Ball valve

Abstract

Provided is a ball valve (100), comprising a first valve body (10), a second valve body (20), a valve stem (30), a valve ball (40), a first bearing (50), and a second bearing (60). The first valve body (10) is provided with an accommodating cavity (101); the valve ball (40) is accommodated in the accommodating cavity (101); the second valve body (20) is threadedly connected to the first valve body (10); the first valve body (10) is further provided with a first valve port (103) and a mounting hole (104) which are communicated with the accommodating cavity (101); the second valve body (20) is provided with a second valve port (201) communicated with the accommodating cavity (101); one end of the valve stem (30) extends into the mounting hole (104) and is connected to the valve ball (40) in a limited manner; the first bearing (50) is arranged in the accommodating cavity (101) and is located on the side of the valve ball (40) away from the valve stem (30); and the second bearing (60) is sleeved on the periphery of the valve stem (30).

Description

Ball valve

[0001] Related applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202421969583.4, filed on August 14, 2024, and entitled “Ball valve”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of ball valves, and in particular to a ball valve. BACKGROUND

[0004] Ball valves are often used in refrigeration systems. By rotating the valve ball inside the valve body through the valve stem, the valve body can be opened or closed to allow or block the flow of fluid. However, when the valve is closed, the refrigerant on one side of the valve ball will exert a large pressure on the valve ball, causing the valve ball to be deflected and tightly pressed against the valve body or other internal components. This increases the frictional resistance that the valve ball needs to overcome when opening, greatly increasing the difficulty of opening the valve.

[0005] At the same time, the assembly of the various components of the ball valve in the related art is relatively complex, which increases the overall assembly difficulty of the ball valve, thereby reducing the assembly efficiency of the ball valve and increasing the cost of the ball valve. SUMMARY

[0006] According to various embodiments of the present application, a ball valve is provided.

[0007] A ball valve includes a first valve body, a second valve body, a valve stem, a valve ball, a first bearing, and a second bearing. The first valve body has a receiving cavity, and the valve ball is accommodated in the receiving cavity. The second valve body is connected to the first valve body. The first valve body also has a first valve port and a mounting hole that are in communication with the receiving cavity. The second valve body has a second valve port that is in communication with the receiving cavity. One end of the valve stem extends into the mounting hole and is in position-limiting connection with the valve ball. The valve stem can drive the valve ball to rotate to connect or disconnect the first valve port and the second valve port. The first bearing is located in the receiving cavity and is on the side of the valve ball away from the valve stem. The second bearing is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve stem. The valve ball is rotatably connected to the first valve body through the first bearing, and the valve stem is rotatably connected to the first valve body through the second bearing.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, the inner wall of the accommodating cavity is concave in a direction away from the valve rod to form a first mounting groove, and the first bearing is mounted in the first mounting groove; wherein the outer ring of the first bearing is matched with the side wall of the first mounting groove, the inner ring of the first bearing is connected with a first positioning column, and the first positioning column is connected with the valve ball.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the valve ball is provided with a first positioning hole, and the first positioning column is inserted and connected in the first positioning hole.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the side wall of the valve rod is provided with a first step portion, the inner wall of the mounting hole is provided with a second step portion, the first step portion and the second step portion are arranged in a flush manner to form a second mounting groove, and the second bearing is mounted in the second mounting groove.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the ball valve further comprises a cover, the cover is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve rod and connected with the first valve body; wherein one end of the cover close to the valve ball is stopped at the second bearing.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the ball valve further comprises a gasket, the gasket is arranged between the cover and the second bearing and abuts against the cover and the second bearing respectively.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the valve rod at least partially extends from one end of the cover away from the valve ball.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the first bearing and the second bearing are coaxially arranged.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, one end of the valve ball close to the valve rod is provided with a limiting groove, one end of the valve rod is provided with a limiting portion, the limiting portion is inserted into the limiting groove and matched with the groove wall of the limiting groove in the circumferential direction of the valve ball.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, the bottom wall of the limiting groove is concave in a direction away from the valve rod to form a second positioning hole, one end of the limiting portion close to the valve ball is convex to form a second positioning column, and the second positioning column is inserted and connected in the second positioning hole.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the ball valve further comprises a first sealing member and a second sealing member, the first sealing member is arranged between the valve ball and the first valve body, and the second sealing member is arranged between the valve ball and the second valve body.

