Patent ID: 7669609

Claim:
A valve for integration into a refrigeration system, the valve comprising: an investment-cast, stainless-steel valve body, an investment-cast, stainless steel piston and an adapter plate; the adapter plate comprising a planar bottom surface and a plurality of openings formed in the bottom surface for communication with the main body when the adapter plate is removably connected to the investment-cast stainless-steel valve body; the investment-cast, stainless steel piston comprising an upper seal configured to engage a main body bore defined in the investment-cast, stainless-steel valve body and a lower seal configured to engage a main valve port which facilitates flow control of a refrigeration fluid; the investment-cast, stainless steel valve body comprising a main body, an inlet and an outlet; the main body comprising the main body bore generally centrally located, an inlet pressure port and an outlet pressure port, wherein the inlet pressure port provides operative communication between the inlet and the adapter plate and the outlet pressure port provides operative communication between the adapter plate and the outlet; so that the adapter plate functions to control movement of the investment-cast, stainless steel piston with respect to the main valve port; wherein the investment-cast, stainless-steel piston includes a skirt portion and the main body bore includes a web having a distal end configured to intermittently engage the skirt to guide movement of the piston; wherein the inlet and outlet each comprise a respective flangeless distal end configured, as cast, with an unmachined, weldable rim for integration without mechanical connections in a leak-free configuration.