Ball valves and small electric ball valves

Abstract

To provide a ball valve in which a space-saved and compact actuator can be directly attached to a body of a valve main body at a low-torque ball valve, and the actuator can be easily exchanged, and which has compatibility with even a manual valve, is promoted in the commonization of a component, can minimize a re-combinable piping space, is high in durability, reduced in weight, and made compact in a size, and a small-sized electric ball valve.SOLUTION: A valve main body 1 comprises a ball valve body 11 arranged in a body 10, a holding ring 12 for holding the ball valve body which is held to both sides of the ball valve body 11 in a non-contact state via a clearance S, and an annular low-elasticity packing 13 attached to a holding face 26 for holding the ball valve body 11 of the holding ring 12. The valve main body 1 is a ball valve having a non-pressure contact structure for making the ball valve body 11 guide-slide in a state that the ball valve body 11 is held by the low-elasticity packing 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ball valve and a small-sized electric ball valve, for example, a very small-sized electric ball valve that is mainly used in a range from vacuum to atmospheric pressure and can be operated manually by an electrically driven actuator or a handle. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, to achieve compactness when combining a valve and an actuator, it is necessary to use a small actuator or manual handle, and to do so, it is necessary to minimize the operating torque of the ball valve body.

[0003] For example, there are several known methods for making electric ball valves more compact. Patent document 1 proposes a method in which flanges are provided on both sides of the valve body at positions equal to or lower than the outer periphery top on the stem mounting side, and part of the actuator housing is hung down to this flange and fixed with screws.

[0004] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a ball valve in which the seat ring provided at the sliding contact portion between the valve body and the ball is made of an elastic body such as fluororesin, and a rubber ring is pressure-fixed into a groove provided in this elastic body to maintain the sealing performance of the seat ring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5911698 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-90545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the former Patent Document 1, it is possible to minimize the height of the actuator-equipped ball valve, but no consideration is given to minimizing the operating torque of the ball valve body.

[0007] On the other hand, the latter technique, Patent Document 2, can maintain the sealing performance of the sliding contact portion, but does not aim to reduce the operating torque of the balls to reduce the size of the actuator.

[0008] The present invention was developed to solve the problems of the related art, and its purpose is to provide a ball valve and a small electric ball valve which have a space-saving and compact electric actuator that can be directly attached to the body of the valve main body for a low-torque ball valve, which allows the actuator to be easily replaced, is compatible with manual valves, allows for the use of standard parts, minimizes the piping space required for reassembly, and is highly durable, lightweight, and compact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 provides a valve body comprising a ball valve body disposed within the body, a retaining ring for retaining the ball valve body, which is retained on both sides of the ball valve body with a gap therebetween in a non-pressure-contact state, and an annular low-elasticity packing attached to a retaining surface of the retaining ring that retains the ball valve body, The retaining ring is positioned by abutting a fixing step provided on the outer periphery of the retaining ring against the outer end surface of the body, and the retaining ring is fixed with a fixing member. This ball valve has a pressureless contact structure in which a gap is provided between the ball valve body and the retaining surface of the retaining ring, and the ball valve body is guided and slid while being held by a low-elasticity gasket.

[0011] Claim 2 The invention relates to a ball valve in which the retaining surface is a ball retaining spherical surface, and a mounting groove is formed in the center of this ball retaining spherical surface at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the flow path of the valve body, and a low-elasticity gasket made of rubber or perfluoroelastomer material is mounted in this mounting groove.

[0012] Claim 3The present invention relates to a ball valve in which a low-elasticity packing is provided at a substantially right angle to the sliding surface of a ball valve body, and a constriction is provided inside and outside a central portion of the low-elasticity packing.

[0013] Claim 4 In the present invention, the retaining surface of the retaining ring is a ball retaining spherical surface, and a low elasticity packing is attached to an attachment groove formed on the ball retaining spherical surface. The inner periphery tip side of Valve body In the state where it is oriented radially with respect to the flow path axis The ball valve is installed in a slidable manner so that the inner circumferential tip side of the low-elasticity packing and the ball valve body are guided and slid.

[0014] Claim 5 The invention relates to a ball valve in which a spherical portion is formed on the inner circumferential tip side of the low-elasticity packing, and one tip inner circumferential side surface of this spherical portion is in sliding contact with the ball valve body.

[0015] Claim 6 The present invention relates to a ball valve in which constrictions are formed on the inner and outer surfaces of a low-elasticity packing, and an outer circumferential groove is formed on the outer periphery of the low-elasticity packing.

[0016] Claim 7 The present invention relates to a ball valve in which the retaining ring has a wall and a groove for preventing the low-elasticity packing from flying out, forming an escape portion when the low-elasticity packing is pressed in.

[0017] Claim 8 The invention relates to a ball valve in which a ball valve body is rotatably mounted in a sealed state by a short stem, the stem is held by a pressure-resistant member provided on the valve body, and when the actuator body is directly attached to the valve body, the stem can be rotatably fitted coaxially with the operating shaft of the actuator body.

