Scale-scraping anti-blocking centerline ball valve

Abstract

The invention discloses a scale-scraping anti-blocking center line ball valve, which relates to the technical field of industrial fluid control equipment, and comprises a valve body, a valve cover, a driving mechanism, a valve seat and a ball body, and the ball body comprises a main ball body and an auxiliary ball body which are coaxially arranged. Through cooperation of concentric nested double-shaft driving and a time sequence control assembly, asynchronous opening and closing of the main ball body and the auxiliary ball body are achieved. And high-speed jet washing can be generated in a double-ball gap during closing, and soft crystals are actively removed. When the ball valve is opened, the auxiliary ball is slightly opened in a pilot mode to balance differential pressure, the hydraulic locking effect is fundamentally eliminated, the main ball is started under nearly zero torque, and the problem that a traditional ball valve is stuck in a medium prone to crystallization is thoroughly solved. By combining three sets of three-dimensional scale scraping modes of the outer surface and the inner surface of the main ball body and the outer surface of the auxiliary ball body, dead-corner-free and dynamic scraping of all key seals and the surface of a flow channel of the ball valve is realized, and lasting cleanness of a sealing surface is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial fluid control equipment technology, specifically to a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve. Background Technology

[0002] Centerline ball valves, as a common type of shut-off valve, are widely used in industries such as petroleum, chemical, power, and metallurgy due to their compact structure, reliable sealing, and low flow resistance. However, when handling special media such as coal-water slurry in coal chemical industry, chlorosilanes in polysilicon production, salt solutions, and mineral slurries, traditional centerline ball valves exhibit significant limitations. When these media flow within the valve cavity, the solutes are highly susceptible to crystallization, scaling, or precipitation on the ball surface, valve seat sealing surface, and dead zones of the valve cavity due to temperature and pressure changes or evaporation. Furthermore, float valves are commonly used in automatic drainage systems such as mine drainage and chemical waste pools. However, these media often contain impurities that easily crystallize, leading to scaling and jamming of the valve core sealing surface in traditional float valves. This causes the float mechanism to malfunction, the system to lose its automatic control function, and maintenance to become extremely inconvenient.

[0003] Existing ball valves typically employ a single ball-shaped sealing structure. When dealing with the aforementioned media, crystals continuously adhere to the ball's sealing surface, damaging its smoothness and leading to seal failure and internal leakage. Furthermore, hard crystals fill and solidify in the tiny gaps between the ball and the valve body, generating significant frictional resistance. This causes an abnormally high valve operating torque, potentially resulting in complete jamming and inability to open or close. While some existing solutions incorporate simple scrapers on the valve seat to alleviate scaling, this static or unidirectional scraping is often incomplete, failing to clean scale from the back of the ball and the inside of the valve cavity. Moreover, the scraper itself wears down and its effectiveness rapidly diminishes. In addition, tiny particles in the media can easily penetrate the spring cavity behind the valve seat, causing the spring to jam and fail, further weakening the valve seat's compensating sealing capability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve that can actively prevent scaling and jamming, achieve all-round self-cleaning during normal valve operation, and ensure that critical moving parts are protected from contamination, thereby solving the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve, comprising a valve body, a valve cover, a drive mechanism, a valve seat, and a ball, wherein the ball comprises a main ball and a secondary ball arranged coaxially; The driving mechanism includes a concentrically nested driving structure that can rotate independently. The driving structure consists of a driving sleeve shaft and a driving spindle. The lower end of the driving sleeve shaft is keyed to the top surface of the main sphere to drive its rotation. The driving spindle passes through the cavity of the driving sleeve shaft, and its lower end extends and is connected to the secondary sphere located inside the main sphere through a connecting structure to drive the secondary sphere to rotate. The main sphere has an axial through hole at its center, and the secondary sphere has a spherical ring structure with an axially extending annular gap between its frontal surface and the inner wall of the main sphere. The drive mechanism is configured to control the main sphere and the auxiliary sphere to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions. The input end of the drive mechanism is connected to a float drive mechanism for sensing changes in liquid level. The float drive mechanism is used to convert the linear buoyancy generated by the change in liquid level into the rotational torque that drives the drive mechanism, thereby controlling the main sphere and the auxiliary sphere to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions.

[0006] Preferably, the drive mechanism further includes a timing control component disposed on the valve cover. The drive mechanism includes an inner shaft, the bottom of which is coaxially disposed with the drive spindle. A rotation angle encoder is sleeved on the outside of the inner shaft. A cam disk is externally connected to the rotation angle encoder. A timing delay groove with a 180° angle is formed on the bottom surface of the cam disk. The timing delay groove is used to delay the rotation of the drive spindle after the drive shaft is rotated under force. An L-shaped connecting rod is slidably connected inside the timing delay groove. The side end of the L-shaped connecting rod is connected to the side wall of the drive spindle. A coaxial rotating lubricant is installed at the connection end between the drive spindle and the cam disk.

