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US 5,992,452 AGranted
Ball and seat valve assembly and downhole pump utilizing the valve assembly
OwnerJoe A. Nelson, IIinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a system used to increase the wear life of ball and seat valves and of ball and seat valves utilizing a piston mechanism to unseat the ball from the seat, which during operation, create turbulent flow within the valve preventing sand and other wear causing debris from collecting on and prematurely wearing pump components. Also disclosed is a wear and alignment bushing for ball and seat valves utilizing a piston to unseat the ball which reduces stress on the piston actuator.
Claims19
A ball and valve seat assembly comprising:
- (a) a hollow tubular member having an interior wall defining an internal cross-sectional area;
- (b) a valve seat mounted within the tubular member, having a seating passage with a seating cross-sectional area;
- (c) a ball positioned within the tubular member above the valve seat;
- (d) a piston moveably mounted withing the tubular member below the valve seat comprising an actuator for engaging the ball through the passage while the ball is seated on the seat and comprising a sealing member with a sealing area for sealing the tubular member below the valve seat across the entire internal cross-sectional area of the tubular member;
- and
- (e) an actuator guide defining an actuator passage for receiving the actuator positioned within the tubular member below the valve seat and positioned such that a portion of the actuator is within the actuator passage;
- wherein the actuator guide has a greater cross-sectional area than the seating passage and
- wherein the ball and valve seat is closed by the ball being seated on the valve seat, and opened by an increase in pressure from below or a vacuum from above unseating the ball from the valve seat.
5 more elements
A ball and seat valve assembly comprising:
- (a) a hollow tubular member having an interior wall defining an internal cross-sectional area;
- (b) a valve seat mounted within the tubular member, having a seating passage with a seating cross-sectional area;
- (c) a ball positioned within the tubular member above the valve seat;
- (d) a piston moveably mounted withing the tubular member below the valve seat comprising an actuator for engaging the ball through the passage while the ball is seated on the seat and comprising a sealing member with a sealing area for sealing the tubular member below the valve seat across the entire internal cross-sectional area of the tubular member;
- and
- (e) at least one turbulent flow disk positioned within the tubular member above the ball and valve seat substantially spanning the cross-sectional area with the flow disk defining fluid passages providing fluid communication between the internal cross-sectional area above the flow disk and the internal cross-sectional area below the flow disk;
- wherein the ball and valve seat is closed by the ball being seated on the valve seat, and opened by an increase in pressure from below or a vacuum from above unseating the ball from the valve seat.
4 more elements
A ball and seat valve assembly for use with fluids containing particulate matter comprising:
- (a) a hollow tubular member having an interior wall defining an internal cross-sectional area;
- (b) a valve seat mounted within the tubular member, having a seating passage with a seating cross-sectional area;
- (c) a ball positioned within the tubular member above the valve seat;
- (d) a piston moveably mounted withing the tubular member below the valve seat comprising an actuator for engaging the ball through the passage while the ball is seated on the seat and comprising a sealing member with a sealing area for sealing the tubular member below the valve seat across the entire internal cross-sectional area of the tubular member;
- (e) at least one turbulent flow disk positioned within the tubular member above the ball and valve seat;
- and
- (f) a system positioned within the tubular member for keeping particulate matter in suspension comprising:
- iii. a main body positioned within the tubular member above the ball and seat valve substantially spanning the tubular member cross-sectional area with the main boded defining fluid passages providing fluid communication between the internal cross-sectional area above the main body and below the main body;
- and
- iv. a gathering surface within the fluid passage for gathering the particulate matter;
- wherein the the ball and valve seat is closed by the ball being seated on the valve seat, and opened by an increase in pressure from below or a vacuum from above unseating the ball from the valve seat.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.