[0018] Claim 9The invention relates to a ball valve in which a ball valve body is rotatably mounted in a sealed state by a short stem, the stem is held by a pressure-resistant member provided on the valve body, and when the manual mechanism is attached or detached from the valve body, the ball valve body can be rotatably fitted coaxially with the manual shaft of the manual mechanism.

[0019] Claim 10 The invention relates to a small electric ball valve in which, when the actuator body is directly mounted on the valve body, multiple holes are provided in the operating gear for rotating the ball valve body built into the actuator body, and the valve body and actuator body are directly attached with fixing bolts that can be inserted through these holes. The invention according to claim 11 is a small-sized electric ball valve in which the valve body comprises a ball valve body arranged within the body, a retaining ring for retaining the ball valve body which is held in a non-pressure-contact state with a gap between both sides of the ball valve body via a gap, and an annular low-elasticity packing attached to the retaining surface of the retaining ring which holds the ball valve body, the valve body has a gap between the ball valve body and the retaining surface of the retaining ring, and has a non-pressure contact structure in which the ball valve body is guided and slid while being held by the low-elasticity packing, and when the actuator body is directly mounted on the valve body, a plurality of holes are provided in the operating gear for rotating the ball valve body built into the actuator body, and the valve body and the actuator body are directly mounted with fixing bolts which can be inserted through the holes. Effect of the Invention

[0020] Claim 1 To According to this invention, because it is a low-torque ball valve, it is possible to install a compact electric actuator or manual handle, which not only increases the durability of the ball valve itself but also minimizes the piping space. Furthermore, because the packing is made of a low-elasticity material, the friction torque is extremely small, allowing the actuator and manual handle to be made smaller. In addition, by abutting the fixed step portion on the outer periphery of the retaining ring to position it against the outer end surface of the body and fixing this retaining ring with a fixing member, the retaining ring can be fixed with the fixing member in a positioned state via the fixed step portion, and the retaining ring can be attached with a reliable gap between the retaining ring and the ball valve body, so that the ball valve body can be opened and closed without any pressure contact with the retaining ring.

[0022] Claim 2 or 3 According to the invention, the low elasticity packing is made of a low elasticity material, so the friction torque is small, and the actuator and manual handle can be made smaller. The packing is attached at approximately 45 degrees to the flow path, and is provided at a right angle to the sliding surface of the ball valve body, so twisting of the packing due to the rotation of the ball valve body can be prevented. Furthermore, since the packing has a constricted portion, it has low elasticity. For example, when heated to 180°C, the thermal expansion of the packing is released at the constricted portion, and the increase in the tightening surface pressure of the packing is reduced, thereby reducing the torque. but Possible It becomes.

[0023] Claim 4 According to the invention, the expansion direction of the low elasticity packing is aligned with the flow path axis of the valve body. Radial direction Therefore, for example, if the low elasticity packing undergoes thermal expansion, the contact pressure of the low elasticity packing with the ball valve body due to expansion will not increase, so an increase in torque can be avoided and low torque can always be achieved.

[0024] Claim 5 According to the invention, the ball valve body is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral side surface of one end of the spherical portion of the low-elasticity packing, so that a low torque for the ball valve body can be reliably achieved.

[0025] Claim 6 According to the invention, it is possible to fill the constrictions on the inner and outer surfaces of the low-elasticity packing and the outer peripheral groove with the portion that extends inward due to the expansion of the low-elasticity packing, thereby maintaining low torque without increasing the contact pressure of the low-elasticity packing with the ball valve body.

[0026] Claim 7 According to the present invention, the escape portion formed by the wall and the groove can reliably prevent the packing from flying out due to the twisting phenomenon of the packing accompanying the rotation of the ball valve body.

[0027] Claim 8 or 9 According to the invention, when the actuator body or the manual mechanism is attached to or detached from the valve body, the actuator body or the manual mechanism can be attached or detached reliably while maintaining the airtightness of the valve body.

[0028] Claim 10 or 11 According to the invention, it is possible to directly attach the actuator body and the manual handle to the valve body, and there is no need to use connecting members such as a yoke or flange to connect the bottom surface of the actuator body to the top surface of the valve body as in the past. Since there is no space taken up by the actuator body, it is possible to make the valve body compact and contribute to miniaturization. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a ball valve according to a first aspect of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a central vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an actuator body with some parts omitted. [Figure 4] 1. (b) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of (a). [Diagram 5] 2A is a plan view of the valve body in FIG. 1, (b) is a central horizontal cross-sectional view of (a), (c) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of (a), and (d) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of (b). [Figure 6] 1(a) is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view showing another example of an actuator body according to the present invention, and FIG. [Figure 7] 1A is a plan view showing another example of a valve body according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a central transverse sectional view of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a central longitudinal sectional view of FIG. [Figure 8] 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a manual mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. [Figure 9] 8(a) is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a manual mechanism is attached to the valve body of Fig. 7, and (b) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of a valve body according to a second aspect of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a small-sized electric ball valve according to the second invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 13] 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams illustrating the principle of sliding resistance between a ball valve body and a low-elasticity packing in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The following describes the embodiments of the ball valve and the small electric ball valve according to the first and second aspects of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show one embodiment of the ball valve according to the first aspect of the present invention, while Figures 3 and 4 show the actuator body in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 5 shows the valve body.

