METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A BALL VALVE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A valve comprising:
- a valve body having a valve cavity therein;
a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and
a single piece plastic polymer packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity;
said single piece packing being dimensioned to be installed on said valve element within a room temperature range.
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Abstract
A ball valve includes a valve element and a single piece packing that seals the valve element within a valve cavity. The single piece packing is installed over the valve element at room temperature or may be molded thereon. The valve element may include a flow control element such as a ball and upper and lower trunnions. The various dimensions of the valve element and packing are selected to facilitate room temperature assembly and to substantially reduce the volume of packing material, thereby improving the performance of the valve over wider temperature ranges and pressure ratings.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A valve comprising:
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a valve body having a valve cavity therein; a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and a single piece plastic polymer packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity; said single piece packing being dimensioned to be installed on said valve element within a room temperature range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 32)
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14. A method for assembling a valve comprising the steps of:
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foaming a one piece plastic polymer packing adapted to seal a valve element within a valve cavity; and installing said packing onto said valve element within a temperature range for which mechanical properties of the packing are substantially unchanged. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A valve comprising:
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a valve body having a valve cavity therein; a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and a packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity; and said valve element comprising a ball and adjacent upper and lower trunnions;
said ball having an outer diameter D1 and at least one of said trunnions having an outer diameter D3;wherein said valve element has a ratio D3/D1 of about 0.7 to about 0.9. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A valve comprising:
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a valve body having a valve cavity therein; a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and a packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity; and said valve element comprising a ball and adjacent upper and lower trunnions; wherein said packing has a generally cylindrical outer surface defined by a height H and an outer diameter D4, said packing having a ratio H/D4 of about 0.75 to about 0.85. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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- 29. In combination, a valve element and a single piece plastic polymer packing therefore, wherein said packing is installed onto said valve element at room temperature.
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31. A valve comprising:
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a valve body having a valve cavity therein; a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and a packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity; said valve element comprising a ball and adjacent upper and lower trunnions;
said ball having an outer diameter D1 and at least one of said trunnions having an outer diameter D3;wherein said valve element has a ratio D3/D1 that facilitates assembly of said packing onto said valve element at room temperature.
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33. A valve comprising:
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a valve body having a valve cavity therein; a valve element for controlling flow through the valve based on rotational position of the valve element about an axis; and a single piece packing that surrounds said valve element and seals said valve element within said valve cavity, wherein the single piece packing is completely contained in the valve body cavity; said single piece packing being dimensioned to be installed on said valve element within a room temperature range.
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34. A method for assembling a valve comprising the steps of:
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forming a one piece packing adapted to seal a valve element within a valve cavity; and installing said packing onto said valve element within a temperature range for which mechanical properties of the packing are substantially unchanged; and installing the packing and valve element in the valve cavity such that the packing is completely contained in the valve cavity.
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Specification