초록 ▼

A multi-stage pressure regulator system. The system of the present invention provides for distribution of the Joules-Thomson (J-T) cooling effect between multiple stages. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pressure is first reduced by a set ratio in one or more stages followed

A multi-stage pressure regulator system. The system of the present invention provides for distribution of the Joules-Thomson (J-T) cooling effect between multiple stages. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pressure is first reduced by a set ratio in one or more stages followed by an adjustable pressure output stage. The present invention thereby provides a system to control pressure reduction and thus prevent condensation (and associated distortion of a vapor composition sample) of a gas due to J-T cooling effect. The system of the present invention is particularly suitable for use placement (via, for example, a probe) within the source gas supply containment vessel, pipeline or the like, so that pressure reduction occurs at or near isothermal conditions, further lessening the likelihood of J-T condensation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for regulating the pressure of a fluid, said fluid having a prevailing temperature, comprising the steps of: a. providing a first regulator having a piston having first and second ends having unequal surface areas;b. inserting said first regulator into said fluid;c. allowing said first r

1. A method for regulating the pressure of a fluid, said fluid having a prevailing temperature, comprising the steps of: a. providing a first regulator having a piston having first and second ends having unequal surface areas;b. inserting said first regulator into said fluid;c. allowing said first regulator to reach the prevailing temperature of said fluid;d. allowing said fluid to apply fluid pressure to said first end of said piston;e. allowing said fluid to flow to and apply said fluid pressure to said second end of said piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second piston ends due to their unequal surface areas;f. utilizing said force differential to facilitate movement of said piston, so as to facilitate throttling of said fluid flow when the force exerted upon one end of said piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said piston, providing a first regulated pressure fluid; whileg. allowing said prevailing temperature of said fluid to maintain said regulator at isothermal condition; whileh. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said piston which can be maintained at a reference pressure derived from a source downstream of said first regulator. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein fluid flow between said first end and second end of said piston is through a passage internal to said piston. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first regulator is situated in a probe having a tip, and wherein in step “b” there is further provided the step of inserting said tip of said probe into said fluid. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein there is provided the additional steps after step “h” of: i. providing a second regulator having a second piston having first and second ends having unequal surface areas;j. flowing said first regulated pressure fluid in serial fashion to said first end of said second piston, so as to apply fluid pressure thereto;k. allowing said first regulated pressure fluid from step to flow to and apply fluid pressure to said second end of said second piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second ends of the second piston due to their unequal surface areas;l. utilizing said force differential to facilitate movement of said second piston, so as to facilitate throttling of said fluid flow when the force exerted upon said one end of said second piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said second piston, providing second regulated pressure fluid; while;m. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said second piston which can be maintained at said reference pressure. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein after step “m” there is provided the additional step “n” of providing an adjustable fluid pressure regulation stage, and step “l” of flowing said second regulate pressure fluid through said adjustable fluid pressure regulation stage, so as to provide adjustable pressure regulated fluid. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said reference pressure is derived from a source of adjustable pressure downstream said second piston. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein said first and second regulators are situated in a probe having a tip, and wherein in step “j” there is further provided the step of inserting said tip of said probe into said fluid, and allowing said first and second regulators to reach the prevailing temperature of said fluid, so as to minimize the likelihood of Joules-Thomson cooling of said fluid. 8. The method of claim 6 wherein said source of adjustable pressure downstream said second piston is in series communication therewith. 9. A method for regulating the pressure of a fluid comprising the steps of: a. providing a first fluid pressure regulator comprising: i. a body having a cylinder cavity;ii. a piston disposed within said cylinder cavity of said body, said piston having a first end and a second end each having a surface area, said surface area of said first piston end being unequal in size to said surface area of said second piston end;iii. a fluid passage associated with said body for admitting fluid against said first piston end;iv. said piston having formed therethrough a passage for fluid to flow from said first piston end to second piston end;b. placing said first fluid regulator into a probe;c. inserting said probe into a pressurized fluid having a prevailing temperature, and allowing said probe to reach said prevailing temperature of said pressurized fluid;d. allowing fluid to flow, via said fluid passage, to said first end of said piston, so as to apply fluid pressure to said first end of said piston;e. flowing fluid through said passage formed through said piston from said first end of said piston to said second end of said piston, so as to apply fluid pressure to said second end of said piston;f. allowing fluid pressure applied said greater surface area of said second piston end to form an unbalance of forces resulting from the application of fluid pressure to said first and second piston ends having unequal surface areas;g. regulating the fluid flow via said fluid pressure applied to said first and second piston ends having unequal areas so as to reposition said piston such that throttling of the flow of said fluid is increased when the force exerted by one end of said piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said piston, providing regulated fluid flow, whileh. allowing said prevailing temperature of said pressurized fluid to maintain said first fluid regulator at isothermal condition;i. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said piston which can be maintained at a reference pressure derived from a source downstream of said first fluid regulator, so as to affect the movement of said piston. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein in step “a” there is provided the step of providing a first fluid seal around said first piston end and a second fluid seal around said second piston end so as to form a fluid zone, a fluid passage in fluid communication with said fluid zone and an external source of fluid pressure, and in step “h” said zone is located around said piston between said first and second fluid seals, and said fluid passage in communication with said fluid zone provides said reference pressure. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein there is provided after step “i” the additional step “j” of repeating steps d-h. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein there is provided after step “i” the additional step “j” of providing a second fluid pressure regulator fluidly engaging said first fluid pressure regulator in series relationship, and a step “k” of flowing said regulated fluid flow from said first fluid pressure regulator to said second fluid pressure regulator. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein there is provided after step “i” the additional step “j” of providing an adjustable pressure regulator fluidly engaging said second fluid pressure regulator in series relationship, and a step “k” of flowing said regulated fluid flow from said second fluid pressure regulator to said adjustable pressure regulator, so as to provide regulated pressure fluid. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein, in step “j”, there is further provided the step of utilizing said regulated pressure fluid as said reference pressure of step “i”. 15. The method of claim 9, wherein in step “aii” said second piston end has a greater surface area than said first piston end, and wherein in step “e” said fluid pressure is applied to said first and second piston ends such that said second piston end, having greater surface area than said first piston end, received a greater application of force from said fluid pressure so as to reposition said piston throttle said fluid flow, providing said regulated fluid flow. 16. The method of obtaining a sample from a pressurized gas stream at a prevailing temperature containing entrained liquid, comprising the steps of: a. housing first and second pressure reducers in serial communication in an insertion probe;b. inserting said insertion probe into said pressurized gas stream, and allowing said first and second pressure regulators to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream so that said first and second regulators reach the prevailing temperature of said gas stream;c. flowing a sample of said pressurized gas stream into said first pressure regulator, reducing the pressure of said sample by a first predetermined pressure control ratio, providing a first reduced gas;d. allowing said first and second pressure regulators to continue to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream, as well as said first reduced gas to about said prevailing temperature of said gas stream, so as to minimize Joules Thomson cooling effect from the pressure from step “c” on said first reduced gas;e. flowing said first reduced gas into said second pressure regulator, reducing the pressure of said first reduced gas by a second predetermined pressure control ratio;f. allowing said first and second pressure regulators to continue to thermodynamically engage said pressurized gas stream, as well as said second reduced gas to about said prevailing temperature of said gas stream, so as to minimize Joules Thomson cooling effect from the pressure from step “e” on said first reduced gas;whereby said first and second predetermined ratios of pressure reduction of said first and second pressure regulators, respectively, are selected to provide a generally uniform distribution of Joules-Thomson cooling at each stage so as to minimize the likelihood of liquid condensation resulting therefrom. 17. A method for reducing the pressure of a fluid at a predetermined ratio, comprising the steps of: a. providing a pressure regulator comprising a piston having first and second ends having unequal surface areas to facilitate a predetermined ratio of pressure reduction pressure control;b. allowing a fluid to apply fluid pressure to said first and second ends of said piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second piston ends due to their unequal surface areas;c. allowing said fluid to flow to and apply said fluid pressure to said second end of said piston, providing a force differential in the amount of force applied to said first and second piston ends due to their unequal surface areas;d. utilizing said force differential to facilitate movement of said piston, so as to facilitate throttling of said fluid flow when the force exerted upon one end of said piston is greater than the force exerted by the other end of said piston;e. providing a zone between the first and second ends of said piston which is referenced at a fluid reference pressure to influence said force differential applied to said first and second piston ends, and the resulting flow of fluid associated therewith;f. providing a second pressure regulator fluidly engaging said first pressure regulator in series relationship;g. flowing said pressure regulated fluid from said first pressure regulator to said second pressure regulator, utilizing said second pressure regulator to drop the pressure of said pressure regulated fluid, so as to provide second regulated pressure fluid; andh. utilizing said regulated pressure fluid as said fluid reference pressure of step “e”; andi. providing said first and second pressure regulators into an insertion probe, inserting said insertion probe into a pressurized gas stream at a prevailing temperature, and allowing said insertion probe and first and second regulators to thermodynamically engage said prevailing temperature of said pressurized gas stream. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein step “a” there is included the step of sizing said surface areas of said first and second ends of said piston to facilitate a predetermined control ratio to provided staged pressure reduction to minimize Joules Thomson cooling. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein in step “a” the ratio of the surface of one of said ends of said piston is sized relative to the other using the formula: PLb=[(PLa−RP)PCR]+RP where:PLb=absolute pressure level at said first end of said piston;PLa=absolute pressure level at said second end of said piston;RP=said reference pressure; andPCR=pressure control ratio, that is, the ratio of the surface area of said second piston end relative to said first piston end. 20. The method of claim 17 wherein, after step “e”, there is further provided the step “e1” of thermally affecting said pressure regulated fluid to lessen the likelihood of Joules-Thomson cooling thereof. 21. The method of claim 17, wherein in step “g” said second pressure regulator is used to drop the pressure of said pressure regulated fluid by a predetermined ratio calculated to minimize the likelihood of condensation due to Joules Thomson cooling. 22. The method of claim 17, wherein in step “g”, said second pressure regulator is of the diaphragm/load spring type. 23. The method of claim 17, wherein in step “g”, said second pressure regulator is of the piston/load spring type.