[0031] 1 to 5, a ball valve (small electric ball valve) 100 according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a valve body 1 and an electric actuator body 2. Of these, the valve body 1 comprises a body 10, a ball valve element 11 having a flow passage hole 21a, a retaining ring 12, an annular low-elasticity packing 13, and a stem 14.

[0032] The body 10 of the valve main body 1 is formed in a substantially cubic shape, with both ends open, and a branch passage 20 formed at the bottom. A tapered surface 10a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the openings on both sides of the body 10. A ball valve element 11 is disposed inside the body 10, and an L-shaped internal passage 21 is formed inside the ball valve element 11, bending at approximately 90 degrees from the side downward. An end side of a stem 14 is fitted and connected to the top of the ball valve element 11, and the ball valve element 11 is rotatably provided on the actuator main body 2 via the stem 14. The stem 14 also serves as an operating shaft of the actuator main body 2, which will be described later, and these are integrated.

[0033] An O-ring 22 made of the same material as the low-elasticity packing 13 is attached to the outer periphery of the stem 14, and the stem 14 is inserted into the body 10 by an external seal structure using this O-ring 22. Grease based on a fluorine material is applied between the stem 14 and the body 10.

[0034] Connection flanges 23 are attached to the openings at both ends of the body 10 by fixing screws 24, which are fixing members, and each connection flange 23 is provided with a flow passage 25. A retaining ring 12 is installed between the body 10 and the connection flanges 23.

[0035] The retaining ring 12 is made of a resin material for retaining the ball valve element 11, is provided in a doughnut shape that can be attached to the inner periphery of the body and the inner periphery of the connection flange, and is attached in a positioned state by being sandwiched between the inner periphery of the body and the inner periphery of the connection flange. The retaining ring 12 is provided on both sides of the ball valve element 11 with a small gap S therebetween so as to be able to retain the ball valve element 11 in a non-pressure-contact state, and an annular low-elasticity packing 13 is attached to the side of the retaining ring 12 facing the ball valve element 11. In this example, the retaining ring 12 is provided on the ball valve element 11 side, positioned on the flow paths 25, 25 side.

[0036] A retaining surface 26 for retaining the ball valve body 11 is provided on the mounting side of the retaining ring 12 for the low-elasticity packing 13, and the low-elasticity packing 13 is attached to the side of this retaining surface 26. The retaining surface 26 is provided by a ball retaining spherical surface (retaining surface) 26 capable of retaining the ball valve body 11, and an annular mounting groove 28 is formed in the center of this ball retaining spherical surface 26 at an angle θ of approximately 45 degrees relative to the flow passage 25 formed in the connection flange 23, and the low-elasticity packing 13 is mounted by being fitted into this mounting groove 28.

[0037] A leak port 31 is formed on the outer diameter side of the mounting groove 28 of the retaining ring 12 so as to partially communicate with the mounting groove 28. This leak port 31 communicates between the bottom of the mounting groove 28 and the cavity 32, so that after the low-elasticity packing 13 is installed, fluids such as gas that have accumulated on the back side of the low-elasticity packing 13 and in a constricted portion 30 (described later) can easily escape into the cavity 32.

[0038] On the mounting surface side of the retaining ring 12 to be attached to the body 10 and the mounting surface side to be attached to the connection flange 23, O-rings 29 made of the same material as the low-elasticity packing 13 are attached. In this manner, the retaining ring 12 is mounted between the body 10 and the connection flange 23 with its outer circumferential surface being sealed via the O-ring 29.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5(d), an annular fixed step 33 is formed on the outer periphery of the retaining ring 12, and the retaining ring 12 is attached to the body 10 with the end face of the fixed step 33 abutting against the outer end face of the body 10 and a gap S being provided between the ball retaining spherical surface 26 and the ball valve body 11. At this time, the retaining ring 12 is smoothly inserted into the body 10 via the tapered surface 10a without the O-ring 29 on the outer periphery being caught. In this state, the connection flange 23 is attached to the body 10 from above the retaining ring 12, and the connection flange 23 is fixed to the body 10 by the fixing screw 24, so that the fixed step 33 is sandwiched and positioned between the outer end face of the body 10 and the connection flange 23. This maintains the state in which the gap S is provided between the retaining ring 12 and the ball valve body 11.

