Deep sea ball valve full sealing structure

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of valve sealing structures, and provides a full-sealing structure of a deep-sea ball valve, which comprises a valve cover, a ball, a power supply assembly, a ceramic disc, a driving assembly and a limiting assembly; a wire hole is arranged in the center of the valve cover, and the wire of the power supply assembly enters the valve body from the wire hole; the power supply assembly comprises a wire, a wire tube and a sealing assembly, the wire tube is installed in the wire hole of the valve cover, the wire is installed in the wire tube, and the sealing assembly is arranged between the wire and the wire tube and between the wire tube and the valve cover; the driving assembly comprises an impeller and a magnet; the disc body of the ceramic disc is fixedly connected with the ball, the center cavity is installed with the magnet, the outer side annular cavity is filled with metal fluid or electrolyte solution, the impeller is installed on the annular partition plate and the blades are immersed in the metal fluid or electrolyte solution; and the limiting assembly limits the rotating range of the ceramic disc and the ball. The application changes the dynamic sealing at the valve rod into static sealing, and can more effectively seal the ball valve in the deep-sea environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of valve sealing structure technology, specifically to a fully sealed structure for a deep-sea ball valve that can guarantee both static and dynamic sealing effects in deep-sea environments. Background Technology

[0002] Ball valves are a common type of fluid control valve. Their working principle involves controlling the flow of fluid by rotating a ball. Ball valves are characterized by their simple structure, good sealing performance, and ease of operation, and are widely used in industries such as petroleum, chemical, metallurgy, and power. Deep-sea ball valves are crucial control components in subsea pipeline systems, playing a vital role in the safe transportation of subsea oil and gas.

[0003] Subsea valves operate in the deep sea, enduring not only seawater corrosion but also external seawater pressure and complex seabed conditions. Therefore, the sealing performance of deep-sea ball valves is crucial. If a deep-sea ball valve leaks or seawater enters the valve body, it can affect the equipment and systems connected to the valve. This could lead to equipment damage or failure, consequently impacting the operation and safety of deep-sea workstations or platforms.

[0004] The internal seal of a ball valve is an elastic seal, with the ball sealing the fluid through the contact area between itself and the valve seat. For deep-sea ball valves, the pressure and corrosiveness of seawater have little impact on the internal seal, but are more related to the external seal. Current ball valve structures generally use a valve stem for opening and closing, and packing or similar materials are used to seal the stem. Tightening the packing ensures a tight seal between the packing and the stem. However, in the deep-sea environment, during stem rotation, the gap between the exposed stem and the valve body is easily affected by the high pressure and corrosion of seawater, leading to failure and leakage. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, the technical problem this invention aims to solve is that deep-sea ball valves, due to their stem extension structure, are prone to leakage during opening and closing due to stem rotation and the gap between the stem and valve body. This invention designs a fully sealed deep-sea ball valve structure that alters the ball's rotation method, enabling a more perfect seal in deep-sea environments and reducing the likelihood of leakage or seawater ingress.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a fully sealed structure for a deep-sea ball valve, comprising a valve cover, a ball, a power supply assembly, a ceramic disc, a drive assembly, and a limit assembly.

[0007] A wire hole is provided in the center of the valve cover, through which the power supply component's wires enter the valve body.

[0008] The power supply assembly includes wires, conduits, and sealing components. The conduits are installed in the wire holes of the valve cover, and the wires are installed inside the conduits. Sealing components are provided between the wires and the conduits, and between the conduits and the valve cover. There are two wires, one positive and one negative.

[0009] The drive assembly includes an impeller and a magnet. The impeller includes a base, a central column, and blades. The central column has a through hole and is fixedly connected to a ceramic disc. The impeller base is connected to two wires.

[0010] The ceramic disc is fixedly connected to the sphere. The ceramic disc is flat and disc-shaped, with two cavities inside formed by an annular partition. A magnet is installed in the central cavity, and the outer annular cavity is filled with a metal fluid or electrolyte solution. An impeller is mounted on the annular partition, and its blades are immersed in the metal fluid or electrolyte solution.