[0007] Preferably, the sphere includes a main sliding ring that cooperates with the main sphere. The inner side of the main sliding ring is provided with an inner scraper. The main sliding ring is rotatably sleeved on the outer side of the valve stem neck of the main sphere. The inner scraper is composed of multiple inner scraper blades distributed on the outer spherical surface of the main sphere. The main sliding ring is slidably connected to the inside of the valve body through a sliding block, so that when the main sphere rotates, the inner scraper and the outer spherical surface of the main sphere generate a relative scraping motion.

[0008] Preferably, the outer spherical surface of the sub-sphere is equipped with an outer scraper for scraping the inner surface of the main sphere that mates with the main sphere. The outer scraper is used to treat the inner surface of the main sphere.

[0009] Preferably, a drive connector is installed on the top of the valve body. The drive connector includes at least one of an electric drive structure, a hydraulic drive structure, a hand lever, and a float drive mechanism. The surfaces of the main ball and the auxiliary ball are both specially permeated to form an amorphous alloy permeation layer or a superhydrophobic nano-coating. The valve body is composed of two valve body flanges symmetrically arranged along the valve stem axis, which are connected by bolts to form an elongated spherical main cavity. The structure of the valve body is a full-bore or reduced-bore design. A radially extending maintenance interface is provided on the cavity between the main ball and the auxiliary ball on the valve body. The maintenance interface is externally connected to a grease injection valve or a flushing valve for injecting sealing grease or cleaning fluid into the annular gap.

[0010] Preferably, the left and right ends of the valve body are respectively connected to an inlet end and an outlet end. The sides of the inlet end and the outlet end are provided with specially made elastic rubber pads. The sides of the elastic rubber pads are provided with isolation sleeves. The isolation sleeves open spring cavities inside the sides of the inlet end and the outlet end, and the spring cavities are completely physically isolated from the flow medium.

[0011] Preferably, the inlet and outlet ends are provided with an integrally formed labyrinth sealing cavity at the positions adjacent to the inlet and outlet channels and the spring cavity, respectively. The labyrinth sealing cavity is composed of at least two continuous annular shoulders and grooves interlaced to form a tortuous sealing path.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: In this invention, asynchronous opening and closing of the main and auxiliary balls is achieved through the coordinated use of concentric nested dual-axis drive and timing control components. When closed, the system generates a high-speed jet of water between the two balls to actively remove soft crystals. When opened, the auxiliary ball pilots a slight opening to balance the pressure difference, fundamentally eliminating the hydraulic locking effect and allowing the main ball to start with near-zero torque, completely solving the problem of traditional ball valves jamming in easily crystallizing media. Combining three sets of three-dimensional scraping modes on the outer and inner surfaces of the main ball and the auxiliary ball, comprehensive and dynamic scraping of all critical sealing and flow channel surfaces of the ball valve is achieved, ensuring the long-lasting cleanliness of the sealing surfaces. Furthermore, the coaxial dual balls form a double sealing pair, creating redundant sealing protection, with a sealing level far exceeding that of a single ball valve.

[0013] In this invention, a multi-layered isolation and sealing structure (elastic rubber gasket, isolation sleeve, and integrated labyrinth sealing cavity) provides three levels of protection for the valve seat spring cavity, achieving complete physical isolation between the spring cavity and the flow medium. This ensures that the core elastic element is never contaminated or jammed, structurally guaranteeing the valve's long-term sensitivity and sealing stability. The timing control simulates optimal fluid dynamics logic, significantly reducing operating torque and actuator specification requirements. The radial maintenance interface design, combined with the closed cavity formed by the double spheres, makes it possible to inject sealing grease or flushing fluid to enhance the seal and perform online cleaning. The main scraping components (such as scraper blades and the auxiliary ball internal scraper assembly) all adopt a detachable and replaceable modular design, allowing most maintenance work to be performed without removing the valve from the pipeline, greatly reducing the maintenance cost, complexity, and downtime throughout the entire lifecycle. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the main body of a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal cross-sectional structure of the main body of the scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the separation structure of the main body in a scraping and anti-sticking centerline ball valve of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation position of the ball in a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the drive mechanism in a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a partial structural diagram of the drive mechanism in a scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve of the present invention.

[0015] In the diagram: 100, valve body; 200, inlet end; 300, outlet end; 310, elastic rubber pad; 320, spring cavity; 330, labyrinth seal cavity; 340, isolation sleeve; 400, drive connector; 500, ball; 510, auxiliary ball; 520, outer scraper; 530, main ball; 540, inner scraper; 550, main sliding ring; 600, drive mechanism; 610, inner shaft; 620, rotation angle encoder; 630, drive sleeve shaft; 640, cam disc; 650, timing delay groove; 660, L-shaped connecting rod; 670, drive spindle; 680, coaxial rotating lubricant. Detailed Implementation

[0016] 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.

