Flexible seat ball valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10228065-B2
Application number	US-201615249335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2016
Priority date	Aug 2, 2016
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a ball valve. The ball valve includes a housing, a ball, and a first valve seat assembly. The housing includes a chamber, a first fluid passage intersecting the chamber, and a second fluid passage intersecting the chamber. The ball is disposed in the chamber and is configured to control fluid flow between the first and second fluid passages. The first valve seat assembly is disposed between the ball and the housing. The first valve seat assembly includes a first seat configured to seat against the ball both above and below a pressure threshold, and a second seat configured to seat against the ball only above the pressure threshold, wherein the second seat has a coefficient of friction that is lower than the first seat.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a ball valve, comprising:
a housing having a chamber, a first fluid passage intersecting the chamber, and a second fluid passage intersecting the chamber;
a ball disposed in the chamber, wherein the ball is configured to move to control fluid flow between the first and second fluid passages;
a first valve seat assembly disposed between the ball and the housing, wherein the first valve seat assembly comprises:
a first seat configured to seat against the ball both above and below a pressure threshold, wherein the first seat comprises a bellows portion configured to expand and contract; and
a second seat configured to seat against the ball only above the pressure threshold, wherein the second seat has a coefficient of friction that is lower than the first seat, wherein the first valve seat assembly comprises at least one of:
the bellows portion is biased by one or more springs; or
the second seat comprises a seat insert disposed in a seat ring, wherein the seat ring is configured to contact a wall in the housing formed by a recess, and the first seat is configured to contact the wall in the housing formed by the recess.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seat comprises a first metal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second seat comprises a second metal having the coefficient of friction that is lower than the first metal.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second seat comprises a plastic.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plastic comprises a Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seat comprises one or more curved portions configured to expand and contract.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second seats are coaxial with an axis of the first fluid passage.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bellows portion is biased by the one or more springs.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first seat comprises a protrusion extending away from the bellows portion, and the protrusion is biased by the one or more springs to bias the first and second seats against the ball.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second seat comprises the seat insert disposed in the seat ring, and the seat ring contacts the wall in the housing formed by the recess, and the first seat contacts the wall in the housing formed by the recess.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising a second valve seat assembly disposed between the ball and the housing, wherein the second valve seat assembly comprises:
a third seat configured to seat against the ball both above and below a second pressure threshold; and
a fourth seat configured to seat against the ball only above the second pressure threshold, wherein the fourth seat has a coefficient of friction that is lower than the third seat.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seat is disposed about an axis, and the second seat is disposed about the axis and the first seat.

13. The system of claim 1 , comprising a component of a subterranean well coupled to the ball valve.

14. A system, comprising:
a first valve seat assembly configured to mount between a ball and a housing of a ball valve, wherein the first valve seat assembly comprises:
a first seat configured to seat against the ball both above and below a pressure threshold, wherein the first seat comprises a bellows portion configured to expand and contract; and
a second seat configured to seat against the ball only above the pressure threshold, wherein the second seat has a coefficient of friction that is lower than the first seat, wherein the first valve seat assembly comprises at least one of:
the bellows portion is biased by one or more springs; or
the second seat comprises a seat insert disposed in a seat ring, wherein the seat ring is configured to contact a wall in the housing formed by a recess, and the first seat is configured to contact the wall in the housing formed by the recess.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first seat comprises a first metal, and the second seat comprises a second metal having the coefficient of friction that is lower than the first metal.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first seat comprises a first metal, and the second seat comprises a plastic.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first seat comprises one or more curved portions configured to expand and contract.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second seat comprises the seat insert disposed in the seat ring, wherein the seat ring is configured to contact the wall in the housing formed by the recess, and the first seat is configured to contact the wall in the housing formed by the recess.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the bellows portion is biased by the one or more springs.

20. The system of claim 14 , comprising the ball valve having the first valve seat assembly.

21. A method, comprising:
seating a first seat against a ball of a ball valve both above and below a pressure threshold of a fluid pressure, wherein the first seat comprises a bellows portion configured to expand and contract; and
seating a second seat against the ball only above the pressure threshold when the bellows portion moves a distance relative to the second seat to close a gap between the second seat and the ball in response to the fluid pressure, wherein the second seat has a coefficient of friction that is lower than the first seat, wherein the method comprises at least one of:
biasing the bellows portion with one or more springs; or
contacting the first seat against a wall in a housing formed by a recess and contacting a seat ring of the second seat against the wall in the housing formed by the recess, wherein a seat insert is disposed in the seat ring.

22. The method of claim 21 , comprising the biasing of the bellows portion with the one or more springs.

23. The method of claim 21 , comprising the contacting of the first seat against the wall in the housing formed by the recess and the contacting of the seat ring of the second seat against the wall in the housing formed by the recess, wherein the seat insert is disposed in the seat ring.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Gaburri Edy
• Arcelaschi Augusto

Classifications

• F16K5/201

  with the housing or parts of the housing mechanically pressing the seal against the plug · CPC title

• F16K5/205

  Sealing effected by the flowing medium · CPC title

• F16K5/0673 Primary

  Composite packings · CPC title

• F16K5/0689

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16K27/067

  with spherical plugs · CPC title