Ball valve having dual pistons each individually actuable
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsPeter DW Inglis, Katherine Ann Davies
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Ball valve assembly (100) including a truncated sphere (140) anchored in a two cylindrical retaining members (48, 50) of the ball valve assembly (100), the truncated sphere (140) having a spherical cap sealing face (142). The ball valve assembly (100) also includes a pair of concentrically oriented, tubular sealing pistons (120, 130), each piston (120, 130) exclusively actuable, one relative to the other, into fluid pressured sealing engagement with the spherical cap sealing face (142) in dependence upon whether an experienced fluid pressure at the ball valve assembly (100) is from a top side (102) or an opposite bottom side (104) of the ball valve assembly (100).
Claims20
A ball valve assembly for inclusion in a pipe string of a subterranean well, the ball valve assembly comprising:
- a truncated sphere anchored in two cylindrical retaining members of the ball valve assembly, the truncated sphere having a spherical cap sealing face;
- and
- a pair of concentrically oriented, tubular sealing pistons, each piston exclusively actuable, one relative to the other, into fluid pressured sealing engagement with the spherical cap sealing face in dependence upon whether an experienced fluid pressure at the ball valve assembly is from a top side or an opposite bottom side of the ball valve assembly
- wherein the experienced fluid pressure engages only one of the pair of concentrically oriented, tubular sealing pistons into fluid pressure sealing engagement with the spherical sealing cap face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.