[0040] The low-elasticity packing 13 is made of a resin material softer than the retaining ring 12, such as rubber or perfluoroelastomer material, and is formed in an annular shape with a cross section inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees so that it can be attached to the attachment groove 28. After the low-elasticity packing 13 is attached to the attachment groove 28, the tip side of the low-elasticity packing 13 is oriented approximately perpendicular to the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11 at an attachment angle θ of approximately 45 degrees. The low-elasticity packing 13 has characteristics of high temperature resistance and durability, and is provided with a necked portion 30 in a shape with a partially reduced diameter in approximately the center thereof.

[0041] The valve body 1 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is a three-way switching valve in which, when the stem 14 is rotated 180 degrees, either of the flow paths 25 in the connecting flanges 23 on both sides is switched to the lower branch flow path 20. With the above internal configuration, the valve body 1 slides along a guide with the ball valve element 11 held by the low-elasticity packing 13, and the retaining ring 12 that holds this low-elasticity packing 13 is provided so as to have a non-pressure contact structure with respect to the ball valve element 11. Here, in this specification, "guide sliding" means that the ball valve body 11 is held by the low-elasticity packing 13 so that the ball valve body 11 and the retaining ring 12 do not come into contact with each other, while the ball valve body 11 is held by the low-elasticity packing 13 so that the ball valve body 11 can come into contact with the low-elasticity packing 13 to generate seal surface pressure. The term "non-pressure contact" means that the ball valve body 11 and the retaining ring 12 are not in contact with each other and have a gap S therebetween. "Non-pressure contact structure" means a seal structure of a ball valve in which the ball valve body 11 and the retaining ring 12 do not come into contact with each other, but rather the seal surface pressure is generated by guide sliding caused by contact between the ball valve body 11 and the low-elasticity gasket 13.

[0042] Here, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an actuator of a small electric ball valve in the present invention, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are cross-sectional views showing other examples of the actuator and the main body of the same, and Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 show an example of a manual mechanism for manually operating the ball valve of the present invention. Of course, these actuators and manual mechanisms can also be applied to the first invention of the ball valve described above and the second invention described below.

[0043] 1 to 4, the actuator body 2 is mounted on the above-mentioned valve body 1 so as to automatically rotate the valve body 1, and has an actuation shaft 14, an actuation gear 41, a motor 42, a rotating shaft 43, and an input gear 44. The actuation shaft 14 is formed integrally with the stem 14 and is axially attached via a bearing 45, and the ball valve element 11 is provided so as to be rotatable by the actuation shaft 14.

[0044] The actuation gear 41 is integrated and rotatable coaxially with the stem 14, and is built into the actuator body 2 in a state of meshing with the input gear 44. Meanwhile, the input gear 44 is integrated and coaxially with a rotating shaft 43 provided on the output side of the motor 42. With this configuration, when the motor 42 is operated, the input gear 44 rotates together with the rotating shaft 43, and the rotation is transmitted to the actuation gear 41 while being decelerated. The rotation of the actuation gear 41 rotates the stem 14, and the ball valve element 11 built into the valve body 1 is rotated by this stem 14.

[0045] The operating gear 41 has a plurality of holes 46 of an appropriate shape formed concentrically thereon, and it is possible to insert fixing bolts 47 through these holes 46. A mounting plate 48 for mounting parts, which is located on the upper side of the operating gear 41, and the like are also provided with holes (not shown) into which the fixing bolts 47 and a predetermined tool for attaching and detaching the fixing bolts can be inserted.

[0046] By providing multiple holes 46 in the operating gear 41, when attaching the actuator body 2 to the valve body 1, the fixing bolts 47 can be tightened with a tool through the holes 46 from holes in a mounting plate 48 or the like. This makes it possible to directly mount the actuator body 2 to the valve body 1 with the fixing bolts 47.

[0047] The valve body can also be installed in valves of various structures, such as two-way valves and four-way valves other than the three-way valve described above. For example, a straight internal flow passage can be provided in the ball valve body, and the valve can be opened and closed by rotating the ball valve body 90 degrees via the stem.

[0048] The valve body may be equipped with an actuator other than an electric actuator, for example, an air-driven actuator, or may be provided with a manual mechanism such as a manual handle, which will be described later.

[0049] In addition, multiple valve bodies may be provided and connected together with the operating gears of adjacent valve bodies meshed together, in which case multiple valve bodies can be driven and operated at the same time using one actuator body (one motor).

[0050] The retaining ring 12 may be fixed between the body 10 and the connection flange 23 by a fixing member other than threaded means by the fixing screw 24.

[0051] The angle θ at which the low elasticity packing 13 is attached may be other than 45 degrees, and the packing can be attached at any angle θ. The hole 46 of the operating gear 41 can be formed in any shape as long as the fixing bolt 47 can be attached and detached with a tool. By forming this hole 46, the weight of the operating gear 41 can also be reduced.