[0017] Reference Figures 1-7As shown: A scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve includes a valve body 100, a valve cover, a drive mechanism 600, a valve seat assembly, and a ball 500. The ball 500 comprises a main ball 530 and a secondary ball 510 coaxially arranged; the drive mechanism 600 (a coaxial, different-speed timing control structure that decomposes the single input torque from the drive connector 400 into two outputs with a fixed phase difference, which drive the main ball 530 and the secondary ball 510 respectively through concentrically nested drive sleeve shafts 630 and drive spindles 670, thereby achieving asynchronous opening and closing actions) includes a concentrically nested and independently rotatable drive structure. The drive structure consists of a drive sleeve shaft 630 (a hollow sleeve shaft concentrically nested outside the drive spindle 670, and both can rotate independently) and a drive spindle 670 (the rotation of the drive spindle 670 is controlled by a timing delay groove 6 on a cam disk 640). The drive mechanism 600 consists of a drive sleeve 630, the lower end of which is keyed to the top surface of the main sphere 530 to drive its rotation. The drive spindle 670 passes through the cavity of the drive sleeve 630, and its lower end extends and is connected to the auxiliary sphere 510 located inside the main sphere 530 through a connecting structure to drive the auxiliary sphere 510 to rotate. The main sphere 530 has an axial through hole at its center. The auxiliary sphere 510 has a spherical ring structure and an axially extending annular gap is formed between its flow-facing surface and the inner wall surface of the main sphere 530. The drive mechanism 600 is configured to control the main sphere 530 and the auxiliary sphere 510 to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions. The input end of the drive mechanism 600 is connected to a float drive mechanism for sensing liquid level changes. The float drive mechanism is used to convert the linear buoyancy generated by the liquid level change into the rotational torque that drives the drive mechanism 600, thereby controlling the main sphere 530 and the auxiliary sphere 510 to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions.The drive mechanism 600 also includes a timing control component mounted on the valve cover. The drive mechanism 600 includes an inner shaft 610, which serves as a central input shaft and is directly connected to the external drive connector 400. It receives the raw torque from an electric actuator, hand lever, or float drive mechanism. The bottom of the inner shaft 610 is coaxially aligned with the drive spindle 670. A rotation angle encoder 620 is fitted around the outer side of the inner shaft 610. The rotation angle encoder 620 is tightly fitted around the outer side of the inner shaft 610 and is used to monitor the rotation angle and direction of the inner shaft 610 in real time and accurately, feeding the signal back to an external PLC controller. The encoder 620 is externally connected to a cam disk 640. The bottom surface of the cam disk 640 is provided with a timing delay groove 650 at a 180° angle. The timing delay groove 650 is used to delay the rotation of the drive spindle 670 after the drive sleeve shaft 630 is rotated under force. An L-shaped connecting rod 660 is slidably connected inside the timing delay groove 650. The side end of the L-shaped connecting rod 660 is connected to the side wall of the drive spindle 670. A coaxial rotating lubricating element 680 is installed at the connection end between the drive spindle 670 and the cam disk 640. The coaxial rotating lubricating element 680 ensures lubrication and sealing under long-term differential rotation and reduces wear.

