Triple offset butterfly valve and rotary for severe services

• US 9,022,348 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jianchao Shu
• Original Assignee: Jianchao Shu
• Inventors: Shu, Jianchao
• Primary Examiner(s): Fristoe, Jr., John K
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARSS, KEVIN R
• Application Number:
  US13/600,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20130056667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 251/314, 251/316, 251/317, 251/317.01, 251/305, 251/306, 251/307
• US Class Current: 251/127
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/224 Details of bearings for the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/2261 the sealing being arranged on the valve member
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/2268 Sealing means for the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/0218 Butterfly valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/08 for decreasing pressure or noise level and having a throttling member separate from the closure member , e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths

Abstract

This invention relates to a novel rotary control valve with new joint methods and flow control mechanisms, inline-reparability and fully metal seals more particularly to a triple offset butterfly valve or ball valve with those features used for on-off and flow controlling under multiple extreme conditions or in severe services; such as the integrated gasification combined cycle under high temperature and pressure, Fluid Catalytic Cracking under high temperature over 1200 F with hard diamond like catalytic particles, shale fracking process under extreme high pressure and high velocity fluid with solid particles and corrosive additives and other critical applications for products life lasting 5 to 30 years like deepsea flow control systems and nuclear power plants and for the applications of millions cycles like jet or rocket turbine engine fuel delivery systems with high velocity fuel fluid mixed with highly oxidative gas under temperature 1365 F.

Claims

1. In a fluid related device comprising at least one seat assembly, a body assembly having a body, a closure member assembly movably positioned between said seat assembly and said body assembly, said closure member assembly has a closure member and a retaining ring assembly, said closure member has a boss defined by a cylindrical surface with a groove and a conical surface for engaging with a mating inside diameter conical surface of said seat assembly, said retaining ring assembly comprising an eccentric lock plug assembly, a locking ring assembly and a retaining ring, said retaining ring is defined by a conical outside surface, a cylindrical inside diameter surface engaged with said boss of said closure member, a front surface defined by said boss and said seat assembly, said retaining ring having a wedge groove on said inside diameter surface, defined by a conical surface with an angle less than 13 degree and a surface finish at least 63 RMS, said lock ring assembly is positioned between said wedge groove and said groove on the said boss, said lock ring assembly including a lock ring defined by a cylindrical inside diameter surface and a mating wedge surface engaged with said conical surface of said wedge groove for converting radial movements of said lock ring to axial movements of said retaining ring for securing a position of said seat assembly, said lock ring including at least two segments, each of said segments respectively including a base on said inside diameter surface and a retreat hole on said base, said closure member having at least two plug bores, each of said bores respectively extending to said groove and having a retreat slot for accessing said retreat hole, said eccentric lock plug assembly has at least two cylindrical lock plugs and two setscrews, each of said plugs respectively disposed in said plug bore of said closure member, said plug having an eccentric groove engaged with said base of said segment for locking engagements between said base and said eccentric groove by rotating said plug, said eccentric groove having an open slot extending to a thread hole to receive one of said setscrews for locking a rotary position of said plug by threading said setscrew against an inside diameter surface of said bore, each of said setscrews is respectively longer than said slot for preventing said setscrew from falling out of said slot, said retaining ring assembly comprising said retaining ring, three of said segments of said lock ring, three of said eccentric lock plugs with three of setscrews, said seat assembly and said closure member with three of said bores having (a) securing means for securing a pre-setting position of said seat assembly with said closure member (b) multiple anti-loose means for securing engagements between said seat assembly and said closure member, between said seat assembly and said retaining ring, between said retaining ring and said locking ring, between said plug and said locking ring, between said plug and said setscrew and between said plug and said closure member.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said body assembly comprising a retaining ring assembly, said retaining ring assembly has an eccentric lock plug assembly and a locking ring assembly and a retaining ring, said body having a recess defined by a cylindrical surface and a conical surface for engaging with a mating outside diameter conical surface of said seat assembly, said retaining ring is defined by a conical inside surface, an outside diameter surface engaged with said recess of said body, a front surface defined by said recess and said seat assembly, said retaining ring has a wedge groove on said outside diameter surface, defined by a conical surface with an angle less than 13 degree and a surface finish at least 63 RMS, said lock ring assembly is positioned between said wedge groove and a groove on the said recess, said lock ring assembly including a lock ring defined by an outside diameter surface and a mating wedge surface engaged with said conical surface of said wedge groove for converting radial movements of said lock ring to axial movements of said retaining ring for securing a position of said seat assembly, said lock ring including at least two segments, each of said segments respectively including a base on said outside diameter surface and a retreat hole on said base, said body having at least two plug bores, each of said bores respectively extending to said groove and having a retreat slot for accessing said retreat hole, said eccentric lock plug assembly has at least two cylindrical lock plugs and two setscrews, each of said plugs respectively disposed in said plug bore of said body, said plug having an eccentric groove engaged with said base of said segment for locking engagements between said base and said eccentric groove by rotating said plug, said eccentric groove having an open slot extending to a thread hole to receive one of said setscrews for locking a rotary position of said plug by threading said setscrew against an inside diameter surface of said bore, each of said setscrews is respectively longer than said slot for preventing said setscrew from falling out of said slot, said retaining ring assembly comprising said retaining ring, three of said segments of said lock ring, said seal assembly, three of said eccentric lock plugs with three of said setscrews and said body with three said bores having (a) securing means for securing a pre-setting position of said seat assembly with said body (b) multiple anti-loose means for securing engagements between said seat assembly and said body, between said seat assembly and said retaining ring, between said retaining ring and said locking ring, between said plugs and said locking ring, between said plug and said setscrew and between said plugs and said body.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein (a) said closures member assembly including at least one plug bore on said closure member and one base (one tongue) movably inserted into said plug bore and one eccentric lock plug assembly, said eccentric lock plug assembly includes a cylindrical plug positioned in said plug bore, said plug having an eccentric groove on an outside diameter surface of said plug engaged with said base for converting rotary movements of said plug to linear movements of said base, said plug also having one of slot profiles including a slot on a top of said plug for rotating said plug and an open slot on a side of said plug extending to a through thread hole, said eccentric lock assembly having a setscrew inserted to said thread hole against a wall of said bore for securing said plug positions, said setscrew is longer than said open slot for preventing said setscrew from falling out of said slot (b) said body assembly including at least one plug bore on said body and one base (one tongue) movably inserted into said plug bore and one eccentric lock plug assembly, said eccentric lock plug assembly having a cylindrical plug positioned in said plug bore, said plug having an eccentric groove on an outside diameter surface of said plug engaged with said base for converting rotary movements of said plug to linear movements of said base, said plug also having one of slot profiles including a slot on a top of said plug for rotating said plug and an open slot on a side of said plug extending to a through thread hole, said eccentric lock assembly having a setscrew inserted to said thread hole against a wall of said bore for securing said plug positions, said setscrew is longer than said open slot for preventing said setscrew from falling out of said slot.

