Tap with integral ball valve

• US 9,915,376 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter B. Hutton
• Original Assignee: Peter B. Hutton
• Inventors: Hutton, Peter B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/027,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20160238157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 137318
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/067 with spherical plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/602 Pivoting levers, e.g. single-sided F16K31/605 takes precedence
• 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 5/06 with plugs having spherical surfaces; Packings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0642 the spherical plug being insertable from one and only one side of the housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0647 Spindles or actuating means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 13/00 Devices or apparatus for measuring differences of two or more fluid pressure values
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/0015 using switching means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/612 Tapping a pipe, keg, or apertured tank under pressure

Abstract

A valved tap is disclosed comprising a tap body having a through bore from a threaded input end to an output end thereof. A ball valve is positioned in the tap body so as to interrupt the flow of fluid in the through bore. The output end of the tap body comprises a flanged portion connectable to a manifold.

Claims

1. A valved tap for attaching to at least one of an oil or gas pipeline, said tap comprising:

a unitary tap body;

said tap body having a fluid input end and a fluid output end, the fluid input end further comprising a tap, the tap comprising a male set of NPT threads to couple said valved tap to said at least one of an oil or gas pipeline and the fluid output end of the tap body comprising a manifold mating flange;

a through bore through the tap body;

said through bore extending from the input end to the flange;

said through bore providing a fluid communication channel from the tap through the flange;

a ball being provided within said unitary tap body and positioned in said fluid communication channel;

said ball being provided with opposing stems;

said stems aligned on an axis and mounted in the tap body, said ball further defining a bore therein;

whereby rotation of the ball about the axis will bring the bore of said ball into or out of fluid communication with said through bore, the ball thereby acting as a valve to intermittently place the fluid input end and fluid output end in fluid communication or out of fluid communication with the at least one of the oil and gas pipeline and where the ball is positioned in a seat;

the seat fitting within said unitary tap body between the input end and the flange of the tap body.

2. The valved tap of claim 1, wherein each of the opposing stems exits the valve body.

3. The valved tap of claim 2, wherein at least one handle is mounted on one of the opposing stems.

4. The valved tap of claim 2, wherein a handle is mounted on each one of the opposing stems.

5. The valved tap of claim 2, further comprising a shoe.

6. The valved tap of claim 5, further comprising a combined nut and sleeve to transfer a load from the NPT threads to the body of the tap.

7. The valved tap of claim 1, wherein the ball rotates within a seat comprising a temperature resistant material to resist leakage.

8. The valved tap of claim 1, wherein the ball and the opposed stems are separable from each other.

9. The valved tap of claim 8, wherein the ball further comprises a groove into which a flattened portion of at least one of the opposed stems fits to facilitate rotation of the ball.

10. The valved tap of claim 7, wherein the temperature resistant material is GRAFOIL™

.

11. A method of connecting a pressure tap between a source of fluid pressure in at least one of said oil or gas pipeline and a manifold comprising installing the valved tap of claim 1 between the source of fluid pressure in at least one of said oil and gas pipeline and the manifold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising installing a pressure sensing instrument on the manifold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of installing the pressure sensing instrument on the manifold comprises installing a differential pressure transmitter on the manifold.

14. A method of installing a pair of valved taps on adjacent flanges of at least one of an oil or gas pipeline, an orifice plate intermediate the flanges creating a differential pressure measured at the flanges of the pipeline, the method comprising providing two of the valved taps according to claim 1;

said two of said valved taps comprising a first valved tap and a second valved tap;

installing the first valved tap on a first flange of the adjacent flanges;

installing the second valved tap on a second flange of the adjacent flanges;

said first valved tap and said second valved tap being installed such that the axis of the opposed stems of each of the first valved tap and the second valved tap lie on a common axis.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of installing at least one handle on at least one of the opposed stems of at least one of the valved taps from the group consisting of the first valved tap and the second valved tap.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising threading the NPT threads of each of the first and second valved taps into the adjacent flanges of the at least one of the oil or gas pipeline such that their respective flanges of the first and second valved taps mate with a single manifold placed in contact with each of the respective flanges of the first and second valved taps.

17. A valved tap for attaching to at least one of an oil or gas pipeline, said tap comprising:

a unitary tap body;

said tap body having a fluid input end and a fluid output end, the fluid input end further comprising a tap, the tap comprising a male set of NPT threads to couple said valved tap to said at least one of an oil or gas pipeline and the fluid output end of the tap body comprising a flange;

a through bore through the tap body;

said through bore extending from the input end to the flange;

said through bore providing a fluid communication channel from the tap through the flange;

a ball being provided within said unitary tap body and positioned in said fluid communication channel;

said ball being provided with opposing stems;

wherein each of the opposing stems exits the valve body, said stems aligned on an axis and mounted in the tap body, said ball further defining a bore therein;

whereby rotation of the ball about the axis will bring the bore of said ball into or out of fluid communication with said through bore, the ball thereby acting as a valve to intermittently place the fluid input end and fluid output end in fluid communication or out of fluid communication with the at least one of the oil and gas pipeline and where the ball is positioned in a seat;

the seat fitting within said unitary tap body between the input end and the flange of the tap body, the valved tap further comprising a combined nut and sleeve to transfer a load from the NPT threads to the body of the tap, the valved tap further comprising a shoe, wherein the sleeve comprises an external surface which is threaded and the shoe defines an internal surface which is threaded to mate with the threads on the external surface of the sleeve.