Ball valve with pistoning seating surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11649902-B2
Application number	US-202217650166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2022
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

Valves having seats and counterseats that can be moved by fluid within the valve. In one embodiment, a valve includes a flow control assembly inside a body. The flow control assembly includes a ball rotatable between an open position and a closed position to control flow, a seat installed on the ball, and a counterseat installed in the body. The seat and the counterseat can move radially with respect to the ball and have mating surfaces that engage and seal against one another when the ball is in the closed position. The flow control assembly allows pressurized fluid in the body to cause net forces on the seat and the counterseat that push the seat and the counterseat toward each other when the ball is in the closed position. Additional valve systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve comprising:
a body; and
a flow control assembly inside the body, the flow control assembly including:
a ball rotatable between an open position and a closed position to control flow through the body;
a seat installed on the ball in a manner that permits radial movement of the seat with respect to the ball inside the body; and
a counterseat installed in the body in a manner that permits radial movement of the counterseat with respect to the ball inside the body, the seat and the counterseat having mating surfaces that engage one another when the ball is in the closed position such that the seat seals against the counterseat within the body along the mating surfaces;
wherein the flow control assembly is configured to allow pressurized fluid in the body to enter a region between the seat and the ball and a region between the counterseat and the body so as to cause a net force on the seat from the pressurized fluid that pushes the seat away from the ball and against the counterseat when the ball is in the closed position and a net force on the counterseat from the pressurized fluid that pushes the counterseat toward the ball and against the seat when the ball is in the closed position and wherein the flow control assembly is configured such that the pressurized fluid pushes the seat toward the ball and away from the counterseat when the ball is rotated from the closed position to the open position.

2. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the flow control assembly includes:
an additional seat installed on the ball in a manner that permits radial movement of the additional seat with respect to the ball inside the body; and
an additional counterseat installed in the body in a manner that permits radial movement of the additional counterseat with respect to the ball inside the body, the additional seat and the additional counterseat having mating surfaces that engage one another when the ball is in the closed position such that the additional seat seals against the additional counterseat within the body along the mating surfaces of the additional seat and the additional counterseat.

3. The valve of claim 2 , wherein the flow control assembly is configured such that, during operation, the additional seat and the additional counterseat push against one another when the ball is in the closed position.

4. The valve of claim 3 , wherein the flow control assembly is configured such that the pressurized fluid pushes the additional counterseat away from the ball and away from the additional seat when the ball is rotated from the closed position to the open position.

5. The valve of claim 1 , comprising a retainer attached to the ball to retain the seat on the ball.

6. The valve of claim 5 , wherein the retainer includes a retaining ring attached to the ball.

7. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the seat is spring-biased in a first radial direction away from the ball and the counterseat is spring-biased in a second radial direction toward the ball.

8. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a trunnion-mounted ball valve.

9. A valve comprising:
a hollow valve body having an inlet and an outlet;
a ball positioned within the hollow valve body, wherein the ball is rotatable between an open position and a closed position to control flow through the hollow valve body from the inlet to the outlet;
an upstream sealing assembly within the body on an inlet side of the ball, wherein the upstream sealing assembly includes a seat coupled to rotate with the ball inside the hollow valve body between the open and closed positions and a counterseat installed in the body; and
a downstream sealing assembly within the body on an outlet side of the ball, wherein the downstream sealing assembly also includes a seat coupled to rotate with the ball inside the hollow valve body between the open and closed positions and a counterseat installed in the body;
wherein the counterseat of the upstream sealing assembly and the counterseat of the downstream sealing assembly are movable within the hollow valve body along a flow path from the inlet to the outlet during valve operation, and the seat of the upstream sealing assembly and the seat of the downstream sealing assembly are radially movable with respect to the ball during valve operation,
wherein the valve is configured such that, when the ball is in the closed position during valve operation, fluid pressure on the upstream sealing assembly causes the seat of the upstream sealing assembly to push toward the counterseat of the upstream sealing assembly and the counterseat of the upstream sealing assembly to push toward the seat of the upstream sealing assembly, and
wherein the valve is configured such that, when rotating the ball from the closed position to the open position during valve operation, the fluid pressure on the upstream sealing assembly causes the seat of the upstream sealing assembly to reverse direction and push toward the ball and away from the counterseat of the upstream sealing assembly.

10. The valve of claim 9 , wherein the valve is configured such that, when rotating the ball from the closed position to the open position during valve operation, fluid pressure on the downstream sealing assembly causes the seat of the downstream sealing assembly to push toward the counterseat of the downstream sealing assembly and the counterseat of the downstream sealing assembly to push away from the seat of the downstream sealing assembly.

11. A method comprising:
receiving fluid in a ball valve having: a hollow main body, a ball rotatable within the hollow main body between an open position and a closed position to control flow of the fluid through the ball valve, a seat disposed on and rotatable with the ball, and a counterseat in the hollow main body;
rotating the ball to the closed position, wherein rotating the ball to the closed position causes: the seat to seal against the counterseat, and pressure from the fluid to push the seat away from the ball and against the counterseat; and
rotating the ball from the closed position toward the open position, wherein rotating the ball from the closed position toward the open position causes the seat to contract radially inward with respect to the ball and to separate from the counterseat.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein rotating the ball to the closed position causes the fluid to push the counterseat toward the ball and against the seat, and rotating the ball from the closed position toward the open position causes the fluid to push the seat toward the ball and away from the counterseat while the fluid continues to push the counterseat toward the ball.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the seat and the counterseat are positioned on the upstream side of the ball within the hollow main body when the ball is in the closed position such that rotating the ball to the closed position causes the fluid to push the seat away from the ball opposite a flow direction through the ball valve and causes the fluid to push the counterseat toward the ball in the flow direction through the ball valve.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ball valve includes an additional seat disposed on and rotatable with the ball and an additional counterseat in the hollow main body, and the additional seat and the additional counterseat are positioned on the downstream side of the ball within the hollow main body when the ball is in the closed position such that rotating the ball to the closed position causes the additional seat to seal against the additional counterseat.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein rotating the ball from the closed

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Roppolo Brian
• Daglio Alberto
• Schenk Clayton

Classifications

• F16K5/0684 Primary

  on the plug · CPC title

• F16K5/0689

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16K5/204 Primary

  with the plugs or parts of the plugs mechanically pressing the seals against the housing · CPC title

• F16K5/205

  Sealing effected by the flowing medium · CPC title

• F16K27/067

  with spherical plugs · CPC title