Louisiana Patent of the Month – October 2022

CORTEC, LLC was founded in 2003 with the intention of supplying the oil and gas industry with high quality flow control products. In order to meet this mission, they have committed themselves to designing, engineering, and manufacturing novel products. With nearly 2 decades of R&D experience, it’s no surprise that the company has been granted another patent. This most recent patent is for their choke valve design and operation. 

Hydraulic choke valves are a subclass of pressure reducing valves. Traditional choke valves reduce pressure by causing some of the potential energy from the pressurized fluid to be dissipated through turbulence as the fluid passes through a restrictive hole. The design must be carefully curated to achieve the desired combination of flow and exit pressure. Unfortunately, these designs are prone to excessive loading pressure and maintenance requirements.

CORTEC’s design effectively increases the maximum pressure that a choke valve actuator could address before the actual body overloads and fails. Their choke valve uses a reinforcement member that can connect to and detach from the valve body. This reinforcement increases the axial load the valve member can withstand before failing. This ensures there is less strain on the valve and less repeated maintenance to replace failing components. CORTEC’s novel and well-tested choke designs have set industry standards, with field-friendly and austable solutions. 

Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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