4. The device of claim 1, further including at least one bearing assembly, said body having at least one bearing bore, said closure member assembly having at least one stem, said bearing assembly positioned between said bearing bore and said stem has an inside diameter surface and an outside diameter surface and at least one pin, said pin having one of types including a solid pin, a spring pin, a hollow pin, a spiral pin, a pin with a limited switch, said stem having an outside diameter surface rotatably engaged with said inside diameter surface of said bearing with clearances, said bearing having said outside diameter surface engaged with said bearing bore with a fit and at least one vertical slot defined by two parallel surfaces between said outside surface and said inside surface of said bearing for making said inside diameter surface to be flexible against said stem and receiving said pin, two said bearing assembly respectively received three of said pins including one of said solid pin, two of said spring hollow pins disposed between said stem and said bore of said body having (a) sealing securing means for securing upstream seals between said closure member assembly and said body at a closed position of said closure member (b) radial gaps compensating means for reducing and eliminating mechanical and thermal gaps between said bearing bore and said outside diameter of said bearing, between said inside diameter surface of said bearing and said outside diameter of said stem (c) load supporting means for supporting side loads of said stem under fluid pressures and operation forces and for protecting said stem packing from said loads (d) vibration suppressing means for suppressing said stem vibration and reducing fluid leakage by eliminating said gaps.