[0018] In one of the embodiments, the first valve body and the second valve body are threadedly matched.

[0019] The details of one or more embodiments of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the application will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] To describe and describe the embodiments and / or examples of the inventions disclosed herein, reference can be made to one or more accompanying drawings. Additional details or examples used to describe the drawings should not be considered as limiting the scope of any of the disclosed inventions, the presently described embodiments and / or examples, and the best mode presently understood of these inventions.

[0021] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a ball valve in a closed valve state according to one or more embodiments provided by the present application.

[0022] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a ball valve in an open valve state according to one or more embodiments provided by the present application.

[0023] The symbols in the drawings represent the following meanings: 100, ball valve; 10, first valve body; 101, accommodation cavity; 102, accommodation opening; 103, first valve port; 104, mounting hole; 105, first mounting groove; 11, second step portion; 12, first sealing member; 20, second valve body; 201, second valve port; 21, second sealing member; 30, valve stem; 301, second mounting groove; 302, sealing groove; 31, first step portion; 32, limiting portion; 33, second positioning column; 34, third sealing member; 40, valve ball; 401, first positioning hole; 402, limiting groove; 403, second positioning hole; 50, first bearing; 51, first positioning column; 60, second bearing; 70, cover; 80, gasket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more apparent and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, so the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as "fixed to" or "disposed on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there can be a mediating component. When a component is referred to as "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there can be a mediating component. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "left", "right", and similar expressions used in the specification of the present application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation.

[0026] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or an ordered sequence. Thus, features referring to "first", "second" etc. can include at least one of the features, explicitly or implicitly.

[0027] In the present application, unless specifically stated and limited otherwise, the terms "on", "under", "above" and "below" used in the present application are used to describe the relative position of one feature to another feature. The terms "on", "under", "above" and "below" can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. In addition, the terms "on", "under", "above" and "below" can mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only means that the first feature is horizontally higher than the second feature. The terms "on", "under", "above" and "below" can mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only means that the first feature is horizontally lower than the second feature.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the specification of the present application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the specification of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. The term "and / or" used in the specification of the present application includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0029] Ball valves are often used in refrigeration systems. The valve ball inside the valve body is driven to rotate around the shaft by the valve stem, so as to realize the conduction or interruption of fluid. However, when the fluid is interrupted, that is, when the ball valve is in the closed state, the refrigerant on one side of the valve ball will generate a large pressure on the valve ball. The valve ball will be deflected under the lateral pressure and be tightly pressed against the valve body or other internal components, which increases the frictional resistance that needs to be overcome when the ball valve is opened, thereby greatly increasing the difficulty of opening the ball valve.

[0030] At the same time, the assembly of the ball valve structure in the related art is relatively complex, which increases the overall assembly difficulty of the ball valve, thereby reducing the assembly efficiency of the ball valve and increasing the cost of the ball valve.

[0031] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in order to solve the problems of low assembly efficiency and high difficulty of opening valve in the related art, the application provides a ball valve 100, which comprises a first valve body 10, a second valve body 20, a valve stem 30, a valve ball 40, a first bearing 50 and a second bearing 60, the first valve body 10 is provided with a containing cavity 101 and a containing opening 102 communicating with the containing cavity 101, the valve ball 40 is accommodated in the containing cavity 101 through the containing opening 102, and the second valve body 20 is arranged at the containing opening 102 and connected with the first valve body 10 to block the valve ball 40. The first valve body 10 is also provided with a first valve port 103 and a mounting hole 104 communicating with the containing cavity 101, the second valve body 20 is provided with a second valve port 201 communicating with the containing cavity 101, one end of the valve stem 30 extends into the mounting hole 104 and is limitingly connected with the valve ball 40, and the valve stem 30 can drive the valve ball 40 to rotate to communicate or disconnect the first valve port 103 and the second valve port 201. The first bearing 50 is arranged in the containing cavity 101 and located on the side of the valve ball 40 away from the valve stem 30, and the second bearing 60 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve stem 30, wherein the valve ball 40 is rotatably connected to the first valve body 10 through the first bearing 50, and the valve stem 30 is rotatably connected to the first valve body 10 through the second bearing 60.

