Patent Application
20200003322
This invention relates generally to motorized ball valves, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a motorized ball valve with an improved actuator bracket.
For many years, ball valves have been used in control applications in a large variety of industrial applications. Generally, a ball valve includes a valve body and a rotatable valve ball. The valve ball includes a central port that permits fluid flow through the valve body when the valve ball is rotated into an open position. When the valve ball is rotated into a closed position, the central port is no longer aligned with the inlet and outlet of the valve body and flow is blocked. Most ball valves are intended for bidirectional fluid flow, such that the inlet and outlet of the valve body may be interchangeable. The rotational position of the valve ball is typically manipulated with a valve stem that is either manually adjusted with a handle or automatically adjusted with an actuator.
In the past, valve actuator motors have been connected to the top of the valve body with an intermediate bracket. As indicated in the PRIOR ART drawing in
Although widely adopted, the conventional actuator mount 208 may present reliability concerns after extended use. The repetitive torque applied by the actuator 206 tends to weaken the connection through the mount 208. This results in rotation of the mount 208 relative to the valve body 202. As axial rotation increases between the joining parts, this slop or play developed between the valve body 202, actuator 206 and mount 208, alters the relative motion of the valve ball from its original set point within the valve body 202. This may lead to leakage, inefficient flow, and damage to the internal components within the valve body 202. As the valve ages, service conditions tend to increase the required torque for proper operation. The relative axial motion of the mount, slipping against the joining fasteners, transfers torsional loads to these components into shear load which leads to additional deformation and consequently more adverse axial movement, potentially leading to failure of the joining connection. There is, therefore, a need for an improved motorized ball valve that provides for a more secure connection between the valve body 202 and the actuator 204. It is to these and other objectives that the present invention is directed.
A motorized ball valve has valve body with an actuator bracket receiver. The actuator bracket receiver has a pair of rails. The ball valve also includes a valve stem extending through the actuator bracket receiver and an actuator operably connected to the valve stem. A mounting bracket is connected between the actuator and the valve body to support the actuator. The mounting bracket is captured between the pair of rails of the actuator bracket receiver to offset torsional forces generated by the actuator.
Referring to
The first and second sides 104, 106 each include a fluid connection 110, 112. It will be appreciated that the ball valve 100 is configured for bidirectional fluid flow, such that fluid may enter the ball valve from either the first side 104 or the second side 106. Accordingly, as used in this disclosure, the relative positions of components within the ball valve 100 will be described in terms of “upstream” or “downstream” based on the direction of fluid flow through the ball valve 100.
The ball valve 100 also includes a valve ball 114 (not shown) positioned between the first and second sides 104, 106. A valve stem 116 extends from the valve ball 114 through the top of the first side 104 of the valve body 102. As is well understood in the art, rotation of the valve stem 114 changes the rotational position of the valve ball 114 to adjust the extent to which the ball valve 100 is open or closed. Although the valve stem 116 can be manually manipulated with a handle or wrench (not shown), in the embodiment depicted in
The actuator 118 is attached to the valve body 102 with a mounting bracket 120, actuator bolts 122 and valve body bolts 124. An embodiment of the mounting bracket 120 is depicted in
The valve body 102 includes an actuator bracket receiver 128 proximate the valve stem 116. The actuator bracket receiver 128 includes a pair of rails 130 and a base 132 through which the valve stem 116 extends. In preferred embodiments, the rails 130 are substantially parallel. In exemplary embodiments, the rails 130 are configured with a vertical inner wall to permit the mounting bracket 120 to be vertically lowered into the actuator bracket receiver 128. The rails 130 are spaced apart by the width (W) such that the mounting bracket 120 is tightly captured within the rails 130. In this way, the rails 130 prevent rotational movement of the mounting bracket 120 caused by the application of torque from the actuator 118. In some embodiments, the base 132 is constructed as an integral portion of the valve body 102.
The actuator bracket receiver 128 includes a plurality of fastener holes 134 extending through the base 132 into the valve body 102. Once the mounting bracket 120 is positioned over the valve stem 116, the valve body bolts 124 can be used to secure the mounting bracket 120 to the base 132 of the actuator bracket receiver 128. The actuator 118 can be attached to the upper side of the mounting bracket 120 with the actuator bolts 122. Although the mounting bracket 120 is depicted as a separable component, it will be appreciated that in certain applications the mounting bracket 120 may be integral with the actuator 118.
In another embodiment depicted in
In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, the actuator bracket receiver 128 and mounting bracket 120 cooperate to securely connect the actuator 118 to the valve body 102. These embodiments present an advantage over prior art designs that rely solely on the valve body bolts 124 to secure the mounting bracket 120 and actuator 118 to the valve body 102. The design of the actuator bracket receiver 128 permits the use of standard mounting brackets 120 and actuators 118 with little or no modification. Additionally, the actuator bracket receiver 128 can be installed as a retrofit option on existing ball valves 100 to improve the performance and durability of the valve.
It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and functions of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the teachings of the present invention can be applied to other systems without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/692,529 filed Jun. 29, 2018 and entitled, “Motorized Ball Valve with Actuator Lock,” the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62692529 | Jun 2018 | US |
