TOP-LOADING ROTARY VALVE WITH ELLIPTICAL SEAL

Abstract

A top-loading rotary valve with an elliptical seal is provided. The valve includes a valve cartridge with a lower cylindrical portion having a first flow opening, an upper cylindrical portion having a second flow opening, a rotor, and a seal positioned between the respective ends of the lower and upper cylindrical portions. The rotor includes a stem and a disc configured to rotate within the cartridge. The lower and upper cylindrical portions are mated to the seal along a plane that defines an ellipse along the respective ends of the cylinder. The disc has a perimeter similar to the ellipse, and the rotor rotates between a closed position, in which the elliptical perimeter of the disc coincides with the seal to prevent flow between the flow openings, and an open position that permits flow between the flow openings.

Description

TOP-LOADING ROTARY VALVE WITH ELLIPTICAL SEAL Background of the Invention Water metering systems are being developed that include functions to automatically shut off or control the flow to the measured facilities. Rotary valves can be used to implement such flow controls. When used with water meters, rotary valves must meet service parameters that correspond to the meter's general requirements regarding reliability, lifespan, energy consumption, replacement, and similar factors. For example, the valves can be integrated with a battery-powered water meter that has a required lifespan (e.g., 3 years, 5 years, etc.). Consequently, a valve that provides ease of installation, reliable operation, and minimal energy consumption (e.g., small stroke range, low torque requirement, etc.) is advantageous for this application. Existing types of rotary valves for water service typically include ball valves, plug valves, and butterfly valves. Each valve type is capable of providing an open-to-close operation with a quarter turn. For inclusion in a combined meter-plus-valve application, it is also desirable that such valves be top-loading; that is, the Ref. 342760 Working elements must be loaded on an axis perpendicular to the water flow axis. Current technology ball and butterfly valves are end-loaded, which creates assembly problems. Although some top-loading plug valves exist, these typically have high operating torques. The high torques required for these plug valves make them unsuitable for battery-operated meters. Brief Description of the Figures Figure 1 is an installation view of a top-loading rotary valve according to a modality described herein; Figure 2 is a side view of the top-loading rotary valve configured in the open position; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the top-loading rotary valve of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a cross-section diagram illustrating the top-loading rotary valve in a closed position; Figure 5 is a cross-section diagram illustrating the top-loading rotary valve without a rotor installed; Figures 6-8 are perspective, side and front views, respectively, of a rotor for the top-loading rotary valve, according to one modality; ivIA / a / ¿u¿ó / uu i ¿uo Figures 9-11 are perspective, side and front views, respectively, of a housing for a top-loading rotary valve, according to one modality; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the underside of the housing and the elliptical joint of Figure 9; and Figure 13 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the housing and elliptical joint of Figure 9 with the rotor installed in a partially open position. Detailed Description of the Invention The following detailed description refers to the accompanying figures. The same reference numbers in different figures identify identical or similar elements. Furthermore, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. According to the embodiments described herein, a top-loading rotary valve is provided with an elliptical seal. A cylindrical top-loading cartridge of the rotary valve is configured for insertion into a cylindrical outer housing. A single elliptical seal separates an upper and a lower portion of the cartridge housing and provides multiple sealing functions for the valve. A rotor disc impedes flow when fully engaged with the seal and rotates with a relatively low actuating torque to open the valve. Referring to Figure 1, a top-loading rotary valve 10 may include an inner housing 100 comprising an elliptical seal 200, a rotor 300, a valve housing 400, and a cap or cover 500. The combination of the inner housing 100, the elliptical seal 200, and the rotor 300 may also be collectively referred to herein as a cartridge 350. The inner housing 100 may include a generally cylindrical structure configured to be received in the valve housing 400. Referring collectively to the various representations in Figures 1-13, the housing 100 may include a lower cylindrical portion 102 and an upper cylindrical portion 122, which are separated along an angular plane by a gasket 200. The intersection of this angular plane with the cylinders 102 / 122 defines an ellipse 250 (e.g., Figure 12). The ellipse 250 is fixed and oriented such that the major axis of the ellipse and the flow axis lie in the same vertical plane (e.g., the vertical plane AA of Figure 2 that forms the