[0032] It can be understood that the ball valve 100 of the application can first place the valve ball 40 in the containing cavity 101 of the first valve body 10 through the containing opening 102 during assembly, realize pre-installation of the valve ball 40, and then realize the limitation of the valve ball 40 in the containing cavity 101 by the connection between the second valve body 20 and the first valve body 10, so that the overall installation is simple and the assembly efficiency can be greatly improved. At the same time, the valve ball 40 can be rotated under the driving of the valve stem 30, so as to realize the conduction or interruption of fluid. By arranging the first bearing 50 and the second bearing 60 on both sides of the valve ball 40, when the ball valve 100 is in the valve closing state, the position of the valve ball 40 relative to the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 under the fluid pressure can still be consistent with the initial assembly position, thereby reducing the friction resistance between the valve ball 40 and other parts, and greatly reducing the torque required for opening the valve and the cost of opening the valve.

[0033] In an embodiment, the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 are threadedly connected, so that the connection of the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 is simple and the assembly efficiency can be further improved. In order to further improve the connection reliability of the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20, the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 can be further fixed by welding or the like, which also improves the sealing performance of the connection between the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 and avoids the risk of refrigerant leakage in the ball valve 100.

[0034] In an embodiment, the ball valve 100 further comprises a first sealing member 12 and a second sealing member 21, the first sealing member 12 is arranged between the valve ball 40 and the first valve body 10, and the second sealing member 21 is arranged between the valve ball 40 and the second valve body 20.

[0035] That is, the ball valve 100 of the present application, when the ball valve 100 is in the closed valve state, by adopting the arrangement of the first sealing member 12 and the second sealing member 21, realizes the sealed connection between the valve ball 40 and the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20, thereby improving the sealing performance of the valve ball 40 in the process of controlling fluid flow, and ensuring the sealing performance of the ball valve 100 in the closed valve state. Wherein, since the first bearing 50 and the second bearing 60 reduce the deviation of the axis of the valve ball 40 or the local inclination of the valve ball 40, the ball valve 100 is always in the ideal vertical installation position, so the pressure value applied by the valve ball 40 to the first sealing member 12 or the second sealing member 21 changes little, and the valve ball 40 will not cause excessive extrusion to any one of the first sealing member 12 or the second sealing member 21 due to inclination, thereby reducing the wear of the first sealing member 12 or the second sealing member 21, greatly reducing the sealing performance decline of the first sealing member 12 and the second sealing member 21 due to wear, and prolonging the service life.

[0036] Specifically, in some embodiments, the first sealing member 12 and the second sealing member 21 are arranged as annular sealing pads, and the first sealing member 12 is arranged at the first valve port 103, and the second sealing member 21 is arranged at the second valve port 201.

[0037] Further, in an embodiment, the first bearing 50 and the second bearing 60 are coaxially arranged to further improve the coaxiality of the valve ball 40 and the valve stem 30, thereby reducing the probability of the axis of the valve ball 40 deviating due to stress.

[0038] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the inner wall of the accommodating cavity 101 is recessed in the direction away from the valve stem 30 to form a first mounting groove 105, and the first bearing 50 is mounted in the first mounting groove 105. Wherein, the outer ring of the first bearing 50 is in abutting fit with the side wall of the first mounting groove 105, so that the first bearing 50 is limitingly mounted in the accommodating cavity 101, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the installation of the first bearing 50.

[0039] Further, the inner ring of the first bearing 50 is connected with a first positioning column 51, and the first positioning column 51 is connected with the valve ball 40. Specifically, in this embodiment, the valve ball 40 is provided with a first positioning hole 401, and the first positioning column 51 is inserted and connected in the first positioning hole 401. Through the connection between the first positioning column 51 and the valve ball 40, the deviation of the axis of the valve ball 40 can be further reduced, and the difficulty of opening the valve is reduced.

