Patent ID: 9718082
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: B05C,H01L,Y10T

Claim:
1. An apparatus for fluid delivery, the apparatus comprising: a pressurized fluid housing defining a longitudinal pressure control channel having an inlet opening having an inlet opening diameter and an outlet opening having an outlet opening diameter, the pressurized fluid housing including a pressure control fluid inlet; a bladder positioned within the longitudinal pressure control channel, the bladder having a process fluid inlet and a process fluid outlet, the process fluid inlet being inserted within the inlet opening of the pressurized fluid housing, and the process fluid outlet being inserted within the outlet opening of the pressurized fluid housing, the bladder defining a longitudinal flow path between the process fluid inlet and the process fluid outlet, the bladder being configured to expand and contract within the longitudinal pressure control channel such that a volume defined by the bladder can be increased and decreased, the bladder having a bladder length that is greater than a bladder cross-sectional height; the longitudinal pressure control channel configured to contain a pressure control fluid surrounding an exterior surface of the bladder so that the bladder contacts the pressurized fluid housing only at the inlet opening of the pressurized fluid housing and the outlet opening of the pressurized fluid housing, the pressure control fluid inlet being configured such that the pressure control fluid can enter or exit the longitudinal pressure control channel; a filter connected to the inlet opening via a fluid inlet conduit and positioned to filter the process fluid at a filtration rate before the process fluid enters the bladder; and a controller configured to activate a pressure-control system that selectively removes pressure control fluid from the longitudinal pressure control channel to increase a volume of the bladder, and that selectively increases pressure control fluid in the longitudinal pressure control channel to decrease a volume of the bladder, wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to expand the bladder to a diameter greater than the inlet opening diameter and the outlet opening diameter such that the process fluid collects in the bladder and thereafter reduce the volume of the bladder to provide a flow rate through the outlet opening that is greater than the filtration rate.