Patent ID: 7527240

Claim:
A flow control device inserted, into a pipeline in which a fluid is flowing from upstream to downstream, this device comprising: a valve with a body having an upstream side and a downstream side, the valve selectively opens and closes, when the valve is open, the valve allows the fluid to flow through the valve and to flow in a central fluid vein delimited at a center of the pipeline, when the valve is closed, the valve prevents the fluid from flowing through the valve to stop the central fluid vein; an annular obturator with an inflatable, deformable tubular membrane, and anchoring means integral with the valve body and used to secure it, the anchoring means comprising a plurality of flaps, each of which has a linked end secured to the valve body, and a free end distal of the valve body, the flaps deploying radially until the free ends of the flaps press against the internal wall of the pipeline, wherein the membrane is attached to the flaps and has a linked edge connected to the valve body, and a free edge disposed upstream of the linked edge and adjacent to the free ends of the flaps, and as the flaps deploy, the membrane deploys at the same time by expanding the free edge, until the free edge presses against the internal wall of the pipeline, and wherein when the valve is closed, the fluid that is blocked by the valve inflates the membrane and exerts on the deployed membrane a pressure that increases the pressure of the free ends of the flaps against the internal wall of the pipeline.