Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE I~ TIO~ .
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Ball typa valves are commonly used to
control Elow of high pressure fluid through pipe
or tubing lines, as Eor example in instrumenta~ion
lines ~or chemical processing equi men~O Such
valves have a ball type ~lug with a port therethrough
that may be rotated into and out of registry with a
flow path through the valve body for controlling flow
through the valve. In a ~no~n form of such valve~
shown in U.S. Letters Patent 3,731,904 the ball type
plug is rotatably mounted in a cylindrical valve chamber
o~ the valve body and is normally retained in its proper
position within the chamber ~y a pair of annular sealing
means that engage the plug and which in turn are ~eld
against the plug by adapters threaded to the valve body
for losing the valve chamber. Howevert with such valves,
the plug and sealing means are slidable withi~ the cylin-
drical val~e chamber and if a workman remo~es the do~stream
adapter while there is fluid pressure in the upstream
adapter/ the fluid pressure may blow the plug and
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upstream adapter out from the valve chamber thr~ugh
the end that was opened by removal of the downstream
adapter and possibly cause damage or personal injury.
SUM~R:Y OF THE INVENTION
25 . The present invent~on prevents blow out of
the valve plug and sealing means in valves of the t~pe
described ab~ve by providing abubment means mounted
in t~e valve body mounted on eac-~ side o t~e plug
and ~rojecting into the valve chamber to a diameter
less than that of the plug and sealing means so that
upon removal of either adapter and its associated
sealing means while there is flui~ pressure in the
ot~er adapter~ the abutment means will engage the plug
and the upstream sealing means as they start to move
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outwardly and thus retain them wlthin the valve
ch~mber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH:E~ DR~WING
Figure 1 is a cross section view of the valve
S with the parts in their normal operati.ng position~
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~igure 2 is a cxoss section ~iew of the valve
with the ~ownstream and sealing means removed and
showing how the abutment means ~f the present inven.tio~
prevents the ball type valve plug and the upstream
sealing means from bei~g bl~wn o~t through~the ope~
~alve chamber, and with a portion ~f the plug furt.her
cut away to show a bleed s:lot in the abutment means
Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross section
view a pin a~ the abutment means for retaining the
plug.
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- - . - DETAILED-DESCRIPTION
Valve 10 has a body 11 with a cylindrical
bore 12 therethrouyh that ;s t}lreaded as at 13 arld
14 a its opposite end~; and whose central portion
2 0 between the threaded enas serve3 a5 a valve chamber
designa~ed 17.
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l~otatably mounted within ~ralv~ ch~er 17
i~ a ball type plug l8 whose outer surfac:e 19 i~ on
a radius slightly smaller t~an the diameter of
cylindrical val~e cha~ er 17 so that the ball plug
may readily ro~ate with;n such valve ch~riber and is
also ~lidable thexei~ ~o that it may }~e inserl:ed and
removed from the valve ~hamber ~hrough one of the
threaded ports 13g 14.
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. q~h~ y~l~a plug. ~i~;s a port. 21 t~.eret}irough.
and also has a groove 2~ ~or rece1v~ng a tc~ngue Z3
on a valve stem 24. Groove 22 and ton~u~ 23 provi~de
a drI~ing connecti.on where:~x the ~all. 1~ maX~ b-~
rotated ~y s.tem 24
5tem 24 has a ~ nge. 26 e~ al~le w~th t}i~
top o~ plu~ ,nd whos~ upper sur;~ace 27 i~s engagaEjîe.
b~ a me.~al washer. 28 locat.-d a~ ~h~ E~ottom of a,
packi~g bore 2~ nath~r me~al was~ier 3~ ~.s- spaced
from washer 29 and ~e.twe~n tPle wash~s ~-s ;~ ~ac}~n~
ring 31 of ela~s~o~ne~ or ot~er de;l~orm~ terx~l
~or s.ea.li:n~ stem 24.. The upper erid o~ pacR~ ~r?e
~ is threaded as at 3~ to rece~ve. ~ t~reade.d ~land
34 fox com~ressIng ~nd ret~l~ni`n~ p~ck~ng ~l~n~ 31.
