Abstract A membrane operated, pilot actuated, normally open two way shutoff valve having a pilot cap permanently secured to the valve housing, and a membrane separating piloting section from the valving section and held securely by a pilot cap at it''s periphery while the central portion is allowed to stretch under pilot pressure and to close fluid valving passages inside valve housing when controlling flows of any fluid requiring straight through flow passages with minimum pressure drop, including positive support for stretched membrane inside valve housing which is provided with appropriate seat of conical configuration to permit membrane elastic deformation within confines of such housing cone and not more, and thus drastically changing the operation and life span of similar valves with unsupported elastomers as found in most diaphragm valves, with membrane providing simplicity and operational improvements, and the Memrane Shutoff Valve permitting flexibility in use no other designs can provide,such as multiporting valve housing for single fluid inlet port and multiple outlet ports running radially into the conical housing chamber or even being converted to a positive displacement pump by an addition of appropriate check valves into the valve ports, and flexibility in selecting seal and valve body materials compatible with corrosive fluids valved while the pilot cap may remain the same.
A shutoff valve for controlling the flow of pressurized fluids between an inlet and an outlet of the shutoff valve in response to a pilot pressure being applied to the shutoff valve comprising: a valve body having a conically shaped cavity; a constant cross-sectional area inlet port extending linearly through one side of said valve body into the cavity of said valve body; an outlet port having the constant cross-sectional area of said inlet port, said outlet port extending linearly through the opposite side of said valve body and being in-line with said inlet port to provide straight through flow of the pressurized fluid from said inlet port to said outlet port by way of said valve body cavity; a pilot cap having a conically shaped cavity with a pilot pressure port extending through said pilot cap into said opening of said pilot cap; a stretchable membrane mounted in a flat plane between said valve body and said pilot cap, said membrane allowing straight through flow of said pressurized fluid from said inlet port to said outlet port prior to said pilot pressure being applied to said pilot pressure port, said stretchable membrane responding to a predetermined pilot pressure being applied to said pilot cap cavity through said pilot port to expand said membrane from said flat plane position to conform to the conically shaped cavity of said valve body and prevent fluid flow between said inlet and said outlet ports.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
241 words
A shutoff valve for controlling the flow of pressurized fluids between an inlet and an outlet of the shutoff valve in response to a pilot pressure being applied to the shutoff valve comprising: a valve body having a conically shaped cavity; a constant cross-sectional area inlet port extending linearly through one side of said valve body into the cavity of said valve body; an outlet port having the constant cross-sectional area of said inlet port, said outlet port extending linearly through the opposite side of said valve body and being in-line with said inlet port to provide straight through flow of the pressurized fluid from said inlet port to said outlet port by way of said valve body cavity; a pilot cap having a conically shaped cavity with a pilot pressure port extending through said pilot cap into said opening of said pilot cap; a stretchable membrane mounted in a flat plane between said valve body and said pilot cap, said membrane allowing straight through flow of said pressurized fluid from said inlet port to said outlet port prior to said pilot pressure being applied to said pilot pressure port, said stretchable membrane responding to a predetermined pilot pressure being applied to said pilot cap cavity through said pilot port to expand said membrane from said flat plane position to conform to the conically shaped cavity of said valve body and prevent fluid flow between said inlet and said outlet ports.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A shutoff valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein the expansion of said stretchable membrane to conform to said valve body cavity is effected within the elastic expansion limits of said membrane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A shutoff valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said stretchable membrane responds to said pressurized fluid exceeding said predetermined pilot pressure to expand into conformity with the walls of said pilot cap cavity, said expansion being effected within the elastic limits of said membrane.