The present invention relates to a smart subsea control module for controlling subsea equipment independent of equipment located above the surface of the sea, and particularly for independently managing control and safety strategies according to a programmed logic.

Disclosed is a flow control system for digital and mechanical redundant pressure compensation. On the basis of an original pressure compensation valve, two-position three-way electromagnetic valves are added to control the opening and closing of pressure compensation valves. Furthermore, pressure sensors and a controller are added, so that the system has a digital pressure compensation function. When the pressure sensor breaks down, the flow control system is switched to a mechanical compensation mode to achieve mechanical pressure compensation, the problem that system flow cannot be controlled when the sensor breaks down is solved, and the purpose of redundancy control is achieved. Moreover, the pressure compensation valve in the loop where the highest load is located can be controlled to be completely opened through the two-position three-way electromagnetic valve to reduce pressure loss of the valve port, and the pressure is not affected by load fluctuation.

A body structure has an inlet port that receives fluid, a first outlet port that connects to a top-fill line of a cryogenic tank, a second outlet port that connects to a bottom-fill line of a cryogenic tank and a slider tube cylinder. A cylinder housing connects to the body structure and has a pressure comparison cylinder with upper and lower volumes, with the latter in fluid communication with a cryogenic tank. A piston having a piston shaft slides within the pressure comparison cylinder. A pressure regulator is in fluid communication with the upper volume and the slider tube cylinder. A slider tube is connected to the piston shaft and slides within the slider tube cylinder. The slider tube cylinder selectively directs fluid to a top-fill line through the first outlet port or to a bottom-fill line through the second outlet port.

A marking maintenance system comprising a marking database, a drone, and a data network communicatively coupled to the marking database and drone. The marking database is arranged to store marking data associated with one or more markings. The marking data can include one or more marking locations within a geographic area and a type of infrastructure associated with each of the one or more marking. The drone is arranged to determine the location of the drone via one or more location sensors, receive data from the marking database, and deploy to each marking location within a portion of the geographic area. The drone is also arranged to determine whether each marking within the portion of the geographic area is sufficiently present using one or more marker sensors and repair each marking within the portion of the geographic area that is determined to not be sufficiently present.

A gas pressure balance valve includes a valve body, a one-way valve and a buffer assembly. The valve body includes a gas inlet end and a gas outlet end, the gas inlet end is connected with a first gas pressure area, the gas outlet end is connected with a second gas pressure area, and a pressure difference is existed between the first gas pressure area and the second gas pressure area. The one-way valve is located in the valve body, and configured to achieve the balance between the pressures of the first gas pressure area and the second gas pressure area. The buffer assembly is located between the gas inlet end and the one-way valve, and configured to adjust the pressure on the surface of the one-way valve.

The present invention relates to a distribution pump arrangement for a bi-directional hydraulic distribution grid (10). The distribution pump arrangement comprising: a hot conduit control valve (20) in a hot conduit (12); a first distribution pump (22) having an inlet (22a) connected to the hot conduit (12) at a first side (20a) of the hot conduit control valve, and an outlet (22b) connected to the hot conduit (12) at a second side (20b), opposite the first side (20a), of the hot conduit control valve (20); a pressure difference determining device (80, 80′) arranged beyond the second side of the hot conduit control valve (20) and configured to determine a local pressure difference, Δp, between a local pressure, p.sub.hot, of heat transfer liquid in the hot conduit (12) and a local pressure, p.sub.cold, of heat transfer liquid in the cold conduit (14); and a controller (90) configured to: while Δp<a threshold value, set the distribution pump arrangement in a flowing mode, wherein: the first distribution pump (22) is set to be inactive, and the hot conduit control valve (20) is set to be open, while Δp≥the threshold value and p.sub.cold>p.sub.hot, set the distribution pump arrangement in a hot conduit pumping mode, wherein: the hot conduit control valve (20) is set to be closed, and the first distribution pump (22) is set to be active, thereby reduce the local pressure difference.

A material processing apparatus includes a processing chamber having an internal space, an external pressure source, a vacuum generator, a temperature regulator and a controller. The external pressure source is connected to the processing chamber for positive pressure action on the internal space. The vacuum generator is connected to the processing chamber for negative pressure action on the internal space. The temperature regulator is arranged in the processing chamber to adjust the temperature in the internal space. The controller is configured to control the external pressure source to increase the pressure in the processing chamber from a normal pressure to a first predetermined pressure, and configured to control the vacuum generator to reduce the pressure in the processing chamber to a second predetermined pressure less than the normal pressure after the pressure rises to the first predetermined pressure. An operating method of a material processing apparatus is also provided.

In some examples, a pressure reducing valve includes a valve body defining a defining a flow path and a restricting element within the flow path. A sensing element is configured to modify a position of the restricting element in the flow path. The sensing element defines a first area in fluid communication with the flow path and a second area fluidly isolated from the flow path. The pressure reducing valve includes control circuitry configured to determine a differential pressure over a section of the flow path, determine a position of the restricting element, and determine a flow rate based on the differential pressure and the position of the restricting element.

An apparatus for fusing curd provided and comprises a container to receive curd to form a curd stack, which has associated thereto a pressure parameter specifying a pressure required at the bottom of the curd stack to produce a curd block from a bottom portion of the curd stack. The apparatus also comprises a gas pressure system to apply a gas overpressure in the container when a pressure value at the bottom of the curd stack is below the pressure parameter. The gas overpressure has a value equal to or greater than a difference between the pressure required at the bottom of the curd stack and the pressure value at the bottom of the curd stack. A method for fusing curd is also provided and includes applying an overpressure to a curd stack to compensate for insufficient pressure at the bottom of the curd stack.

An apparatus to transfer a fluid from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet is disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a first compressor unit and a second compressor unit fluidly coupled between the first and second locations, and a valve coupled between the first and second compressor units, the valve to switch between a first state and a second state, the fluid to flow through the first and second compressor units in a parallel configuration when the valve is in the first state, the fluid to flow through the first and second compressor units in a series configuration when the valve is in the second state.