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US 12,584,558 B2Granted
Hybrid butterfly-ball flow control valve
AssigneeWoodward, Inc.
InventorDaniel B. Mastbergen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a flow control valve that includes a gate element formed as a spherical segment having a semispherical peripheral edge, a substantially planar face bounded by a substantially elliptical edge at the semispherical peripheral edge, and a channel defined in the substantially planar face and having a first end proximal to a midpoint of the substantially planar face and extends from the first end to a second end defining a notch in the semispherical peripheral edge.
Claims19
A flow control valve comprising:
- a gate element formed as a spherical segment, the gate element includes an axis about which the gate element rotates when assembled with a housing, the gate element comprising:
- a semispherical peripheral edge that spans between a first substantially elliptical edge and a second substantially elliptical edge, wherein the semispherical peripheral edge includes a continuous ring of contact that is positioned between the second substantially elliptical edge and the axis;
- a substantially planar front face bounded by the first substantially elliptical edge at the semispherical peripheral edge;
- a substantially planar rear face bounded by the second substantially elliptical edge at the semispherical peripheral edge;
- and
- a channel defined in the substantially planar front face and having a first end proximal to a midpoint of the substantially planar front face and extends from the first end to a second end defining a notch in the semispherical peripheral edge;
- and
- a housing having an outer wall and an inner wall, wherein the inner wall defines a tubular shape that receives the gate element therein, the inner wall has a first portion having a first diameter that is substantially equal to a diameter of the semispherical peripheral edge, the inner wall has a second portion having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter of the first portion, the inner wall has a third portion that defines a concave face that extends from the first diameter of the first portion to the second diameter of the second portion, wherein the continuous ring of contact of the semispherical peripheral edge of the gate element forms a continuous line of contact with the concave face when the gate element is rotated to a blocking configuration.
5 more elements
A method of flow control, comprising:
- actuating a gate element of a flow control valve to a first configuration in which fluid flow is substantially blocked by the gate element, wherein the gate element includes an axis and the gate element is configured to rotate about the axis when the gate element is actuated, wherein the flow control valve further comprises a cylindrical housing having an inner wall having a rounded shoulder that spans between a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the rounded shoulder is configured to compliment the semispherical peripheral edge such that a continuous ring of contact of the semispherical peripheral edge is in fluidically sealing contact with the rounded shoulder when the gate element is in the first configuration, and the gate element is formed as a spherical segment comprising:
- a semispherical peripheral edge that spans between a first substantially elliptical edge and a second substantially elliptical edge, wherein the semispherical peripheral edge includes the continuous ring of contact that is positioned between the second substantially elliptical edge and the axis;
- a substantially planar front face bounded by the first substantially elliptical edge at the semispherical peripheral edge;
- a substantially planar rear face bounded by the second substantially elliptical edge at the semispherical peripheral edge;
- and
- a channel defined in the substantially planar front face and having a first end proximal to the substantially planar front face away from the first substantially elliptical edge and extending away from the substantially planar front face and partly into the spherical segment to a second end defining a notch in the semispherical peripheral edge;
- and
- actuating the gate element to a second configuration in which an aperture is partly defined by the inner wall and the notch.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.