[0011] The limiting component restricts the rotation range of the ceramic disc and sphere to 0 to 90 degrees.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the fully sealed structure includes a sealing gasket, a V-shaped packing, a packing gasket, an O-ring, a retaining ring, and a first sealant, wherein the space between the wire and the conduit is filled with the first sealant.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, in the fully sealed structure, a connector tube is provided on the ceramic disk, a wire enters the ceramic disk from the connector tube, and a second sealant is filled between the wire and the connector tube.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the first sealant and the second sealant are polyvinyl chloride.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, in the fully sealed structure, a bearing is installed between the outer side of the ceramic disc and the valve body, and a thrust bearing is installed between the top of the ceramic disc and the valve body.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, in the fully sealed structure, a plurality of slots are provided on the outer side of the annular partition, and a limiting block is provided in the through hole of the impeller. The limiting block is inserted into the slot at the ceramic disk to achieve circumferential limiting.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the fully sealed structure wherein the metal fluid is mercury.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the fully sealed structure wherein the conduit is made of ceramic material.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the lower part of the wire is configured as a multi-turn spiral.

[0020] According to another embodiment of the present invention or any of the foregoing embodiments, the fully sealed structure includes a limiting component comprising a roller, a ball bearing, a rotating rod, and a base. The base is fixed to the top of the ceramic disc and is a perforated boss. The rotating rod is inserted into the base, and a ball bearing is mounted on the rotating rod. A roller is mounted on the outer ring of the ball bearing. An arc-shaped groove is provided at the bottom of the valve cover, and the roller cooperates with the arc-shaped groove and can rotate within the arc-shaped groove.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] The deep-sea ball valve fully sealed structure provided by this invention changes the original method of opening the valve by rotating the valve stem to using a drive device to open the valve. This changes the dynamic seal at the valve stem to a static seal, enabling more effective sealing of the ball valve in deep-sea environments and reducing the probability of large-scale leakage and seepage in deep-sea environments. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fully sealed structure of the deep-sea ball valve described in this invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the fully sealed structure of the deep-sea ball valve described in this invention;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of part A;

[0026] Figure 4 This is an enlarged three-dimensional schematic diagram of the driving component, ceramic disk, sphere, power supply component, and limiting component described in this invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is an enlarged three-dimensional schematic diagram of the power supply component described in this invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is an enlarged exploded view of the power supply component described in this invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the valve seat, ceramic disc, ball, and limiting assembly described in this invention.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection of the magnet, ceramic disc, and impeller described in this invention;

[0031] Figure 9 These are front and perspective views of the first embodiment of the impeller described in this invention;

[0032] Figure 10These are front and perspective views of the impeller embodiment two described in this invention;

[0033] In the diagram: 100, valve cover; 101, arc-shaped groove; 102, wire hole;

[0034] 200. Power supply assembly; 201. Wire; 202. Conduit; 203. Sealing gasket; 204. V-shaped packing; 205. Packing gasket; 206. O-ring; 207. Retaining ring; 208. First sealant;

[0035] 300. Ceramic disc; 301. Thrust bearing; 302. Bearing bush; 303. Disc body; 304. Connector tube; 305. Second sealant; 306. Annular partition plate;

[0036] 400. Drive assembly; 401. Impeller; 402. Blade; 403. Magnet;

[0037] 500, sphere;

[0038] 600, Limiting component; 601, Roller; 602, Bearing; 603, Rotating rod; 604, Base. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, a fully sealed structure for a deep-sea ball valve includes a valve cover 100, a ball 500, a power supply assembly 200, a ceramic disc 300, a drive assembly 400, and a limit assembly 600. Figure 1 , 7 As shown, a wire hole 102 is provided at the center of the valve cover 100, and the wire 201 of the power supply assembly 200 enters the valve body through the wire hole 102. Figure 5 , 6 As shown, the power supply assembly 200 includes a wire 201, a conduit 202, and a sealing assembly. The conduit 202 is installed in the wire hole 102 of the valve cover 100. The wire 201 is installed inside the conduit 202. A sealing assembly is provided between the wire 201 and the conduit 202, and between the conduit 202 and the valve cover 100. There are two wires 201, one positive and one negative. The conduit 202 is preferably made of ceramic material. The lower part of the wire 201 is arranged in a multi-turn spiral shape. The wire 201 is connected to the surface power source through a submarine cable. The wire 201 is divided into positive and negative wires inside the cable, and the current direction is changed by reversing the wire connection.