cross-section of Figure 3). The ellipse represents the fixed sealing surface where the gasket 200 can be installed. As shown in Figures 3-5, the lower cylindrical portion 102 may include a circular base 104, a grooved cylindrical wall 106 with an open end 107, and a first flow opening 108. The circular base 104 may include a rotor mount 110 centered on the axis ML / a / ZUZO / UUI ZUO (for example, corresponding to the z-axis shown in the figures) of the lower cylindrical portion 102. The rotor mount 110 may include a hole 112 and a support flange 114 around the hole 112. As shown in Figure 9, the grooved cylindrical wall 106 includes a plurality of axially spaced ribs or channels 109 projecting radially from an outer surface thereof. The grooved cylindrical wall 106 can have an outer diameter, along the ribs, that fits the inner diameter of the valve housing 400. The flow opening 108 can form a generally circular opening through the cylindrical wall 106, such that an axis of the opening 108 (e.g., corresponding to the x-axis shown in the figures) is orthogonal to the axis of the lower cylindrical portion 102 (e.g., corresponding to the z-axis shown in the figures).At the open end of the lower cylindrical portion 102, the top of the grooved cylindrical wall 106 includes a contact surface 116, as shown in Figure 3. The contact surface 116 may include a raised gasket ring portion 118. The raised gasket ring portion 118 may provide a seating surface for positioning / aligning the elliptical gasket 200. According to one embodiment, the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122 may be formed as identical parts, with the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122 installed in opposite orientations to form the inner housing 100. Accordingly, the upper cylindrical portion 122 may include a circular base 124, a grooved cylindrical wall 126 with an open end 127, and a first flow opening 128. The circular base 124 may include a rotor mount 130 centered on the axis (for example, corresponding to the z-axis shown in the figures) of the lower cylindrical portion 122. The rotor mount 130 may include a bore 132 and a support flange 134 around the bore 132.The grooved cylindrical wall 126 may include a plurality of spaced ribs 129 and may have an outside diameter, along the ribs, that fits within the inside diameter of the valve housing 400. The flow opening 128 may form a generally circular opening through the cylindrical wall 126, such that an axis of the opening 128 (e.g., corresponding to the x-axis shown in the figures) is orthogonal to the axis of the upper cylindrical portion 122 (e.g., corresponding to the z-axis shown in the figures). At the open end of the upper cylindrical portion 122, the lower (when installed) portion of the grooved cylindrical wall 126 includes a contact surface 136, as shown in Figure 3. The contact surface 136 may include a raised gasket ring portion 138.The raised gasket ring portion 138 can provide a seating surface on which to align the elliptical gasket 200. According to one embodiment, the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122 may be formed of a molded plastic material. For example, the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122 may be formed of an engineering polymer (a reinforced engineering thermoplastic, such as Polyphenylene Ether (PPE) or Polyphenylene Oxide (PPO)). The elliptical gasket 200 may include a continuous elliptical body or gasket comprising an outer flange 202 and an inner flange 204 separated by a band 206. As shown, for example, in Figure 3, the elliptical gasket 200 may be installed at the interface between the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122. In general, the dimensions of the elliptical gasket 200 may be configured to match the perimeter of the elliptical shape of the contact surfaces 118 / 138. More specifically, the dimensions of the band 206 may be configured to fit the gasket ring portions 118 / 138 with the outer flange 202 and an inner flange 204 exposed on each side of the gasket ring portion 118 / 138. Thus, the elliptical joint 200 provides an elastic compressible material at the interface between the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122. The elliptical gasket 200 can be constructed from any suitable durable elastomeric material, such as silicone, butyl rubber, polyamide, polyester, olefin, styrenics, urethane, and a thermoplastic, cured rubber compound. More specific examples include room-temperature vulcanized silicone, uncured ethylene-propylenediene monomer (EPDM) blended with polypropylene, styrene-butadiene-styrene block polymer, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block polymer, cured ethylene-propylene-diene / polypropylene copolymer blend, cured isobutylene-isoprene / polypropylene rubber blend, and cured nitrile butadiene rubber / polyvinyl chloride blend. As shown in Figures 6-8, the rotor 300 may include a stem 302, a disc 304, a lower shoulder 306, and an upper shoulder 308. The stem 302 may generally be a solid cylinder sized to fit into or through holes 112 and 132. In one embodiment, the stem 302 may be a metallic material, such as steel. In another embodiment, the stem 302 may be formed from a synthetic polymeric material. The disc 304 may