Apparatus for controlling solids-laden liquids

Claim 2

Apparatus for increasing the pressure on a solids-laden liquid comprising a reciprocating pump having a cylinder wall, an inlet port in the cylinder wall, a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a longitudinal passage through the valve body communicating at the outlet with the inlet port in the cylinder wall, an annular valve seat encircling the longitudinal passage, a spherical valve plug adapted to move from a closed position on the valve seat to an open position adjacent the inlet port, an elastomeric annular seal of rectangular cross section precompressed to a pressure of 1,000 p.s.i. on the outlet end of the valve seat, the opening in the valve seat expanding in the direction of the outlet at an angle of 19* to 33* with the longitudinal passage and having a diameter at the outlet end in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirtysecond inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug, said precompressed seal having a diameter of central opening in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug and a thickness such that the seal engages the spherical valve plug around a great circle of the spherical valve plug when the spherical valve plug rests on the valve seat and extends from the valve seat beyond the center of the valve plug, and a valve cage limiting movement of the spherical valve plug into the inlet port.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the elastomeric seal has a Shore durometer hardness in the range of 80 to 98.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which the elastomeric annular seal has a lip around the inner edge extending in the direction of the outlet of the valve.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the elastomeric annular seal is a composite of a first ring of a soft elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness above 60 and a second ring of a hard elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness of 80 to 98, the first ring and the second ring being bonded together and positioned in the valve with the first ring nearest the outlet of the valve, whereby the soft ring engages the valve plug when the valve plug is on the valve seat.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which the elastomeric material is a urethane composition.

Claim 7

A valve for controlling the flow of a liquid havinG solids suspended therein comprising a valve body having a passage extending longitudinally therethrough, a valve seat surrounding the passage within the valve body, an annular seal positioned at the outlet end of the valve seat, said annular seal being of an elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness higher than 80 precompressed under a pressure of at least 1,000 p.s.i., a spherical valve plug adapted to move from a closed position on the valve seat to an open position toward the outlet of the longitudinal passage, said valve plug having a diameter such that it just slides along the inner edge of the precompressed annular valve seal as it moves to the closed position.

Claim 8

A valve for controlling the flow of a liquid havinG solids suspended therein comprising a valve body having a passage extending longitudinally therethrough, a valve seat surrounding the passage within the valve body, an annular seal positioned at the outlet end of the valve seat, said annular seal being of an elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness higher than 80 precompressed under a pressure of at least 1,000 p.s.i., a spherical valve plug adapted to move from a closed position on the valve seat to an open position toward the outlet of the longitudinal passage, said valve plug having a diameter such that it just slides along the inner edge of the precompressed annular valve seal as it moves to the closed position.

Claim 9

In a ball-type check valve for controlling flow of liquids into and from a reciprocating pump, said valve having a valve body with a passage extending longitudinally therethrough from an inlet to an outlet, a valve seat encircling the passage within the valve body, and a spherical valve plug within the passage on the outlet side of the valve seat adapted to move within the passage between a closed position on the valve seat and an open position spaced from the valve seat in the direction of the outlet, the improvement comprising an annular valve seal of elastomeric material precompressed to a pressure of at least 1, 000 p.s.i. on the outlet end of the valve seat, said seal having a substantially rectangular cross section in a plane including the axis of the longitudinal passage, an internal diameter in the range from the diameter of the spherical valve plug up to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the spherical valve plug, and a thickness such that the seal extends from the valve seat in the direction of the valve outlet beyond the center of the valve plug when the valve plug is in the closed position on the valve seat.

Claim 10

In a ball-type check valve for controlling flow of liquids into and from a reciprocating pump, said valve having a valve body with a passage extending longitudinally therethrough from an inlet to an outlet, a valve seat encircling the passage within the valve body, and a spherical valve plug within the passage on the outlet side of the valve seat adapted to move within the passage between a closed position on the valve seat and an open position spaced from the valve seat in the direction of the outlet, the improvement comprising an annular valve seal of elastomeric material precompressed to a pressure of at least 1, 000 p.s.i. on the outlet end of the valve seat, said seal having a substantially rectangular cross section in a plane including the axis of the longitudinal passage, an internal diameter in the range from the diameter of the spherical valve plug up to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the spherical valve plug, and a thickness such that the seal extends from the valve seat in the direction of the valve outlet beyond the center of the valve plug when the valve plug is in the closed position on the valve seat.

Claim 11

In a ball-type check valve having a spherical valve plug that moves from the closed position on a valve seat to an open position spaced from the valve seat in the direction of the valve outlet and a precompressed elastomeric annular seal of substantially rectangular cross section and an inner diameter at least as large as the diameter of the valve plug positioned to engage the valve plug along a great circle when the valve plug is in the closed position, the improvement comprising said annular seal being a composite of a ring of elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness of at least 80 and a ring of a soft elastomeric material having a hardness of at least 60, the ring of soft material being nearest the outlet of the valve and in position in alignment with the center line of the valve plug when the valve plug is in the closed position.