[0041] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 8, the drive assembly 400 includes an impeller 401 and a magnet 403. The impeller 401 includes a base, a central column, and blades 402. The central column has a through hole and is fixedly connected to the ceramic disc 300. The base of the impeller 401 is connected to two wires 201. Figure 9 , 10 As shown, the impeller 401 has two design schemes, both ultimately aiming to increase the driving force of mercury on the sphere 500. During the slow rotation of the sphere 500, the wire 201 is stretched. When the rotation angle reaches 90 degrees, the limiting device prevents the sphere 500 from continuing to rotate, allowing the valve to fully open. To close the valve, the positive and negative terminals of the wire 201 are reversed; the wire 201 retracts, the sphere 500 rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise, and the valve closes.

[0042] like Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the ceramic disc 300 has its body 303 fixedly connected to the sphere 500. The ceramic disc 300's body 303 is a flat disc shape, internally divided into two cavities by an annular partition 306. A magnet 403 is installed in the central cavity, and the outer annular cavity is filled with a metal fluid or electrolyte solution. The impeller 401 is mounted on the annular partition 306, and its blades 402 are immersed in the metal fluid or electrolyte solution, preferably mercury. Multiple slots are provided on the outer side of the annular partition 306, and a limiting block is provided in the through hole of the impeller 401. The limiting block is inserted into the slot at the ceramic disc 300 to achieve circumferential limiting. Figure 5 , 6 As shown, the sealing assembly includes a sealing gasket 203, a V-shaped packing 204, a packing gasket 205, an O-ring 206, a retaining ring 207, and a first sealant 208. The space between the wire 201 and the conduit 202 is filled with the first sealant 208. A connector tube 304 is provided on the ceramic disc 300, and the wire 201 enters the ceramic disc 300 through the connector tube 304. The space between the wire 201 and the connector tube 304 is filled with a second sealant 305. The first sealant 208 and the second sealant 305 are preferably made of polyvinyl chloride.

[0043] like Figure 7 , 8As shown, the limiting component 600 restricts the rotation range of the ceramic disc 300 and the ball 500 to 0 to 90 degrees. A bearing 302 is installed between the outer side of the ceramic disc 300 and the valve body, and a thrust bearing 301 is installed between the top of the ceramic disc 300 and the valve body. The limiting component 600 includes a roller 601, a ball bearing 602, a rotating rod 603, and a base 604. The base 604 is fixed to the top of the ceramic disc 300 and is a perforated boss. The rotating rod 603 is inserted into the base 604, and the ball bearing 602 is installed on the rotating rod 603. The roller 601 is installed on the outer ring of the ball bearing 602. An arc-shaped groove 101 is provided at the bottom of the valve cover 100, and the roller 601 cooperates with the arc-shaped groove 101 and can rotate within the arc-shaped groove 101.

[0044] Working principle of the invention:

[0045] This invention primarily addresses the problem of poor dynamic sealing performance of existing ball valves under high pressure and high corrosion conditions when the valve stem rotates the ball 500 to open and close the valve in deep-sea environments. The solution is to modify the valve opening and closing mechanism, changing the valve stem rotation to a Lorentz force-driven mechanism that rotates the ball 500. The advantage of this approach is that when the ball 500 rotates, the wires 201 and conduit 202 on the valve cover 100 do not rotate, achieving a static seal and preventing seepage and leakage caused by rotational gaps.