[0018] Specifically, when the valve needs to be closed to cut off the fluid, power (such as clockwise torque) is input through the drive connector 400. First, the torque is transmitted to the main ball 530 for priority closure. At this time, the input torque causes the inner shaft 610 to rotate clockwise, driving the cam disc 640 fixed thereto to rotate synchronously. The cam disc 640 immediately drives the drive sleeve shaft 630 to rotate via a key connection. The drive sleeve shaft 630 drives the main ball 530 to rotate 90° clockwise, changing its ball center through hole from being aligned with the pipe to being perpendicular, quickly cutting off more than 90% of the mainstream medium. At this time, the inner scraper 540 fixed on the valve seat has scraped away any dirt that may be attached to the outer surface of the main ball 530. Next, the timing delay is activated, and the auxiliary ball begins to move. While the main ball 530 rotates to close, the timing delay groove 650 at the bottom of the cam disc 640 begins to work. Due to the trajectory setting of the timing delay groove 650, within the initial rotation angle (e.g., the first 45°), the slider within the timing delay groove 650 causes the L-shaped connecting rod 660 to only oscillate slightly, without driving the drive spindle 670 to rotate, and the secondary ball 510 remains stationary. This ensures that the main ball 530 has a completely independent pre-closing time. Afterwards, the secondary ball 510 closes with a delay and generates a self-cleaning jet. Specifically, after the main ball 530 is fully closed, during the latter half of the rotation of the cam disk 640, the trajectory of the timing delay groove 650 begins to forcefully push the L-shaped connecting rod 660, thereby delaying the drive spindle 670 to begin rotating clockwise. This causes the drive spindle 670 to rotate and close the secondary ball 510. At the instant that the secondary sphere 510 is about to completely adhere to the inner wall of the primary sphere 530, the small amount of medium remaining in the annular gap between them is rapidly compressed, forming a high-speed, high-energy jet. (Specifically, after the primary sphere 530 closes completely first, the small amount of medium (water, oil, or other fluid) located in its internal annular gap is trapped. At this point, the secondary sphere 510 begins to close with a delay. The flow-facing surface of the secondary sphere 510 acts like a piston, pushing towards the already sealed inner wall of the primary sphere 530, compressing the medium trapped in the annular gap between them. Because the annular gap formed by the primary sphere 530 and the secondary sphere 510 is very narrow, and the compressibility of the medium (especially liquids) is very low, when the secondary sphere...) The minute advancement of sphere 510 causes a sharp increase in pressure of the medium trapped within the gap. This pressure instantaneously exceeds the main pressure of the channel formed by the inlet end 200 and the outlet end 300. Therefore, the medium within the gap stores extremely high potential energy. At the very last moment, just as the secondary sphere 510 is about to completely close but still has an extremely small gap (micrometer-level), the high-pressure medium finds its only outlet: the annular slit between the outer edge of the secondary sphere 510 and the inner wall of the main sphere 530, which is about to close. According to fluid mechanics principles, when the high-pressure fluid passes through the narrow slit, its pressure energy is converted into kinetic energy, creating a throttling effect, thus forming a high-speed, energy-concentrated fluid jet that is ejected.Therefore, this jet of water flows forward to flush the inner sealing surface of the main ball 530 and backward to flush the outer spherical surface of the auxiliary ball 510, thoroughly washing away any soft crystals or particles that precipitate before closing. This achieves self-cleaning of the sealing surface, ensuring that the sealing surfaces of the entire valve are clean when they finally fit tightly together, preventing hard particles from being pressed into the sealing surface and causing scratches or jamming. Furthermore, after the formed balls close, a double-isolated sealing cavity is created. After the auxiliary ball 510 rotates into position, the outer wall of the auxiliary ball 510's ring fits tightly against the inner wall of the main ball 530, forming a second reliable seal. At this point, an intermediate sealing cavity completely isolated from both the upstream and downstream sides of the valve is formed between the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510. At this point, the operator can inject high-pressure sealing grease or cleaning agent into the formed intermediate sealing cavity through the maintenance grease injection valve on the valve body 100 (which is present in existing equipment and will not be described in detail). This allows for online strengthening of the seal or maintenance without affecting pipeline operation, achieving an absolute sealing effect that surpasses that of a single seal. During this process, the outer scraper 520 installed on the secondary ball 510 also completes a scraping of the inner wall of the main ball 530.

[0019] When the valve needs to be opened, the power (counterclockwise torque) is input in the opposite direction.

[0020] First, the secondary ball 510 opens slightly to pre-vent pressure. The reverse torque causes the inner shaft 610 and cam disk 640 to rotate counter-clockwise. The timing delay groove 650 on the cam disk 640 ensures that, in the initial stage of reversal, the L-shaped connecting rod 660 pulls the drive shaft 670 to rotate slightly counter-clockwise by a set small angle (e.g., 10°-15°). This causes the secondary ball 510 to open slightly first. Next, the high-pressure side medium flows in and balances the pressure difference. This slight opening of the secondary ball 510 creates a tiny channel between the high-pressure side (e.g., inlet end 200) and the intermediate sealing cavity. The high-pressure medium can then slowly flow in and fill the cavity between the main ball 530, the secondary ball 510, and the entire space downstream of the main ball 530 (e.g., outlet end 300). This process balances the huge pressure difference across the main ball 530 to near zero in a very short time. Afterward, the main ball 530 opens easily without any jamming. Once the pressure differential is fully balanced (or the preset angle is detected by the rotation angle encoder 620), the cam disc 640 continues to rotate counterclockwise, and its contour begins to drive the drive sleeve shaft 630 to reverse, causing the main ball 530 to rotate 90° counterclockwise. Since there is no pressure differential on either side of the main ball 530 at this point, the enormous breaking torque required by the hydraulic locking effect when opening a traditional single-ball valve is completely eliminated, making the opening operation exceptionally easy. Simultaneously, during the slight opening of the auxiliary ball 510, the flowing medium has pre-wetted and softened any possible scale buildup on the outer sealing surface of the main ball 530. Finally, the valve is fully open, and the flow is unobstructed. The main ball 530 rotates to the fully open position, its central through-hole is completely aligned with the pipeline, and the medium resumes unobstructed flow. Throughout the opening process, the inner scraper 540 and outer scraper 520 perform their scraping functions again, continuously keeping the spherical surface clean.

