Low-torque disc for a multiple orifice valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326698-B2
Application number	US-202017099243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2020
Priority date	Oct 23, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A disc for a multiple orifice valve includes a disc body and a disc orifice extending through the disc body. A disc surface of the disc body includes a recessed portion and a raised portion that at least partially circumferentially surrounds the recessed portion. The recessed portion is configured not to contact an opposed disc when the disc is assembled within a housing of the multiple orifice valve, and the raised portion is configured to contact the opposed disc when the disc is assembled within the housing of the multiple orifice valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a multiple orifice valve, the method comprising:
rotating a first disc comprising one or more first orifices relative to a second disc comprising one or more second orifices, wherein rotating the first disc comprises rotating the first disc between a first position in which the one or more first orifices at least partially overlap the one or more second orifices to enable flow of a fluid through the multiple orifice valve and a second position in which the one or more first orifices do not overlap the one or more second orifices to block flow of the fluid through the multiple orifice valve; and
flowing the fluid into a recessed portion formed across a center portion in a first disc surface of the first disc to reduce friction between the first disc and the second disc.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising floating the first disc within a housing of the multiple orifice valve to enable to first disc to move axially relative to the second disc in response to changes in a differential pressure across the first disc.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising rotating the first disc between 30 and 180 degrees to adjust the first disc between the first position and the second position.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising flowing the fluid through one or more channels that extend axially through the first disc to provide the fluid into the recessed portion formed in the first disc surface of the first disc.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising forming a metal-to-metal seal between a raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc and a second disc surface of the second disc at least while the first disc is in the second position.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc at least partially circumferentially surrounds the recessed portion formed in the first disc surface of the first disc.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc circumferentially surrounds the one or more first disc orifices of the first disc.

8. The method of claim 5 , comprising aligning the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc with the one or more second disc orifices at least while the first disc is in the second position to form the metal-to-metal seal that surrounds the one or more second disc orifices to block flow of the fluid through the multiple orifice valve.

9. The method of claim 5 , comprising balancing the first disc via diametrically-opposed areas of the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising maintaining the recessed portion across the center portion of the first disc as the first disc rotates between the first position and the second position.

11. The method of claim 1 , comprising rotating the first disc relative to the second disc while a differential pressure across the multiple orifice valve is greater than 50 Megapascals.

12. A method of operating a multiple orifice valve, the method comprising:
rotating a first disc comprising one or more first orifices relative to a second disc comprising one or more second orifices to throttle a fluid through the multiple orifice valve;
forming a metal-to-metal seal between a raised portion of a first disc surface of the first disc and a second disc surface of the second disc; and
flowing the fluid through one or more channels into a recessed portion extending across a center portion of the first disc surface of the first disc.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising flowing the fluid into the recessed portion of the first disc surface of the first disc through the one or more channels that extend axially through the first disc, radially across the raised portion of the first disc surface, or both.

14. The method of claim 12 , comprising aligning the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc with the one or more second disc orifices to form the metal-to-metal seal around the one or more second disc orifices to block flow of the fluid through the multiple orifice valve.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising aligning the one or more first orifices of the first disc with the one or more second disc orifices to enable flow of the fluid through the multiple orifice valve.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising balancing the first disc via diametrically-opposed areas of the raised portion of the first disc surface of the first disc.

17. A method of operating a multiple orifice valve, the method comprising:
flowing a fluid from an upstream end of a housing to a downstream end of the housing through one or more first orifices of a first disc and one or more second orifices of a second disc while the first disc is in a first position relative to the second disc; and
blocking flow of the fluid from the upstream end of the housing to the downstream end of the housing by aligning a raised portion of a first disc surface of the first disc with the one or more second orifices of the second disc to form a seal about the one or more second orifices of the second disc while the first disc is in a second position relative to the second disc;
wherein the fluid flows into a recessed portion formed in a center portion of the first disc surface of the first disc.

18. The method of claim 17 , comprising rotating the first disc within the housing to move the first disc between the first position relative to the second disc and the second position relative to the second disc.

19. The method of claim 17 , comprising flowing the fluid into the recessed portion formed in the center portion of the first disc surface of the first disc through one or more channels that extend axially through the first disc, radially across the raised portion of the first disc surface, or both.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Miller Scott A
• Barkatally Ghulam A
• Martino Jerry A
• Elliott Declan
• Twining Andrew

Classifications

• F16K25/00

  Details relating to contact between valve members and seats (movement of valve members other than for opening and closing F16K29/00) · CPC title

• F16K3/08 Primary

  with circular plates rotatable around their centres · CPC title

• F16K3/085

  the axis of supply passage and the axis of discharge passage being coaxial and parallel to the axis of rotation of the plates · CPC title

• Y10T137/86743

  Rotary · CPC title

• F16K27/045

  with pivotal obturating members · CPC title