US 6,296,007 B1Granted

Heated valve for operation in freezing conditions

OwnerJoseph Cifuneinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A fluid control valve which comprises a valve body structure having a fluid flow passage therethrough and a first sealing surface means and a closure structure for controlling the fluid flow through the passage with the closure structure having a second sealing means adapted to engage the first sealing means to shut off fluid flow through the valve wherein there is formed in the valve body structure an annular groove proximate the first sealing means for the positioning therein of an electrical heater cable overlaid with a heat conductive layer, the heated cable extending into and out of the valve bodies so as not to interfere with the operation of the valve, the electrical heater cable in communication with a source of electrical energy.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of modifying a standard valve defined by a valve body, valve stem, valve stem seat, seating surface and closure member for operation in freezing conditions so as to prevent said valves closure member from failing to seat with said valves seating surface, said method comprising:

forming a first groove and a second groove in said seating surface of said valve, said first groove and said second groove extending from opposing sides of said valve stem to opposing sides of said valve stem seat;
forming throughbores at the ends of said first groove and said second groove, said throughbores extending through said valve body;
positioning in said first groove and said second groove a heating element, said heating element extending through said throughbore of said first groove proximate said valve stem, extending along said first groove and exiting said first groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem seat, said heating element reentering said second groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem seat, extending along said second groove and exiting said second groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem;
positioning liner plates over said first groove and said second groove and securing same so as to position said liner plates in planar relationship with said seating surface;
connect said heating element to a source of electrical energy.

2 more elements

An improved heated valve for operation in freezing conditions, said valve comprising a valve body having a valve stem and a valve stem seat extending therefrom in opposing directions, said valve body defining a fluid passageway therethrough, said fluid passageway having positioned therein a closure member secured to said valve stem, said closure member cooperative with an interior circumferential seating surface to interrupt the flow of fluid or material through said fluid passageway under the influence of said valve stem, said improvement comprising:

a first groove and a second groove formed in said seating surface extending from proximate opposing sides of said valve stem to proximate said opposing sides of said valve stem seat, said first groove and said second groove having throughbores formed therein proximate the ends thereof extending outwardly through said valve body;
a heating element extending from said exterior of said valve body through said throughbore of said first groove proximate said valve stem and positioned in said groove and exiting said groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem seat, said heating element reentering said second groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem seat and positioned in said second groove and exiting said second groove through said throughbore proximate said valve stem, said heating element connected to a source of electrical energy;
a first liner plate and a second liner plate secured over said first groove and said second groove and in planar relationship with said seating surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/782,391Filed 14 Feb 2001
Granted: 2 Oct 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F16K 1/22
With pivoted discs or flaps: with axis of rotation crossing the valve member, e.g. butterfly valves
F16K 49/002
Means in or on valves for heating or cooling: electric heating means
Y10T 137/0525
Valve or valve element assembling, disassembling, or replacing: butterfly valve
Y10T 137/6606
With heating or cooling of the system: with electric heating element

Family

No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key