Ball valve with anti-rotational pressure plate

• US 8,413,684 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Incorporated (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Buildings LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Thomas, Kurt R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bastianelli, John
• Application Number:
  US12/561,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20110062366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 251/118, 251/127, 251/304, 25131501-31516, 251/174, 251/209, 138 40- 46, 137/625.4, 137/625.41, 137/602
• US Class Current: 137/625.41
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/067 with spherical plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0642 the spherical plug being insertable from one and only one side of the housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/10 Means for additional adjustment of the rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/201 with the housing or parts of the housing mechanically pressing the seal against the plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86823 Rotary valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87571 Multiple inlet with single outlet

Abstract

A ball valve having an anti-rotational pressure plate that allows for a balanced pressure load on a valve member is provided. Additionally, the pressure plate can also fix the rotation of an adjacent flow disk, allowing for angular-orientation specific flow characterizing features to be used with the flow disk. By fixing the rotation of the flow disk, the ball valve can characterize flows using a greater variety of flow disk geometries, including angular-orientation dependent and angular-orientation independent flow disks. Further, the pressure plate could also be directly in the form of a flow disk that has anti-rotation features.

Claims

1. A ball valve, comprising:

a valve body having a plurality of ports and a valve chamber therebetween, the plurality of ports and the valve chamber defining a fluid flow passage;

a valve member disposed within the valve chamber and defining a flow aperture therethrough,

a first and second dynamic valve seal;

a fixed seal opposite the first dynamic seal;

a pressure plate having an axially extending key and a radially extending key, the radially extending key being received by a slot extending into an interior surface of the valve body;

a flow disk carried by the valve body and substantially disposed within the fluid flow passage, the flow disk having a keyway receiving the axially extending key of the pressure plate, the flow disk having an annular sealing rib;

wherein the engagement between the radially extending key of the pressure plate and the slot of the valve body and the engagement between the axially extending key of the pressure plate and the keyway of the flow disk prevents angular rotation of the flow disk relative to the valve body.

2. The ball valve of claim 1 wherein the slot is elongated in the axial direction of the flow disk a distance greater than the axial thickness of the radially extending key to permit axial movement of the flow disk relative to the valve body.

3. The ball valve of claim 2 wherein the slot has a width that is substantially the same as a width of the radially extending key.

4. The ball valve of claim 3 further comprising a biasing member biasing the flow disk axially towards the valve member, the biasing member directly acting on the flow disk.

5. The ball valve of claim 4 further comprising a valve seal axially interposed between the flow disk and the valve member, the valve seal including a seal member axially contacting an outer surface of the valve member, a valve body seal radially sealing the seal member to the valve body and a flow disk seal axially sealing the flow disk to the seal member, the biasing member axially biasing the flow disk into sealing engagement with the flow disk seal.

6. The ball valve of claim 1 wherein the flow disk is axially interposed between the valve member and the pressure plate.

7. The ball valve of claim 1 wherein the pressure plate has an opening therethrough, the opening aligned with a flow characterizing feature of the flow disk, wherein the flow disk and the pressure plate are in axial abutment.

8. The ball valve of claim 7 wherein the pressure plate has an annular pocket extending into an axial face of the pressure plate, and wherein the annular pocket receives at least a portion of a biasing element axially biasing the pressure plate toward the flow disk and into axial abutment with the flow disk.

9. The ball valve of claim 8 wherein the biasing element is a spring having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the spring is received by the annular pocket of the pressure plate, and the second end is in abutted contact with a fitting installed in one of the plurality of ports.

10. The ball valve of claim 9 further comprising a valve seal axially interposed between the flow disk and the valve member, the valve seal including a seal member axially contacting an outer surface of the valve member, a valve body seal radially sealing the seal member to the valve body and a flow disk seal axially sealing the flow disk to the seal member, the biasing member axially biasing the flow disk, via the pressure plate, into sealing engagement with the flow disk seal.

11. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of ports are arranged along an first axis, and at least one of the plurality of ports is arranged along a second axis at a non-zero angle to the first axis;

the valve member selectively rotatable within the valve chamber to adjust flow along the fluid flow passage by adjusting the orientation of the flow aperture relative to the plurality of ports;

the first and the second dynamic seals being carried by the valve body, wherein the first dynamic seal is biased toward the valve member along the first axis, and the second dynamic seal is biased toward the valve member along the second axis; and

the fixed seal being arranged along the first axis and in opposed spaced relation to the first dynamic seal, wherein the fixed seal fixes the location of the valve member in a first direction along the first axis and a second direction along the second axis.

12. The ball valve of claim 11 wherein the fixed seal has an arcuate surface that sealingly engages an outer surface of valve member, wherein the arcuate surface and outer surface cooperatively center the ball valve within the valve chamber in the first and second directions.

13. The ball valve of claim 12 wherein the fixed seal has a first and a second end, the arcuate sealing surface located at the first end and an abutting surface located at the second end, and wherein the valve body includes an annular abutment flange extending transversely away from an interior surface of the valve body, the annular abutment flange in abutted contact with the abutting surface of the fixed seal such that only a single piece is positioned between the valve body and valve member to seal the valve member at that location.

14. A ball valve, comprising:

a valve body having a plurality of ports and a valve chamber therebetween, the plurality of ports and the valve member defining a fluid flow passage wherein at least two of the plurality of ports are arranged along a first axis, and at least one of the plurality of ports is arranged along a second at a non-zero angle relative to the first axis;

a valve member disposed within the valve chamber, the valve member selectively movable within the valve chamber;

a first and a second dynamic valve seal carried by the valve body and sealingly engaging the valve member, wherein the first dynamic seal is biased toward the valve member along the inline first, and the second dynamic seal is biased toward the valve member along the second axis, and wherein the first dynamic valve seal includes a compliant valve body seal and a compliant flow disk seal, the compliant valve body seal and compliant flow disk seal carried by a seal member of the first dynamic valve seal;

a fixed seal arranged along the first axis and in opposed spaced relation to the first dynamic seal, wherein the fixed seal operably centers the valve member in a first direction along the first axis and a second direction along the second axis;

a pressure plate carried by the valve body, the pressure plate extending between first and second axial faces, wherein an annular pocket extends into the first axial face, an axially extending key extends transversely away from the second axial face, and a radially extending key extends radially away from an outer periphery of the flow disk, wherein the radially extending key is received by a slot extending into an interior surface of the valve body, the slot extending a length that is greater than a thickness of the radially extending key and the slot extending a width that is substantially equal to a width of the radially extending key, and wherein the pressure plate has an opening generally at the center of the pressure plate; and

a flow disk carried by the valve body and substantially disposed within the fluid flow passage, the flow disk extending between a first axial face and a second axial face and including a flow characterizing feature, the flow characterizing feature aligned with the opening of the pressure plate, wherein a keyway extends into the first axial face and is adapted to receive the axially extending key of the pressure plate, and wherein an annular sealing rib extends transversely away from the second axial face, the annular sealing rib sealingly engaging the compliant flow disk seal of the valve seal, wherein engagements between the slot and radially extending key and axially extending key and keyway combine to prevent angular rotation of the flow disk relative to the valve body.