Abstract: A valve member cooling arrangement for a valve having at least one housing with sets of working fluid inlet/outlet ports and coolant supply/return ports. A valve member movably disposed within a valve chamber has a valve head configured to control flow between the working fluid ports. The valve member has valve member inlet/outlet openings and defines an internal valve member cooling passage uniting the valve openings. At least one coolant sleeve is disposed about the valve member. The coolant sleeve(s) have inflow and outflow ports separated inflow from outflow by at least one seal. During static and dynamic positioning of the valve member, the valve member inlet(s) are in communication with inflow port(s) of the coolant sleeve, and the valve member outlet(s) are in communication with outflow port(s) of the coolant sleeve(s).

Abstract: An equilibrating flow distributor for a gas turbine engine includes a balancing valve and multiple flow dividers, each with a movable valve or divider member. The balancing valve has an inlet receiving media at a first pressure area and an outlet defining a plurality of first metering orifices. The valve member defines at least one second metering orifice receiving the media at a second pressure area. Each flow divider has an inlet receiving the media through an associated one of the first metering orifices at a third pressure area and an outlet defining one of a plurality of third metering orifices receiving the media at a fourth pressure area. Each flow divider has a second pressure area in communication with second pressure area of the balancing valve. Flow through the fourth pressure area of each flow divider is substantially the same.

Abstract: A turbine liquid fuel simulator exposes the components of a liquid fuel system in a turbine engine to the same fuel flows and pressures that the liquid fuel system would endure in an actual startup and run sequence, without burning or otherwise emitting the liquid fuel from the system. A fuel porting mechanism, such as a direction control valve, is installed in each combustor of the turbine engine. The fuel porting mechanism is movable from a first position, wherein liquid fuel is delivered to the combustor nozzle to be burned in normal operation, to a second position, wherein the liquid fuel is diverted to return lines that deliver the liquid fuel back to the fuel tank. To simulate the actual pressures and flows, pressure differential orifices can be installed in the return fuel lines. The orifices includes structures that modify the liquid fuel flow to mimic delivery to the nozzle.

Abstract: A sealed solenoid provides an improved actuator for valves and other devices, particular such devices used in extreme environments and/or with corrosive media. For example, the improved solenoid construction can be used to drive a precision flow control valve used in air and space applications, such as to control fuel and oxidizer combustion media in rocket and other thrust components. The solenoid is retained in a solenoid retainer to which is attached a rigid barrier that isolates the solenoid pole piece and coil from the media. A clapper disposed outside the barrier from the solenoid serves as the armature, receiving magnetic flux from the solenoid through the barrier without interference from the barrier. The barrier may be extremely thin and magnetically inert.

Abstract: A pressure regulator includes a pressurized fluid, direct-drive, balanced dual poppet valve assembly that requires no dynamic seals and is pressure balanced. Each poppet has a knife edge that creates a bubble-tight seal against a cooperating seat. The sealing knife edge of one poppet faces into the pressure, and the sealing knife edge of the other poppet faces away from the pressure. The pressure balance negates performance impact of high or low fluid pressure. Furthermore, the design provides for a controlled depth of deformation by the sealing knife edges of the poppets into the soft surfaces of the seats. With this arrangement, no dynamic seals are required, reducing the friction to a very low value. The valve assembly is actuated by solenoid that is optimized for light weight, high speed response, and low power consumption. The solenoid is designed to be immersed and operated within the pressurized fluid.

Abstract: A servomechanism has a jet pipe mounted by a flexure pivot driven by an electromagnet to control the position of the jet pipe. A fixed seal tube surrounds the armature and keeps the coil isolated and dry. The flexure pivot has two parts that can move with respect to one another. The jet pipe can be fixed with respect to one part and movable with respect to the other such that when the electromagnet armature moves pivotal motion is imparted to the jet pipe. A multi-port jet receiver receives media from the jet pipe in different orifices dependent upon armature position. That in turn can extend or retract an actuator, such as a piston, depending upon which receiver orifice receives greater pressure. A feedback mechanism can link the actuator to the jet pipe to provide feedback input used to improve the accuracy of the device.

