Search Patents
  • Perforated sheet stock flow restrictor
    Patent number: 4456033
    Abstract: A flow restrictor to minimize noise and cavitation, or other adverse effects, in regulating the flow of a high pressure fluid. The restrictor defines a myriad of tortuous, dissimilar, intertwined, and commingled energy dissipating chambered flow paths edgewise through a stack of sheets of perforated stock material. Adjacent sheets have their perforations out of registration with one another, the inlet and outlet to the restrictor being edgewise through the stack through open-sided ones of the perforations of the several sheets of stock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: George Kay, Alan Keskinen
  • Disc-reel sound suppressor
    Patent number: 4352373
    Abstract: A sound suppressing fluid handling device wherein a relatively high pressure fluid is conducted through a substantial pressure drop, relatively noiselessly, by passage of the fluid through a myriad of tortuous energy dissipating passages formed between adjacent turns of and opening through the ends of a sound suppressing reel comprising a relatively thin flexible spirally wound band. The preferred inventive embodiment described is a valve comprising a stack of annular discs seating coaxially against the inlet end of the sound suppressing reel and containing passages, formed partly between adjacent discs, for conducting the incoming high pressure fluid from the central opening in the disc stack to the inlet ends of the reel passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1982
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: George Kay, Alan Keskinen
  • MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED VALVE SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20020100508
    Abstract: A magnetically actuated valve system for controlling fluid flow through a first conduit and a second conduit. A first sealing structure associated with the first conduit is moveable in response to a magnetic force to an open position and spring biased toward a closed position. The closed position prevents fluid flow through the first conduit. A second sealing structure associated with the second conduit is moveable in response to a magnetic force in a second direction, substantially opposite to the first direction, to an open position and biased toward a closed position. The closed position prevents fluid flow through the second conduit. A magnetic actuator assembly is constructed and arranged to actuate the first and second sealing assemblies substantially simultaneously by moving the first and second sealing structures in the first and second directions, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Applicant: VACCO Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph M. Cardin
  • Multiple radial arm etched disc filter element
    Patent number: 6510948
    Abstract: The present invention relates to etched disc stack filters and particularly to such filters in which the etched discs include multiple arms in which are etched flow channels for the passage of a medium to be filtered and the removal or separation of a contaminant. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the etched discs may have an overall shape that is circular and may have filtering arms which radially extend from the center of each disc to the exterior border of the disc. The filtering arms may separate inlet and outlet openings. End caps may be attached at the ends of the disc stack and these end caps may have openings corresponding to the inlet and outlet openings in the discs in the disc stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Vacco Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: John M. Barnett
  • Close tolerance, low flow, flow control device using etched discs
    Patent number: 5935424
    Abstract: A flow control device (FCD) controls low flow rate fluid flow to within closely tolerated and consistently maintained limits by way of improved stacked disc technology. Stacking face to face of similar disc configurations generates novel enhanced etched disc stacks allowing course and fine flow adjustments, maintenance of cleanliness, resistance to flow degradation, improved structural strength and the ability to make real time flow adjustments during mission life. A stainless/copper sandwiched embodiment seals face to face leakage faster than known means for controlling etched disc face to face seal designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: Keith D. Dyer, George R. Hoppe
  • Magnetically actuated valve system
    Patent number: 6450197
    Abstract: A magnetically actuated valve system for controlling fluid flow through a first conduit and a second conduit. A first sealing structure associated with the first conduit is moveable in response to a magnetic force to an open position and spring biased toward a closed position. The closed position prevents fluid flow through the first conduit. A second sealing structure associated with the second conduit is moveable in response to a magnetic force in a second direction, substantially opposite to the first direction, to an open position and biased toward a closed position. The closed position prevents fluid flow through the second conduit. A magnetic actuator assembly is constructed and arranged to actuate the first and second sealing assemblies substantially simultaneously by moving the first and second sealing structures in the first and second directions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Vacco Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph M. Cardin
  • Etched disc with crosshatch pattern
    Patent number: 5711877
    Abstract: A thin metal foil disc etched on both sides in such a way as to form a crossover pattern of rectangular flow passages (or channels) spiraling out, in opposite directions, from the inner diameter to the outer diameter of the disc. In the preferred embodiment, these channels have a depth slightly greater than half of the disc thickness, creating an opening through the thickness of the disc at their points of intersection. This disc design, when stacked appropriately into a filter element, provides substantially lower flow losses than other existing designs. When used as a filter, it performs as an absolute surface filter featuring a tortuous flow path and high degree of porosity. When used as a surface tension device, it offers superior wetting and re-wetting characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventor: Antonio E. Gonzalez
