Sealed bonnet for actuating a quarter turn valve assembly

A bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, which assembly includes a valve housing, a quarter turn valve, the quarter turn valve being movable in a fluid-conducting passage provided in the valve housing to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet comprising

• means for moving the quarter turn valve in the passage between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position,
• a pinion coupled to the moving means,
• rack means for rotating the pinion to actuate the moving means so that the quarter turn valve is moved between its passage-opening position and its passage-closing position,
• drive means for reciprocating the rack means to rotate the pinion,
• a bonnet housing coupled to the valve housing of the quarter turn valve assembly and formed to include an interior region containing the moving means, pinion and rack means, the drive means being coupled to the rack means and positioned to lie outside of the bonnet housing,
• first means for defining a first sealed containment area solely inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the quarter turn valve assembly into the interior region of the bonnet housing, the moving means being configured to extend through the first sealed containment area to interconnect the pinion and the quarter turn valve,
• second means for defining a second sealed containment area inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the first sealed containment area into the remaining interior region of the bonnet housing, the pinion being positioned in the second sealed containment area, and
• third means for defining a third sealed containment area inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the second sealed containment area into the remaining interior region of the bonnet housing outside the first sealed containment area, the rack means being configured to extend through the third sealed containment area to interconnect the drive means and the pinion.

In a bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, the quarter turn valve assembly including a quarter turn valve movable in a fluid-conducting passage to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet including a housing, a pinion supported for rotation in the housing, a rack supported for reciprocation in the housing to rotate the pinion, the improvement comprising

• a drive shaft interconnecting the pinion and the quarter turn valve, the drive shaft including a first end coupled to the quarter turn valve and a second end coupled to the pinion,
• means for rotatably supporting the drive shaft in a shaft-receiving passage formed in the housing so that the drive shaft rotates with the pinion to move the quarter turn valve in response to reciprocation of the rack,
• first seal means for establishing a first sealed connection in the shaft-receiving passage between the drive shaft and the housing, and
• second seal means for establishing a second sealed connection in the shaft-receiving passage between the drive shaft and the housing, the first seal means being situated in spaced-apart relation to the second seal means in the shaft-receiving passage to define a sealed containment area in the shaft-receiving passage to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the quarter turn valve assembly into the housing, wherein a fixed collar is appended to the first end, a first sealing ring is mounted on the drive shaft and supported thereon by the fixed collar, a second sealing ring is mounted on the second end of the drive shaft, a movable collar is mounted on the second end of the drive shaft to lie between the second sealing ring and the pinion, and means is provided for yieldably loading the movable collar to urge the fixed collar and first sealing ring against the bonnet housing to establish the first seal means and to urge the movable collar and the second sealing ring against the bonnet housing to establish the second seal means, the loading means including a spring member mounted on the second end of the drive shaft and located between the movable collar and the pinion and means for locking the pinion to the second end of the drive shaft to apply a predetermined load urging the spring member in a direction toward the movable collar.

In a bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, the quarter turn valve assembly including a quarter turn valve movable in a fluid-conducting passage to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet including a housing, a pinion supported for rotation in the housing, a rack supported for reciprocation in the housing and movable to rotate the pinion, the improvement comprising

• a drive shaft including a first end coupled to the quarter turn valve and a second end coupled to the pinion,
• first seal means for establishing a first sealed connection between the drive shaft and the housing, the first seal means including a first seal mounted on the drive shaft and loading means acting between the pinion and the drive shaft for yieldably loading the first seal with a predetermined spring load to urge the first seal against the drive shaft and the housing to establish the first sealed connection, and
• second seal means for establishing a second sealed connection between the drive shaft and the housing, the second seal means including a second seal mounted on the drive shaft and the loading means acts between the pinion and the drive shaft to yieldably load the second seal with a predetermined spring load to urge the second seal against the drive shaft and the housing to establish the second sealed connection, the loading means including a movable collar mounted on the second end of the drive shaft and positioned to engage the second seal, a spring member mounted on the second end of the drive shaft and positioned to lie between the housing and the pinion, and means for urging the pinion against the spring member so that the second seal is compressed between the movable collar, the drive shaft, and the housing to establish the second sealed connection.

In a bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, the quarter turn valve assembly including a quarter turn valve movable in a fluid-conducting passage to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet including a housing, a pinion supported for rotation in the housing, a rack supported for reciprocation in the housing and movable to rotate the pinion, the improvement comprising

• a drive shaft including a first end coupled to the quarter turn valve and a second end coupled to the pinion,
• a fixed collar appended to the first end,
• a first sealing ring mounted on the drive shaft and supported thereon by the fixed collar,
• a second sealing ring mounted on the second end of the drive shaft,
• a movable collar mounted on the second end of the drive shaft and positioned to lie between the second sealing ring and the pinion, and
• means for yieldably loading the movable collar to urge the fixed collar and the first sealing ring against the housing to establish a first sealed connection between the housing and the drive shaft to block flow of any fluid in the quarter turn valve assembly into the housing and to urge the movable collar and the second sealing ring against the housing to establish a second sealed connection between the housing and the drive shaft to block further flow of any fluid leaking past the first sealed connection, the loading means including a spring member mounted on the second end of the shaft and positioned to lie between the movable collar and the pinion and means for urging the pinion against the spring member so that the first sealing ring is compressed between the fixed collar, the drive shaft, and the housing to define the first sealed connection and the second sealing ring is compressed between the movable collar, the drive shaft, and the housing to define the second sealed connection.

A bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, which assembly includes a valve housing and quarter turn valve movable in a fluid-conducting passage provided in the valve housing to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet comprising

• means for moving the quarter turn valve in the passage between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position,
• a bonnet housing coupled to the valve housing of the quarter turn valve assembly and formed to include an interior region, the moving means extending through the bonnet housing into the valve housing to connect to the quarter turn valve,
• first means for defining a first sealed containment area solely inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the valve housing into the interior region of the bonnet housing, the moving means extending through the first sealed containment area to reach the quarter turn valve,
• second means for defining a second sealed containment area inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the first sealed containment area into the bonnet housing, the moving means extending through the second sealed containment area to reach the first sealed containment area.

A bonnet for operating a quarter turn valve assembly, which assembly includes a valve housing, a quarter turn valve, the quarter turn valve being movable in a fluid-conducting passage provided in the valve housing to regulate flow of fluid through the passage, the bonnet comprising

• means for moving the quarter turn valve in the passage between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position,
• a pinion coupled to the moving means,
• rack means for rotating the pinion to actuate the moving means so that the quarter turn valve is moved between its passage-opening position and its passage-closing position,
• drive means for reciprocating the rack means to rotate the pinion,
• a bonnet housing coupled to the valve housing of the quarter turn valve assembly and formed to include an interior region containing the moving means, pinion and rack means, the drive means being coupled to the rack means and positioned to lie outside of the bonnet housing,
• first means for defining a first sealed containment area solely inside the interior region of the bonnet housing and in spaced-apart relation to the valve housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the quarter turn valve assembly into the interior region of the bonnet housing, the moving means being configured to extend through the first sealed containment area to interconnect the pinion and the quarter turn valve, and
• second means for defining a second sealed containment area inside the interior region of the bonnet housing to retain and trap therein any fluid that leaks from the first sealed containment area into the remaining interior region of the bonnet housing, the pinion being positioned in the second sealed containment area.