Internal ball valve

Claim 2

A ball valve adapted to be mounted substantially within the confines of the interior volume of a vessel comprising a valve housing defining a ball chamber and flow passage means, said valve housing including annular mounting means adapted to be affixed to an opening in said vessel and thereby enclose said opening, defined within the annulus of said mounting means a flow opening and a separate, discrete actuator opening, a valve ball having a flow port therethrough rotatably mounted in said ball chamber, actuator means engaging said ball for rotation therewith and passing through said actuator opening in said annular mounting means in said ball of said valve housing, said actuator means adapted to rotate said ball chamber between an open position wherein said flow port through said ball provides fluid flow communication through said valve and said flow opening and a closed position wherein said communication is interrupted, wherein said annular mounting means include a sealing surface adapted to provide a seal with a portion of the surface of said vessel, and wherein said ball is rotated from said open to said closed position about an axis substantially parallel to said sealing surface and wherein at least a portion of said flow port of said ball, when said ball is rotated into the open position, is coaxially aligned with said flow opening in said annular mounting means.

Claim 3

The valve of claim 1 wherein said flow port in said ball has a straight line axis and said flow passage means in said valve housing defines a curving flow channel between an inlet port to said valve housing and said ball chamber.

Claim 4

The valve of claim 1 wherein said flow port in said ball has a non-linear axis, only the terminal portion of which is coaxially aligned with said flow opening in said annular mounting means.

Claim 5

In combination a storage vessel defining a storage cavity, a fluid outlet opening in said vessel, and a ball valve disposed within said storage cavity and affixed to said fluid outlet opening in said storage vessel comprising a valve housing assembly, an inlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly, an outlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly, a rotatably mounted ball with a flow port therethrough disposed within said valve housing assembly to permit fluid flow between said inlet flow passage and said outlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly when said ball is rotationally disposed in the open position and interrupting such flow when said ball is rotated from said open position about its axis of rotation, and a valve stem operatively connected at one end thereof to said ball to rotate said ball about its axis of rotation in unison with said stem, the other end of said valve stem engaged by actuator means extending out of said storage cavity through an actuator opening discrete from said outlet flow passage and thus through said fluid outlet opening of said vessel to permit actuation thereof from outside of said vessel and adjacent to said valve, wherein said fluid outlet opening is substantially in a single plane and said rotation of said ball is about an axis substantially parallel to said plane and wherein at least a portion of said flow port of said ball, when said ball is rotated into the open position, is coaxially aligned with said fluid outlet opening.

Claim 6

In combination a storage vessel defining a storage cavity, a fluid outlet opening in said vessel, and a ball valve disposed within said storage cavity and affixed to said fluid outlet opening in said storage vessel comprising a valve housing assembly, an inlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly, an outlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly, a rotatably mounted ball with a flow port therethrough disposed within said valve housing assembly to permit fluid flow between said inlet flow passage and said outlet flow passage in said valve housing assembly when said ball is rotationally disposed in the open position and interrupting such flow when said ball is rotated from said open position about its axis of rotation, and a valve stem operatively connected at one end thereof to said ball to rotate said ball about its axis of rotation in unison with said stem, the other end of said valve stem engaged by actuator means extending out of said storage cavity through an actuator opening discrete from said outlet flow passage and thus through said fluid outlet opening of said vessel to permit actuation thereof from outside of said vessel and adjacent to said valve, wherein said fluid outlet opening is substantially in a single plane and said rotation of said ball is about an axis substantially parallel to said plane and wherein at least a portion of said flow port of said ball, when said ball is rotated into the open position, is coaxially aligned with said fluid outlet opening.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 wherein said flow port in said ball has a straight line axis and said inlet flow passage valve housing assembly defines a curving flow channel to said flow port when said ball is rotated into the open position.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 4 wherein said flow port in said ball has a non-linear axis, only the terminal portion of which is coaxially aligned with said fluid outlet opening.