Cam means for ball valve seat rings

• US 4,262,691 A
• Filed: 06/29/1979
• Issued: 04/21/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cooper Cameron Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: ACF Industries Holding Corporation (Icahn Associates Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Kacal, Gary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALTON, GEORGE L
• Application Number:
  US06/053,593
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 137/315, 137/316, 251/159, 251/174, 251/286, 251/287, 251/315
• US Class Current: 137/315.21
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 43/00 Auxiliary closure means in valves, which in case of repair, e.g. rewashering, of the valve, can take over the function of the normal closure means; Devices for temporary replacement of parts of valves for the same purpose
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0626 Easy mounting or dismounting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6045 With top entry valve

Abstract

A ball valve in which cams (82, 84) are mounted on the ball member (34) to engage spring biased seat rings (30, 32) and cam the seat rings to a retracted position at which the seat rings are retained. The ball valve has a removable cover plate (16) so that the ball member (34) and seat rings may be subsequently removed from the valve body (12) while the valve remains in-line. A removable stop (56) engages and blocks rotation of the ball member past its fully opened and fully closed positions and the cams (82, 84) engage the seat rings only after the stop is removed and the ball member is rotated past its normal stroke and beyond fully opened or fully closed positions.

Claims

1. A ball valve having a valve body with inlet and outlet flow passages and a valve chamber between the flow passages, a ball member mounted in said valve chamber for rotation between open and closed positions relative to the flow passages and having a bore therethrough;

a seat ring mounted in said body adjacent the ball member for floating longitudinal movement and being biased into sealing engagement with the ball member;

a movable ball member stop carried by the valve body for movement between a first operating position in which said stop extends within the normal travel path of the ball member to limit normal rotation of the ball member between open and closed positions to an amount not substantially greater than around ninety degress (90°

), and a second operating position in which said stop is removed from the normal travel path of the ball member to allow complete rotation of the ball member; and

a cam member carried by the ball member to engage the seat ring only when the ball member is rotated beyond the travel path normally followed when the ball member is rotated between open and closed positions, said cam member upon the movement of said stop to the second position and upon rotation of the ball member past its normal travel path engaging the seat ring to cam the seat ring away from the ball member.

2. The ball valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein means releasably holds the seat ring in a retracted position after the seat ring has been cammed to retracted position to permit removal of the ball member and then subsequent removal of the seat ring.

3. A ball valve having a valve body with inlet and outlet flow passages and a valve chamber between the flow passages, a ball member mounted in said valve chamber for rotation between open and closed positions relative to the flow passages and having a bore therethrough;

a pair of opposed seat rings mounted in said body about said flow passages for floating longitudinal movement toward and away from the ball member and being biased into sealing engagement with the ball member on opposite sides thereof;

a removable ball member stop carried by the valve body for movement between a first operating position in which said stop extends within the valve chamber to contact and block rotation of the ball member past a maximum rotational travel of not substantially greater than around ninety degrees (90°

), and a second operating position in which said stop is removed from the normal travel path of the ball member to allow complete rotation of the ball member;

a pair of oppositely disposed cam members carried by the ball member to simultaneously engage the seat rings only when the ball member is rotated beyond the travel path normally followed when the ball member is rotated between open and closed positions;

said cam members upon the movement of said stop to the second position and rotation of the ball member past its normal travel path engaging the seat rings simultaneously to cam the seat rings away from the ball member.

4. The ball valve as set forth in claim 3 wherein means releasably hold the seat rings in a retracted position after the seat rings have been cammed to retracted position to permit removal of the ball member and then subsequent removal of the seat rings.

5. The ball valve as set forth in claim 3 wherein said ball member stop comprises a stop pin extending through the valve body into the valve chamber, said stop pin being threaded within the valve body and being longitudinally adjustable relative to the valve body and the ball member.

6. In a ball valve having a valve body with inlet and outlet flow passages and a valve chamber between the flow passages, a ball member mounted in said valve chamber for rotation between open and closed positions relative to the flow passages and having a bore therethrough, a cover plate removably connected to the valve body to permit removal of the ball member from the body when the plate is removed from the body, and a pair of opposed seat rings mounted in said body about said flow passages for floating back and forth longitudinal movement relative to the ball member and being biased into sealing engagement with the ball member, an improved means to permit in-line removal of the seat ring comprising:

a removable ball member stop carried by the valve body and movable between a first operable position in which the ball member stop limits the normal rotational stroke of the ball member fully opened and closed positions to a maximum not substantially greater than around ninety degrees (90°

), and a second operable position in which the ball member stop allows the ball member to freely rotate three hundred sixty degrees (360°

);

a pair of cam members carried by the ball member to engage the seat rings when the ball member is rotated beyond its normal rotational stroke, said cam member upon the movement of said stop of the second position and upon rotation of the ball member past its normal rotational stroke engaging the seat rings simultaneously to cam the seat rings to a fully retracted position away from the ball member upon the rotation of the ball member approximately ninety degrees (90°

) past its fully open or fully closed positions; and

means to releasably hold the seat rings in said fully retracted position to permit a removal of the ball member.

7. In a ball valve as set forth in claim 6 wherein said ball member stop comprises a stop pin extending through the valve body into the valve chamber, said stop pin being threaded within the valve body and being longitudinally adjustable relative to the valve body and the ball member.

8. In a ball valve as set forth in claim 6 wherein said ball member stop is carried by said cover plate and is removed from contact with the ball member upon removal of the cover plate from the valve body.