Mks Instruments, Inc.

Kevin Grout

David C Neumeister

Youfan Gu

Jeffrey D Kiernan

Matthew C Grout

Bradly Raymond Lefevre

Bradly Lefevre

An expandable and contractible shield around a bellows in a valve protects the bellows from corrosive gases and solid particles in the valve chamber. In a manifold valve assembly with multiple outlet ports and multiple valves in a common valve chamber, a respective expandable and contractible shield around each respective bellows of each respective valve in the assembly separates each bellows from corrosive gases and solid particles in the common valve chamber regardless of whether one or all of the valves in the assembly is opened or closed.

Corrosion and deposition protected valve apparatus and method

A valve has a major valve closure member with a valve stem for opening and closing a major port in a valve chamber. An alternate flow path extends through the major valve closing member. Flow is controlled through the alternate flow path by directing a minor valve actuating fluid through the valve stem to apply pressure on a minor valve piston in the major valve closure member to move a minor valve closure member in the major valve closure member between a closed mode in which the minor valve closure member closes the alternate flow path and an opened mode in which the minor valve closure member opens the alternate flow path. The minor valve actuating fluid is sealed from the alternate flow path by a flexible diaphragm positioned between the minor valve actuating fluid and the minor valve piston, so the pressure of the minor valve actuating fluid is applied to the minor valve piston via the flexible diaphragm.

Method of two-stage flow control

A two-stage, slow-start valve includes a minor valve assembly inside a major valve closure member of a major valve closure assembly so that fluid can flow through the valve at a higher rate by opening the major valve assembly or at a lower rate by opening the minor valve assembly while the major valve closure assembly is closed in order to allow fluid to flow in an alternate flow path through the major valve closure member. The example minor valve closure assembly has a minor valve closure member that is actuated to open by a minor valve piston on which minor valve actuating fluid is applied to the minor piston via a diaphragm seal positioned between the minor piston and the minor valve actuating fluid. Both the major valve closure assembly and the minor valve closure assembly can be pneumatically actuated to open.

Two-stage, slow-start valve apparatus

A hot trap for removing a reactive constituent gas from a gas stream via chemical reaction and/or thermal disassociation includes a trap chamber with a heater assembly and a trap medium in its core inner portion and annular pre-heating and counterflow heating ducts in its outer and intermediate portions surrounding the core inner portion for heating an inflowing gas stream and conservation of heat energy in the trap as well as to maintain lower temperatures on external surfaces.

High-efficiency, hot trap apparatus and method

An isolation valve includes a shield that surrounds and protects the valve closure actuator components from exposure to corrosive fluids that flow through the valve when the valve is open.

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Kevin Grout