Ball valve for a pipe system for conveying liquid or gaseous media
AssigneeFranz Schuck GmbH
InventorElmar Mentzel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a ball valve (1) for a pipe system for conveying liquid or gaseous media, comprising a housing (3), which has a ball plug (4) and seat rings (5, 6). A hydraulic system (7), which is independent of the pressure of the liquid or gaseous medium flowing through the pipe system, is provided for changing the contact pressure of at least one of the seat rings (5, 6) against the ball plug (4).
Claims16
A ball valve for a line system for conveying liquid or gaseous media comprising:
- a housing which has a ball plug and seat rings, and the seat rings contact the ball plug to provide a seal therebetween;
- a hydraulic pressure system, which is independent of pressure of the liquid or gaseous medium flowing through the line system, and the hydraulic pressure system provides a pressure to and controllably varies contact pressure of at least one seat ring of the seat rings against the ball plug;
- and wherein
- the hydraulic pressure system comprises at least one pressure channel for feeding a pressurized medium to, or discharging said pressurized medium from, a rear side, of the at least one seat ring of the seat rings, averted from the ball plug to vary the contact pressure exerted by the at least one seat ring of the seat rings on the ball plug;
- and wherein
- an annularly encircling annular space with which the at least one, pressure channel corresponds, is formed between the rear side of the at least one seat ring of the seat rings and an adjacent inner wall surface, facing toward the at least one seat ring of the seat rings, of the housing;
- and wherein
- the hydraulic pressure system has a bypass line to produce a pressure equalization between the annular space and a dead space which is situated between the seat rings and a top side of the ball plug and an inner all of the housing;
- and wherein
- the hydraulic pressure system has at least one shut-off element to open and close the bypass line.
A method for leading a pig through a ball valve inserted into a line system for liquid or gaseous media, and wherein the ball valve has an adjustable ball plug, and seat rings which contact the adjustable ball plug to provide a seal therebetween, the method comprising the steps:
- providing a pressure system that communicates with the ball valve, and the pressure system is independent of a pressure in the line system generated by the liquid or gaseous media;
- and
- the pressure system generates and controls a pressure that is communicated to the ball valve, and the generated and controlled pressure presses at least one seat ring, of the seat rings against the adjustable ball plug, and the generated and controlled pressure is sufficient for pressing at least one seat ring of the seat rings against the adjustable ball plug and holding the at least one seat ring of the seat rings in contact with the adjustable ball plug which the pig passes therethrough;
- and
- leading the pig through pipelines of the line system into which the ball valve is inserted.
A method for cleaning a ball valve, in which method the ball valve (1) is integrated into a line system for conveying liquid or gaseous media and is adjusted in order to open and close pipelines (2a, 2b), in which method the ball valve (1) has a ball plug (4) and seat rings (5, 6), in which method a pressure system (7) is provided which is designed to, independently of the pressure in the pipelines (2a, 2b), generate a pressure which is fed to at least one of the seat rings (5, 6) such that the at least one seat ring (5, 6) is acted on with a force which pushes the seat ring (5, 6) away from the contact surface on the ball plug (4) and wherein the pressure generated by the pressure system (7) is fed to a dead space (18).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.