be fixedly mounted on the stem 302. According to one embodiment, the disc 304, with shoulders 306 and 308, may be a plastic material molded onto the stem 302. As shown, for example, in Figure 6, the disk 304 can be in the shape of an ellipse coincident with the joint 200 (for example, corresponding to the interior of the fixed ellipse 250 formed where the joint 200 is seated between the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122). In other words, the elliptical perimeter of the disk 304 can be geometrically similar to the fixed ellipse 250. The disk 304 can have a thickness, T, on a peripheral surface 316 of the disk 304 configured to come into contact with the joint 200. According to one embodiment, the peripheral surface 316 can be parallel to the common vertical axis of the stem 302, the lower cylindrical portion 102, and the upper cylindrical portion 122 (for example, the z-axis in the figures). The rotor 300 can be enclosed within the lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122. More specifically, the stem 302 can be inserted into the hole 112 of the rotor support 110 and the hole 132 of the rotor support 130 to maintain the stem 302 in a vertical orientation (e.g., along the z-axis in the figures). The stem 302 can be configured to rotate within the rotor supports 110 and 130 about a drive axis 150 that coincides with the axis of the inner cylindrical housing 100 (e.g., the z-axis in the figures). For example, the rotation of the stem 302 relative to the inner housing 100 and the valve housing 400 can be achieved by a suitable battery-operated valve control mechanism, not shown. The lower cylindrical portion 102 and an upper cylindrical portion 122 can be installed on the rotor 300 and joined along an angled plane, with the elliptical seal 200 secured between the contact surfaces 116 and 136. The lower cylindrical portion 102 and the upper cylindrical portion 122 can be aligned so that the flow openings 108 and 128 share a common flow axis (e.g., corresponding to the x-axis shown in the figures). The lower shoulder 306 of the rotor 300 can be configured to butt against the support flange 114 to provide the desired vertical orientation of the disc 304 with respect to the elliptical joint 200. The upper shoulder 308 can be configured to butt against the support flange 134 to maintain the desired vertical orientation of the disc 304 with respect to the elliptical joint 200. The rotor 300 may further include a drive tip 310 at one end (e.g., an upper end) of the stem 302. The drive tip may extend beyond the upper cylindrical portion 122 and the cover 500 to expose the stem 302 to the application of external forces. For example, the drive tip 310 may include one or more contact surfaces to which an actuator or other device may apply rotational forces to the rotor 300. According to one embodiment, the rotor 300 may rotate a quarter turn (i.e., 90 degrees) between a fully open position (e.g., Figures 2 and 3) and a fully closed position (e.g., Figure 4). When installed within the housing 100, the elliptical disc 304 may be oriented to be in the same plane as the elliptical seal 200 when the rotor 300 is in the closed position. The 302 stem may also include one or more 312 grooves, each configured to receive a 314 O-ring inside. As described later, the 314 O-ring may be configured to form a fluid-tight seal between the 302 stem and the 500 cover. The valve housing 400 can be configured for connection to a piping system and may include a structure for receiving the cartridge 350. In some embodiments, the cartridge 350 (including the housing 100, elliptical seal 200, and rotor 300) can be provided as a replaceable component for the top-loading rotary valve 10, such that the cartridge 350 can be configured to fit within a valve housing 400 that has been previously connected to the supply piping. In other embodiments, the top-loading rotary valve 10 can be installed by connecting the valve housing 400 to the supply piping. The housing 400 may include an internal bore 402 (e.g., a cylindrical volume) configured to receive the cartridge 350 through a top opening. The valve housing 400 may include an inlet 404 and an outlet 406. The inlet 404 may be configured to align with the opening 108, and the outlet 406 may be configured to align with the opening 128, such that the inlet 404, flow opening 108, flow opening 128, and outlet 406 may share a common flow axis (e.g., along the X-axis in the figures). In another embodiment, the inlet 404, flow opening 108, flow opening 128, and outlet 406 may have parallel flow axes. The valve housing 400 can generally be configured, together with the cover 500, to enclose the housing 100 without limiting access to the flow opening 108 and the flow opening 128.In one embodiment, the internal bore 402 may include one or more indexing tabs (not shown) to ensure the correct orientation of the cartridge 350 with respect to the housing 400 and to prevent rotation of the cartridge 350 with respect to the housing 400. According to one embodiment, the valve housing 400 may include connectors (not shown) to direct fluid to the inlet 404 and out from the flow outlet 406. An inner surface 408 of the inner bore 402 may have an inner diameter DI that is nominally larger than