[0052] Next, the operation of the ball valve according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described. 1 to 5, the ball valve element 11 is housed in the body 10 of the valve main body 1, and the retaining rings 12 are held on both sides of the ball valve element 11 with a gap S between them by the connection flanges 23 in a non-pressure-welded state, so that it is possible to prevent pressure from being applied to the ball valve element 11 from the ball retaining spherical surface 26 of the retaining ring 12. An annular low-elasticity packing 13 made of a resin softer than the retaining ring 12 is attached to the mounting groove 28 of the ball retaining spherical surface 26, and the ball valve element 11 is guided and slid by this low-elasticity packing 13, and when the ball valve element 11 rotates, the fluid is sealed only by the low-elasticity packing 13, forming a non-pressure contact structure, so that it is possible to ensure sealing performance while keeping the operating torque of the ball valve element 11 as small as possible.

[0053] In this case, O-rings 29 are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the retaining ring 12 on the insertion side into the body 10 and on the insertion surface into the connection flange 23, and these O-rings 29 seal the outer periphery between the body 10 and the connection flange 23, respectively, thereby preventing leakage to the outside.

[0054] Moreover, since the retaining ring 12 is fixed to the body 10 by the fixing screw 24 via the fixing step 33 provided on the outer periphery of the retaining ring 12, even if the retaining ring 12 is tightly fastened with the fixing screw 24 to improve the sealing performance of the O-ring 29, the end face of the fixing step 33 abuts against the outer end face of the body 10, and the retaining ring 12 is not pushed any further into the ball valve body 11. Therefore, the gap S is reliably maintained between the ball valve body 11 and the retaining ring 12, and the O-ring 29 can provide an external seal while maintaining a pressureless contact state between them.

[0055] By mounting the low-elasticity packing 13 in the mounting groove 28 formed at an inclination angle θ of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the flow path 25, the sealing portion on the tip side of the low-elasticity packing 13 abuts against the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11 at a substantially right angle, and the force from the sealing portion acts in the centripetal direction of the ball valve body 11, preventing the sealing portion from twisting and preventing the dispersion of the seal surface pressure. Therefore, the sealing force of the low-elasticity packing 13 is most efficiently transmitted to the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11, improving the sealing efficiency.

[0056] Since the low elasticity packing 13 is made of rubber or perfluoroelastomer material, it has excellent high temperature resistance and durability in addition to improved sealing performance. Furthermore, a constricted portion 30 is provided in the center of the low-elasticity packing 13, which allows the deformed portion of the packing that has thermally expanded to escape, preventing an excessive increase in the tightening surface pressure. As a result, for example, when a high-temperature fluid of 160°C flows through the valve body 1, the valve body can maintain its sealing performance and demonstrate high durability even after approximately 110,000 opening and closing operations.

[0057] The above configuration reduces sliding resistance while ensuring sealing of the valve body 1, and enables opening and closing operations with low torque, so that the valve body 1 can be opened and closed using the low-torque actuator body 2. This makes it possible to make the actuator body 2 more compact in the circumferential direction, and for example, by fitting the actuator body 2 to a size roughly equivalent to the footprint of the valve body 1, the entire ball valve can be made more compact.

[0058] A number of holes 46 are provided in the operating gear 41 of the actuator body 2, and the valve body 1 and the actuator body 2 can be directly attached through these holes 46 with fixing bolts 47 using a specified tool, so that the entire ball valve can be shortened in the vertical direction without using connecting members such as yokes or flanges. When attaching or detaching the actuator body 2, the fixing bolts 47 can be tightened within the frame when the actuator body 2 is projected upward, so even when the valve body 1 is installed in a concentrated state in a narrow space, the compact actuator body 2 can be easily mounted from above the valve body 1, contributing to the miniaturization of the ball valve.

[0059] Since a single-stage gear reduction mechanism is used, in which the input gear 44 integrated with the rotating shaft 43 from the motor 42 is engaged with the operating gear 41 integrated with the stem 14, the reduction ratio is kept small compared to multi-stage gear mechanisms such as two-stage gear mechanisms or higher, and the ball valve body 11 can be driven and operated by the low-torque actuator main body 2.

[0060] Fig. 6 shows another example of the actuator body, and Fig. 7 shows another example of the valve body on which this actuator body is mounted. In the following description, the same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] The ball valve consisting of the valve body 50 and the actuator body 51 has a stem 52 and an operating shaft 53 provided separately, and the stem 52 on the valve body 50 side and the operating shaft 53 on the actuator body 51 side are connected, while the actuator body 51 is mounted on the valve body 50 and integrated.

[0062] In the valve body 50 of FIG. 7, a short stem 52 is fitted onto the upper part of the ball valve body 11, and the ball valve body 11 is rotatably mounted in a sealed state within the body 10 via the retaining ring 12 and low-elasticity packing 13 by this stem 52.

