Ball check valve

Abstract

The invention provides an uncomplicated ball check valve whose components can be economically manufactured, assembled and connected and wherein, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the ball check valve is configured for use as a pressure vessel. In one embodiment of the invention, the ball check valve comprises a housing defining one or more inlet, an outlet and a passageway therebetween. A ball support system is mounted within the housing, wherein one or more balls are supported by the ball support system. The ball support system is configured to allow a ball to close off and open a respective inlet. The housing generally comprises an inlet section which can have one or more inlets, wherein each inlet defines a ball seat sealingly engageable with a ball for sealing the inlet. The housing further comprises a centre section providing adequate space to allow movement of the ball and an outlet section comprising an outlet for transferring the fluid to a subsequent portion of a piping network. The ball support system is configured to guide the movement of each of the one or more balls, wherein the movement of each ball is guided from a first position wherein the ball is proximate to a ball seat located at an inlet and thereby sealing that inlet, to a second position wherein fluid flow through an inlet into the valve is enabled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.