Ball valve

• US 3,985,334 A
• Filed: 06/25/1975
• Issued: 10/12/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Telephone & Telegraph Corp. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Domyan, Frank F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weakley, Harold W.
• Application Number:
  US05/590,048
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 251/159, 251/172, 251/315, 137/315
• US Class Current: 251/159
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0642 the spherical plug being insertable from one and only one side of the housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0673 Composite packings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6038 Particular valve seat or interface seal

Abstract

A ball valve with an actuator wherein a seal assembly with a combination O-ring swivel and seal for producing a tight seal is hidden in a pocket isolated from the flow of fluid through the valve by an inlet reentrant flange and the valve body. The swivel and other parts of the seal assembly including but not limited to the seal thereof, because the O-ring swivel makes the seal assembly mount tenuous and subject to chattering and vibration, can be damaged. This is true because the seal assembly seal receives large and rapid impact loads. The chattering and vibration also thereby produce serious damage to and wear on the seal assembly seal. A great deal of chattering and vibration is usually caused by exposing the seal assembly to the fluid passing through the valve. In the ball valve disclosed herein this is prevented by mounting the seal assembly in the isolated pocket. The valve disclosed herein also has other features. For example, eccentrics release the seal assembly spring for assembly and disassembly of the ball and other component parts. Access for repair or otherwise is also provided even though the valve has an actuator mounted thereon and is welded into a pipeline. A composite two-layer seal assembly seal is provided for low temperatures.

Claims

1. Fluid control apparatus comprising:

a valve body having first and second ends with first and second openings respectively, extending completely therethrough generally along a first axis, said valve body having internal circumferential wall means substantially defining a chamber intermediate of said first and second valve body ends;

a ball mounted on said wall means in a manner to rotate about a second axis substantially normal to said first axis, said ball having spherical surface portions around a cylindrical hole extending completely therethrough defined by an internal surface alignable with said valve body first end first opening, said alignment being made possible by the rotatability of said ball;

a seal assembly sealing said valve body first end first opening to said ball, said seal assembly including an annular seal extending around said hole at a diameter greater than that of said hole when said alignment occurs; and

bias means mounted between said valve body and said seal assembly to force said seal into fluid tight engagement with said ball, said first and second openings being in communication with each other during said alignment, said ball being rotatable to a position cutting off all communication between said first and second openings; and

movable means engageable with said seal assembly to move at least a portion thereof in a direction to eliminate the force produced by said bias means which would otherwise cause said seal to be pressed into fluid tight engagement with said ball to permit easy movement of said ball and seal assembly relative to each other, said seal assembly including a ring approximately concentric with said first axis, said bias means including a spring to bias said ring toward said ball, said movable means including first and second shafts rotatable through and sealed through said wall means on about the same third axis about normal to said first axis and on respective opposite sides of said valve body, means to hold said first and second shafts in at least substantially fixed axial positions along said third axis, each of said first and second shafts having an eccentric thereon inside said chamber engageable and disengageable with said ring to move the same to put the pressure of said seal on and take it off of said ball, respectively, by forcing said ring and said spring in a direction toward and away from said ball, respectively.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said valve body has an annular shoulder engageable by said ring when said ring is moved far enough away from said ball by rotation of said eccentrics through rotation of said shafts.