Patent ID: 7753069

Claim:
A drain valve for a compressed air system comprising: a valve body; a sump centered along a central axis and disposed within said valve body; an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein said inlet is positioned such that an inlet stream of compressed air enters the sump tangentially and swirls around the central axis thereby creating a vortex that forces contaminants in the air stream toward the circumference of the sump to separate the contaminants from the inlet stream by weight, and wherein said outlet is positioned at a top portion of said drain valve and receives a lighter portion of the separated inlet stream for distribution to downstream components; a drain port located along the bottom of said sump; a pressure actuated valve, wherein when the sump experiences a first pressure, the pressure actuated valve opens the drain port to atmosphere and when the sump experiences a second pressure, the pressure actuated valve closes the drain port, wherein the first pressure is less than the second pressure; and a connective fitting, supporting the pressure actuated valve, including a male threaded portion that mates with a female threaded portion of the valve body and a flexible member that provides a seal between the connective fitting and the valve body.