[0063] A pressure-resistant member 61 is fixed to the upper surface of the body 10 by a mounting bolt 54 made of a hexagonal socket bolt, and a stem insertion hole 55 is formed in the center of the pressure-resistant member 61. An enlarged diameter locking step 56 is formed on the body 10 side of the stem insertion hole 55, and an annular flange 57 formed at the corresponding position of the short stem 52 is provided so as to be able to be locked to the locking step 56. By locking the annular flange 57 to the locking step 56 in this manner, the stem 52 is held by the pressure-resistant member 61 and prevented from slipping out, and the O-ring 22 attached to the outer periphery of the stem 52 maintains a shaft-sealed state. Washers 58 are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the annular flange 57, respectively, and these washers 58 ensure good sliding properties of the stem 52. A fitting groove 59 having a two-face width is formed on the upper surface of the stem 52.

[0064] 6 has a fitting protrusion 60 formed at the lower end thereof, which fits into the fitting groove 59 shown in Figures 7(b) and (c), and when the actuator body 51 is placed on the valve body 50, this fitting protrusion 60 is fitted into the fitting groove 59. In this state, by tightening the fixing bolt 47 with a predetermined jig through the hole 46 from above the operating gear 41 in the same manner as in Figure 2, the actuator body 51 can be directly attached to the valve body 50, and at that time, the ball valve element 11 is rotatably fitted into the actuator body 51 while being attached coaxially with the actuator shaft 53.

[0065] By providing the valve body and the actuator body separately as described above, it is possible to mount an actuator body that exhibits torque characteristics corresponding to the operating torque of the valve body. Therefore, if valve bodies and actuator bodies with different specifications are provided in advance, their management and storage will be simplified. Furthermore, when the actuator body 51 is removed from the valve body 50, the stem 52 is sealed with the O-ring 22 as shown in FIG. 7(c), so that the inside of the body 10 is kept airtight.

[0066] Next, the manual mechanism will be described. Figure 8 shows a manual mechanism 70, and Figure 9 shows the manual mechanism 70 attached to the valve body 50 of Figure 7. In this way, when the valve body 50 is provided separately, the actuator body 51 or the manual mechanism 70 described above can be appropriately selected and attached to the valve body 50 to allow manual or automatic opening and closing operations.

[0067] The manual mechanism 70 includes a manual shaft 71, a handle 72 for manual operation, and an attachment part 73 for attaching to the valve body 50. The manual shaft 71 is rotatably attached to the attachment part 73 via an O-ring 75 with a flange 74 formed on the outer periphery preventing it from coming loose, and the handle 72 is fixed to the manual operation side of the manual shaft 71. A fitting protrusion 76 that fits into the fitting recessed groove 59 of the valve body 50 is formed on the lower end of the manual shaft 71, and when the manual mechanism 70 is placed on the valve body 50, the fitting protrusion 76 and the fitting recessed part 59 are fitted together. In this state, by fixing the attachment part 73 to the valve body 50 with the fixing bolt 47, the manual shaft 71 can be manually rotated with the handle 72 of the manual mechanism 70 to open and close the ball valve element 11. In this manner, when the manual mechanism 70 is attached to or detached from the valve body 50, the ball valve element 11 is rotatably fitted in a state where it is coaxially attached to the manual shaft 71 of the manual mechanism 70. The manual mechanism may have a structure other than that described above. For example, a gear reduction mechanism may be provided inside as necessary.

[0068] When either the actuator body 51 or the manual mechanism 70 is attached to the valve body 50, they are compatible with each other, and it is possible to replace them while maintaining the airtightness inside the valve body 50 by simply attaching and detaching the two fixing bolts 47 from the top of the valve body 50.

[0069] Figures 10 to 13 show a preferred embodiment of the ball valve and small electric ball valve of the second invention in the present invention. The actuator and manual mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 9 are naturally applied to the second invention as well as the first invention. Therefore, in the second invention, the same parts as those shown in Figures 10 to 13 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and some of the explanations are omitted.

[0070] The ball valve (compact electric ball valve) 101 according to the second invention comprises a valve body 91 and an electric actuator body 92.

[0071] 10 to 12, the retaining ring 80 is configured by combining a retaining member 80a and an inner ring 80b, and is made of a resin material as in the first aspect of the invention. The retaining surface 81 of the retaining ring 80 is a spherical retaining surface 81, and a mounting groove 82 is formed in this ball retaining surface 81 in the axial direction of the flow passage of the valve body 91.

[0072] In the mounting groove 82, a ring-shaped low-elasticity packing 83 made of rubber or perfluoroelastomer material is inserted. The inner periphery tip side is Valve body 91 In the direction of the flow path axial direction of the flow paths 25, 25, That is, Valve body 91 Flow Channel Axis Radial direction The inner peripheral tip side of the low elasticity packing 83 and the ball valve body 11 are guided and slid. In this example, as shown in Fig. 12, one of the inner peripheral side surfaces 84a at the inner peripheral tip side of the low elasticity packing 83 is in sliding contact with the ball valve body 11. In this case, the difference from the first invention is that, for example, the direction of thermal expansion of the packing 83 is changed to avoid the influence of temperature, and further, consideration is given to reducing torque.

