Low-torque quick-opening ball valve
By processing multiple planes on the side of the ball and using a caliper to automatically push the valve seat, the problems of slow opening and large friction of the traditional ball valve are solved, and the rapid opening of the ball valve and the service life are extended.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411871742.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-25
AI Technical Summary
During the switching process, traditional ball valves need to be fully rotated by 90° to achieve full opening of the runner and are slow to open. Moreover, since the valve seat always comes into contact with the ball, it produces a large friction, resulting in large torque, severe wear of the valve seat and short service life.
By machining multiple planes on the sides of the sphere, the effective sealing area is retained, and the flow path area and flow capacity are maximized when the sphere rotates only at a small angle. At the same time, a cabochon is used to automatically push the valve seat during the rotation of the ball to reduce friction.
It realizes rapid opening of the ball valve, reduces torque and friction, and extends the service life of the ball valve.
Smart Images
Figure CN119687225A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of hydraulic components, and in particular relates to a low-torque quick-opening ball valve. Background Art
[0002] During the switching process of a traditional ball valve, when it is not fully opened, the ball always remains in contact with the valve seat, and the flow area is affected by the opening degree. The ball needs to be fully rotated to 90° to achieve full opening of the flow channel.
[0003] In addition, in the existing ball valve structure design, the valve seat and the ball are always in contact during the switching process, which generates large friction and torque, causing increasingly serious wear of the valve seat and a short service life of the ball valve. Summary of the invention
[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a low-torque quick-opening ball valve, which can maximize the flow channel area and flow capacity by machining multiple planes on the side of the ball to retain the effective sealing area and rotate the ball only a small angle, not 90°.
[0005] To solve the above problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: A low-torque quick-opening ball valve comprises: a valve body, a valve seat, a ball, a valve stem, and a valve seat support assembly; The valve seat is arranged in the valve body, and the valve seat support assembly is arranged between the valve seat and the valve body along the direction of the fluid passage, so as to form a tendency to press the valve seat toward the direction of the ball to achieve sealing; The upper end surface of the sphere is connected to the valve stem, and the valve stem is assembled on the valve body; the side surface of the sphere is processed into multiple planes, so that the two ends of the channel in the sphere are flat and there are also several side planes; In the process of rotating the valve stem to drive the ball to rotate, the ball separates from the valve seat, the side plane of the ball forms an angle with the sealing surface of the valve seat, the channel of the ball and the fluid channel form a cavity, which is connected to the fluid channel to achieve rapid opening of the ball valve; the angle is less than 90°.
[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the sphere are processed into a boss, and a convex round piece is disposed outside the boss, and the convex round piece is fixed to the bottom plane of the boss; During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface, reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the valve seat support assembly includes an O-ring, a sealing ring, a retaining ring and an elastic member which are sequentially sleeved on the valve seat. When the ball rotates to 90°-θ°, the outer diameter of the convex circular member decreases, and under the action of the spring member, the retaining ring and the sealing ring are pushed, and then the valve seat is pushed closer to the ball; when the ball rotates to 90°, the sealing surface of the valve seat is sealed with the channel surface of the ball.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the convex circular member includes an annular member and an arc-shaped member, and the arc-shaped member is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the annular member; During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the arc-shaped member does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the arc-shaped member gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the convex circular part includes a cam. During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the cam does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates through θ°, the cam gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the valve seat is arranged at one end of the fluid channel in the valve body to form a single-seat ball valve, thereby further reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is a side plane between the two channel surfaces of the sphere. In the process of rotating the valve stem to drive the sphere to rotate, the sphere separates from the valve seat. The side plane forms an angle with the sealing surface of the valve seat. The channel of the sphere and the fluid channel form a cavity, which is connected to the fluid channel, thereby realizing the rapid opening of the ball valve; the angle is less than 90°.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are two side planes between the two channel surfaces of the sphere, and the two side planes are arranged relative to the channel, so that the sphere is square, and the side planes are adjacent to the channel surface, which is easy to install.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a smooth spherical surface is maintained between the channel surface and the side plane to reduce wear of the valve seat.
