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US 9,611,939 B2Granted
Gate valve with equalizer port
AssigneeThunder Rose Enterprises, Inc.
InventorMichael J. Palmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gate valve is comprised of a gate movable between open and closed positions within a valve body, and gate having defined through it the gate an equalizer port or passageway between opposite sides of the gate with fixed side walls. The equalizer passageway being is opened and closed by an internal gate. The internal gate is in a close fitting engagement with each of a pair of opposing valve seats mounted with the gate and is shiftable by a carrier that does not constrain movement of the internal gate as it sits between the valve seats.
Claims13
A valve, comprising:
- a valve body;
- a main gate housed within the valve body, movable between open and closed positions by linear actuation within the valve body, the main gate having opposite outer side walls fixed relative to each other for cooperating with openings in the valve body for blocking fluid flow through the valve body between the openings when in the closed position and permitting the fluid flow through the valve body when in the opened position;
- at least one pressure equalization passageway formed through the gate for communicating fluid from one side of the gate to another side of the gate, the pressure equalization passageway being comprised of ports formed through the first and the second sides of the gate;
- an internal gate disposed within a cavity formed within the main gate for opening and closing the pressure equalization passageway, the internal gate having a port formed in the internal gate and a pair opposing valve seats mounted in fixed positions within the main gate on opposite sides of the internal gate, with which the internal gate has a close-fitting relationship, the pressure equalization passageway extending through the opposing valve seats;
- and
- a carrier for shifting the internal gate between a closed position in which a port formed through the internal gate does not align with the internal passageway and the internal gate blocks the fluid from flowing through the internal passageway, and an opened position in which the port in the internal gate aligns with the internal passageway for allowing the fluid flow past the internal gate;
- the internal gate being positioned between an upper and a lower structural member of the carrier without being constrained within carrier in directions toward and away from each of the pair opposing valve seats, thereby permitting the internal gate to move to find a proper seating between the pair of opposing valve seats.
4 more elements
A valve, comprising:
- a main gate defining a main gate passageway and movable between opened and closed positions within a valve body, where in the opened position the main gate passageway is aligned with walls defining main passageways in the valve body on opposite sides of the gate, to enable flow through the valve, and where in the closed position external sealing faces of the main gate are aligned with the main passageways in the valve body, to prevent flow through the valve in cooperation with seals between the gate and the valve body;
- an interior cavity formed within the gate and having opposing internal faces;
- an equalizer gate shiftable in a linear direction within the interior cavity;
- a gate equalizer port defined through the each of the external sealing faces of the gate for enabling communication of fluid across the gate when the gate equalizer ports are aligned with an internal equalizer port formed in the equalizer gate;
- a carrier for shifting the equalizer gate between an open position in which the gate equalizer ports are aligned with the internal equalizer port, and a closed position, in which the internal equalizer port is not aligned with the gate equalizer ports;
- and
- a stem coupled with the carrier for moving the carrier to shift the equalizer gate between the closed position and the open position;
- wherein the equalizer gate has a floating engagement with the carrier and the equalizer gate is sealed with the internal faces of the cavity when in the open position and also when in the closed position.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.