[0073] Furthermore, constricted portions 85 are formed on the inner and outer surfaces of the low-elasticity packing 83, and an outer circumferential groove 86 is formed on the outer circumferential side thereof. The constricted portions 85 and the outer circumferential groove 86 increase the filling rate of the packing 83 due to expansion, thereby achieving low torque without increasing the contact pressure of the low-elasticity packing 83 with the ball valve body 11.

[0074] 11, the retaining ring 80 has a clearance 87 formed by a wall 87a and a groove 87b for preventing the packing from flying out when the packing is pressed in. Due to this clearance 87, even if the spherical portion 84 of the low-elasticity packing 83 is twisted with the rotation of the ball valve body 11, there is absolutely no risk of the spherical portion 84 flying out into the flow path and causing the inner peripheral tip side surface 84a of the packing 83 to be cut off, and the low-elasticity packing 83 maintains a state of being securely attached to the attachment groove 82.

[0075] Next, the function of the retaining ring 80 and the low-elasticity packing 83 according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of Fig. 13. Note that Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the ball valve body 11 has been rotated to the intermediate position. The low elasticity packing 83 is disposed on the flow passage axis of the valve body 91. Radial direction Since the packing 83 is mounted in this state, even if the packing 83 expands due to thermal expansion, the spherical portion 84 on the inner circumferential tip side of the packing 83 is in sliding contact with the ball valve body 11 at one end inner circumferential side surface, and is not affected by the thermal expansion at all. Therefore, there is no risk of an increase in the surface contact pressure of the packing 83 on the ball valve body 11 or an increase in torque, making it possible to constantly maintain low torque.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 13, the relationship between the ball valve body 11 and the spherical portion 84 of the low-elasticity packing 83 will be explained in a schematic manner when the low-elasticity packing 83 is positioned at the intermediate opening position of the ball valve body 11.

[0077] 13(a), the flow passage hole 21a of the ball valve body 11 moves from the right side toward the front, that is, the ball valve body 11 rotates clockwise as viewed from above. First, the packing 83 receives sliding resistance due to the rotation of the ball valve body 11, so it is pulled in the direction of the arrow on the right side of the figure, and is compressed on the left side of the figure.

[0078] At this time, the left packing 83 is always in contact with the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11, so even if the packing 83 is compressed, it will not protrude from the mounting groove 82. On the other hand, the right packing 83 faces the flow passage hole 21a, i.e., is in an exposed state, and while the flow passage hole 21a passes through, the packing 83 does not contact the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11, so it is easily pulled out of the mounting groove 82 and easily protrudes into the flow passage side. In this state, if the right packing 83 were to be pulled out of the mounting groove 82, it would be cut off by the edge 21b of the ball valve body 11 and damaged. However, according to the present invention, the inner circumferential tip side of the packing 83 is in contact with the flow passage axis of the valve body 91. In the radial direction In addition, since the retaining ring 80 is provided with a clearance 87 formed by a wall 87a and a groove 87b, the packing 83 does not protrude into the flow path at all, and the packing 83 can be prevented from being cut off.

[0079] In FIG. 13(b), a state in which the flow passage hole 21a of the ball valve element 11 moves toward the right side as viewed from the front, that is, the ball valve element 11 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above, will be described. In the figure, the packing 83 is pulled in the counterclockwise direction due to sliding resistance caused by the rotation of the ball valve body 11, is compressed in the direction of the arrow on the right side of the figure, and is pulled in the direction of the arrow on the left side. At this time, since the packing 83 on the left side is always in contact with the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11, the packing 83 will not protrude from the mounting groove 82 even if it is pulled.

[0080] On the other hand, on the right side of the figure, the packing 83 faces the flow passage hole 21a, i.e., is exposed, and the right packing 83 is not in contact with the sliding surface 11a of the ball valve body 11, and is likely to protrude from the mounting groove 82 due to compression. In this state, if the packing 83 were to be pulled out of the mounting groove 82, it would go over the edge 21b of the ball valve body 11, and the packing 83 would be cut off by the edge 21b and damaged. However, according to the present invention, the inner peripheral tip side of the packing 83 is in contact with the flow passage axis of the valve body 91, and the packing 83 is easily pulled out of the mounting groove 82 due to compression. In the radial directionSince the packing 83 is mounted on the ball valve body 11 and has a clearance 87 formed by the wall 87a and the groove 87b mounted on the retaining ring 80, the packing 83 does not protrude into the flow passage at all, so that the edge 21b of the ball valve body 11 can prevent the inner peripheral tip side of the packing 83 from being cut off, thereby contributing to improving the durability of the low-elasticity packing 83.

