Ball valve seal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879789-B2
Application number	US-201414565019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a ball valve seal having a main body and a seal finger extending from the main body, wherein the seal finger is configured to extend from the main body and contact and flex against an outer surface of a ball body of the ball valve seal when the ball valve is assembled.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ball valve, comprising:
a valve body;
a ball body disposed within the valve body; and
a first seal supported by the valve body, wherein the first seal comprises:
a first main body; and
a first seal finger extending from the first main body and contacting an outer surface of the ball body, wherein the first seal finger is configured to be biased towards the outer surface of the ball body by a fluid flow in the ball valve exerting pressure in a first fluid energizing chamber between the first main body and the first seal finger, wherein a convex surface of the first seal finger contacts the outer surface of the ball body, and wherein the convex surface extends along a first length of the first seal finger from a first bottom of first fluid energizing chamber at the first main body to a distal end of the first seal finger.

2. The ball valve of claim 1 , wherein the first seal comprises an annular seal having the first main body and the first seal finger extending circumferentially about a first central axis.

3. The ball valve of claim 2 , wherein the first bottom of the first fluid energizing chamber at the first main body comprises a cylindrical surface extending along the first central axis.

4. The ball valve of claim 2 , wherein the annular seal has an axial length extending from a first axial end to an opposite second axial end along the first central axis, the first finger is disposed along a first length of the axial length, the first fluid energizing chamber is disposed along a second length of the axial length, and the second length is greater than the first length.

5. The ball valve of claim 2 , wherein the annular seal has a radial length from an outermost radius to an innermost radius, and the convex surfaces extends along greater than half of the radial length.

6. The ball valve of claim 1 , comprising a second seal supported by the valve body, wherein the second seal comprises a second main body and a second seal finger extending from the second main body and contacting the outer surface of the ball body, wherein the first seal and the second seal each comprise an annular configuration, the first seal is disposed on a first side of the ball body, and the second seal is disposed on a second side of the ball body opposite the first side.

7. The ball valve of claim 6 , wherein the first seal and the second seal are each configured to be disposed about an opening of the ball body when the ball valve is in an open position.

8. The ball valve of claim 1 , wherein the first seal is formed from titanium or cobalt-chrome.

9. The ball valve of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the ball body, or both comprise a surface treatment and/or a surface coating.

10. The ball valve of claim 9 , wherein the surface treatment and/or the surface coating comprises a carbon-based material.

11. A system, comprising:
a ball valve seal, comprising:
a main body; and
a seal finger extending from the main body,
wherein the main body is formed from a first metallic material, the seal finger is formed from a second metallic material, the seal finger comprises a surface coating, the seal finger is configured to be biased toward a ball body of a ball valve by a fluid flow in the ball valve exerting pressure in a fluid energizing chamber between the main body and the seal finger, a convex surface of the seal finger is configured to contact the ball body, and wherein the convex surface extends along a length of the seal finger from a bottom of fluid energizing chamber at the main body to a distal end of the seal finger.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second metallic material comprises titanium or cobalt-chrome.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the ball valve seal comprises an annular configuration.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the seal finger comprises an elongated portion configured to flex against the ball body of the ball valve when the ball valve seal is installed within the ball valve.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the surface coating comprises a carbon-based coating.

16. A ball valve, comprising:
a valve body;
a ball body disposed within the valve body;
a first seal supported by the valve body, wherein the first seal comprises:
a first main body; and
a first seal finger extending from the first main body and contacting an outer surface of the ball body, wherein the first seal finger is configured to be biased toward the outer surface of the ball body by a fluid within the ball valve exerting pressure in a first fluid energizing chamber between the first main body and the first seal finger, wherein a first convex surface of the first seal finger contacts the outer surface of the ball body, and wherein the first convex surface extends along a first length of the first seal finger from a first bottom of first fluid energizing chamber at the first main body to a first distal end of the first seal finger; and

a second seal supported by the valve body, wherein the second seal comprises:
a second main body; and
a second seal finger extending from the second main body and contacting the outer surface of the ball body, wherein the second seal finger is configured to be biased toward the outer surface of the ball body by the fluid within the ball valve exerting pressure in a second fluid energizing chamber between the second main body and the second seal finger, wherein a second convex surface of the second seal finger contacts the outer surface of the ball body, and wherein the second convex surface extends along a second length of the second seal finger from a second bottom of second fluid energizing chamber at the second main body to a second distal end of the second seal finger,

wherein the first seal is disposed on a first side of the ball body, and the second seal is disposed on a second side of the ball body opposite the first side.

17. The ball valve of claim 16 , wherein the first seal and the second seal each comprise an annular configuration.

18. The ball valve of claim 16 , comprising a first seal housing supported by the valve body, and a second seal housing supported by the valve body, wherein the first seal is supported by the first seal housing, and the second seal is supported by the second seal housing.

19. The ball valve of claim 18 , comprising a first additional seal disposed between the first seal and the first seal housing and a second additional seal disposed between the second seal and the second seal housing, wherein the first and second additional seals each comprises an elastomer.

20. The ball valve of claim 16 , wherein the first seal finger comprises a first surface coating, the second seal finger comprises a second surface coating, and the outer surface of the ball body comprises a third surface coating.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Webb Ronald Wayne

Classifications

• F16J15/3284

  characterised by their structure; Selection of materials · CPC title

• F16K5/208

  with tongue-shaped means · CPC title

• F16K5/0689 Primary

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16K5/0668

  Single packings · CPC title

• F16K5/0678

  in which only one of the components of the composite packing is contacting the plug · CPC title