Pressure regulator

The actual mechanism may be very similar in all respects except the placing of the feedback pressure tap.

[2] As in other feedback control mechanisms, the level of damping is important to achieve a balance between fast response to a change in the measured pressure, and stability of output.

Insufficient damping may lead to hunting oscillation of the controlled pressure, while excessive friction of moving parts may cause hysteresis.

It is desirable that the controlled pressure does not vary greatly from the set point for a wide range of flow rates, but it is also desirable that flow through the regulator is stable and the regulated pressure is not subject to excessive oscillation.

With no inlet pressure, the spring above the diaphragm pushes it down on the poppet valve, holding it open.

[citation needed] The outlet pressure on the diaphragm and the inlet pressure and poppet spring force on the upstream part of the valve hold the diaphragm/poppet assembly in the closed position against the force of the diaphragm loading spring.

[citation needed] The operator can compensate for this effect by adjusting the spring load by turning the knob to restore outlet pressure to the desired level.

[citation needed] Air compressors are used in industrial, commercial, and home workshop environments to perform an assortment of jobs including blowing things clean; running air powered tools; and inflating things like tires, balls, etc.

Regulators are often used to adjust the pressure coming out of an air receiver (tank) to match what is needed for the task.

Often, when one large compressor is used to supply compressed air for multiple uses (often referred to as "shop air" if built as a permanent installation of pipes throughout a building), additional regulators will be used to ensure that each separate tool or function receives the pressure it needs.

Most home cooking models are built to maintain a low and high pressure setting.

Pressure vessels of this sort can also be used as autoclaves to sterilize small batches of equipment and in home canning operations.

The tank may contain pressures in excess of 3,000 pounds per square inch (210 bar), which could cause a fatal barotrauma injury to a person breathing it directly.

A demand controlled regulator provides a flow of breathing gas at the ambient pressure (which varies by depth in the water).

The interstage pressure for SCBA at normal atmospheric pressure can generally be left constant at a factory setting, but for surface supplied divers it is controlled by the gas panel operator, depending on the diver depth and flow rate requirements.

Supplementary oxygen for high altitude flight in unpressurised aircraft and medical gases are also commonly dispensed through pressure reducing regulators from high-pressure storage.

[6][7] Supplementary oxygen may also be dispensed through a regulator which both reduces the pressure, and supplies the gas at a metered flow rate, to be mixed with ambient air.

To produce a choked flow in oxygen, the absolute pressure ratio of upstream and downstream gas must exceed 1.893 at 20 °C.

This type of regulator may also have one or two uncalibrated takeoff connections from the intermediate pressure chamber with diameter index safety system (DISS) or similar connectors to supply gas to other equipment, and the high pressure connection is commonly a pin index safety system (PISS) yoke clamp.

[citation needed] Without such valves, pipes could burst and pressure would be too great for equipment operation.

Natural gas is compressed to high pressures in order to be distributed throughout the country through large transmission pipelines.

The distribution pressure is further reduced at a district regulator station, located at various points in the city, to below 60 psig.

An additional back-pressure regulator in this line allows finer setting of the reclaim valve for lower work of breathing at variable depths.