[0046] When the valve needs to be opened, electricity is applied, causing current to flow from the positive terminal through wire 201 to the impeller 401. This charges the mercury or other metallic fluid or electrolyte solution in the ceramic disc 300 before flowing out from the negative terminal. Wire 201 is surrounded by sealant to achieve a seal and prevent seawater corrosion. The ceramic disc 300 is a hollow U-shape, with a magnet 403 in the center to generate a magnetic field, and mercury or other metallic fluid or electrolyte solution around its perimeter. The impeller 401 is immersed in this fluid. The mercury or other metallic fluid or electrolyte solution rotates under the combined action of the magnetic and electric fields, pushing the impeller 401. The impeller 401 is fixedly connected to the ceramic disc 300, which provides insulation and corrosion resistance. The contact point between the ceramic disc 300 and the sphere 500 is welded to ensure a tight seal. The ceramic disc 300 and the ball 500 are welded together. A bearing 302 connected to the valve body is installed on the outside of the ceramic disc 300. A thrust bearing 301 is installed on the top of the ceramic disc 300. The mercury will transmit force to the ceramic disc 300 and the ball 500, causing the ball 500 to rotate.

[0047] When the polarity of the power supply is changed, the mercury reverses, causing the sphere to reverse 500 degrees.

[0048] The drive component 400 is connected to the power supply component 200, such as Figure 2 , 3As shown in Figure 8, the system includes an impeller 401, a magnet 403, and a wire 201 connected to the impeller 401 to bring current into it. Charged particles moving in the magnetic field generated by the magnet 403 experience a Lorentz force. Since the conductivity of metallic fluids such as mercury or electrolyte solutions relies on the directional movement of particles, the mercury flowing through the magnetic field will be subjected to a force and rotate, driving the impeller 401. The impeller 401 is immersed in a ceramic disk 300, which is welded to a sphere 500. Ultimately, the rotation of the sphere 500 achieves the driving effect. When energized, the mercury rotates along the ceramic disk 300 under the magnetic field, driving the impeller 401. The special design of the impeller 401 makes it easier for electrolyte solutions such as mercury to drive it. Adding talc to the mercury increases its conductivity.

[0049] The impeller 401 was designed with two schemes, such as... Figure 9 , 10 As shown, they share the common feature of mounting blade 402 at right angles to the engine shaft, without any twist. The differences are... Figure 9 The blades 402 are interlaced, which increases the number of times the impeller 401 is struck by electrolyte solutions such as mercury, thereby improving working efficiency. Figure 10 There are two rows of blades. Mercury moves upward along the first row of blades 402, giving the impeller 401 a thrust. After moving upward, it will collide with the second row of blades 402, giving the impeller 401 a secondary thrust. The purpose of both types of impellers 401 is to reduce energy loss and increase the rotational power of the impeller 401.

[0050] The impeller 401 and the ceramic disc 300 are fitted together by a stop block at the impeller 401 inserting into a groove at the ceramic disc 300. The wire 201 is inserted into the top of the ceramic disc 300 and sealed and secured using a second sealant 305. The tail of the wire 201 is spiral-shaped, primarily to allow the spiral to stretch during valve opening and contract during valve closing. This design prevents movement at both ends of the wire 201, converting a dynamic seal into a static seal.

[0051] Because the rotation angle of the ball 500 cannot be precisely controlled when the mercury is driven by electric current, the deep-sea ball valve of this invention, with its fully sealed structure, is equipped with a limiting component 600 to restrict the rotation angle of the ball 500, preventing damage during rotation and limiting the valve to 90 degrees for full opening and closing. The limiting device is as follows: Figure 7As shown, the valve includes an arc-shaped groove 101 on the valve cover 100, a roller 601, a bearing 602, a rotating rod 603, and a base 604. The lower end of the rotating rod 603 is inserted into a hole in the base 604 at the upper end of the ceramic disc 300; the middle of the rotating rod 603 is thicker than both ends, which allows the limiting block to withstand greater lateral loads and prevents the rotating rod 603 from breaking; a bearing 602 is fixed to its upper part, allowing the roller 601 to be mounted on the bearing 602 and move in the arc-shaped groove 101 below the valve cover 100, thus enabling the valve to open and close fully. The installation of the bearing 602 and the roller 601 is to reduce friction and improve mechanical efficiency.

