Pressure regulating valve

A pressure regulating valve including a valve seat on valve body, a valve element having a flow directing surface, and a spring biasing the valve element toward a closed position in which the flow directing surface bears against and defines a fluid seal at the valve seat. The valve element has a range of open positions in which the flow directing surface and the valve seat are progressively further separated and in which they cooperate in defining an annular flow orifice the area of which varies with the span between the valve seat and the flow directing surface. The flow directing surface redirects fluid flow upstream of the annular flow orifice through about 150 DEG to 180 DEG to induce on the valve element a force reaction which cooperates with a fluid pressure force reaction on the valve element to improve the sensitivity of the valve element to changes in fluid pressure upstream of the annular flow orifice. A skirt of the flow directing surface downstream of the annular flow orifice directs fluid flow substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the valve element to minimize the sensitivity of the valve element to a velocity induced pressure gradient across the valve element.