US RE40,006 E1 | ||
Flow regulated pressure swing adsorption system | ||
Bowie G. Keefer, Vancouver (Canada); and David G. Doman, Surrey (Canada) | ||
Assigned to QuestAir Technologies Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada) | ||
Filed on Apr. 12, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/823,471. | ||
Application 08/637176 is a continuation of application No. 10/150784, filed on May 16, 2002, granted, now Re. 38493, filed on Apr. 13, 2004. | ||
Application 10/823471 is a reissue of application No. 08/637176, filed on Apr. 24, 1996, now 6,063,161, filed on May 16, 2000. | ||
Int. Cl. B01D 53/047 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 95—100 [95/103; 95/105; 95/116; 95/130; 96/124; 96/130; 96/133; 96/144; 137/625.46] | 22 Claims |
[ 47. A rotary distributor valve comprising:
a stator housing having a stator housing face, wherein the stator housing face comprises at least three fluid port openings,
and a central axis of rotation;
a rotor having a rotor face, wherein the rotor face comprises at least two fluid port openings and a central axis of rotation
disposed coaxially with the axis of rotation of the stator housing face;
an intermediate valve element having first and second faces, a central axis of rotation disposed coaxially with the axes of
rotation of the stator housing and rotor faces, and a plurality of fluid ports extending between the first and second faces,
which fluid ports are aligned with the fluid port openings in one of the stator housing face or the rotor face, wherein the
first face of the intermediate valve element faces the rotor face and is in fluidly sealing contact with the rotor face, and
the second face of the intermediate valve element faces the stator housing face and is in fluidly sealing contact with the
stator housing face; and
loading means operable to exert a sealing force on the rotary valve, which urges the stator housing face and the rotor face
towards each other to promote fluidly sealing contact between the rotor and stator housing faces and the first and second
faces of the intermediate valve element respectively;
wherein the stator housing face and the rotor face are rotatable relative to each other about their common coaxial axis of
rotation;
wherein the rotor additionally comprises at least one fluid passage connecting a first fluid port opening in the rotor face
to a second fluid port opening in the rotor face; and
wherein the loading means comprises gas pressure loading means, and the gas pressure loading means is operable to exert distributed
variable sealing force around a sealing face of the rotary distributor valve, said distributed variable sealing force being
responsive to the distribution of pressure in the fluid port openings in the stator housing face.]
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