Abstract: A combined fuel and purge air valve for a turbine engine has an onboard residual fuel reservoir to relieve pressure transients in the fuel circuit during purge air mode operation. The fuel reservoir also operates to effectively seal the fuel circuit with fuel present in the valve chamber by venting any purge air that should happen to leak past the primary seals. A 3-way spool valve controls the transition between start-up and sustained fuel operation modes as well as the purge air operation mode. A movable shuttle controls the communication of the fuel circuit with the fuel reservoir and ensures that the fuel reservoir is open in the purge air mode and closed off in the fuel modes. Pilot air activates the shuttle and spool valve and fuel pressure provides biasing forces. Fuel is distributed through an array of outlet ports, and the valve is cooled by an integral coolant jacket.

Abstract: A device and system for monitoring and controlling the flow media through a flow circuit, for example, the flow of coolant through a coolant circuit of a turbine engine fuel system, measures flow rates at the supply and return sides of the circuit and compares the measured flow rates against a threshold flow rate difference to detect the presence of a flow leak condition. Upon detecting a leak condition, the controller automatically operates a flow control valve to shut off flow to the flow circuit for repair of the leak or other low flow condition. The controller can also include components for measuring the temperate of the flow media at one or both of the supply and return sides of the circuit. The measured temperature signals can be processed to detect a high or low temperature condition. Upon detecting a low temperature condition, the controller automatically reduces the flow rate of the flow media until the condition has been corrected.

Abstract: A fast acting flow control valve uses an electronically-actuated, short-stroke 3-way pilot poppet to actuate a primary poppet valve, for example, to provide impulse thrust to an air or space vehicle. The pilot poppet arrangement has an electromagnetic actuator for positioning the pilot poppet with respect to first and second seats. When the pilot poppet is sealed against the first seat a pressure passage communicates with seat openings and a vent passage of the valve is blocked from the seat openings. When the pilot poppet is sealed against the second seat the pressure passage is blocked from the seat openings and the vent passage communicates with the seat openings. The primary valve arrangement has a primary poppet that seals against a primary seat when the pilot poppet is sealed against the first seat and is unseated when the pilot poppet is sealed against the second seat.

Abstract: An active combustion control device provides modulated fuel flow to the combustor of a turbine engine to mitigate combustion instability. The device includes a valve unit and an electronic valve driver controlling translation and rotation components in the valve unit that drive a metering member having a modulating end. The axial position and rotation of the end geometries relative to static flow ports inside the valve unit modulate the fuel flowing from the valve unit to the combustor atomizer. The amplitude and frequency of the modulated fuel flow match that of the instable combustor fuel flow and the phase is offset by 180 degrees so that the resultant fuel flow is at or near a stable state.

Abstract: A fuel manifold for turbine engines, such as the large turbines used for generating electrical power, has a housing with straight internal porting for routing fuel and purge media streams to the combustion area of the turbine. A pressure balanced fuel valve regulates fuel using a poppet actuator. A piston section of the actuator dynamically seals off actuation pressure from the fuel. A valve section of the actuator dynamically seals off a vented area from the fuel and regulates fuel flow through the valve. The piston section has internal porting to a collector tube within the vented area for directing media leaked past the piston seal(s) to a vent port, and thereby prevent mixing of the fuel and actuation media.

Abstract: A variable guide vane actuator for positioning the guide vanes of a turbine engine in a hypersonic missile uses compressor exhaust to drive a linked, floating piston assembly that is coupled to the guide vanes. The relatively low pressure compressor exhaust is metered by a valve to drive the piston arrangement to accurately position the guide vanes in proportion to the input control signal. Reliability and accuracy gains are achieved by inhibiting the effects of vibration and thermal distortion through the elimination of piston/bore contact, the use of a rigid, cantilevered mounting arrangement and cooling with the pre-combusted liquid fuel.

Abstract: The fuel system of a dual fuel turbine includes a flow control valve having a metering purge valve that in one state directly meters fuel to injectors of the turbine, in another state closes of fuel flow and passes purge air to the injectors and in another state positively closes of flow of both fuel and purge air. The metering purge valve is a pressure compensated spool valve that has a unique cross-ported interchange that passes fuel from the inlet through the spool to the metering edge. The direct metering of the valve to the injectors eliminates the need for additional shut off valves, and if used with a combining valve having an integral distributor section metering fuel to multiple injectors, the need for a separate flow divider is also eliminated. The valve can be actively cooled by dedicated coolant lines or lines shared with other flow control components such as additional metering valves for either the primary or secondary fuel.