[0014] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art: 1) The low-torque quick-opening ball valve in one embodiment of the present invention aims to solve the problem that the existing ball valve needs to be fully rotated to 90° to fully open the flow channel, and the opening is slow. The side of the ball is processed into multiple planes, so that in addition to the two ends of the channel in the ball being planes, there are also several side planes. In the process of rotating the valve stem to drive the ball to rotate, the ball separates from the valve seat, and the side plane of the ball forms an angle with the sealing surface of the valve seat, which is less than 90°. The channel of the ball forms a cavity with the fluid channel and is connected with the fluid channel. The instantaneous flow rate reaches the maximum, thereby realizing the rapid opening of the ball valve.
[0015] 2) The low-torque quick-opening ball valve in one embodiment of the present invention aims to solve the problem that during the switching process of the existing ball valve, the valve seat and the ball are always in contact, which generates a large friction force, a large torque, and increasingly serious wear of the valve seat, and a short service life of the ball valve. By processing bosses on the upper and lower end faces of the ball and installing a convex round piece, during the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round piece does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates through θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round piece gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface, thereby reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat and extending the service life of the ball valve.
[0016] 3) The low-torque quick-opening ball valve in one embodiment of the present invention reduces the friction area of the ball by providing a single valve seat, further reduces the friction between the ball and the valve seat, and prolongs the service life of the ball valve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Figure 1 It is a vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of a low-torque quick-opening ball valve in a closed state in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a low-torque quick-opening ball valve in a closed state in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of a low-torque quick-opening ball valve in an embodiment of the present invention when the ball rotates 45° during the opening process; Figure 4 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a low-torque quick-opening ball valve in an embodiment of the present invention when the ball rotates 45° during the opening process; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the ball and the valve seat in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 An exploded view of a ball and a valve seat in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the convex circular member and the valve seat in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] Description of reference numerals: 1: Valve body; 2: Valve seat; 3: Retaining ring; 4: Elastic part; 5: Sealing ring; 6: O-ring; 7: Convex round part; 8: Screw; 9: Ball; 10: Side body; 11: Stuffing box; 12: Stuffing; 13: Stuffing gland; 14: Stud; 15: Nut; 16: Valve stem. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and claims.
[0020] Please see Figure 1 The present embodiment provides a low-torque quick-opening ball valve, comprising: a valve body 1, a valve seat 2, a ball 9, a valve stem 16, and a valve seat support assembly; the valve seat 2 is arranged in the valve body 1, and a valve seat support assembly is arranged between the valve seat 2 and the valve body 1 along the direction of the fluid passage, so as to form a tendency to press the valve seat 2 toward the ball 9 to achieve sealing; the upper end surface of the ball 9 is connected to the valve stem 16, and the valve stem 16 is assembled on the valve body 1; the side surface of the ball 9 is processed into a plurality of planes, so that in addition to the two ends of the passage in the ball 9 being planes, there are also a plurality of side planes; In the process of rotating the valve stem 16 to drive the ball 9 to rotate, the ball 9 is separated from the valve seat 2, the side plane of the ball forms an angle with the sealing surface of the valve seat, the channel of the ball 9 and the fluid channel form a cavity, and communicate with the fluid channel, the instantaneous flow rate reaches the maximum, and the ball valve is quickly opened; the angle is less than 90°. Preferably, the angle is at least 15°.
[0021] In practical applications, the ball valve is also equipped with a stuffing box 11, a stuffing 12, and a stuffing gland 13, and is fixed to the valve body 1 by studs 14 and nuts 15. The side body 10 is fixed to the valve body 1 and connected to the other side of the fluid channel. This is a conventional setting and will not be described in detail here.