5. In a fluid related device comprising at least one stem seal assembly, a body assembly having a body, a seat assembly, a closure member assembly having at least one stem movably positioned in said body assembly, said stem seal assembly has at least one pair of laminated packing and at least one pair of compression rings, said body having at least one packing hole, said stem seal assembly positioned between said stem and said packing hole, said pair of laminated packing including an upper packing and a lower packing, said upper packing having a bottom layer with a bottom dynamic seal surface, said lower packing having a top layer with a top dynamic seal surface, said packing is made out of one of materials including metals, metals and graphite, metals and polymers, said stem rotatably positioned in said packing hole of said body having a shoulder (I ring) defined by an upper seal surface and a lower seal surface and constructed with one of structures including said shoulder as an integral part of said stem and said shoulder permanently assembled with said stem, each of said surfaces of said shoulder is defined by one of surface profiles including a conical surface and a spherical surface, said compression rings including an upper compression ring and a lower compression ring, said upper compression ring having a bottom mating surface engaged with said upper seal surface of said shoulder for providing static seals between said stem and said upper compression ring and a top seal surface engaged with said bottom surface of said upper packing for providing dynamic seals, said lower compression ring having a top mating surface engaged with said lower seal surface of said shoulder for providing static seals between said stem and said lower compression ring and a bottom seal surface engaged with said top surface of said lower packing for providing dynamic seals, said pair of compression rings, said shoulder of said stem and said pair of said packing, said packing hole of said body having (a) seal means for providing seals between said stem and said pair of packing, said stem and said pair of compression rings, said pair of packing and said pair of compression rings, and said packing hole and said pair of packing (b) seal converting means for converting radial dynamic seals to two static seals between said shoulder and said pair of compression rings (c) spring means for providing live loads for all static and dynamic seals and compensating any wearing between said compression rings and said packing (d) load balancing means for balancing the weights of said stem and said closure member against a line pressure and reducing wearing of said seat assembly during opening and closing of said closure member (e) blowout preventing means for preventing said stem from blowout in case of said stem broken down under said shoulder due to a line pressure.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said closure member assembly rotatably positioned in said body between open and closed positions including (a) said at least one stem (b) said closure member (c) at least one key, said closure member has an upper hub, a lower hub and a stem hole through said hubs to receive said stem, said key with a finish surface 63 RMS has one of profiles including a flat stem joint surface, a flat bottom surface, a flat side surface and a flat stem joint surface, a side surface, a bottom surface with a base, an angle between said bottom surface and said stem joint surface is defined by a value between 25 to 65 degrees, said closure member has at least one open keyway at a middle section having mating surfaces engaged with said surfaces of said key, said stem having at least one radial open slot defined by a flat key joint surface with a finish surface 63 RMS, said stem has an upper hub mating section and a lower hub mating section respectively engaged with said upper hub and said lower hub of said closure member with clearance fits, said stem having said key joint slot engaged with said mating stem joint surface of said key with non-clearance fits for securing joints between said closure member and said stem under one of directions including clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation directions, said body and said closure member assembly including said closure member with two of said keyways and said stem with two of said slots, two said keys having (a) torsion converting means at a moment of opening of said closure member under one of directions including clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation directions for applying operation torques against fluids with full static fluid pressure through two compression forces through two of said slots respectively engaged with said stem joint surface of each of said keys between said stem and said keyways, two reaction forces through said upper hub section and said lower hub section respectively engaged with said upper hub and said lower hub of said closure member and generating tensions between said hubs and said keyways of said closure member against said fluid pressure and reducing a peak of combination said operation torques and said fluid pressure (b) torsion converting means at a moment of closing of said closure member under one of directions including clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation directions for applying operation torques against flow fluids with an increasing pressure through two compression forces to two of said slots respectively engaged with said stem joint surface of each of said keys between said stem and said keyways, two reaction forces through said upper hub section and said lower hub section respectively engaged with said upper hub and said lower hub of said closure member and generating tensions between said hubs and said keyways of said closure member against water hampers and stopping torsion before fluid pressure reaches a peak and reducing loads on said stem (c) fluid pressure loading transfer means at a closed position of said closure member for transferring pressure loads on said closure member to said stem through said upper and lower hubs respectively engaged with said upper hub section and said lower hub section of said stem and through said keyways and said keys and said slots for eliminating stress concentration on both said up and down hub sections of said stem and said hubs of said closure member, for reducing said gaps between said stem and said hubs, for reducing stem vibrations and reducing thermal deformation and stress corrosion cracking (d) gap suppression means for eliminating said gaps between said stem and said stem hole, between said keys and said keyways, between said keys and said slots of said stem, for eliminating vibrations and lost motions between said stem and said closure member (e) stress concentration suppression means for eliminating stress concentration on said stem and said hubs of said closure member, stress corrosion cracking on said stem and said hubs.

