This invention pertains to regulators for safely reducing high pressure natural gas to pressure levels which are usable in vehicular engines. There is a need for automobile manufacturers to provide an alternative fuels capability in a percentage of their vehicles in this decade. Concomitantly, then, there is a need for a pressure-reducing regulator which can accommodate a high pressure natural gas, which will be stored in vehicular storage tanks, and reduce it down to usable pressure levels, to facilitate the production of alternative fuels vehicles.
Prior art regulators commonly incorporate a metallic filter, interposed between the gas inlet and outlet, for entrapping particulate matter. However, such filters are susceptible to corrosion, and can introduce fine metal particles, dislodged from the filter and/or its accommodating housing, during installation and servicing thereof. Too, prior regulator designs provide an atmospheric reference port, for the regulator's pressure-sensing component which, however, admits water-splash therethrough, from puddles, wet roads, and the like, which can damage the regulator. Known regulators couple a translating control valve to a compliant diaphragm, the latter being provided to sense a relevant pressure and to move the valve accordingly. Coupling therebetween, for being relatively rigid, causes the valving element to jam, and get stuck, when the diaphragm tilts slightly.
It is the purpose of this invention to set forth a pressure-reducing regulator, for compressed natural gas, which avoids the aforedescribed shortcomings of known designs, is usable in vehicular applications, and is of thoughtfully efficient and uncomplicated structure.