[0021] Simultaneously, when the valve of this device is used for level control in water tanks and pools, the input end of its drive mechanism 600 can be connected to a float drive mechanism. The float drive mechanism converts the linear buoyancy generated by the float rising and falling with the liquid level into torque to drive the inner shaft 610 to rotate through a gear and rack. Afterward, the entire valve operates automatically according to the aforementioned closing or opening process. This allows the valve to automatically and reliably open or close according to changes in liquid level, making the entire device particularly suitable for unattended water supply and drainage operations.

[0022] The ball 500 includes a main sliding ring 550 that mates with the main ball 530. An inner scraper 540 is provided on the inner side of the main sliding ring 550. The main sliding ring 550 is rotatably fitted onto the outer side of the valve stem neck of the main ball 530. The inner scraper 540 consists of multiple inner scraper blades distributed along the outer spherical surface of the main ball 530. The main sliding ring 550 is slidably connected to the inside of the valve body 100 via a sliding block, so that when the main ball 530 rotates, the inner scraper 540 (consisting of at least two (usually four to six) inner scraper blades) is evenly distributed along the inner circumference of the main sliding ring 550. Each scraper blade is detachably fixed to the ring by screws. The cutting edge of the scraper blade is made of an ultra-hard wear-resistant material (such as cemented carbide or engineering ceramics), and its cutting edge curve is precisely calculated to conformally match the curvature of the outer spherical surface of the main ball 530, ensuring full-line contact. The scraper blade installation... The angles (back angle, wedge angle) are set for scraping soft crystals (such as scale) and hard deposits (such as silica powder). The main sliding ring 550 generates a relative scraping motion with the outer spherical surface of the main ball 530. (This is a ring-shaped component with a specific geometry, whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the valve stem neck of the main ball 530 (i.e., the thinner cylindrical section above the connection between the ball and the drive sleeve shaft 630), allowing it to rotatably fit around the valve stem neck. Two or more sliding blocks (or guide keys) are symmetrically arranged on the outside of the ring. An axial groove is machined on the inner wall of the upper chamber of the valve body 100 to precisely match the aforementioned sliding blocks. After the sliding block is embedded in the groove, the main sliding ring 550 is restricted to only making a small amount of up-and-down sliding along the valve axis, but cannot rotate around the axis at all. This sliding degree of freedom is used to compensate for scraper wear and ensure a constant contact pressure between the scraper blade and the spherical surface.) When the drive mechanism drives the main ball 530 to rotate (whether it is open or closed), since the main sliding ring 550 is locked by the valve body 100 through the sliding block-slide groove structure and cannot rotate, a forced relative motion is immediately generated between the inner scraper 540 fixed thereon and the outer surface of the rotating main ball 530.

[0023] First, at the instant rotation begins, the sharp edge of the inner scraper 540 cuts into any scale that may be adhering to the spherical sealing strip. Then, as the ball continues to rotate, the scraper blade, like a cutting tool on a lathe, continuously scrapes and peels away the crystalline deposits covering the spherical sealing surface. The scraped-off scale particles fall downwards to the bottom of the valve cavity due to their own gravity and the subsequent flow of media, preventing accumulation in the sealing contact area. Afterwards, at the end of each valve operation, the entire outer spherical sealing area of ​​the main ball 530 is thoroughly cleaned by the inner scraper 540, restoring its original smooth metal (or coating) surface, creating conditions for achieving a tight line or surface seal the next time. The weight of the main sliding ring 550, and a lightweight spring that can be installed above it depending on actual usage, provide a constant downward pressure, ensuring that the edge of the inner scraper 540 always remains in contact with the spherical surface. When the scraper blade wears down due to long-term use, the main sliding ring 550 can slide downwards along the axial groove a certain distance to automatically compensate until it reaches its maximum wear limit. Once the limit is reached, the machine can be stopped online (with the valve in the fully open or fully closed position), the fixing screws can be loosened, and the spare scraper blade can be quickly replaced.

