A mass flow control apparatus comprising a proportional valve upstream of a flow measurement portion, a pressure sensing element fluidly connected to determine a fluid pressure downstream of the flow measurement portion, and a dynamically adjustable variable valve downstream of the flow measurement portion and adjacent to the pressure sensing element connection. Fluid conductance of the variable valve is adjusted according to a control scheme based upon limitations of the flow measurement portion. Integral flow verification may be enabled with additional fluid pathway elements upstream of the flow measurement portion.

A mass flow control apparatus comprising a proportional valve upstream of a flow measurement portion, a pressure sensing element fluidly connected to determine a fluid pressure downstream of the flow measurement portion, and a dynamically adjustable variable valve downstream of the flow measurement portion and adjacent to the pressure sensing element connection. Fluid conductance of the variable valve is adjusted according to a control scheme based upon limitations of the flow measurement portion. Integral flow verification may be enabled with additional fluid pathway elements upstream of the flow measurement portion.

A flow rate control device (100) comprises: a pressure control valve (6) provided in a flow path; a flow rate control valve (8) provided downstream side of the pressure control valve; and a first pressure sensor (3) for measuring pressure on the downstream side of the pressure control valve and on the upstream side of the flow rate control valve. The flow rate control valve has a valve element (13) seated on/separated from a valve seat (12); a piezoelectric element (10b) for moving the valve element so as be seated on/separated from the valve seat; and a strain sensor (20) provided on a side surface of the piezoelectric element. The pressure control valve (6) is configured to control the pressure control valve (6) on the basis of a signal output from the first pressure sensor (3), and to control the driving of the piezoelectric element of the flow rate control valve (8) based on a signal output from the strain sensor (20).

Described herein is a technique capable of substantially cancelling out a machine difference of a pressure control valve. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a sensor detecting a valve opening degree; a first control circuit outputting a valve opening degree control signal based on a valve opening degree value detected by the sensor and a deviation between a pressure of the process chamber and a target vacuum pressure value; a second control circuit outputting an electropneumatic control signal based on the valve opening degree control signal; and a span adjustment circuit adjusting the first or second control circuit so that an upper limit value of the valve opening degree is set to a predetermined full opening degree less than a physically defined full opening degree.

A vacuum valve for driving a valve body arranged facing a valve opening up and down relative to the valve opening to perform valve opening/closing operation, comprises: a first up-down driver configured to drive the valve body up and down with a first minimum drivable amount; and a second up-down driver configured to drive the valve body up and down with a second minimum drivable amount smaller than the first minimum drivable amount.

A vacuum pressure control system that can easily calculate an optimum valve open degree of a vacuum control valve for making a pressure value of a vacuum chamber agree with a target value is provided. A controller approximates a relation between the pressure value in the vacuum chamber and a flow rate of process gas to linear functions, and the system includes a mapping program and a valve-open-degree calculation program stored in the controller to calculate the optimum valve open degree of the vacuum control valve for making the pressure value in the vacuum chamber agree with the target value based on the linear functions when the process gas at the predetermined flow rate is supplied. The valve open degree of the vacuum control valve is adjusted based on the optimum valve open degree so that the pressure value in the vacuum chamber is made agree with the target value.

Disclosed is a pressure regulator, comprising: a first cylindrical chamber; a second cylindrical chamber located concentrically within the first cylindrical chamber and in thermal communication with the first cylindrical chamber; and further comprising at least one of: an internal valve, wherein the internal valve is connected at a first end to the first cylindrical chamber and at a second end to the second cylindrical chamber, wherein the internal valve allows the flow of gas from the second cylindrical chamber to the first cylindrical chamber; and an external gas chamber and an external valve, wherein the external gas chamber is located outside the first cylindrical chamber, wherein the external valve is connected at a first end to the first cylindrical chamber and at a second end to the external gas chamber, wherein the external valve allows the flow of gas from the external gas chamber to the first cylindrical chamber.

A reject valve of a reverse osmosis device, which is especially suited for brackish water reverse osmosis devices, which require a low system pressure less than 15bar. The valve keeps the system pressure substantially constant in a pre-defined range of the reject volume. The size of the inflow channel is adjusted by a spring-operated cone, which never entirely closes the channel, which forms a constant throttle until the pressure of the inflow has risen to approximately three quarters of the pressure arranged by the spring and prevailing at maximum volume of the reject flow. This operation is arranged structurally such that onto the shaft of the cone is fixedly supported a transverse plate abutting the inner wall of the body, which as pressed by the compression spring is supported by the end of an element connected to the end of the body, wherein the cone is in its lowest position.

A mass flow control apparatus comprising a proportional valve upstream of a flow measurement portion, a pressure sensing element fluidly connected to determine a fluid pressure downstream of the flow measurement portion, and a dynamically adjustable variable valve downstream of the flow measurement portion and adjacent to the pressure sensing element connection. Fluid conductance of the variable valve is adjusted according to a control scheme based upon limitations of the flow measurement portion. Integral flow verification may be enabled with additional fluid pathway elements upstream of the flow measurement portion.

A mass flow control apparatus comprising a proportional valve upstream of a flow measurement portion, a pressure sensing element fluidly connected to determine a fluid pressure downstream of the flow measurement portion, and a dynamically adjustable variable valve downstream of the flow measurement portion and adjacent to the pressure sensing element connection. Fluid conductance of the variable valve is adjusted according to a control scheme based upon limitations of the flow measurement portion. Integral flow verification may be enabled with additional fluid pathway elements upstream of the flow measurement portion.