Claim 12

In a ball-type check valve having a spherical valve plug that moves from the closed position on a valve seat to an open position spaced from the valve seat in the direction of the valve outlet and a precompressed elastomeric annular seal of substantially rectangular cross section and an inner diameter at least as large as the diameter of the valve plug positioned to engage the valve plug along a great circle when the valve plug is in the closed position, the improvement comprising said annular seal being a composite of a ring of elastomeric material having a Shore durometer hardness of at least 80 and a ring of a soft elastomeric material having a hardness of at least 60, the ring of soft material being nearest the outlet of the valve and in position in alignment with the center line of the valve plug when the valve plug is in the closed position.

Claim 13

A valve as set forth in claim 8 in which the ring of soft material extends from above to below the center line of the spherical valve plug when the valve plug is in the closed position.

Claim 14

A valve for controlling the flow of solids-laden liquids comprising a valve body, a passage extending longitudinally through the valve body from the inlet end of the valve body to the outlet thereof, an annular valve seat surrounding the passage within the valve body, an annular elastomeric valve seal of substantially rectangular cross section having a Shore durometer hardness of 88 to 98 positioned at the outlet end of the valve seat, said annular seal having an inner diameter at least as large as the diameter of the valve plug and a thickness such that the seal extends in the direction of the outlet beyond the center line of the valve plug when the valve is in the closed position, a valve guide within the longitudinal passage between the annular seal and the valve outlet, the outlet end of the valve guide being in substantially the same plane as the outlet end of the valve body, and a spherical valve plug adapted to move from the closed position on the valve seat to an open position extending into the outlet of the valve.

Claim 15

A valve for controlling the flow of solids-laden liquids comprising a valve body, a passage extending longitudinally through the valve body from the inlet end of the valve body to the outlet thereof, an annular valve seat surrounding the passage within the valve body, an annular elastomeric valve seal of substantially rectangular cross section having a Shore durometer hardness of 88 to 98 positioned at the outlet end of the valve seat, said annular seal having an inner diameter at least as large as the diameter of the valve plug and a thickness such that the seal extends in the direction of the outlet beyond the center line of the valve plug when the valve is in the closed position, a valve guide within the longitudinal passage between the annular seal and the valve outlet, the outlet end of the valve guide being in substantially the same plane as the outlet end of the valve body, and a spherical valve plug adapted to move from the closed position on the valve seat to an open position extending into the outlet of the valve.

Claim 16

In the ball check valve of claim 7, the improvEment comprising the valve seat being at an angle of 19* to 33* with the axis of the longitudinal passage, the annular seal having a thickness of one-fourth inch to three-fourths inch and the central opening in the seal and the diameter of the opening in the outlet end of the valve seat having substantially the same diameter.

Claim 17

A ball-type check valve for controlling the flow of slurries at high pressures comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a passage extending longitudinally through the body from the inlet to the outlet, an annular valve seat encircling the longitudinal passage, said valve seat expanding in the direction of the valve outlet at an angle with the longitudinal passage of 19* to 33*, a spherical valve plug, the opening at the outlet end of the valve seat having a diameter in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug, an annular surface perpendicular to the longitudinal passage and extending radially outward from the opening in the outlet end of the valve seat, an annular elastomeric seal of substantially rectangular cross section and a Shore durometer hardness of 88 to 98 positioned on the surface, compressing means engaging the seal on its outlet face precompressing the seal against the surface at a pressure of at least 1,000 p.s.i., the seal having a thickness such that its outlet face is nearer than the center of the valve plug to the outlet of the valve body, and the opening in the annular seal when precompressed has a diameter in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug, whereby the seal engages the valve plug along a great circle when pressure within the valve moves the valve plug onto the valve seat.

Claim 18

A ball-type check valve for controlling the flow of slurries at high pressures comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a passage extending longitudinally through the body from the inlet to the outlet, an annular valve seat encircling the longitudinal passage, said valve seat expanding in the direction of the valve outlet at an angle with the longitudinal passage of 19* to 33*, a spherical valve plug, the opening at the outlet end of the valve seat having a diameter in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug, an annular surface perpendicular to the longitudinal passage and extending radially outward from the opening in the outlet end of the valve seat, an annular elastomeric seal of substantially rectangular cross section and a Shore durometer hardness of 88 to 98 positioned on the surface, compressing means engaging the seal on its outlet face precompressing the seal against the surface at a pressure of at least 1,000 p.s.i., the seal having a thickness such that its outlet face is nearer than the center of the valve plug to the outlet of the valve body, and the opening in the annular seal when precompressed has a diameter in the range from the diameter of the valve plug to one thirty-second inch larger than the diameter of the valve plug, whereby the seal engages the valve plug along a great circle when pressure within the valve moves the valve plug onto the valve seat.

Claim 19

A valve as set forth in claim 12 in which the seal has a lip of triangular cross section in a plane including the longitudinal axis of the valve body, extending from the outlet face along the inner edge of the seal.

Claim 20

A valve as set forth in claim 12 in which the compressing means comprise a washer on the outlet face of the seal, a groove in the valve body opening into the longitudinal passage downstream from the seal, and a lock ring engaging the groove and the washer to hold the seal in the compressed condition.