Pressure reducing valve with an integral venturi
A pressure reducing valve includes a valve housing, plunger, pressure sensing cavity, and biasing member. The valve housing includes a valve inlet and valve outlet in selective fluid communication with each other. The plunger is in the valve housing and movable between a closed position and open position. The plunger is positioned downstream from the valve inlet and upstream from the valve outlet. The plunger includes a venturi and a channel. The venturi is within the plunger and has a venturi inlet and venturi outlet. The channel is within the plunger and is in fluid communication with the venturi. The pressure sensing cavity is in fluid communication with the channel. The biasing member exerts a biasing force on the plunger toward the open position. The channel is in fluid communication with the pressure sensing cavity to provide a fluid pressure that is lower than the outlet pressure during flow.
1 . A pressure reducing valve, the pressure reducing valve comprising:
a valve housing including an inlet in selective fluid communication with an outlet;
a plunger coupled to a biasing member including a diaphragm and/or piston having a pressure sensing cavity, the plunger positioned between the inlet and the outlet;
a low pressure sensing feature within the plunger and in communication with the pressure sensing cavity, the low pressure sensing feature including an inlet end and an outlet end with a low pressure zone therebetween, the low pressure sensing feature further including a channel, the channel providing fluid communication between the low pressure zone and the pressure sensing cavity; and
wherein the low pressure sensing feature is configured to sense and deliver a fluid pressure to the pressure sensing cavity of the biasing member and adjust a biasing force applied to the plunger by the biasing member.
2 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 ,
wherein the channel is integrally formed within the plunger.
3 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 , the low pressure sensing feature further comprising a constriction between the inlet end and the outlet end and wherein the low pressure zone is positioned after the constriction and the channel to the pressure sensing cavity is positioned after the constriction.
4 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 , wherein the plunger includes a stem end and a head end opposite the stem end.
5 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 4 , wherein the low pressure sensing feature is integrally formed within a head at the head end of the plunger.
6 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 5 , wherein the channel is integrally formed within a stem of the plunger and is perpendicular relative to a flow path of the low pressure sensing feature.
7 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 4 , wherein the biasing member further includes a spring, wherein the stem end of the plunger is concentrically positioned relative the spring, and wherein the spring surrounds the stem end of the plunger.
8 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member further includes a spring, a force of the spring and a force of the diaphragm and/or piston are in opposite directions to one another and are summed to establish the biasing force applied to the plunger.
9 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 8 , wherein the spring is not within the pressure sensing cavity.
10 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 8 , further comprising an adjustment mechanism for the biasing member, the adjustment mechanism being configured to rotate in a first direction to load the spring and to rotate in a second direction to unload the spring.
11 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 10 , wherein an amount of rotation of the biasing member corresponds to an outlet fluid pressure of the outlet.
12 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm and/or piston is sealingly engaged with the plunger to define a portion of the pressure sensing cavity.
13 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 1 , further including a guide member positioned within the valve housing.
14 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 13 , wherein the guide member includes an axial bore that receives the plunger; and
wherein the plunger translates within the axial bore of the guide member.
15 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 14 , wherein the guide member further includes an aperture in selective fluid communication with the axial bore; and
wherein the aperture has a smaller radius than the axial bore.
16 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 15 , wherein the guide member further includes an opening adjacent to the aperture and on an opposite side of the aperture from the axial bore, the opening allowing selective fluid communication between the opening and the aperture.
17 . The pressure reducing valve of claim 16 , wherein a head end of the plunger is configured to engage a surface of the axial bore, thereby preventing fluid communication between the opening and the axial bore.