US-12624767-B2 - Check valve, and associated systems and methods

Abstract

A check valve assembly can include a housing including an inlet port, an outlet port, and a flow chamber defined by the housing and fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, an actuation chamber, and a piston assembly movable between a closed position and an open position. The piston assembly can include a poppet positioned in the flow chamber and can be configured to sealingly engage the housing in the closed position to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port, and a flange positioned in the actuation chamber. The flange can contain a sealing member positioned between the flange and the housing to fluidly separate a forward actuation chamber from a rearward actuation chamber. A shaft can extend between the poppet and the flange. A biasing member can be operably coupled to the piston assembly wherein the biasing member biases the poppet assembly closed.

Inventors

• Kyle Jeffrey Meeuwsen

Assignees

• Space Valves LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240418

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A check valve assembly, comprising: a housing defining an inlet port, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, and an actuation chamber, the actuation chamber defining a forward actuation chamber and a rearward actuation chamber, wherein an outlet channel fluidly couples the outlet port with the rearward actuation chamber; a piston assembly movable between a closed position and an open position, the piston assembly comprising: a poppet positioned in the flow chamber and configured to sealingly engage the housing in the closed position to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port; a flange positioned in the actuation chamber; and a shaft extending between the poppet and the flange; a sealing member positioned between the flange and the housing to fluidly separate the forward actuation chamber defined by the housing and the flange from the rearward actuation chamber defined by the housing and the flange; and a biasing member operably coupled to the piston assembly, wherein the biasing member is configured to bias the piston assembly to the closed position.
2. 2 . The check valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inlet port is configured to receive a flow of an operating fluid.
3. 3 . The check valve assembly of claim 2 , wherein the piston assembly is configured to move from the closed position to the open position when a pressure of the operating fluid at the inlet port or the forward actuation chamber exceeds a threshold cracking value.
4. 4 . The check valve assembly of claim 2 , wherein the housing further defines an inlet channel fluidly coupling the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber.
5. 5 . The check valve assembly of claim 4 , wherein the inlet channel is configured to pass the operating fluid of a defined pressure from the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber.
6. 6 . The check valve assembly of claim 5 , wherein the outlet channel is configured to pass the operating fluid of the defined pressure from the outlet port to the rearward actuation chamber.
7. 7 . The check valve assembly of claim 2 , wherein the housing includes a flow impediment to reduce a pressure of the operating fluid in a direction of the flow between the inlet port and the outlet port.
8. 8 . The check valve assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a first sealing member between the poppet and the housing, the first sealing member configured to fluidly separate a flow of an operating fluid from the inlet port to the outlet port.
9. 9 . The check valve assembly of claim 8 , further comprising: a second sealing member between the shaft and the housing configured to fluidly separate the flow chamber from the actuation chamber.
10. 10 . The check valve assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a third sealing member positioned between the flange and the housing to fluidly separate the forward actuation chamber and the rearward actuation chamber.
11. 11 . A check valve assembly, comprising: a housing defining an inlet port configured to receive a flow of an operating fluid, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, a forward actuation chamber and a rearward actuation chamber each separated from the flow chamber, an inlet channel fluidly coupling the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber configured to pass the operating fluid of a defined pressure from the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber, and an outlet channel fluidly coupling the outlet port the rearward actuation chamber; a piston assembly movable between a closed position and an open position; a sealing member positioned between the piston assembly and the housing to fluidly separate the forward actuation chamber defined by the housing and the piston assembly from the rearward actuation chamber and the piston assembly; and a biasing member operably coupled to the piston assembly, wherein the biasing member is configured to bias the piston assembly to the closed position.
12. 12 . The check valve assembly of claim 11 , wherein the piston assembly further comprises: a poppet positioned in the flow chamber and configured to sealingly engage the housing in the closed position to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port; a flange positioned between the forward actuation chamber and the rearward actuation chamber; and a shaft extending between the poppet and the flange.
13. 13 . The check valve assembly of claim 12 , wherein the piston assembly is configured to move from the closed position to the open position when a pressure of the operating fluid at the inlet port or the forward actuation chamber exceeds a threshold cracking value.
14. 14 . The check valve assembly of claim 12 , further comprising: a first sealing member between the poppet and the housing, the first sealing member configured to fluidly separate the flow of the operating fluid from the inlet port to the outlet port.
15. 15 . A check valve assembly, comprising: a housing defining an inlet port configured to receive a flow of an operating fluid, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, a forward actuation chamber and a rearward actuation chamber each separated from the flow chamber, an inlet channel fluidly coupling the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber configured to pass the operating fluid of a defined pressure from the inlet port to the forward actuation chamber, and an outlet channel fluidly coupling the outlet port the rearward actuation chamber; a piston assembly movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the piston assembly is movable between a closed position that is configured to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port and an open position that is configured to permit an operating fluid to flow through the flow chamber from the inlet port to the outlet port; and a biasing member operably coupled to the piston assembly, wherein the biasing member is configured to bias the piston assembly to the closed position.
