Compound express actuator connection

• US 10,132,422 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Pressure Control LP (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Oil & Gas Pressure Control LP (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: McEvoy, Travis Kyle, Law, Robert Kevin, Adams, Keith M., Cheatham, Lloyd R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jellett, Matthew W
• Application Number:
  US15/175,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20160281876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/00 Construction of housing methods for welding housings B23K; Use of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1221 one side of the piston being spring-loaded
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1223 one side of the piston being acted upon by the circulating fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1228 with a stationary piston
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1262 one side of the diaphragm being spring loaded
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 35/06 using a removable actuating or locking member, e.g. a key F16K35/10, F16K35/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 35/08 requiring setting according to a code, e.g. permutation locks
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0008 Mechanical means F16K37/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6065 Assembling or disassembling reciprocating valve

Abstract

A system for securing a valve actuator to a valve assembly includes an actuator housing with a plurality of housing lugs protruding radially. A cylinder assembly is located within the actuator housing and has a horseshoe connector to engage a valve stem nub of a valve stem and transfer axial movement of the horseshoe connector to axial movement of the valve stem. A bonnet has a plurality of bonnet lugs protruding radially from the bonnet to define a plurality of bonnet slots therebetween, wherein each of the plurality of housing lugs are sized to pass axially through a respective one of the plurality of bonnet slots when the actuator housing is in a released position, the actuator housing being rotatable to a locked position such that the plurality of bonnet lugs prevent axial movement of the actuator housing in at least one direction.

Claims

1. A system for securing a valve actuator to a valve assembly, the system comprising:

an actuator housing having an actuator axis, and a plurality of housing lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the actuator housing, the plurality of housing lugs protruding radially toward the actuator axis to define a plurality of housing slots therebetween;

a valve stem, a first portion of the valve stem having a valve stem nub with a nub shoulder, and a second portion of the valve stem operable to be connected to a valve;

a cylinder assembly located within the actuator housing, the cylinder assembly having a horseshoe connector with a horseshoe connector opening and a lip adjacent to the opening, the lip sized to engage the nub shoulder, transferring axial movement of the horseshoe connector to axial movement of the valve stem when the valve stem is positioned within the horseshoe connector opening;

a bonnet having a plurality of bonnet lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the bonnet, the plurality of bonnet lugs protruding radially from the bonnet to define a plurality of bonnet slots therebetween, wherein each of the plurality of housing lugs are sized to pass axially through a respective one of the plurality of bonnet slots when the actuator housing is in a released position, the actuator housing being rotatable to a locked position where at least a portion of one or more of the plurality of housing lugs is axially aligned with a portion of a respective bonnet lug such that the plurality of bonnet lugs prevent axial movement of the actuator housing in at least one direction, and rotation to the locked position secures the housing to the bonnet via the respective lugs while maintaining an axial position of the housing relative to the bonnet.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of housing lugs and the plurality of bonnet lugs are spaced so that the actuator housing is rotatable less than one full revolution between the released and locked positions.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a securing mechanism selectively preventing relative rotation between the actuator housing and the bonnet.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the horseshoe connector opening has a diameter sized to accept a reduced diameter portion of the valve stem nub when the valve stem is moved radially towards the actuator axis.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder assembly includes an inner cylinder that is static relative to the actuator housing and an outer cylinder that is axially moveable relative to the actuator housing, and wherein the horseshoe connector is located at an end of the outer cylinder.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder assembly includes an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, the outer cylinder having an open end for receiving the inner cylinder and a closed opposite end, and wherein an outer diameter of the inner cylinder dynamically seals with an inner diameter of outer cylinder.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an injection port providing a fluid flow path for injecting a pressure media from an exterior of the actuator housing to an interior of the cylinder assembly, the horseshoe connector being axially moveable with a change in a pressure within the interior of the cylinder assembly.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the valve stem has an annular shoulder that faces towards the first portion of the valve stem that is sized to engage a mating shoulder of the bonnet, limiting axial movement of the valve stem relative to the bonnet.

