A flow regulator works by restricting and reducing the amount of liquid flowing through a pipe.
Based on the provided information, the core principle is that the device achieves this by reducing the space that the liquid is able to flow through. Imagine a pipe where the opening is made smaller; less liquid can pass through in the same amount of time. This physical reduction in passage size limits the volume of liquid that can travel through the regulator, thereby controlling the flow rate.
For example, as stated in the reference, a flow regulator can be used to reduce a higher input flow rate to a lower output flow rate. This means it can take a flow rate of 10 gallons per minute (GPM) entering the device and reduce the output to 5 gallons per minute (GPM) by decreasing the internal area available for the water to pass.
In essence, a flow regulator acts as a bottleneck that consistently limits the flow to a desired rate, regardless of fluctuations in the input pressure or upstream flow rate (within its operational range).