[0081] Therefore, in the second invention, since the packing 83 is not pulled out of the mounting groove 82, even if the packing 83 expands due to thermal expansion, the packing 83 will not jump out into the flow path at all, and when the ball valve body 11 opens and closes, the edge 21b of the ball valve body 11 and the packing 83 rub against each other, and the packing 83 will not be bitten off by the edge 21b and damaged. It goes without saying that the second invention has the same effect as the first invention.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention described in the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1, 50, 91 Valve body 2, 51, 92 Actuator body 10 Body 11 Ball valve body 11a Sliding surface 12 Retaining ring 13, 83 Low elasticity packing 14, 52 stem 24 Fixing screw (fixing member) 26, 81 Ball holding spherical surface (holding surface) 28, 82 Mounting groove 29 O-ring 30, 85 Neck 33 Fixed step part 41 Operating gear 46 holes 47 Fixing bolt 53 Working shaft 61 Pressure-resistant components 70 Manual mechanism 71 Manual axis 80 Retaining ring 80a Retaining member (retaining ring) 80b Inner ring (retaining ring) 84 Spherical part 84a Tip inner circumference side 86 Outer Circumferential Groove 87 Relief 87a Wall 87b Groove 100, 101 Small electric ball valve S Gap θ angle

Claims

1. The valve body includes a ball valve body disposed within the body, a retaining ring for retaining the ball valve body, which is held in a non-pressure-contact state with a gap between both sides of the ball valve body, and an annular low-elasticity packing attached to a retaining surface of the retaining ring for retaining the ball valve body, The valve body is positioned by abutting a fixed step portion on the outer periphery of the retaining ring against the outer end surface of the body, and the retaining ring is fixed with a fixing member, thereby providing a gap between the ball valve body and the retaining surface of the retaining ring, and the ball valve body is guided and slidably moved while being held by the low-elasticity packing, thereby forming a pressureless contact structure.

2. 2. The ball valve as described in claim 1, wherein the retaining surface is a ball retaining spherical surface, and a mounting groove is formed in the center of the ball retaining spherical surface at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the flow path of the valve body, and the low-elasticity gasket formed of rubber or perfluoroelastomer material is mounted in this mounting groove.

3. 3. The ball valve according to claim 2, wherein the low-elasticity packing is provided at a substantially right angle to the sliding surface of the ball valve body, and a constriction is provided inside and outside a central portion of the low-elasticity packing.

4. 2. The ball valve according to claim 1, wherein the retaining surface of the retaining ring is a ball retaining spherical surface, the low-elasticity gasket is mounted in a mounting groove formed in the ball retaining spherical surface, and the inner circumferential tip side of the low-elasticity gasket is mounted in a state facing radially relative to the flow path axis of the valve body, thereby guiding and sliding the inner circumferential tip side of the low-elasticity gasket and the ball valve body.

5. 5. A ball valve according to claim 4, wherein said low-elasticity packing is formed with a spherical portion on its inner periphery at its tip, and one tip inner periphery side surface of said spherical portion is brought into sliding contact with said ball valve body.

6. 6. The ball valve according to claim 4, wherein said low-elasticity packing has inner and outer surfaces formed with constrictions, and an outer peripheral groove formed on the outer periphery of said low-elasticity packing.

7. 7. The ball valve according to claim 4, wherein said retaining ring is provided with a wall and a groove for preventing the low-elasticity packing from flying out, to provide a clearance for the low-elasticity packing when it is press-fitted.

8. 2. The ball valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ball valve body is rotatably supported in a sealed state by a short stem, the stem is held by a pressure-resistant member provided on the valve body, and when the actuator body is directly attached to the valve body, the stem can be rotatably fitted coaxially with an operating shaft of the actuator body.

9. 2. The ball valve according to claim 1, wherein the ball valve body is rotatably supported in a sealed state by a short stem, the stem is held by a pressure-resistant member provided on the valve body, and when the manual mechanism is attached to or detached from the valve body, the stem can be rotatably fitted coaxially with a manual shaft of the manual mechanism.

10. A small electric ball valve characterized in that when an actuator body is directly mounted on the valve body in any one of claims 1 to 9, a plurality of holes are provided in an operating gear for rotating the ball valve body built into the actuator body, and the valve body and actuator body are directly attached with fixing bolts that can be inserted through these holes.

11. The valve body comprises a ball valve body disposed within the body, a retaining ring for retaining the ball valve body, which is held in a non-pressure-contact state with a gap between both sides of the ball valve body, and an annular low-elasticity packing attached to a retaining surface of the retaining ring which retains the ball valve body, the valve body having a non-pressure-free contact structure in which a gap is provided between the ball valve body and the retaining surface of the retaining ring, and the ball valve body is guided and slid while being held by the low-elasticity packing, A small electric ball valve characterized in that, when the actuator body is directly mounted on the valve body, a plurality of holes are provided in an operating gear for rotating the ball valve element built into the actuator body, and the valve body and the actuator body are directly attached with fixing bolts that can be inserted through these holes.

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