprising: a conduit through which the fluid flows;   a member having a frontal face along which entire face fluid in the conduit flows, and a distal face exposed to a reference pressure, the member being hingedly mounted so as to rotate about a pivot point;   impedance means for variably impeding flow through the conduit at a constriction point, the size of the constriction point varying as the member moves, the impedance means extending only part way into the passageway, so that a portion of the flow through the passageway bypasses the constriction point; and   restoring means for exerting a torque on the member about the pivot point so as to tend to lessen the impedance on the fluid flow, and so that when there is no flow through the conduit the impedance caused by the impedance means is relatively low.   
     
     
       8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the impedance means includes movable and fixed portions, the fixed portion being fixedly attached to the conduit so that it does not move with respect to the conduit, the movable portion being attached to the member at a point other than the pivot point, so that the movable portion moves as the member moves, the fixed and movable portions defining a plurality of constriction points, the size of each constriction point varying as the member moves, the impedance means extending only part way into the passageway, so that a portion of the flow through the passageway bypasses the constriction points defined by the fixed and movable portions. 
     
     
       9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the movable portion of the impedance means is attached to the member at a point downstream from the pivot point, and the restoring means includes the weight of the member upstream of the pivot point. 
     
     
       10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the member includes a counterweight movably mounted to the member with respect to the pivot point so as to permit adjustment of the torque exerted on the member. 
     
     
       11. A device for regulating the flow of fluid, the device comprising: a conduit through which the fluid flows, the conduit having a fixed portion;   a member having a frontal face, the entire frontal face being directly exposed to fluid in the conduit, and a distal face exposed to a reference pressure, the member being hingedly adjacent to the fixed portion so as to rotate about a pivot point;   impedance means for variably impeding flow through the conduit at a constriction point, the size of the constriction point varying as the member moves, the impedance means extending only part way into the passageway, so that a portion of the flow through the passageway bypasses the constriction point; and   a dashpot formed between a section of the member and an adjacent section of the fixed portion in the conduit so as to define a dashpot volume of fluid, the dashpot volume varying as the position of the member varies, but always being substantially smaller than the volume of fluid in the conduit between the constriction point and the pivot point, so that the dashpot inhibits vibration of the member.   
     
     
       12. A device according to claim 11, wherein the dashpot is vented to the reference pressure. 
     
     
       13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the dashpot is also vented to fluid adjacent the frontal face of the member. 
     
     
       14. A device according to claim 11, wherein the impedance means includes movable and fixed elements, the fixed element being fixedly attached to the conduit so that it does not move with respect to the conduit, the movable element being attached to the member at a point other than the pivot point, so that the movable element moves as the member moves, the fixed and movable elements defining a plurality of constriction points, the size of each constriction point varying as the member moves. 
     
     
       15. A device according to claim 14 further including a variable throttle valve for variably restricting the flow bypassing the constriction points defined by the fixed and movable elements of the impedance means. 
     
     
       16. A device according to claim 14 further including restoring means for exerting a torque on the member about the pivot point so as to tend to lessen the impedance on the fluid flow, and so that when there is no flow through the conduit, the impedance caused by the impedance means is relatively low. 
     
     
       17. A device according to claim 16, wherein the movable element of the impedance means is attached to the member at a point downstream from the pivot point, and the restoring means includes the weight of the member upstream of the pivot point. 
     
     
       18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the member includes a counterweight movably mounted to the member with respect to the pivot point so as to permit adjustment of the torque exerted on the member. .Iadd. 
     
     
       19.  A device for regulating fluid flow, wherein the fluid flow is along a first pathway and along a second pathway, the device comprising: a member having a frontal face, the entire frontal face being directly exposed to the fluid flow along the first pathway, and a distal face exposed to a reference pressure, the member being hingedly mounted so as to rotate about a pivot point;   an impeder for variably impeding fluid flow along the first pathway at a constriction point, the size of the constriction point varying as the member moves;   a torque producing mechanism for exerting a torque on the member about a pivot point so as to tend to lessen the impedance on the fluid flow along the first pathway, and so that when there is no flow the impedance is relatively low; and   a valve for variably restricting the fluid flow along the second pathway which bypasses the constriction point. .Iaddend..Iadd.   
     
     
       20.  A device according to claim 19, for regulating the flow of fluid, wherein the impeder includes movable and fixed portions, the movable portion being attached to the member at a point other than the pivot point, so that the movable portion moves as the member moves, the fixed and movable portions defining a plurality of constriction points, the size of each constriction point varying as the member moves. .Iaddend.