the outer diameter of the grooved cylindrical walls 106 and 126, such that the cartridge 350 fits snugly within the inner diameter of the valve housing 400. The inner bore 402 may have another inner surface 410 with an upper inner diameter D2 that is larger than the diameter DI. The inner surface 410 may be dimensioned to receive the cover 500 inside it. A shoulder 412 may be formed at the interface of the inner surface 408 and the inner surface 410. According to one embodiment, the valve housing 400 may be made of a metallic material, such as a cast metal (for example, bronze), with a bore machined to form the inner surface 408 and the inner surface 410. The cover 500 may include a substantially disc-shaped structure with an access hole 502. According to one embodiment, the cover 500 may be formed of a metallic material, such as bronze. In other embodiments, the cover 500 may be formed of a plastic material. The access hole 502 may be configured to receive the stem 302 through it. The cover 500 can be installed through the opening of the internal bore 402 of the valve housing 400 to secure the cartridge 350 within the valve housing 400. For example, in one embodiment, the cover 500 may include threads on an outside diameter that correspond to the threads on the inner surface 410, such that the cover 500 can be screwed onto the valve housing 400. An O-ring 510 may be interposed between the cover 500 and the shoulder 412 to form a fluid-tight interface between them. When the cover 500 is installed in the valve housing 400, the access hole 502, hole 112, hole 132, and stem 302 can share a common axis with the drive shaft 150 (e.g., along the Z-axis in the figures). A portion of the stem 302 can extend through the access hole 502, such that the grooves 312 and O-rings 314 align with the inner surface of the cover 500 within the access hole 502 to form a fluid-tight interface. In this way, the interface between the valve housing 400 and the cover 500 can be fluid-tight. When the cartridge 350 is installed in the valve housing 400, the outer flange 202 of the gasket 200 can be compressed against the inner surface 408 of the valve housing 400 to form a fluid-tight seal along the fixed ellipse 250. The gasket 200 thus forms a first fluid-tight seal between the inner surface 408 and the lower cylindrical portion 102, and forms a second fluid-tight seal between the inner surface 408 and the upper cylindrical portion 122. Inside the housing 100, the inner flange 204 of the gasket 200 may be exposed to the disc 304. While the inner flange 204 of the gasket 200 and the peripheral surface 316 of the disc 304 are aligned (for example, the rotor 300 is turned to a closed position), as shown in Figure 4, a watertight seal exists between the elliptical gasket 200 and the disc 304. As the rotor 300 rotates about the drive shaft 150, the contact between the stationary ellipse and the rotor ellipse is broken, and water is allowed to flow around the periphery of the disc 304. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the flow opening between flow opening 108 and flow opening 128 reaches its maximum size when the rotor 300 has completed a quarter turn. As shown, for example, in Figure 13, as the rotor rotates about the drive shaft 150, the peripheral surface 316 of the disc 304 contacts the inner flange 204 of the seal 200 at only two points; these contact points advance along the peripheral surface 316 and the seal 200, effectively cleaning the sealing interface (e.g., the inner flange 204 of the seal 200) of debris. Compared to ball valves and butterfly valves, the top-loading rotary valve 10 described herein allows for direct development in a top-loading cartridge. Furthermore, compared to ball valves, the diameter of the top-loading rotary valve 10 can be on the order of the pipe diameter, depending on the plane intersection angle. The top-loading rotary valve 10 requires only a single main seal (e.g., the elliptical seal 200) used to seal against the rotor (e.g., the disc 304) and the valve housing (e.g., the housing surface 408 400), compared to the multiple seals required for a ball valve. This document describes a top-loading rotary valve with an elliptical seal. The valve includes a valve cartridge with a lower cylindrical portion having a first flow opening, an upper cylindrical portion having a second flow opening, a rotor, and a seal positioned between the respective ends of the lower and upper cylindrical portions. The rotor includes a stem and a disc configured to rotate within the cartridge. The lower and upper cylindrical portions are mated to the seal along a plane that defines an ellipse along the respective ends of the cylinder. The disc has a perimeter that is similar (e.g., geometrically similar) to the ellipse, and the rotor rotates between a closed position in which the elliptical perimeter of the disc coincides with the seal and a closed position in which the disc's elliptical perimeter coincides with the seal. ML / a / ZUZO / UUI ZUO prevent flow between flow openings and an open position that allows flow between flow openings. According to one embodiment, the first and second flow openings are aligned along a flow axis, and a major axis of the ellipse lies in a vertical plane that includes the flow