7. In a fluid related device comprising a body assembly and a pair of trim assemblies, said body assembly has a flow port defined by a front of said flow port and a back of said flow port, said trim assemblies respectively positioned in said front and said back of said flow port of said body assembly, said trim assemblies having a front trim and a back trim, said trims made out of a metal material with a hardness at least Rockwell C 22, said front trim has a mating surface engaged with said flow port, said back trim has a mating surface engaged with said flow port, said trim assemblies have one of two trim lock assemblies including (a) a trim lock assembly A having two pairs of pins and a first step bore in said front of said flow port and one of said pair of pins and a second step bore in said back of said flow port and one of said pair of pins, said first step bore having two pin holes in an opposite direction, said front trim also including a mating segment step positioned in a side of said first bore having two cylindrical mating slots aligned up with said two pin holes respectively to receive one of said pins for securing said front trim position, said second step bore having two pin holes in an opposite direction, said back trim also including a mating segment step positioned in a side of said second bore having two cylindrical mating slots respectively aligned up with said two pin holes and respectively to receive one of said pins for securing said back trim position (b) a trim lock assembly B having two pairs of lock rings, each of said lock rings is defined by one of profiles including an eccentric outside diameter surface, a centric inside diameter surface with a slot and a centric outside diameter surface, an eccentric inside diameter surface with a slot, said front trim having a mating groove on said external mating surface, said flow port having a mating groove in said front of said port, one of said pair of said lock rings positioned between said mating grooves for securing said front trim position by rotating said eccentric lock rings, said back trim having a mating groove on said external mating surface, said flow port having a mating groove on said back of said fluid port, one of said pairs of said lock rings positioned between said mating grooves for securing said back trim position by rotating said eccentric lock rings.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said body is constructed with structures including an one-piece body, a two-piece body and a three-piece body, said two-piece body has a front part and back part, said trim assemblies having arrangements including (1) said trim assemblies respectively positioned in said front part and said back part (2) said trim assemblies respectively positioned in said front part and between said front part and said back part, said three-piece body has a front section, a middle section and back section, said trim assemblies having arrangements including (a) said trim assemblies respectively positioned in said front section and in said back section (b) said trim assemblies respectively positioned between said front section and said middle section and between said back section and said middle section.

9. The device of claim 8, further including a closure member assembly, said closures member assembly rotatably positioned between said trim assemblies in said flow port of said body assembly, said trim assemblies are arranged in a parallel manner, said back trim has a back surface, a right side surface and a front surface defined by a rotary profile of said closure member and multiple non-blind holes with 0 degree from a center line of said flow port between said front surface and said back surface, said holes defined by sizes ranging from small diameters near walls of said flow port to large diameters near said center line of said flow port, said front trim has a left side surface to be complementary with said right side of said back trim, a front surface and a back surface defined by said rotary profile of said closure member and multiple non-blind holes with 0 degree from said center line of said flow port between said front and said back surfaces, said holes defined by sizes ranging from small diameters near walls of said flow port to large diameters near said center line of said flow port, said front trim is positioned at a left side of said flow port, said back trim is positioned at a right side of said flow port, a ratio of total areas of said holes over an area of said flow port is a value between 0.30 to 0.85, said closure member movably positioned between said trim assemblies in said fluid port of said body having (1) flow control means for throttling flow fluid with minimizing flow capacity loss (2) cavitation suppressing means for suppressing cavitations with minimizing flow capacity loss (3) vibration suppressing means for suppressing vibrations with minimizing flow capacity loss.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein said back trim has a back surface defined by one of profiles including a flat surface, a conical surface and a spherical surface, a right side surface and a front surface defined by one of profiles including a flat surface, a conical surface and a spherical surface and multiple non-blind holes with 0 degree from a center line of said flow port between said front surface and said back surface, said holes defined by sizes ranging from small diameters near walls of said flow port to large diameters near said center line of said flow port, said front trim has a left side surface, a front surface defined by one of profiles including a flat surface, a conical surface and a spherical surface and a back surface defined by one of profiles including a flat surface, a conical surface and a spherical surface and multiple non-blind holes with 0 degree from said center line of said flow port between said front surface and said back surface, said holes defined by sizes ranging from small diameters near walls of said flow port to large diameters near said center line of said flow port, said front trim is positioned at a la side of said flow port, said back trim is positioned at a side of said flow port, a ratio of total areas of said holes over an area of said flow port is a value between 0.30 to 0.85, said trim assemblies having (1) cavitation suppressing means for suppressing cavitations with minimizing flow capacity loss (2) vibration suppressing means for suppressing vibrations with minimizing flow capacity loss.