Abstract: A variable guide vane actuator for positioning the guide vanes of a turbine engine in a hypersonic missile uses compressor exhaust to drive a linked, floating piston assembly that is coupled to the guide vanes. The relatively low pressure compressor exhaust is metered by a valve to drive the piston arrangement to accurately position the guide vanes in proportion to the input control signal. Reliability and accuracy gains are achieved by inhibiting the effects of vibration and thermal distortion through the elimination of piston/bore contact, the use of a rigid, cantilevered mounting arrangement and cooling with the pre-combusted liquid fuel.

Abstract: A reverse flow valve for metering high pressure gaseous media, such as ignition media to the injectors of a scramjet engine in a hyerpsonic flight vehicle, has a metering member that moves parallel to the flow direction of the metered media and throttles the valve in a direction counter to the flow direction. This reduces side loading on the metering member and permits the use of a lighter and smaller actuating mechanism. The metering member can be a pintle having a uniquely configured pintle seat providing bubble tight shut off of the inlet flow without effecting the critical flow contour of the media. The pintle can be driven by a piston that is responsive to push-pull forces of pressurized drive fluid under servo control. The drive fluid is isolated from the gaseous media by a primary seal, which can be seated on the piston without deformation by a seal retainer.

Abstract: A system for maintaining pressure in the liquid fuel tank of a high-speed flight vehicle, such as a hypersonic flight, scramjet powered air and space vehicle, manages tank ullage using a pressure regulator coupled to the fuel tank that supplies pressurized gaseous media into the fuel tank ullage based on the internal pressure of the tank. The regulator has an on-board controller that processes tank pressure input to deliver a pulse-width modulated input signal to the coil of the on-board solenoid metering assembly. Energizing the coil drives the metering valve open against spring force. The metering assembly is contained in a removable cartridge that has a floating valve guide that is held stationary by bias of the spring against the metering valve. The metering valve has a separate valve seat that mates with the metering orifice of a flow nozzle.

Abstract: A multi-channel, multi-phase flow metering valve has multiple pintle valves for metering liquid media through each valve channel. The valve channels have venturi passageways that alone, or in cooperation with the pintles, cause the local pressure of the media to fall below its saturated vapor pressure and allow the liquid media to change phase. The cavitation creates a gaseous region, formed from one or many discrete cavities, in the media within valve channels that effectively isolates the pressures in the upstream and downstream parts of the valve channels to reduce the affects of input pressure fluctuations in the output media. The valve components, particularly the modules defining the venturi passageways, are made of a high-strength material to better resist pitting and other surface erosion from sonic shock associated with the collapse of the gaseous cavities.

Abstract: A water cooled valve is provided in the form of a check valve, an air purge valve, a distributor valve, a combination air purge and distributor valve and the like for use in the liquid fuel system of a gas turbine. A movable valve member controls the flow of fluid through the valve's fuel circuit. A separate cooling circuit circulates cooling water through the valve near or alongside the valve member. The water is of a lower temperature than the high temperature liquid fuel, and thereby carries away heat transferred to the valve by the fuel. In one form, the cooling circuit is formed in part by a helical groove in the periphery the valve body housing the valve member. A sealed water jacket surrounds the valve body and has dedicated supply and return ports for coupling the valve to a water supply via water lines. The water ports are positioned tangentially to induce swirling flow inside the valve.

Abstract: A fuel control system is provided in a single compact modular unit. The unit includes a motor driving a highly accurate cam-operated double-acting piston metering pump, both of which are contained in a liquid fuel environment. As the liquid fuel is pumped it works to cool internal components including the motor. An electronic motor drive is contained in a dry chamber of the unit for controlling operation of the motor and pump and is cooled indirectly by the fuel as well. A pressure sensitive flow divider is also included for selectively providing one or multiple output fuel flow paths depending upon whether a pressure threshold is reached, for example to send fuel to primary and secondary burner nozzles. Filter, filter bypass, pressure relief, and fuel shut-off components are also integrated into the single modular unit.

Abstract: A water cooled valve is provided in the form of a check valve, an air purge valve, a distributor valve, a combination air purge and distributor valve and the like for use in the liquid fuel system of a gas turbine. A movable valve member controls the flow of fluid through the valve's fuel circuit. A separate cooling circuit circulates cooling water through the valve near or alongside the valve member. The water is of a lower temperature than the high temperature liquid fuel, and thereby carries away heat transferred to the valve by the fuel. In one form, the cooling circuit is formed in part by a helical groove in the periphery the valve body housing the valve member. A sealed water jacket surrounds the valve body and has dedicated supply and return ports for coupling the valve to a water supply via water lines. The water ports are positioned tangentially to induce swirling flow inside the valve.