Patent ID: 8726935

Claim:
A valve manifold assembly for mixing a plurality of fluid flow streams into a primary flow passage, the valve manifold comprising: a one-piece manifold body portion having a length, formed from fluoropolymer material and having a circular bore extending the entire length of the manifold body portion with a pair of connectors at each of two ends, the connectors in axial alignment with the circular bore, the circular bore defining the primary flow passage, the manifold body portion further having a plurality of secondary flow passages, the secondary flow passages each fluidly coupled with the primary flow passage through a plurality of respective apertures in a wall of the primary flow passage, each aperture defined by a periphery with a valve seat, each valve seat presenting a respective seat sealing surface facing into the primary flow passage and displaced radially out of a geometric cylinder defined by the circular bore in respective valve seat recesses, each valve seat being unitary with the one-piece manifold body portion; a plurality of valves, each including a one-piece fluid control portion molded from polymer material and with a head portion having a bulbous portion and having a first diameter dimension and having a stem portion extending from the head portion, each stem portion having a second diameter dimension smaller than the first diameter dimension, each head portion presenting a valve sealing surface adjacent and extending around the stem portion, each fluid control portion extending through one of the plurality of respective apertures such that each head portion is in the primary flow passage and the stem portion extends through the aperture, each of the plurality of valves being selectively shiftable between a closed position wherein the respective valve sealing surface is sealingly engaged with the respective seat sealing surface to block fluid flow between the respective secondary flow passage and the primary flow passage and wherein each bulbous portion of each head portion is positioned in the respective valve seat recess, and an open position wherein the respective valve sealing surface is spaced apart from the respective seat sealing surface to enable fluid flow between the respective secondary flow passage and the primary flow passage and wherein each bulbous portion of each head portion is displaced into the primary flow passage; wherein between the connectors at each of the two ends of the circular bore, there are no discontinuities other than at the valves; and a plurality of actuators operably coupled with the plurality of valves for selectively shifting each respective valve between the closed position and the open position.