axis. According to another embodiment, the lower and upper cylindrical portions are identical (e.g., where the angle of the major axis of the ellipse 250 is 45 degrees above / below the flow (or X) axis). In other embodiments, the angle of the major axis of the ellipse 250 may be oriented at a different angle, such that the lower and upper cylindrical portions have different (e.g., supplementary) angles. The valve cartridge is configured to be inserted into a valve housing that has an internal bore, an inlet, and an outlet. The axis of the internal bore is orthogonal to the axis of the inlet and the axis of the outlet. The inlet axis, the outlet axis, and the axis of the flow openings are common (or at least parallel) when the valve cartridge is installed in the internal bore. The gasket forms a fluid-tight seal between the internal bore and the lower cylindrical portion, and also forms a fluid-tight seal between the internal bore and the upper cylindrical portion. A cover is installed in an opening at the top of the valve housing to secure the valve cartridge within the internal bore. The cover includes an access hole that is axially aligned with the rotor supports of the lower and upper cylindrical portions. The stem extends through the access hole to allow the application of rotational force to the rotor. In one embodiment, the rotation of the rotor causes the disc's perimeter to contact the seal at two points that change as the rotor continues to rotate, effectively cleaning the seal's sealing surface. The foregoing description of the embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form described. Modifications and variations are possible in light of prior learning or may be acquired from the practice of the invention. The use of ordinal terms such as first, second, third, etc., in claims to modify an element of a claim does not in itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one element of the claim over another, the temporal order in which the acts of a method are performed, the temporal order in which the instructions are carried out, etc., but are merely used as labels to distinguish one element of a claim having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for the use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the elements of a claim. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of this application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Likewise, as used herein, the terms "a," "one," "an," and "the" are intended to include one or more elements. Furthermore, the phrase "based on" means based, at least in part, on, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The term "and / or" should be construed to include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated elements. The word "exemplary" is used herein to imply that it serves as an example. Any embodiment or implementation described as exemplary should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or implementations. As explained in this description and illustrated in the figures, reference is made to an exemplary modality, a modality, modalities, etc., which may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to one or more modalities. However, the use of the phrase or term a modality, modalities, etc., in several places The UO in the description does not necessarily refer to all the described modalities, nor does it necessarily refer to the same modality, nor are they separate or alternative modalities necessarily mutually exclusive of other modality(ies). The same applies to the term implementation, implementations, etc. With reference to the use of the words comprise or includes or comprising in the preceding description and / or the following claims, unless the context requires otherwise, those words are used on the basis and with the clear understanding that they are to be interpreted inclusively, and not exclusively, and that each of those words is to be interpreted so in interpreting the preceding description and the following claims. It should be understood that any given element of the described embodiments of the invention may be incorporated in a single structure, a single step, a single substance, or the like. Likewise, a given element of the described embodiment may be incorporated in multiple structures, steps, substances, or the like. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects set forth in this description that are known or will subsequently become known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are not intended to be included in the claims. No element of a claim shall be construed according to 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element of the claim expressly includes the phrase "means to" or "step to". In the preceding description, several preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying figures. However, it will be evident that various modifications and changes can be made to them, and additional embodiments can be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Accordingly, the description and figures should be regarded in an illustrative and not restrictive sense. It is noted that with regard to this date, the best method known to the applicant to put the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

