Self piloted check valve

The valve apparatus comprising:

• (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore;
• and
• (b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving compontents including:
• (i) a ball seat having a seat flow passage;
• (ii) a ball value having a value flow passage, wherein the ball valve is moveable with simultaneous directly related rotation and translation to a first ball position with the valve flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body, a second ball position abutting the ball seat wherein the valve flow passage is not in fluid communication with the seat flow passage such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the flow passage are closed, and a third ball position intermediate between the first and second ball positions;
• (iii) a pilot valve mounted within the valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers, wherein each flapper is mounted on an individual flapper pivot pin and wherein each flapper is rotatable between a closed position and an open position and wherein each flapper has a flapper bias spring that biases the flapper toward the closed position;
• (iv) a shroud that protects downstream edges of the open flappers;
• (v) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system including a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring provides a continuous bias on the ball valve to urge the ball valve towards the first ball position and wherein the second spring is activated to bias the ball valve towards the first ball position only when the ball valve is at the first ball position or when the ball valve is moving between ther first ball position and the third ball position;
• and
• (vi) a motion damping device that increases a dampening of a vibratory motion on the ball between the first ball position and the third ball position.

A valve apparatus comprising:

• (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore;
• and
• (b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving components including:
• (i) a ball seat having a seat flow passage;
• (ii) a ball valve having a valve flow passage, wherein the ball valve is movable with simultaneous directly related rotation about an axis of rotation and translation to a first ball position with the valve flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body and a second ball position abutting the ball seat wherein the valve flow passage is not in fluid communication with the seat flow passage such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the valve flow passage are closed thereby preventing flow through the valve apparatus;
• (iii) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system including a reciprocable latching system, a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring provides a continuous bias on the ball valve to urge the ball valve towards the first ball position and wherein the second spring is activated to bias the ball valve toward the first ball position only when the ball valve is at the first ball position or moving between the first ball position and a third ball position;
• and
• (iv) a pilot valve mounted within the valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers wherein each flapper is rotatable between a closed position and an open position and wherein each flapper has a flapper bias spring that biases the flapper toward the closed position and wherein the pilot value includes a shroud having a recess fir each flapper, wherein a downstream edge of each flapper in the open position fits within one recess thereby protecting the downstream edge and minimizing flutter induced vortices;
• whereby a fluid flowing in a first direction from the first end of the internal valving components toward the second end of the internal valving components with sufficient force to overcome the bias of the flapper bias springs rotates the flappers to the open position allowing fluid flow through the valve flow passage and wherein the fluid flowing in a second direction from the second end of the internal valving components toward the first end of the internal valving components with sufficient force against the flappers in the closed position to overcome the bias of the first and second springs will rotate the ball valve to the second ball position.

A valve apparatus comprising:

• (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore;
• and
• (b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving components including:
• (i) a ball valve having a flow passage, wherein the ball valve is movable with simultaneous directly related rotation about an axis of rotation and translation to a first ball position with the flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body and to a second ball position such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the valve flow passage are closed to fluid flow;
• (ii) a ball seat having a seat flow passage, wherein when the ball valve is in the second ball position a spherical surface of the ball valve sealingly abuts a compatible spherical surface of the ball seat such that a fluid flow past the ball seat is prevented and the ball flow passage is not in fluid communication with the ball seat flow passage;
• (iii) a ball cage that supports the ball valve, wherein the ball cage is stationarily positioned in the main counterbore of the tubular body and eccentrically engages the ball valve eccentric to a ball valve axis of rotation through a pair of opposed eccentric pins mounted on the ball cage;
• (iv) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system comprising:
• a ball pusher seat having a ball side and an opposed side, wherein the ball side bears against a first side of the ball valve;
• a tubular ball pusher mounted on the opposed side of the ball pusher seat, wherein an internal diameter of the ball pusher equals the diameter of the flow passage of the ball valve;
• a spring retainer, wherein a portion of the spring retainer encircles a portion of the ball pusher;
• a first spring;
• a second spring;
• and
• a reciprocable latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism is coupled to the ball pusher when the ball valve is in the first ball position, the latching mechanism uncouples at an intermediate point when the ball valve is moving from the first ball position to the second ball position and recouples at the intermediate point when the ball valve is moving between the second ball position and the first ball position, and the latching mechanism is coupled to the spring retainer when the ball valve is in the second ball position;
• and
• (v) a pilot valve mounted within the ball valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers, each flapper rotatable between a closed position and an open position, wherein a flapper bias spring biases each flapper toward the closed position and wherein the pilot value includes a shroud having a recess for each flapper, wherein a downstream edge of each flapper in the open position fits within one recess therby protecting the downstream edge and minimizing flutter induced vortices;
• whereby a fluid flowing in a first direction from the first end of the internal valving components toward the second end of the internal valving components with sufficient force to overcome the bias of the flapper bias springs rotates the flappers to the open position allowing fluid flow through the ball valve flow passage and wherein the fluid flowing in a second direction from the second end of the internal valving components toward the first end of the internal valving components with sufficient force against the flappers in the closed position to overcome the bias of the first and second springs will cause the ball valve to rotate to the second ball position.