[0024] An outer scraper 520 is mounted on the outer spherical surface of the secondary sphere 510 for scraping the inner surface of the primary sphere 530 that mates with it. The outer scraper 520 is used to treat the inner surface of the primary sphere 530. (This consists of one or more (usually a pair) curved scraper blades whose curvature matches the curvature of the outer spherical surface of the secondary sphere 510.) The scraper blades are rigidly mounted directly on the non-sealed area of ​​the outer spherical surface of the secondary sphere 510 via countersunk screws (usually located near its equator, avoiding the sealing contact zone with the inner wall of the primary sphere 530). The blade direction is carefully designed so that it can effectively scrape the inner wall of the primary sphere when the secondary sphere 510 rotates relative to the primary sphere 530. The installation position of the outer scraper 520 ensures that when the secondary sphere 510 reaches the fully open or fully closed working position, its cutting edge will not interfere with or excessively compress the inner wall of the primary sphere 530, but only during relative movement. (Scraping). This allows the secondary ball 510 to begin closing with a delayed closing after the primary ball 530 has closed completely. As the secondary ball 510 rotates towards the inner wall of the primary ball 530, the cutting edge of the outer scraper 520 mounted on it begins to scrape the inner wall of the primary ball 530 for the first time, removing any thin layer of crystals that may have formed in the previous cycle. Following this flushing, a subsequent intermittent jet flush removes most of the loosened debris. During the opening process, when the secondary ball 510 first slightly opens to balance the pressure difference, its reverse slight rotation causes the outer scraper 520 to perform a second, reverse scraping of the inner wall of the primary ball 530. This bidirectional scraping pattern allows for a more thorough cleaning of the surface. This facilitates the conversion of the necessary movement of the secondary ball 510 into a cleaning action, eliminating the need for an additional power source and achieving effective maintenance of the traditionally blind spot—the inner wall of the primary ball.

[0025] A drive connector 400 is mounted on the top of the valve body 100. The drive connector 400 includes at least one of an electric drive structure, a hydraulic drive structure, a hand lever, and a float drive mechanism. (The drive connector 400 is fixed to the top of the valve cover and is a standardized, modular power adapter interface. Its core is a robust output flange or spline sleeve, which can be directly connected to any of the three drive devices.) Electric drive structure: Connected to an intelligent electric actuator. The actuator receives 4-20mA or switching signals from the control system, and drives the motor to output torque through an internal gearbox, realizing automatic, remote, or programmed control of the valve. It is typically equipped with position feedback, torque protection, and a handwheel.

[0026] Hydraulic drive structure: Connected to a hydraulic cylinder or hydraulic motor. Driven by high-pressure oil supplied by a hydraulic station, it features high thrust, fast response, and explosion-proof characteristics, making it particularly suitable for large-diameter, high-pressure, or hazardous environments.

[0027] The manual operating mechanism, consisting of a worm gear box and a handwheel, provides reliable manual operation during power outages or maintenance, serving as a safety redundancy to ensure the valve's basic functions. Both the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510 undergo special permeation treatment to form an amorphous alloy permeation layer or a superhydrophobic nano-coating. The valve body 100 is constructed from two valve body flanges symmetrically arranged along the valve stem axis, bolted together to form an elongated spherical main cavity. The valve body 100 can be designed for full bore or reduced bore (the valve body 100 uses two valve body flanges precisely symmetrical along the valve stem axis). It is constructed using high-strength alloy bolts. This design not only facilitates the assembly and subsequent maintenance of the complex internal double-sphere 500, drive mechanism 600, and scraping system, but more importantly, it ensures that the extended spherical main cavity machined inside the two valve bodies has extremely high coaxiality and roundness after they are closed. This is the basis for the precise coaxial operation of the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510. The extended spherical cavity can accommodate the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510, forming an interconnected sealed chamber. The flow channel of the valve body 100... The valve body can be designed in two forms to meet different operating conditions: a full-bore design, where the inner diameter of the flow channel is exactly the same as that of the connecting pipe, resulting in no fluid contraction and minimal pressure drop, suitable for pipelines requiring pigging; and a reduced-bore design, where the inner diameter of the flow channel is slightly smaller than that of the pipe, allowing for a reduction in the ball diameter, valve torque, and cost while maintaining flow capacity, suitable for applications with space or cost constraints. Secondly, on the side wall of the valve body 100, directly opposite the center of the annular gap cavity formed between the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510, a radially extending maintenance interface is machined. This interface is typically a standard internal thread or flange interface, used to connect an external grease injection valve (for injecting high-pressure sealing grease) or a flushing valve (for connecting cleaning fluid or steam), serving as a key channel for online valve maintenance. The valve body 100, located in the cavity between the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510, has a radially extending maintenance interface. This interface connects to an external grease injection valve or flushing valve for injecting sealing grease or cleaning fluid into the annular gap. The valve body 100 is connected to an inlet end 200 and an outlet end 300 at its left and right ends, respectively. Both the inlet end 200 and the outlet end 300 have specially designed elastic rubber pads 310 on their sides (the elastic rubber pads 310 are placed in an annular groove inside the valve seat. They are made of media-resistant and aging-resistant hydrogenated nitrile rubber or fluororubber, and their primary function is to provide an initial static seal, preventing direct media leakage; secondly, during valve use, they provide elastic compensation, absorbing the small gaps between the valve seat and the ball caused by wear or temperature changes). An isolation sleeve 340 is installed on the side of the elastic rubber pad 310 (the isolation sleeve 340 consists of a thin-walled metal cylinder (usually stainless steel), one end of which is tightly pressed against or slightly inserted into the outer side of the elastic rubber pad 310, while the other end is tightly fitted with the inner stepped surface of the valve body 100. The installation of the isolation sleeve 340 physically completely encloses a spring cavity 320).Multiple sets of disc springs or cylindrical springs used to provide sealing pressure to the valve seat are installed in this cavity. The isolation sleeve 340 achieves complete physical isolation between the spring cavity 320 and the flow medium (the springs operate in a clean environment and will never be jammed by particles). The isolation sleeve 340 has spring cavities 320 inside the sides of both the inlet end 200 and the outlet end 300, which are completely physically isolated from the flow medium. The inlet end 200 and the outlet end 300, corresponding to the positions of the inlet and outlet channels adjacent to the spring cavity 320, are provided with an integrally formed labyrinth sealing cavity 330. The labyrinth sealing cavity 330 is composed of at least two continuous annular shoulders and grooves interlaced to form a tortuous sealing path (the labyrinth sealing cavity 330 is located in the narrowest throat area between the flow channel and the spring cavity 320. Its structure is composed of at least two (usually three or four) continuous, concentrically arranged annular shoulders and annular grooves arranged alternately and closely to form an extremely tortuous, narrow, and constantly changing slit path).