[0052] The conductor 201 assembly includes conductor 201, conduit 202, sealing gasket 203, V-shaped packing 204, packing gasket 205, O-ring 206, retaining ring 207, and first sealant 208. The first sealant 208 is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is simple in structure, lightweight, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and has good sealing performance. The seal at conductor 201 is a static seal, employing a multi-layered sealing method to prevent external leakage, including the following three parts: ① a downward-opening V-shaped packing 204, such as... Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 6; ② An O-ring seal in the shape of an arc, such as... Figure 3 , 6 As shown. ③ Wrap wire 201 with sealant, as shown. Figure 6 As shown.

[0053] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0054] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may modify the present invention or modify it into an equivalent technical solution using the technical solutions described above. Therefore, any simple modifications or equivalent substitutions made based on the technical solutions of the present invention are within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully sealed structure for a deep-sea ball valve, comprising a valve cover (100) and a ball (500), characterized in that: It also includes a power supply assembly (200), a ceramic disc (300), a drive assembly (400), and a limit assembly (600). The valve cover (100) has a wire hole (102) at its center, and the wire (201) of the power supply assembly (200) enters the valve body through the wire hole (102). The power supply assembly (200) includes a wire (201), a conduit (202), and a sealing assembly. The conduit (202) is installed in the wire hole (102) of the valve cover (100). The wire (201) is installed inside the conduit (202). A sealing assembly is provided between the wire (201) and the conduit (202), and between the conduit (202) and the valve cover (100). There are two wires (201), one positive and one negative. The drive assembly (400) includes an impeller (401) and a magnet (403). The impeller (401) includes a base, a central column, and blades (402). The central column has a through hole and is fixedly connected to a ceramic disc (300). The base of the impeller (401) is connected to two wires (201). The ceramic disc (300) has its disc body (303) fixedly connected to the sphere (500). The disc body (303) of the ceramic disc (300) is flat and disc-shaped. The interior is divided into two cavities by an annular partition (306). A magnet (403) is installed in the central cavity, and the outer annular cavity is filled with a metal fluid or electrolyte solution. An impeller (401) is installed on the annular partition (306), and the blades (402) are immersed in the metal fluid or electrolyte solution. The limiting component (600) restricts the rotation range of the ceramic disc (300) and the sphere (500) to 0 to 90 degrees.

2. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing assembly includes a sealing gasket (203), a V-shaped filler (204), a filler gasket (205), an O-ring (206), a retaining ring (207), and a first sealant (208). The first sealant (208) is filled between the wire (201) and the conduit (202).

3. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: A connector tube (304) is provided on the ceramic disc (300), and a wire (201) enters the ceramic disc (300) from the connector tube (304). A second sealant (305) is filled between the wire (201) and the connector tube (304).

4. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first sealant (208) and the second sealant (305) are polyvinyl chloride.

5. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bearing bush (302) is installed between the outer side of the ceramic disc (300) and the valve body, and a thrust bearing (301) is installed between the top of the ceramic disc (300) and the valve body.

6. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular partition (306) has multiple slots on its outer side, and a limiting block is provided in the through hole of the impeller (401). The limiting block is inserted into the slot at the ceramic disk (300) to achieve circumferential limiting.

7. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metallic fluid is mercury.

8. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conduit (202) is made of ceramic material.

9. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower part of the conductor (201) is configured as a multi-turn spiral.

10. The fully sealed structure of a deep-sea ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting component (600) includes a roller (601), a ball bearing (602), a rotating rod (603), and a base (604). The base (604) is fixed on the top of the ceramic disc (300) and is a perforated boss. The rotating rod (603) is inserted into the base (604), and a ball bearing (602) is installed on the rotating rod (603). A roller (601) is installed on the outer ring of the ball bearing (602). An arc-shaped groove (101) is provided at the bottom of the valve cover (100). The roller (601) cooperates with the arc-shaped groove (101) and can rotate within the arc-shaped groove (101).

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