16. 16 . The check valve assembly of claim 15 , wherein the piston assembly includes a poppet within the flow chamber, a flange positioned in the actuation chamber, and a shaft extending between the poppet and the flange, the shaft extending into the flow chamber and the actuation chamber along a common axis.
17. 17 . The check valve assembly of claim 16 , further comprising: a flow impediment configured to reduce a pressure of the operating fluid in a direction of the flow between the inlet port and the outlet port.
18. 18 . The check valve assembly of claim 16 , further comprising: a first sealing member between the poppet and the housing, the first sealing member configured to fluidly separate the flow of the operating fluid from the inlet port to the outlet port; and a second sealing member positioned to inhibit a flow of the operating fluid between the flow chamber and the actuation chamber and the forward actuation chamber.
19. 19 . The check valve assembly of claim 18 , further comprising: a third sealing member positioned to inhibit the flow of the operating fluid between the forward actuation chamber and the rearward actuation chamber.
20. 20 . The check valve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the flange is positioned between a forward actuation chamber and a rearward actuation chamber, and wherein a pressure from the inlet channel aids in moving the poppet to the open position and a pressure from the outlet channel aids in moving the poppet to the closed position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/460,897, entitled “PILOTED CHECK VALVE AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” filed on Apr. 21, 2023. The entire contents of the above-referenced application are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to check valve assemblies for regulating the flow of an operating fluid, such as a liquid or gas, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for metering the flow of a liquid or gas within the check valve in a way that reduces wear on the valve. BACKGROUND A check valve allows a fluid, such as a gas, liquid, or mixture of the two, to flow in a single direction while prohibiting flow in the other. Flow opposite of the intended direction is referred to as flow in the backward direction or “backflow”. Check valves come in various forms, including ball, swing, and poppet-style check valve designs. Typically, check valves are biased to a closed position by a spring or hinge and permit flow in the intended, or forward direction when pressure at the inlet exceeds the valve's combined spring force and outlet pressure. This is referred to as the valve's “cracking pressure”. Under certain flow conditions, the forward and rearward pressures can interact to cause the valve to rapidly open and close (“chatter”). Such chatter can damage the check valve by, for example, prematurely wearing the internal components of the valve, such as the poppet, spring, valve seat, etc. Piloted valves use the force of compressed gas or other fluid acting on the wetted area of a piston or diaphragm to shift the valve into an actuated position, which typically results in a piloted valve's main flow chamber to alternate to either a non-flowing state or to a flowing state. A metering orifice is a device that creates a flow impediment, which permits a specific flow rate of gas, liquid, or mixture of the two when subject to specific flow conditions. Accordingly, a piloted valve incorporating a metering orifice would be welcome in the technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION Aspects and advantages of the technology will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the technology. In some aspects, the present subject matter is directed to a check valve assembly that includes a housing defining an inlet port, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, and an actuation chamber positioned downstream of the flow chamber. A piston assembly is movable between a closed position and an open position. The piston assembly includes a poppet positioned in the flow chamber and configured to sealingly engage the housing in the closed position to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port, a flange positioned in the actuation chamber, and a shaft extending between the poppet and the flange. A sealing member is positioned between the flange and the housing to fluidly separate a forward actuation chamber defined by the housing and the flange from a rearward actuation chamber defined by the housing and the flange. A biasing member is operably coupled to the piston assembly. The biasing member is configured to bias the piston assembly to the closed position. In some aspects, the present subject matter is directed to a check valve assembly that includes a housing defining an inlet port, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port, an actuation chamber, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and an internal flow impediment. A piston assembly is positioned within the housing. The piston assembly is movable between a closed position that is configured to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port and an open position that is configured to permit an operating fluid to flow through the flow chamber from the inlet port to the outlet port. The piston assembly includes a poppet within the flow chamber and a flange positioned in the actuation chamber. A biasing member operably is coupled to the piston assembly and is configured to bias the piston assembly to the closed position. In some aspects, the present subject matter is directed to a method for operating a check valve that includes receiving an operating fluid within a housing. The housing defines an inlet port, an outlet port, a flow chamber fluidly coupling the inlet port to the outlet port. The method also includes positioning a poppet within the housing in a closed position. The poppet seals the flow chamber to fluidly separate the inlet port from the outlet port in the closed position. The method further includes moving the poppet to an open position. The operating fluid flows through the flow chamber from the inlet port to the outlet port in the open position. Lastly, the method includes receiving an actuation fluid in at least one of a forward actuation chamber o