[0022] Specifically, in order to solve the problem that the existing ball valve needs to be fully rotated to 90° to fully open the flow channel and is slow to open, the side of the ball 9 in this embodiment is processed into multiple planes, so that the two ends of the channel in the ball are flat and there are also several side planes. The valve seat 2 is arranged at one end of the fluid channel in the valve body 1 to form a single valve seat ball valve, reducing the contact area between the ball 9 and the valve seat 2, thereby reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
[0023] One implementation method is that there is a side plane between the two channel surfaces, see Figure 2 When the ball valve is closed, the sealing surface of the valve seat 2 is sealed with the side plane of the ball 9. When the valve stem is turned to drive the ball to rotate, the ball is separated from the valve seat. Figure 3, the side plane forms an angle with the valve seat sealing surface, such as 45°, and the channel of the sphere forms a cavity with the fluid channel, which is connected with the fluid channel to realize the rapid opening of the ball valve. In this embodiment, the protrusions on the side of the sphere are cut off to make it a plane. During the rotation of the sphere, only the upper and lower areas are in contact with the valve seat, and the contact area is greatly reduced. Moreover, in the process of opening to closing or closing to opening, the sphere greatly increases the channel area and the flow capacity due to the cutting off of some areas. It should be noted that during assembly, it is necessary to distinguish between the side plane and the side spherical surface, and align the side plane with the valve seat sealing surface for sealing.
[0024] Another embodiment is that there are two side planes between the two channel surfaces of the sphere 9, and the two side planes are arranged relative to the channel, so that the sphere 9 is square, and the side planes adjacent to the channel surface are all side planes, such as Figure 4 In this embodiment, while achieving the same functions as the above embodiments, during assembly, there is no need to distinguish between the side plane and the side spherical surface, and any side plane can be aligned and sealed with the valve seat sealing surface.
[0025] By machining multiple planes on the side of the sphere, the effective sealing area is retained, and the flow channel area and flow capacity can be maximized by rotating the sphere at a small angle, without 90°. For the angle value, please refer to Figure 5 During the rotation process, after the ball breaks away from the effective sealing area, gaps appear on both sides of the flow channel, and the angle is about 15 degrees.
[0026] In view of the problem that the valve seat and the ball are always in contact during the opening and closing process of the existing ball valve, resulting in large friction, large torque, increasingly serious wear of the valve seat, and a short service life of the ball valve, this embodiment makes corresponding improvements to the ball valve. For details, please refer to Figure 6 In the figure, the upper and lower end surfaces of the sphere 9 are processed into a boss, and a convex round piece 7 is arranged outside the boss, and the convex round piece 7 is fixed to the bottom plane of the boss by screws 8.
[0027] Please see Figure 7 During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part 7 does not contact the valve seat 2; after the ball rotates through θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part 7 gradually contacts the valve seat 2 and pushes the valve seat 2 away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat 2 is separated from the spherical surface, and the valve seat support assembly is pressurized. During the rotation process, the valve seat does not contact the ball, and no torque is generated, thereby reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
[0028] When the ball rotates to 90°-θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part 7 decreases, and under the action of the valve seat support assembly, the valve seat 2 is pushed closer to the ball 9; when the ball rotates to 90°, the valve seat sealing surface is sealed with the ball channel surface.
[0029] Please see Figure 6The valve seat support assembly includes an O-ring 6, a sealing ring 5, a retaining ring 3 and an elastic member 4 which are sequentially sleeved on the valve seat 2. The valve seat 2 includes a groove section, a truncated cone section and a sleeve section in sequence along the axial direction. The O-ring 6 is sleeved on the groove section, the sealing ring 5 and the retaining ring 3 are sequentially sleeved on the truncated cone section, and the elastic member 4 is sleeved on the sleeve section. In the assembled state, the thrust acting on the outer diameter of the O-ring 6 and the spring force generated by the elastic member 4 form a combined force to press the valve seat toward the ball to achieve sealing.