9. A system for securing a valve actuator to a valve assembly, the system comprising:

an actuator housing having an actuator axis, a valve end and an opposite outer end, and a plurality of housing lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the actuator housing, the plurality of housing lugs protruding radially toward the actuator axis to define a plurality of housing slots therebetween;

a valve stem, a first portion of the valve stem having a valve stem nub with a nub shoulder, and a second portion of the valve stem operable to be connected to a valve;

a cylinder assembly located within the actuator housing, the cylinder assembly having an inner cylinder sealingly engaging an outer cylinder, the outer cylinder axially moveable relative to the inner cylinder by a change of pressure within a piston chamber of cylinder assembly;

a horseshoe connector located at an end of the outer cylinder, the horseshoe connector having a horseshoe connector opening and a lip adjacent to the opening, the lip sized to engage the nub shoulder, transferring axial movement of the horseshoe connector to axial movement of the valve stem when the valve stem is positioned within the horseshoe connector opening;

a bonnet connectable to the valve end of the actuator housing and having a plurality of bonnet lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the bonnet, the plurality of bonnet lugs protruding radially from the bonnet to define a plurality of bonnet slots therebetween, wherein each of the plurality of housing lugs are sized to pass axially through a respective one of the plurality of bonnet slots when the actuator housing is in a released position, the actuator housing being rotatable to a locked position while maintaining an axial position of the housing relative to the bonnet where at least a portion of one or more of the plurality of housing lugs is axially aligned with a portion of a respective bonnet lug such that the plurality of bonnet lugs prevent axial movement of the actuator housing in at least one direction when the actuator housing is in the locked position.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a biasing member with a first end that engages a biasing retainer of the outer cylinder and a second end that engages the actuator housing, the biasing member urging the outer cylinder in a direction towards the outer end of the actuator housing.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the inner cylinder is fixed to the outer end of the actuator housing and the outer cylinder is axially moveable relative to the actuator housing.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the outer cylinder has an open end for receiving the inner cylinder and a closed opposite end, and wherein an outer diameter of the inner cylinder dynamically seals with an inner diameter of outer cylinder and an inner bore of the inner cylinder and an inner bore of the outer cylinder together define a piston chamber.

13. A method for securing a valve actuator to a valve assembly, the method comprising:

providing an actuator housing having an actuator axis, a plurality of housing lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the actuator housing, the plurality of housing lugs protruding radially to define a plurality of housing slots therebetween, and a cylinder assembly located within the actuator housing, the cylinder assembly having a horseshoe connector;

locating a valve stem nub of a first portion of a valve stem within a horseshoe connector opening of the horseshoe connector so that a lip adjacent to the horseshoe connector opening engages a nub shoulder of the valve stem nub and axial movement of the horseshoe connector can be transferred to axial movement of the valve stem, the valve stem having a second portion operable to be connected to a valve;

providing a bonnet having a plurality of bonnet lugs spaced apart around a circumference of the bonnet, the plurality of bonnet lugs protruding radially from the bonnet to define a plurality of bonnet slots therebetween; and

passing the plurality of housing lugs through the plurality of bonnet slots and rotating the actuator housing from a released position to a locked position while maintaining an axial position of the housing lugs relative to the bonnet lugs where at least a portion of one or more of the plurality of housing lugs is axially aligned with a portion of a respective bonnet lug such that the plurality of bonnet lugs prevent axial movement of the actuator housing in at least one direction.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the cylinder assembly includes an inner cylinder that is static relative to the actuator housing and an outer cylinder that is axially moveable relative to the actuator housing, and wherein the horseshoe connector is located at an end of the outer cylinder, the method further including before locating the valve stem nub of the first portion of the valve stem within the horseshoe connector opening of the horseshoe connector, injecting a pressure media into the cylinder assembly to move the outer cylinder in a direction towards the plurality of housing lugs.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein locating the valve stem nub of the first portion of the valve stem within the horseshoe connector opening of the horseshoe connector includes aligning the valve stem nub axially with the horseshoe connector and sliding the valve stem nub radially so that a reduced diameter portion of the valve stem nub enters into the horseshoe connector opening.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the cylinder assembly includes an inner cylinder that is static relative to the actuator housing and an outer cylinder that is axially moveable relative to the actuator housing, the method further including before passing the plurality of housing lugs through the plurality of bonnet slots, venting a pressure media from the cylinder assembly to move the outer cylinder in a direction away from the plurality of housing lugs, drawing the bonnet towards the actuator housing.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein rotating the actuator housing to the locked position includes rotating the actuator housing less than one full revolution to move the actuator housing from the released position to the locked position.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising preventing relative rotation between the actuator housing and the bonnet with a securing mechanism.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising rotating the actuator housing relative to the bonnet to move the actuator housing from the locked position to the released position and removing the actuator housing from the bonnet while maintaining a pressure sealed piston chamber within the actuator housing.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the cylinder assembly includes an inner cylinder that is static relative to the actuator housing and an outer cylinder that is axially moveable relative to the actuator housing, the method further including urging the outer cylinder in a direction away from the plurality of housing lugs with a biasing member having a first end that engages a biasing retainer of the outer cylinder and a second end that engages the actuator housing.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the steps for securing the valve actuator to the valve assembly are performed without a tool.