Ball Valve Having a Ball Valve Element with Rotation Control
AssigneeFisher Controls International LLC
InventorBrandon Wayne Bell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide a ball valve. The ball valve includes a one-piece valve body having an interior cavity and a ball element positioned within the interior cavity. The ball element includes a ball recess that surrounds a ball passageway and extends axially into a first side of the ball element. The ball valve further includes a trim arrangement having a first seat in contact with the first side of the ball element, a second seat in contact with a second side of the ball element, a first biasing element providing a contact stress between the first seat and the first side of the ball element, and a second biasing element providing a contact stress between the second seat and the second side of the ball element.
Claims20
A ball valve comprising:
- a one-piece valve body including an interior cavity, the interior cavity including a collar bore and a second collar bore arranged on opposing ends of the interior cavity;
- a ball element positioned in the interior cavity and including first and second flats, a ball passageway extending through the ball element, and a ball recess surrounding the ball passageway and extending axially into a first side of the ball element;
- a trim arrangement in the interior cavity and including:
- a first seat in contact with the first side of the ball element;
- a second seat in contact with a second side of the ball element;
- a first biasing element engaged between a first biasing surface of the collar bore and the first seat to provide a contact stress between the first seat and the first side of the ball element;
- a second biasing element engaged between a second biasing surface of the second collar bore and the second seat to provide a contact stress between the second seat and the second side of the ball element.
A ball valve comprising:
- a one-piece valve body including an interior cavity, the interior cavity including a collar bore and a second collar bore arranged on opposing ends of the interior cavity;
- a ball element positioned in the interior cavity and including first and second flats, a ball passageway extending through the ball element, the ball passageway defining a geometric profile that provides rotation control of the ball element;
- a trim arrangement in the interior cavity and including:
- a first seat in contact with the first side of the ball element;
- a second seat in contact with a second side of the ball element;
- a first biasing element engaged between a first biasing surface of the collar bore and the first seat to provide a contact stress between the first seat and the first side of the ball element;
- a second biasing element engaged between a second biasing surface of the second collar bore and the second seat, to provide a contact stress between the second seat and the second side of the ball element.
A method of manufacturing a ball valve, the ball valve including a one-piece valve body having an interior cavity, the method comprising:
- inserting a first biasing element into a first inner end of the interior cavity;
- installing a first seat into the first inner end of the interior cavity and engaged against the first biasing element;
- inserting a second biasing element into a second inner end of the interior cavity;
- installing a second seat into the second inner end of the interior cavity and engaged against the second biasing element;
- arranging a ball element between the first seat and the second seat so that first and second flats of the ball element face the first and second seats;
- inserting a tool at least partially into the ball element;
- rotating the ball element, via rotation of the tool, so that spherical sides of the ball element engage the first and second seats;
- rotating the ball element to alight a ball passage along a flow axis defined by the ball valve;
- coupling a shaft to the ball element;
- and
- installing a bonnet onto the one-piece valve body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.