1. A valve assembly comprising:
a valve body, said valve body having a valve body wall, an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber;
a flow restrictor having a restrictor body, said flow restrictor being positionable between a valve open position wherein said flow restrictor allows fluid communication between said inlet and said outlet and a valve closed position wherein said restrictor body blocks the fluid communication between said inlet and said outlet;
a slow-close actuation sub-assembly for rotatably driving said flow restrictor, said slow-close actuation sub-assembly including a stem and a shaft, and further including first and second annular members, said first annular member being rotatable with said shaft relative to said second annular member, said first annular member further having an annular wall defining a slotted opening;
a handle coupled to said stem and operable to rotate said stem, said handle extending through said slotted opening of said annular wall of said first annular member and operable to rotate said first annular member via engagement of said handle with said annular wall at said slotted opening;
a resistive element disposed between said shaft and said second annular member, said resistive element operable to resist rotation of said shaft relative to said second annular member; and
wherein said handle, said first annular member, said shaft, and said stem together are rotatable relative to said second annular member and said valve body wherein said resistive element resistively permits rotation of said shaft relative to said second annular member, and when said slow-close actuation sub-assembly is mounted at said valve body said stem extends through said valve body wall for engagement with said flow restrictor.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said resistive element comprises a hydraulic fluid.
3. The valve assembly of claim 2, further comprising a fluid chamber defined between said second annular member and said shaft for receiving said hydraulic fluid.
4. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said shaft directly engages said stem so that rotation of said handle imparts rotation directly to both said stem and said first annular member, whereby said shaft is rotatable in response to rotation of said stem and said first annular member by said handle.
5. The valve assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
an adapter for coupling said slow-close actuation sub-assembly to said valve body;
a pin extending between said adapter and said second annular member; and
wherein said second annular member is held substantially fixed relative to said valve body by said pin.
6. The valve assembly of claim 5, further comprising a stop plate including at least one tab, said stop plate coupled to said stem for rotation with said stem, and said adapter further comprising stops corresponding to the valve open position and the valve closed position of said flow restrictor, respectively, wherein said at least one tab limits the rotation of said stem when said at least one tab contacts said stops.
7. The valve assembly of claim 6, wherein said stop plate comprises a non-circular opening for receiving said non-circular portion of said stem.
8. The valve assembly of claim 1, further comprising a third annular member coupled to said second annular member, each of said second and third annular members defining a respective circular central opening for rotatably receiving a respective circular portion of said shaft, and wherein said second and third annular members are both non-rotatable relative to said valve body.
9. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said handle is coupled only indirectly to said shaft via at least one of said stem and said first annular member.
10. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said stem comprises a non-circular portion and said handle comprises a non-circular opening for receiving said non-circular portion of said stem.
11. The valve assembly of claim 10, wherein said shaft comprises a non-circular portion and said first annular member comprises a non-circular central opening for receiving said non-circular portion of said shaft.
12. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said shaft comprises a non-circular portion and said first annular member comprises a non-circular central opening for receiving said non-circular portion of said shaft.
13. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said stem includes an upper portion and a lower portion, said lower portion engaging said engagement surface of said valve ball, and said upper surface for engagement by said handle.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A motionless mixer, comprising:
a conduit;
a flow inversion baffle disposed in the conduit, and
the flow inversion baffle having a center to perimeter flow portion, a perimeter to center flow portion and a perimeter flow diverter, wherein fluids introduced into and flowing within the conduit are mixed together by moving the fluids flowing in the center of the fluid flow to the perimeter of flow and by also moving the fluids from the perimeter of the fluid flow to the center of flow.
2. The mixer of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of baffle elements.
3. The mixer of claim 2 wherein at least one baffle element is a right-handed baffle element and at least one other baffle element is a left-handed baffle element.
4. The mixer of claim 3 wherein the baffle elements are integral with one another.
5. The mixer of claim 4 further comprising a sidewall formed integral with the baffle elements.
6. The mixer of claim 5 wherein the baffle elements are formed by injection molding.
7. A motionless mixer, comprising:
a conduit;
at least one flow inversion baffle disposed in the conduit,
a plurality of alternating mixing baffles disposed in the conduit;
the flow inversion baffle having a center to perimeter flow portion, a perimeter to center flow portion and a perimeter flow diverter:
the center to perimeter flow portion having a chamber wall that defines a center to perimeter flow chamber having an entry and an exit; and
the perimeter to center flow portion having a chamber wall that defines a perimeter to center flow chamber having an entry and an exit.
8. The mixer of claim 7 wherein the center to perimeter flow portion, the perimeter to center flow portion and the perimeter flow diverter are integral with one another.
9. The mixer of claim 8 wherein the perimeter flow diverter surrounds the center to perimeter flow portion and defines the entry to the perimeter to center flow chamber.
10. The mixer of claim 7 wherein the chamber wall of the perimeter to center flow portion defines an angled baffle adjacent the flow chamber exit.
11. The mixer of claim 7 wherein the alternating baffle elements are right-handed and left handed baffle elements.
12. The mixer of claim 11 wherein the alternating right-handed and left-handed baffle elements have a 90 twist.
13. The mixer of claim 11 wherein:
the conduit is circular;
and the flow inversion baffle and the alternating baffle elements are rounded.
14. The mixer of claim 11 wherein the baffle elements are integral with one another.
15. The mixer of claim 14 further comprising a sidewall formed integral with the baffle elements.
16. The mixer of claim 15 wherein the baffle elements are formed by injection molding.
17. A method of reducing fluid streaking in a motionless mixer, comprising:
providing a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, a flow inversion baffle and a plurality of alternating mixing baffles disposed in the conduit; wherein the flow inversion baffle has a center to perimeter flow portion, a perimeter to center flow portion and a perimeter flow diverter;
introducing a plurality of fluids to be mixed to the conduit inlet;
forcing the fluids through baffles in the conduit; and
extruding a mixed fluid composition from the conduit outlet.
18. A method of making a flow inversion baffle, comprising;
providing a set of forming tools that define the structure for a flow inversion baffle having a center to perimeter flow portion, a perimeter to center flow portion and a perimeter flow diverter;
setting the forming tools to form a flow inversion baffle mold; and
injecting plastic resin into the flow inversion baffle mold to form a flow inversion baffle.
19. A method of making a baffle assembly, comprising;
providing a set of forming tools that define the structure for a flow inversion baffle having a center to perimeter flow portion, a perimeter to center flow portion and a perimeter flow diverter and that further defines a plurality of alternating mixing baffles;
setting the forming tools to form a mold for a baffle assembly having a flow inversion baffle and plurality of alternating mixing baffles; and
injecting plastic resin into the baffle assembly mold to form a baffle assembly.