1. A valve system, characterized in that it comprises: a valve cartridge, the valve cartridge including: a lower cylindrical portion including a first open end, a first base, a first flow opening and a first rotor bore, wherein an axis of the first flow opening is orthogonal to an axis of the lower cylindrical portion; an upper cylindrical portion including a second open end, a second base, a second flow opening and a second rotor bore, wherein an axis of the second flow opening is orthogonal to an axis of the upper cylindrical portion; a gasket located between the first open end and the second open end;and a rotor including a stem and a disc fixedly mounted to the stem wherein the rotor stem is configured to rotate within the first rotor bore and the second rotor bore, wherein the lower cylindrical portion and the upper cylindrical portion are coupled to the seal along a plane defining an ellipse along the first open end and the second open end, wherein the disc has a perimeter similar to the ellipse, and wherein the rotor rotates between a closed position in which the elliptical perimeter of the disc coincides with the seal and an open position allowing flow between the first flow opening and the second flow opening.

2. The valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: a valve housing comprising an internal bore, an inlet and an outlet, wherein the internal bore is configured to receive the valve cartridge therein, and wherein an inlet axis, an outlet axis, the axis of the first flow opening and the axis of the second flow opening are parallel when the valve cartridge is installed in the internal bore.

3. The valve system according to claim 2, characterized in that an internal bore axis is orthogonal to the inlet axis and the outlet axis.

4. The valve system according to IVlA / cl / ¿U¿d / UU1 ¿uo claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises: a cover configured to be installed in an upper opening of the valve housing to secure the valve cartridge within the internal bore.

5. The valve system according to claim 4, characterized in that the cover further includes an access hole that is axially aligned with the first rotor hole and the second rotor hole, and wherein the stem extends through the access hole.

6. The valve system according to claim 2, characterized in that the gasket forms a first fluid-tight seal between the inner orifice and the lower cylindrical portion, and forms a second fluid-tight seal between the inner orifice and the upper cylindrical portion.

7. The valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first flow opening and the second flow opening are aligned along a flow axis, and wherein a major axis of the ellipse and the flow axis are in the same vertical plane.

8. The valve system according to claim 7, characterized in that a major axis of the ellipse is fixed at an angle of 45 degrees above the flow axis. lVlA / cl / ¿U¿d / UU1 ¿uo 9. The valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation of the rotor causes the perimeter of the disc to come into contact with the seal at two points that change as the rotor continues to rotate.

10. The valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower cylindrical portion and the upper cylindrical portion are identical parts.

11. The valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that the disc includes a peripheral surface that is parallel to the axis of the lower cylindrical portion and to the axis of the upper cylindrical portion.

12. A valve cartridge, characterized in that it comprises: a lower cylindrical portion including a first open end, a first base, a first flow opening and a first rotor hole, wherein an axis of the first flow opening is orthogonal to an axis of the lower cylindrical portion; an upper cylindrical portion including a second open end, a second base, a second flow opening and a second rotor hole, wherein an axis of the second flow opening is orthogonal to an axis of the upper cylindrical portion; a gasket located between the first open end and the second open end;and a rotor including a stem and a disk fixedly mounted to the stem wherein the rotor stem is configured to rotate within the first rotor bore and the second rotor bore, wherein the lower cylindrical portion and the upper cylindrical portion are coupled to the joint along a plane defining an ellipse along the first open end and the second open end, and wherein the disk has a perimeter geometrically similar to the ellipse.

13. The valve cartridge according to claim 12, characterized in that the rotor rotates between a closed position in which the elliptical perimeter of the disc coincides with the seal, and an open position that allows flow between the first flow opening and the second flow opening.

14. The valve cartridge according to claim 12, characterized in that the first flow opening and the second flow opening are aligned along a flow axis, and wherein a major axis of the ellipse and the flow axis are in the same vertical plane.

15. The valve cartridge according to claim 14, characterized in that a major axis of the ellipse is fixed at an angle of 45 degrees above the flow axis.

16. The valve cartridge according to claim 12, characterized in that the rotation of the rotor 5 causes the perimeter of the disc to come into contact with the seal at two points that change as the rotor continues to rotate.

17. The valve cartridge according to claim 12, characterized in that the lower cylindrical portion 10 and the upper cylindrical portion are identical.

18. The valve cartridge according to claim 12, characterized in that the disc includes a peripheral surface that is parallel to the axis of the lower cylindrical portion and to the axis of the upper cylindrical portion.

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