High pressure butterfly valve

Claim 2

A high pressure butterfly valve comprising: body means having a flow passage defined therein and having opposed stem and trunnion bores; an actuating stem extending through said stem bore and having a valve supporting and driving portion thereof extending into said flow passage; a trunnion extending through said trunnion bore and having a valve supporting portion thereof extending into said flow passage; a lining being disposed within said valve body and having stem and trunnion apertures defined therein, said actuating stem and said trunnion extending through respective ones of said apertures and retaining said cooperating to retain said liner within said valve body; an annular, generally rigid seat ring being disposed within said lining and having stem and trunnion apertures defined therein, said actuating stem and said trunnion extending through respective ones of said seat ring apertures and retaining said seat ring within said lining, said seat ring defining an annular seat surface and having a seal groove defined therein intermediate said seat surface; resilient seal means being disposed within said seal groove and having a sealing portion thereof extending beyond said seat surface; and a valve element being rotatably disposed within said flow passage and having a peripheral sealing surface formed thereon and engaging said seat means and the sealing portion of said resilient seal means in the closed position thereof, said valve element being rotatably supported by said trunnion and being supported in nonrotatable engagement by said actuating stem, said valve element flexing responsive to pressure upstream thereof to increase the circumference of said peripheral sealing surface and enhance the sealing engagement thereof with said valve seat.

Claim 3

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 1: said stem and trunnion bores being enlarged at the inner extremities thereof; said actuating stem and said trunnion having enlargements at the inner extremities thereof, said enlargements being received by the enlarged portions of said actuating stem and trunnion bores and preventing said actuating stem and trunnion from being blown from said valve body by internal pressure; said stem and trunnion openings in said lining and in said seat ring being received by said enlargements of said stem and trunnion; and sealing means being disposed about said actuating stem and said trunnion and maintaining sealing engagement with said valve body.

Claim 4

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 1: said seat means having an inner sealing surface defining a segment of a sphere; and said valve element having an outer peripheral surface being of complimentary configuration to said inner sealing surface.

Claim 5

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 1: said inner extremity of said trunnion being of generally spherical configuration; said inner extremity of said actuating stem having a drive element formed thereon, said drive element having parallel side surfaces adapted to be disposed in alignment with the axis of said flow passage in the closed position of said valve element and having a generally semi-annular surface; said valve element having a genera-ly spherical bearing socket and a drive socket formed therein, said bearing socket and said drive socket corresponding to the respective configuration of said trunnion and said drive element; and said inner extremities of said actuating stem and said trunnion being received respectively within said drive socket and said bearing socket and supporting said valve element for rotation within said valve body and cooperating therewith to allow said valve element to be moved in the downstream direction in the closed position thereof for optimum seating contact with said seat ring.

Claim 6

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 4. said seat means having an inner sealing surface defining a segment of a sphere; saId valve element having an outer peripheral surface being of complimentary configuration to said inner sealing surface; and annular groove means being formed in said seat means and receiving said resilient sealing means therein for sealing engagement with the peripheral sealing surface of said valve element, said sealing means and said annular groove means being enlarged at the base portion thereof and cooperating to lock said sealing means within said annular groove.

Claim 7

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 1: said valve body being defined by upper and lower interfitting body sections; means for retaining said body sections in assembly; and means establishing a fluid seal between said body sections.

Claim 8

A high pressure butterfly valve comprising: a valve body being defined by upper and lower interfitting body sections cooperating to define a flow passage and having opposed axially aligned actuating stem and trunnion bores formed therein and defining support shoulders; trunnion means extending through said trunnion bore and having a generally spherical valve supporting portion thereof extending into said flow passage; actuating stem means extending through said actuating stem bore and having a valve drive projection formed thereon extending into said flow passage; a liner sleeve being disposed within said valve body; an annular rigid seat ring being disposed within said liner sleeve and having an annular sealing surface formed thereon defining a segment of a sphere; an annular groove being defined within said seat means and having an enlarged base portion; an annular resilient seaing ring being disposed within said groove said sealing ring having an enlarged base portion cooperating with the base portion of said groove to lock said sealing ring within said groove; a butterfly valve element being disposed within said flow passage and having a generally spherical bearing socket and a drive socket defined therein, said bearing socket being disposed in rotatable bearing engagement with said trunnion means and said drive socket being received in nonrotatable driving engagement with said valve drive projection of said actuating stem means, said bearing socket and drive socket cooperating respectively with said trunnion and actuating stem to allow pressure responsive downstream movement of said valve element into optimum seating engagement with said seat ring; and said valve element flexing responsive to pressure upstream thereof causing the periphery thereof to enlarge and enhance the sealing engagement thereof with said seat ring.

Claim 9

A high pressure butterfly valve comprising: a valve body being defined by upper and lower interfitting body sections cooperating to define a flow passage and having opposed axially aligned actuating stem and trunnion bores formed therein and defining support shoulders; trunnion means extending through said trunnion bore and having a generally spherical valve supporting portion thereof extending into said flow passage; actuating stem means extending through said actuating stem bore and having a valve drive projection formed thereon extending into said flow passage; a liner sleeve being disposed within said valve body; an annular rigid seat ring being disposed within said liner sleeve and having an annular sealing surface formed thereon defining a segment of a sphere; an annular groove being defined within said seat means and having an enlarged base portion; an annular resilient seaing ring being disposed within said groove said sealing ring having an enlarged base portion cooperating with the base portion of said groove to lock said sealing ring within said groove; a butterfly valve element being disposed within said flow passage and having a generally spherical bearing socket and a drive socket defined therein, said bearing socket being disposed in rotatable bearing engagement with said trunnion means and said drive socket being received in nonrotatable driving engagement with said valve drive projection of said actuating stem means, said bearing socket and drive socket cooperating respectively with said trunnion and actuating stem to allow pressure responsive downstream movement of said valve element into optimum seating engagement with said seat ring; and said valve element flexing responsive to pressure upstream thereof causing the periphery thereof to enlarge and enhance the sealing engagement thereof with said seat ring.

Claim 10

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 7: said stem and trunnion bores being enlarged at the inner extremities thereof; said actuating stem and said trunnion having enlargements at the inner extremities thereof, said enlargements being received by the enlarged portions of said actuating stem and trunnion bores and preventing said actuating stem and trunnion from being blown from said valve body by internal pressure; and sealing means being interposed about said actuating stem and said trunnion and maintaining sealing engagement with said valve body.

Claim 11

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 8: said seat ring and said liner sleeve having aligned actuating stem and trunnion apertures formed therein, said stem and trunnion apertures receiving said actuating stem and said trunnion and mechanically locking said seat means and said liner sleeve within said valve body.

Claim 12

A high pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 8: said valve element being of concavo-convex configuration and having the convex surface thereof facing in the upstream direction in the closed position thereof; and said valve element flexing in response to application of fluid pressure thereto thereby causing the peripheral sealing surface thereof to expand and be forcibly urged against the sealing surfaces of said seat means.

Claim 13

A hiGh pressure butterfly valve as recited in claim 8: said valve body being defined by upper and lower interfitting body sections; means for retaining said body sections in assembly; and means establishing a fluid seal between said body sections.