[0028] Even when the medium flows into the valve and pressure acts on the valve seat, pushing the valve seat backward, compressing the elastic rubber gasket 310 and pressing the isolation sleeve 340, the contact pressure of the first and second seals increases, achieving active sealing. Then, even if a very small number of medium molecules or extremely fine particles attempt to penetrate the micropores of the rubber gasket 310 under long-term high pressure, they will immediately enter the periphery of the clean spring cavity 320 formed by the isolation sleeve 340 and the valve body. Afterward, if these attempting to infiltrate media want to continue penetrating inward to reach the core area where the spring is located, the only path is through the integrally formed labyrinth sealing cavity 330. Next, the medium enters the first annular shoulder and groove gap in the labyrinth. Due to the sudden narrowing and turning of the path, the medium experiences a throttling effect, and the pressure and flow rate decrease. Then, the medium enters a relatively enlarged groove space, where the flow rate further decreases, and some particles are deposited in the groove due to weakened kinetic energy. Finally, the medium needs to pass through the next, even narrower shoulder gap, and throttle again, repeating this process. After at least two cycles of throttling, expansion, and deposition, the pressure and kinetic energy of the medium are completely exhausted, losing its ability to continue penetrating and being completely blocked outside the spring's working area. Throughout the process, the labyrinth sealing cavity 330 does not rub against the medium, experiences no wear, and its sealing performance does not decrease over time. Furthermore, it is insensitive to the viscosity and particle size of the medium, exhibiting extremely high reliability.

[0029] Specifically, as another embodiment of the present invention, the drive connector 400 can be replaced with a float drive mechanism. The float drive mechanism includes a float located in a downstream pipe or additional chamber of the valve, connected to the inner shaft 610 via a rack. When the liquid level rises, buoyancy drives the inner shaft 610 to rotate, which in turn drives the main body 530 and the auxiliary ball 510 to perform the asynchronous opening and closing action via the differential gear set 600, achieving automatic drainage or liquid level control. Specifically, the float drive mechanism is existing technology, consisting of a float, a lever, and a rack. The float is hinged to the outside of the valve body or in a chamber within the connecting pipe, and its connecting rod is connected to one end of the lever. The other end of the lever is hinged to a vertically arranged rack. The rack meshes with a pinion fixedly installed on the outside of the inner shaft 610 in the drive mechanism 600. When the liquid level rises, the float rises, pushing the rack downwards in a straight line via the lever. This drives the pinion and inner shaft 610 to rotate, thus opening the valve. When the liquid level falls, the float, under its own weight, pulls the rack upwards, driving the inner shaft 610 to rotate in the opposite direction, thus closing the valve. The fulcrum position or transmission ratio of the lever is calculated to ensure that the standard stroke of the float precisely corresponds to the 90-degree rotation angle required by the ball. Simultaneously, the float drive mechanism directly drives the main ball 530 and the auxiliary ball 510 to move asynchronously. When closing, a high-speed jet is generated to flush the sealing surface; during rotation, a scraper removes the scale layer. This fundamentally solves the core problem of traditional float valves jamming and failing due to scaling in media containing impurities, achieving long-term maintenance-free automatic operation under harsh conditions. (For example, when the liquid level in the discharge tank rises to a set height, the float generates sufficient buoyancy. Through lever and rack transmission, the continuous linear buoyancy is converted into the stable rotational torque required to drive the differential gear set. This torque is decomposed by the gear set into two outputs with a fixed phase difference, forcibly driving the main ball to close first, and the auxiliary ball to close with a delay. During this process, the jet flushing and the scraping actions of the outer scraper 520 and the inner scraper 540 are precisely triggered. The resulting precise linkage ensures that the valve can reliably open and close every time the float moves due to changes in liquid level, after overcoming the possible scaling resistance.)