[0030] The convex round member 7 can be a combination of a ring member and an arc member, such as Figure 6 As shown, the arc-shaped member is fixed on the outside of the annular member. During the process of opening the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the arc-shaped member does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the arc-shaped member gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface. When the ball rotates to 90°-θ°, the arc-shaped member separates from the valve seat, and the outer diameter of the convex round member 7 decreases. Under the action of the elastic member 4, the retaining ring 3 and the sealing ring 5 are pushed, and then the valve seat 2 is pushed closer to the ball 9; when the ball rotates to 90°, the valve seat sealing surface is sealed with the ball.
[0031] The convex round part 7 may also include a cam, which is formed by cutting two opposite sides of a circular part. During the process of opening the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the cam does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the cam gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface.
[0032] In summary, this embodiment retains an effective sealing area by machining multiple planes on the side of the ball, and can maximize the flow channel area and flow capacity by rotating the ball at a small angle, without 90 degrees. In addition, the convex circle automatically pushes the valve seat away from the ball during the rotation of the ball, and no friction is generated during the rotation, the torque is small, the wear of the sealing surface is small, and the service life of the ball valve can be extended.
[0033] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Even if various changes are made to the present invention, if these changes fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, they still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A low torque quick opening ball valve, characterized in that: include: Valve body, valve seat, ball, valve stem, valve seat support assembly; The valve seat is arranged in the valve body, and the valve seat support assembly is arranged between the valve seat and the valve body along the direction of the fluid passage, so as to form a tendency to press the valve seat toward the direction of the ball to achieve sealing; The upper end surface of the sphere is connected to the valve stem, and the valve stem is assembled on the valve body; the side surface of the sphere is processed into multiple planes, so that the two ends of the channel in the sphere are flat and there are also several side planes; In the process of rotating the valve stem to drive the ball to rotate, the ball separates from the valve seat, the side plane of the ball forms an angle with the sealing surface of the valve seat, the channel of the ball and the fluid channel form a cavity, which is connected to the fluid channel to achieve rapid opening of the ball valve; the angle is less than 90°.
2. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end surface and the lower end surface of the sphere are processed into a boss, and a convex round piece is arranged outside the boss, and the convex round piece is fixed to the bottom plane of the boss; During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round part gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface, reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
3. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The valve seat support assembly includes an O-ring, a sealing ring, a retaining ring and an elastic member which are sequentially sleeved on the valve seat. When the ball rotates to 90°-θ°, the outer diameter of the convex round member decreases, and under the action of the spring member, the retaining ring and the sealing ring are pushed, and then the valve seat is pushed closer to the ball; when the ball rotates to 90°, the sealing surface of the valve seat is sealed with the channel surface of the ball.
4. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The convex circular member includes an annular member and an arc-shaped member, and the arc-shaped member is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the annular member; During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the arc-shaped member does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates past θ°, the arc-shaped member gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface.
5. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The convex round part includes a cam. During the opening process of the ball valve, when the ball rotates between 0° and θ°, the cam does not contact the valve seat; after the ball rotates through θ°, the cam gradually contacts the valve seat and pushes the valve seat away from the spherical surface, so that the valve seat is separated from the spherical surface.
6. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The valve seat is arranged at one end of the fluid channel in the valve body to form a single-seat ball valve, thereby further reducing the friction between the ball and the valve seat.
7. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is a side plane between the two channel surfaces of the sphere. When the valve stem is rotated to drive the sphere to rotate, the sphere separates from the valve seat. The side plane forms an angle with the valve seat sealing surface. The channel of the sphere and the fluid channel form a cavity, which is connected to the fluid channel to achieve rapid opening of the ball valve. The angle is less than 90°.
8. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two side planes between the two channel surfaces of the sphere, and the two side planes are arranged relatively with respect to the channel, so that the sphere is square, and the side planes are adjacent to the channel surface, which is easy to install.
9. The low torque quick opening ball valve according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: A smooth spherical surface is maintained between the channel surface and the side plane to reduce the wear of the valve seat.