EXTERNALLY PRESSURIZED POROUS MEDIA GAS BEARING FOR USE IN VALVES AND PREVENTING FUGITIVE EMISSIONS OF THE SAME

摘要

In order to drastically improve the functionality of flow control, externally-pressurized porous media gas bearings is introduced into valves. The porous media gas bearings mitigate two of the biggest issues with the current technology, which are: (1) leakage of fugitive emissions, and (2) high breakaway torque values for actuating valves. By employing externally-pressurized porous media bearings, fugitive emissions are completely eliminated, and valves can be rotated effortlessly due to the non-contact nature of porous media gas bearings.