[0040] The first positioning column 51 and the inner ring of the first bearing 50 can be fixedly connected by interference or welding, and the first positioning column 51 and the first positioning hole 401 can be polygonal or circular in shape and are detachably connected. Of course, they can also be fixedly connected by welding or interference, or the first positioning column 51 and the valve ball 40 can be integrated to further improve the structural strength.

[0041] However, the first mounting groove 105 can also be formed in the valve ball 40 in other embodiments, and the first positioning column 51 can be connected to the inner wall of the accommodating cavity 101, as long as the same effect can be achieved.

[0042] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the side wall of the valve stem 30 is formed with a first step portion 31, the inner wall of the mounting hole 104 is formed with a second step portion 11, the first step portion 31 and the second step portion 11 are flush and form a second mounting groove 301, and the second bearing 60 is mounted in the second mounting groove 301. In this way, the second bearing 60 is easy to install, and the probability of the second bearing 60 moving in the axial direction can be reduced, thereby improving the stability of the installation of the second bearing 60.

[0043] The inner ring of the second bearing 60 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the valve stem 30, and the outer ring of the second bearing 60 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting hole 104. In some embodiments, the thickness of the second bearing 60 in the axial direction is equal to the depth of the second mounting groove 301.

[0044] To limit the side of the second bearing 60 away from the valve ball 40 and further improve the stability of the installation of the second bearing 60, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball valve 100 further includes a cover 70, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve stem 30 and connected to the first valve body 10, and the end of the cover 70 close to the valve ball 40 is stopped at the second bearing 60. By stopping the second bearing 60 by the cover 70, the second bearing 60 can be prevented from being separated from the second mounting groove 301, and the safety is higher.

[0045] The valve stem 30 at least partially extends from the cover 70 away from the valve ball 40, that is, the length of the valve stem 30 is correspondingly lengthened in the technical scheme of the embodiment, in other words, the valve stem 30 of the embodiment has a longer length than before, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve stem 30 is in a vertical state, and the welding position of the cover 70 and the first valve body 10 is at the lower end of the valve stem 30. The heat generated during the welding process is mainly concentrated on the lower part of the valve stem 30. Since the longer valve stem 30 is used, the sealing component (for example, the third sealing member 34 described below) located at the upper end of the valve stem 30 will not be affected by the high temperature of welding. In this way, it is beneficial to reduce the thermal influence of the welding of the first valve body 10, the second valve body 20 and other structures on other internal components, for example, some non-metallic sealing components and the like which may change in performance or physical structure due to heat, that is, to avoid damage to the components, thereby improving the forming rate of the ball valve 100.

[0046] Further, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball valve 100 further comprises a gasket 80, which is arranged between the cover 70 and the second bearing 60 and abuts against the cover 70 and the second bearing 60, respectively. In this way, by arranging the gasket 80, the cover 70 and the second bearing 60 can be protected. Specifically, on the one hand, the gasket 80 can prevent the cover 70 from crushing the second bearing 60 during installation, and on the other hand, it can also reduce the contact between the second bearing 60 and the cover 70 during rotation, thereby reducing the wear of the cover 70 and prolonging the service life of the ball valve 100.

[0047] In order to prevent the fluid in the accommodating cavity 101 from leaking and prevent impurities in the external air from entering the accommodating cavity 101, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball valve 100 further comprises a third sealing member 34, the outer periphery of the valve stem 30 is provided with a sealing groove 302 recessed towards the axis of the valve stem 30, the third sealing member 34 is installed in the sealing groove 302, and at least part of the third sealing member 34 abuts against the inner wall of the cover 70 to seal the connection between the valve stem 30 and the cover 70.

[0048] Specifically, the third sealing member 34 is an O-shaped sealing ring.

[0049] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a limiting groove 402 is formed at one end of the valve ball 40 close to the valve stem 30, and a limiting portion 32 is arranged at one end of the valve stem 30, the limiting portion 32 is inserted into the limiting groove 402 and abuts against the groove wall of the limiting groove 402 along the circumferential direction of the valve ball 40. In this way, the processing is simple, and by abutting the two side walls of the limiting portion 32 and the two groove walls of the limiting groove 402 against each other, the rotation of the limiting portion 32 relative to the limiting groove 402 can be prevented, thereby facilitating the driving of the valve stem 30 on the valve ball 40. At the same time, the detachable connection between the valve stem 30 and the valve ball 40 can also be achieved, which is convenient for subsequent replacement and maintenance.

