Flow control device

Claim 1

A FLOW CONTROL DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING A RELATIVELY CONSTANT RATE OF FLUID FLOW OVER A RANGE OF INLET PRESSURES, SAID FLOW CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING A FLOW PASSAGEWAY, A RESILIENT ANNULUS AND A RIGID ANNULAR MEMBER POSITIONED IN SAID PASSAGEWAY WITH SAID RIGID MEMBER DISPOSED UPSTREAM OF AND IN COAXIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ANNULUS, SAID RIGID MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED BYPASS APERTURE FORMED THEREIN AND A PLURALITY OF RADIAL GROOVES FORMED ON ITS DOWNSTREAM FACE, THE BYPASS APERTURE OF SAID RIGID MEMBER COMMUNICATING WITH AN APERTURE OF SAID ANNULUS TO PROVIDE A PATH FOR BYPASS FLOW THROUGH SAID CONTROL DEVICE, SAID GROOVES INTERSECTING THE BYPASS APERTURE OF SAID MEMBER AT THE INNER ENDS THEREOF AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TO COMMUNICATE WITH AXIALLY EXTENSIVE FLOW PASSING INTERRUPTIONS FORMED IN THE PERIPHERY OF SAID MEMBER, SAID ANNULUS INCLUDING AN UPSTREAM FACE DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID DOWNSTREAM FACE OF SAID RIGID MEMBER FOR ENGAGEMENT THEREBY, SAID RIGID MEMBER BEING FORCED AGAINST SAID ANNULUS WITH INCREASING INLET PRESSURE TO CAUSE THE MATERIAL OF SAID ANNULUS TO PROGRESSIVELY DEFORM INTO SAID GROOVES TO LIMIT FLOW THERETHROUGH AND PROVIDE A RELATIVELY CONSTANT OUTLET FLOW AT VARYING PRESSURES.