Patent ID: 7621461

Claim:
A system for regulating a temperature of a fluid through a conduit, the system comprising: a conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and an opening between the inlet and the outlet, the inlet operable to receive fluid into the conduit and the outlet operable to dispense of fluid out of the conduit; a moveable obstruction operable to at least partially cover the opening and thereby resist flow of fluid through the opening; an actuator having a chamber with a heat sensitive substance, the heat sensitive substance operable to change a characteristic upon receipt of thermal energy from fluid traveling through the conduit, and the actuator operable to move the obstruction upon the change in characteristic of the heat sensitive substance; a pressure generator operable to apply pressure to the chamber to change a property of the heat sensitive substance, the change in property of the heat sensitive substance changing the movement of the obstruction by the actuator; and wherein the heat sensitive substance is a phase changing material and the change of the characteristic is a melting of the phase changing material.