US Patent 9371920 Modulating balance ported three way valve

Provided is a three-way valve having and actuator (66) and first (100) and second (102) piston assemblies movable by the actuator (66) and arranged in tandem, wherein each piston assembly (100,102) has a backside (104,106) in fluid communication with a common pressure source for pressure balancing the piston assemblies (100,102). By having the backsides (104,106) in fluid communication with a common pressure source and by isolating the piston assemblies (100,102) from a main chamber, an axial load on the actuator (66) is minimized, thereby allowing for more compact valve designs.