Flow controller

Claim 1

A FLOW CONTROLLER COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENDS FOR RECEIVING AND DISCHARGING A STREAM OF FLUID, A FIRST MEMBER FIXED IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN OPENING WHICH EXTENDS THERETHROUGH AND TAPERS TOWARD SAID DOWNSTREAM END, A SECOND MEMBER FIXED IN SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID FIRST MEMBER AND SAID DOWNSTREAM END AND HAVING AN OPENING WHICH EXTENDS THERETHROUGH AND IS ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST-NAMED OPENING AND FLARES TOWARD SAID DOWNSTREAM END, SAID OPENINGS JOINTLY DEFINING A VENTURI THROAT THROUGH WHICH THE STREAM FLOWS AT A HIGHTER VELOCITY THAN THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE HOUSING, SAID MEMBERS HAVING SURFACES WHICH FACE EACH OTHER ADJACENT THEIR OUTER PERIPHERIES AND ARE SPACED APART TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR CHAMBER, SAID MEMBERS ALSO HAVING SURFACES WHICH FACE EACH OTHER BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID THROAT AND ARE SPACED APART A SHORTER DISTANCE THAN SAID FIRST-NAMED SURFACES TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR PASSAGE WHICH FURNISHES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID THROAT THROUGHOUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE LATTER, AND INTAKE MEANS FURNISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID UPSTREAM END FOR INTRODUCING FLUID TO SAID CHAMBER AND THENCE THROUGH SAID PASSAGE INTO SAID THROAT TO IMPINGE ON THE STREAM IN SAID THROAT, THEREBY CREATING TURBULENCE IN THE STREAM WHICH LIMITS THE FLOW RATE THROUGH SAID HOUSING TO A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM AS LONG AS THE PRESSURE ON SAID UPSTREAM END REMAINS CONSTANT DESPITE LOSS OF PRESSURE ON SAID DOWNSTREAM END.