  • Assembly of etched sheets forming a fluidic module
    Patent number: 6334301
    Abstract: A modular subsystem of a fluidic system is formed by assembling a set of chemically etched sheets of material. The modular subsystem includes mechanical, electrical, and fluidic components. A plurality of sheet members is provided. Respective ones of the sheet members are etched to form portions of mechanical, electrical, and fluidic components. A set of the sheet members are attached to each other to form a modular subsystem comprising the mechanical, electrical, and fluidic components. The resulting modular subsystem is assembled from a set of chemically etched sheets of material, and comprises a set of sheet members attached to each other. Each sheet member within the set is etched so that the mechanical, electrical, and fluidic components are formed when the sheet members are attached to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: Vacco Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Ben A. Otsap, Joseph M. Cardin, Antonio Gonzalez, Keith Dyer
  • Multi-tube flow restrictor
    Patent number: 4398563
    Abstract: A fluid flow restrictor for spanning a passage of a body to minimize noise and cavitation in a high pressure fluid flowing through the passage and undergoing a substantial pressure drop in passing through the restrictor. The device comprises at least one tier of fixed perforated tubelets defining a myriad of tortuous flow paths with restricted orifices and expansion areas to dissipate energy in the fluid. The fluid flow through or between individual tubelets may be further subdivided into restriction orifices and expansion areas by additional fixedly held solid elements, e.g., BB shot tightly packed within the tubelets. The preferred inventive embodiment described is a sound suppressing, high pressure reducing poppet valve having several tiers, isolated from one another, of annular clamped arrays of parallel perforated tubelets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1983
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: George Kay, Alan Keskinen
  • Underwater filter system
    Patent number: 4883588
    Abstract: Radwaste contaminated effluent generated by an underwater source is filtered by a submersible filter system employing cannister shielded filter cartridges. The system has a submersible frame that fixedly mounts a coupling for each filter cannister. Each cannister is internally fitted with a filter cartridge and mounting means configured to divide the cannister to an inlet chamber and a filtrate chamber, the latter having outlet ports for exhausting the filtrate to the pool in which the system is submerged. The inlet chamber is in check valved fluid communication with an external nipple of the cannister detachably connected to a coupling of the frame through which the radwaste effluent is received. One end of an elongate tool and an upper end of the cannister have interconnectable cooperating means for remotely removing and replacing cannisters on the frame. The check valved inlet chamber prevents escape of radwaste from the filter inlet chamber during and after removal of a cannister from the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1989
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: Stephen W. Primavera, John J. Burbank, Jr., Garrett J. Neault
  • Filter insert system
    Patent number: 4631126
    Abstract: A cylindrical insert for a pre-existing pressure vessel has an integral accumulator chamber defining a head for the vessel. Inner end surfaces of the accumulator chamber, along with the walls of the pressure vessel, define a filter element chamber, the inner end of the accumulator chamber also supporting an array of permanent filter elements. The accumulator chamber is of annular form, around a central pipe which serves, alternately, as the outlet for filtered fluid passing from the filter chamber or as the inlet for filtered clean fluid to be forcefully pulsed back through the filter elements by the release of compressed air from the accumulator to flush them of an accumulation of filtered waste material. The insert system includes piping associated with the accumulator chamber for charging the chamber with highly compressed air and for selectively releasing the charge for backflushing, and control valves for placing the insert system in filtering and backflushing modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: Robert C. Keith, Teunis VandenBerg, Marshall C. Randolph, Thomas B. Lewis, Patrick J. Gillis, Jr.
  • Stacked sheet filter element
    Patent number: 4726900
    Abstract: A thin and narrow sheet, having an inlet edge and an outlet edge, is formed on one surface, e.g., the top, with a continuous land that is parallel to the inlet edge. The inlet side of the land is coplanar with the inlet edge of the sheet or, alternatively, disposed slightly inwardly relative thereto. Inwardly behind the land the same surface of the sheet is formed with a plurality of channels defined between adjacent pairs of finger lands each of which extends between the outlet edge of the sheet and the inside of the continuous land. On its opposite side the sheet is formed with a like plurality of transverse lands that form fluid passages extending across the full width of the sheet from the inlet to the outlet edges thereof. The bottom surface lands register with the finger lands of the top surface of the sheet. A congruent stack of the sheets is compressively loaded through the lands to define a rigid filter column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1988
    Assignee: Vacco Industries
    Inventors: Alan Keskinen, John Pearson
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