Valves and valve actuation – With means to increase head and seat contact pressure – With positive reduction
Patent
1991-07-23
1992-10-13
Fox, John C.
Valves and valve actuation
With means to increase head and seat contact pressure
With positive reduction
251188, F16K 500
Patent
active
051543958
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
In the Norwegian patent application, publication No. 159,553 there is described a ball valve with an associated actuator in particular intended for use in pipeline systems carrying gas and/or oil at large sea depths.
The known ball valve has a ball member provided with two axially displaceable sleeves which in the open position of the valve are adapted to be displaced outwards for tightly engaging seats provided in the surrounding valve housing, so as to form a flow passage through the valve. This further comprises a hollow drive axle for the rotary movement of the ball member between its open and closed positions, and a drive spindle through the hollow drive axle adapted to bring about the axial displacement of the sleeves.
The ball member in the known valve is divided into two ball parts being dismountably joined to each other. For operating the valve between open and closed position the published patent application describes a hydraulic solution and a mechanical solution respectively, the latter being based on a relatively complicated arrangement of gears and toothed racks.
The present invention is directed to a further development of the above known ball valve, particularly aiming at a simplified design which can be attractive in smaller valves than those being in the first place of interest in the above published application Thus, the present invention may be of more interest in installations above water than in underwater installations. Nor are there any requirements in connection with the present invention that the ball member of the valve shall be divided in two parts for easy dismounting, as in the previously known design referred to above.
Valves of the kind contemplated here require an actuator for simple, precise and reliable operation in order to be able to have a satisfactory function. Thus, this invention also comprises an actuator for this purpose, but this actuator is not necessarily limited in its utilization only for this particular ball valve, since also other manners of use may be possible.
Like the actuator for the ball valve according to Norwegian patent application, publication No. 159,553 the present actuator comprises a hollow output drive axle and an output drive spindle extending through the hollow drive axle, thereby to make possible two different operating movements by rotation of the drive axle and the drive spindle respectively.
In short, the ball valve aspect of this invention provides a partilarly simple and advantageous mechanism for bringing about the displacement movement of the sleeves in the ball member, whereas the actuator aspect according to the invention comprises a particular interlocking system which is specifically, but not exclusively, of interest for the ball valve.
More definite statements of both the ball valve and the actuator according to the invention, including the novel and specific features thereof, are found in the claims.
The structures described here are able to provide valuable contributions to simplifying valve systems for example in oil related industry, on oil rigs and the like. At the same time as the relatively simple structures lead to cost savings, they also contribute to a higher level of security at oil installations both on shore and off shore.
A particular advantage of the structures described here, consists therein that the opening and closing of the ball valve can take place by means of only a simple rotary movement of an input axle, for example provided for by operating a hand wheel.
In the following description the invention shall be explained more closely with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows an axial section of a ball valve with an actuator, based on designs according to the invention, whereby the valve is shown in its open position,
FIG. 2 shows a similar section as in FIG. 1, but with the valve in its closed position,
FIG. 3 shows a section along the axis of the flow passage and normally to the section according to FIG. 1, i.e. at a right angle to the rotational axis of the ball
REFERENCES:
patent: 2879798 (1959-03-01), Anderson
patent: 3934606 (1976-01-01), Matthews
patent: 4727901 (1988-03-01), Horvei
Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap A.S
Fox John C.
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