Seal and valve apparatus having such a seal, as well as method for sealing a valve apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12163601-B2
Application number	US-202217836295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2022
Priority date	Jun 11, 2021
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

A valve apparatus, in particular a ball valve apparatus, is provided. The apparatus includes a housing device having at least one fluid port, a closure body, wherein the closure body includes an axis of rotation about which the closure body can be rotated in a direction of rotation in order to release and close the fluid port, wherein the fluid port includes a seal for sealing abutment against the closure body. The seal includes a first and a second sealing lip, wherein the sealing lips are configured such that, during operation, only one seal sealingly abuts against the closure body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve apparatus, comprising:
a housing device having at least one fluid port,
a closure body, wherein the closure body comprises an axis of rotation about which the closure body can be rotated in a direction of rotation in order to release and close the fluid port, wherein the fluid port comprises a seal for sealing abutment against the closure body;
wherein the seal comprises a first sealing lip and a second sealing lip, wherein the first and second sealing lips are configured such that, during operation, at least during an operating state, only one of the first sealing lip or the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein the seal is configured such that, as a function of a pressure difference between a port side of the valve apparatus and a valve side of the valve apparatus, the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip alternately abut sealingly against the closure body in such a way that, when the port side is exposed to a higher pressure than the valve side in a first operating state, only the first sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body, and when the valve side is exposed to a higher pressure than the port side in a second operating state, only the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip are arranged at an angle greater than 120° with respect to one another.

2. The valve apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the closure body is approximately spherical or spherically segmented or approximately cylindrical, wherein the first and second sealing lips alternately abut sealingly against a curved surface of the closure body.

3. The valve apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first sealing lip extends in a first direction approximately orthogonally to a through-flow direction of the fluid port and approximately parallel to the curved surface of the closure body and the second sealing lip extends approximately in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and approximately parallel to the curved surface of the closure body.

4. The valve apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the seal comprises an approximately tubular assembly portion and an approximately annular sealing portion, wherein the tubular assembly portion is connected to a tubular portion of the fluid port, and wherein a radially circumferential sealing device is provided for sealing abutment against the fluid port and/or that the seal comprises an approximately tubular flange portion, which is formed from a harder material than the seal and is connected to the assembly portion of the seal by a 2-component injection molding method.

5. The valve apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the seal comprises a flap portion configured such that the seal folds along the flap portion, in response to pressure conditions at the port side and the valve side, such that only the first sealing lip or only the second sealing lip abuts sealingly against the closure body.

6. The valve apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one release recess for releasing the fluid port is configured in a closure body surface, wherein the first sealing lip extends in a direction of the release recess of the closure body and wherein the second sealing lip extends away from the release recess.

7. A method for sealing a valve apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
sealing abutment of only the first sealing lip against the closure body when the port side is exposed to a higher pressure than a valve side in the first operating state of the closure body, and
sealing abutment of only the second sealing lip against the closure body when the valve side is exposed to a higher pressure than the port side in the second operating state.

8. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the seal comprises a flap portion, wherein the seal folds along the flap portion in such a way that:
only the first sealing lip abuts sealingly against the closure body when the port side of the closure body is exposed to a higher pressure than the valve side, and only the second sealing lip abuts sealingly against the closure body when the valve side of the closure body is exposed to a higher pressure than the port side.

9. A valve apparatus, comprising:
a housing device having at least one fluid port,
a closure body, wherein the closure body comprises an axis of rotation about which the closure body can be rotated in a direction of rotation in order to release and close the fluid port, wherein the fluid port comprises a seal for sealing abutment against the closure body;
wherein the seal comprises a first sealing lip and a second sealing lip, wherein the first and second sealing lips are configured such that, during operation, at least during an operating state, only one of the first sealing lip or the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein the seal is configured such that, as a function of a pressure difference between a port side of the valve apparatus and a valve side of the valve apparatus, the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip alternately abut sealingly against the closure body in such a way that, when the port side is exposed to a higher pressure than the valve side in a first operating state, only the first sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body, and when the valve side is exposed to a higher pressure than the port side in a second operating state, only the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein the closure body is approximately spherical or spherically segmented or approximately cylindrical, wherein the first and second sealing lips alternately abut sealingly against a curved surface of the closure body;
wherein the first sealing lip extends in a first direction approximately orthogonally to a through-flow direction of the fluid port and approximately parallel to the curved surface of the closure body and the second sealing lip extends approximately in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and approximately parallel to the curved surface of the closure body.

10. A valve apparatus, comprising:
a housing device having at least one fluid port,
a closure body, wherein the closure body comprises an axis of rotation about which the closure body can be rotated in a direction of rotation in order to release and close the fluid port, wherein the fluid port comprises a seal for sealing abutment against the closure body;
wherein the seal comprises a first sealing lip and a second sealing lip, wherein the first and second sealing lips are configured such that, during operation, at least during an operating state, only one of the first sealing lip or the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein the seal is configured such that, as a function of a pressure difference between a port side of the valve apparatus and a valve side of the valve apparatus, the first sealing lip and the second sealing lip alternately abut sealingly against the closure body in such a way that, when the port side is exposed to a higher pressure than the valve side in a first operating state, only the first sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body, and when the valve side is exposed to a higher pressure than the port side in a second operating state, only the second sealing lip sealingly abuts against the closure body;
wherein at least one release recess for releasing the fluid port is configured in a closure body surface, wherein the first sealing lip extends in a direction of the release recess of the closure body and wherein the second sealing lip extends away from the release recess.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Hauk Torsten

Classifications

• F16K5/205

  Sealing effected by the flowing medium · CPC title

• F16K5/188

  Sealing effected by the flowing medium · CPC title

• F16K5/0689

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16K5/0471

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16J15/3236

  with at least one lip for each surface, e.g. U-cup packings · CPC title