[0030] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve, comprising a valve body (100), a valve cover, a drive mechanism (600), a valve seat, and a ball (500), characterized in that: The sphere (500) includes a main sphere (530) and a secondary sphere (510) arranged coaxially. The drive mechanism (600) includes a concentrically nested drive structure that can rotate independently. The drive structure consists of a drive sleeve shaft (630) and a drive spindle (670). The lower end of the drive sleeve shaft (630) is keyed to the top surface of the main sphere (530) to drive its rotation. The drive spindle (670) passes through the cavity of the drive sleeve shaft (630), and its lower end extends and is connected to the secondary sphere (510) located inside the main sphere (530) through a connecting structure to drive the secondary sphere (510) to rotate. The main sphere (530) has an axial through hole at its center, and the secondary sphere (510) has a spherical ring structure and an axially extending annular gap is formed between its frontal surface and the inner wall surface of the main sphere (530). The drive mechanism (600) is configured to control the main ball (530) and the auxiliary ball (510) to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions. The input end of the drive mechanism (600) is connected to a float drive mechanism for sensing liquid level changes. The float drive mechanism is used to convert the linear buoyancy generated by the liquid level change into the rotational torque that drives the drive mechanism (600), thereby controlling the main ball (530) and the auxiliary ball (510) to perform asynchronous opening and closing actions.

2. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism (600) further includes a timing control component disposed on the valve cover. The drive mechanism (600) includes an inner shaft (610), the bottom of which is coaxially disposed with the drive spindle (670). A rotation angle encoder (620) is sleeved on the outside of the inner shaft (610). A cam disk (640) is connected to the outside of the rotation angle encoder (620). A timing delay of 180° is opened on the bottom surface of the cam disk (640). The timing delay groove (650) is used to delay the rotation of the drive spindle (670) after the drive sleeve shaft (630) is rotated under force. An L-shaped connecting rod (660) is slidably connected inside the timing delay groove (650). The side end of the L-shaped connecting rod (660) is connected to the side wall of the drive spindle (670). A coaxial rotating lubricant (680) is installed at the connection end of the drive spindle (670) and the cam disk (640).

3. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ball (500) includes a main sliding ring (550) that cooperates with the main ball (530). The inner side of the main sliding ring (550) is provided with an inner scraper (540). The main sliding ring (550) is rotatably sleeved on the outer side of the valve stem neck of the main ball (530).

4. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner scraper (540) is composed of multiple inner scraper blades distributed on the outer spherical surface of the main ball (530). The main sliding ring (550) is slidably connected to the inside of the valve body (100) through a sliding block, so that when the main ball (530) rotates, the inner scraper (540) and the outer spherical surface of the main ball (530) generate relative scraping motion.

5. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer spherical surface of the sub-sphere (510) is equipped with an outer scraper (520) for scraping the inner surface of the main sphere (530) that cooperates with the main sphere (530). The outer scraper (520) is used to treat the inner surface of the main sphere (530).

6. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the valve body (100) is provided with a drive connector (400), which includes at least one of an electric drive structure, a hydraulic drive structure, a hand stop and a float drive mechanism. The surfaces of the main ball (530) and the secondary ball (510) are specially permeated to form an amorphous alloy permeation layer or a superhydrophobic nano coating.

7. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve body (100) is composed of two valve body flanges symmetrically arranged along the valve stem axis and connected by bolts to form an elongated spherical main cavity. The structure of the valve body (100) is a full-bore or reduced-bore design. The valve body (100) is provided with a radially extending maintenance interface in the cavity position between the main ball (530) and the auxiliary ball (510). The maintenance interface is externally connected to a grease injection valve or a flushing valve for injecting sealing grease or cleaning fluid into the annular gap.

8. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve body (100) is connected to an inlet end (200) and an outlet end (300) at its left and right ends respectively. The inlet end (200) and the outlet end (300) are each provided with a specially made elastic rubber pad (310).

9. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 8, characterized in that: The elastic rubber pad (310) is provided with an isolation sleeve (340) on its side end. The isolation sleeve (340) has a spring cavity (320) inside both the water inlet end (200) and the water outlet end (300). The spring cavity (320) is completely physically isolated from the flow channel medium.

10. The anti-scraping and anti-jamming centerline ball valve according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inlet end (200) and outlet end (300) are located adjacent to the spring cavity (320) and are respectively connected to the inlet and outlet channels. They are provided with an integrally formed labyrinth sealing cavity (330). The labyrinth sealing cavity (330) is composed of at least two continuous annular shoulders and grooves interlaced to form a tortuous sealing path.

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