[0050] Further, in an embodiment, the bottom wall of the limiting groove 402 is concave in a direction away from the valve rod 30 to form a second positioning hole 403, and one end of the limiting portion 32 close to the valve ball 40 is convex to form a second positioning column 33, and the second positioning column 33 is inserted and connected to the second positioning hole 403. Through the positioning cooperation between the second positioning column 33 and the second positioning hole 403, the reliability of the connection between the valve ball 40 and the valve rod 30 is further improved, and the movement of the valve rod 30 and the valve ball 40 along the extending direction of the limiting groove 402 can be prevented, thereby effectively ensuring the consistency of the axis of the valve ball 40.

[0051] In other embodiments, the limiting cooperation between the valve rod 30 and the valve ball 40 can also be achieved by opening the second positioning hole 403 on the limiting portion 32 and setting the second positioning column 33 on the bottom wall of the limiting groove 402.

[0052] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description simple, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are not described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist contradictory, they should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0053] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A ball valve, characterized in that The ball valve comprises a first valve body, a second valve body, a valve rod, a valve ball, a first bearing and a second bearing, the first valve body is provided with a containing cavity, the valve ball is contained in the containing cavity, and the second valve body is connected with the first valve body; The first valve body is also provided with a first valve port and a mounting hole in communication with the containing cavity, the second valve body is provided with a second valve port in communication with the containing cavity, one end of the valve rod extends into the mounting hole and is limitedly connected with the valve ball, and the valve rod can drive the valve ball to rotate to connect or disconnect the first valve port and the second valve port. The first bearing is arranged in the containing cavity and located on the side of the valve ball away from the valve rod, and the second bearing is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve rod, wherein the valve ball is rotatably connected with the first valve body through the first bearing, and the valve rod is rotatably connected with the first valve body through the second bearing.

2. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The inner wall of the containing cavity is recessed in the direction away from the valve rod to form a first mounting groove, and the first bearing is mounted in the first mounting groove. The outer ring of the first bearing is matched with the side wall of the first mounting groove, the inner ring of the first bearing is connected with a first positioning column, and the first positioning column is connected with the valve ball.

3. The ball valve of claim 2, wherein, The valve ball is provided with a first positioning hole, and the first positioning column is inserted and connected in the first positioning hole.

4. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The side wall of the valve rod is formed with a first step portion, the inner wall of the mounting hole is formed with a second step portion, the first step portion and the second step portion are arranged flush and form a second mounting groove, and the second bearing is mounted in the second mounting groove.

5. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The ball valve further comprises a cover, the cover is sleeved on the outer periphery of the valve rod and connected with the first valve body. The end of the cover close to the valve ball is stopped at the second bearing.

6. The ball valve of claim 5, wherein, The ball valve further comprises a gasket, the gasket is arranged between the cover and the second bearing and abuts against the cover and the second bearing respectively.

7. The ball valve of claim 5, wherein, The valve rod at least partially extends from the end of the cover away from the valve ball.

8. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The first bearing and the second bearing are coaxially arranged.

9. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The end of the valve ball close to the valve rod is provided with a limiting groove, one end of the valve rod is provided with a limiting portion, the limiting portion is inserted into the limiting groove and abuts against the groove wall of the limiting groove along the circumferential direction of the valve ball.

10. The ball valve of claim 9, wherein, The bottom wall of the limiting groove is recessed in the direction away from the valve rod to form a second positioning hole, and the end of the limiting portion close to the valve ball is protruded to form a second positioning column, and the second positioning column is inserted and connected in the second positioning hole.

11. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The ball valve further comprises a first sealing member and a second sealing member, the first sealing member is arranged between the valve ball and the first valve body, and the second sealing member is arranged between the valve ball and the second valve body.

12. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein, The first valve body and the second valve body are threadedly connected.

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