A handle 36 is. ~uit~ att~ched to s.te~ 24 ~ a p
or oth.er means 37 so th~t t~.e stem ma~ ~e xot~ted ~y
the handle
Sllda~ mQunted ~ i;~ th~ valYe cfiam~er
17.Q~ e~ch.s~de of valve plug 18 ~re ~al~n~ means
genexall~ desi~gna~ea 4~ 41. Each ~e~l~.n~ ~eans
include~ ~ sle.e~e~ 42 sl~da~ly mou~ted ~.~t~lSn a
C~xrespondin~ rec`es~ 43~ 44 o~ ~espectl~ve adap~ers
45~ ~6~ Each ~lee~e~42 ~as an elastomer~c e~l~n~
x~ng 47 ~t~c~ed to ~ts~ ~nner end ~or se~ ly
~5 eng~ng plug 18... ~ounted ~e.~een a s~ulder S~ on
each s~e~lin~ r~n~ 42:and t~e. i~er end~ 52~: 53 o
res.p~ct~v~ ~d~p~ers 4~, 46 ar~ ela~t4~er:i`.c Q~r~n~
56, 57 whi.ch.~ea~ ~alva cham~e~ 17 exter;i~rl~ o~
plu~ 18 ~rom flo~ p~th ~ores 5~ ~nd 6~. throu~
ad~pters: 45~ 46. Add~ti~onal eIas~omer~c se~l~ng
r~ngs 61, 62 seal the. ~readed jo~nt~ ~etw~en
adapters 45, 46 and b.ody 11.
Cxli~ndxlcal ~àlYe cham~er 17 ~as~ ~ p~i~r o*
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grooves 65, 66 ~ormed therein which receive wire snap
rings 68, 69~ In the nonmal positiorl o~ the valve
parts, shown in ~igure 1, the snap rings 58, 69 are
on opposite sides of ball plug 18 ancl project radially
inwardly to a diameter less than that of the plug 18
and the outer diameter of sleeves 42 and are out of
contac-t with both the plug and the sealin~ elements
40, 41 so as not to in-ter~ere-with thè ~al~ing and
sealing movement of these parts.
As shown in Figure 2~ the snap rin~s 68~ 69
have a radial split 70 that is of narr~w wiath when
inskalled.
Snap rings 68, 69 as shown-are o round
cross section and of a single tuxn. O~her forms o~
snap xings, such as square cro~s section and/or of
more than one fuli turn may be used. Other form3 of
abutment means~ such as one or more p;~s, as shown at
75 in Figure 3, or flanges integral with the body or
ringS threa~e~ ln~o the body bore 17 may be used~
In the lat~er two cases- it is desixable to provid~ a
smal~ leak path there~hroughv compara~le to split 70,
.. . that will not be closed when the ball is agains~ the
abu~men~
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OPER~TIOU
2S . Whe~ the valve is fully assembled, as shown
in Figure 1, the plug adaptoxs 45~ 46 abut against
the end faces 70, 71 of valve body 11 a-nd their i~ner
ends 52, 53 compress sealing rings 56, 57 into sealing
engagement with end faces 50 of sleeves 42 and press
the sleeves toward ball plug 18 so that sealing rings
47 will sealingly engage the outer surface ~9 of the
plug~ When the plug is turned to the position shown
in Figure 1 a flow path is esta~lished throug~ the
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valve that includes poxt borea 59, 60, sleeve bores
57 and ~ore 21 through the boxe plug 18. Upon turning
valve stem 24 90 by means of handle 36, valve plug
18 is also ~urned 90 so that bore 21 is no longer in
registry with sleeve bores 57 and thus the valve plug
will prevent flow of ~luid through the ~alve.
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In the event adapt~r 46 is downstream in the
installation ana is unthreaded from valve body 11 and
re.moved Fxom the body along with sealing element 41,
1~ if there is any fluid pressure in upstream port S9,
such fluid pressure will act upon seali~g element 40
and upon valve plug 18 and blow them out through
valYe chamber 17 and threaded bore portion 13 un~ess
- . some means is provided for restraining the same.
~his invention provides such restraining means,
pre~erably in the form of snap rings 68, 69~ or
other abu:t~ent means described herein. ~hus, as
shown in Figure 2 when adap~or 46 has been removed,
fluid pressure in port 59 will cause the valve plus
18 and sealing element~O to move:to ~he right until
sealing element 40 engages snap r~in~ 69 and plug 18
engages snap ring 68 which prevents blowing out of
element 40 and plug 1~ through threaded por~ 13.
The tongue and ~roove connection 23, 22
permits movement of khe plug toward snap ring 68
without interference~ When the sphe.rical plug
engages snap ring 68 it substantially seals there
against so that the only escape of pxessurized
. ~ . fluid from port 59 ~hrough port 13 is the very smal7
amoun~ ~ha~ may leak thxough split 70 in snap ring 68.
This bleeds down the upstream line so th~t eventually
there is no upstream pressure to try to blow the plug
out~ .
Likewise, if adaptor 45 is downstre~m and
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it and sealing element 40 have been removea t fluid
pressure in port bore 60 of adaptor 46 will move
the valve p.Lug and sealing element 41 in the opposite
direction but they will be prevented rom blowing out
through threaded port 14 by snap rings 68 and 69.
Thus, the snap rings provide a positive safety feature
to prevent the valve plug from being blown out from
the valve body when either of the adapters are removed
whil pressuxe is in the valve;
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