Non-spherical ball valve

Claim 2

A ball and seat assembly for use in a top entry ball valve of the type that includes a housing having opposed inlet and outlet ports and seat engaging surfaces surrounding said ports, said ball and seat assembly, comprising: a ball member having an internal bore therethrough forming inlet and outlet openings, said ball member having an outer spherical surface region merging into contiguous relieved outer chamfered surface regions, said relieved outer chamfered surface regions surrounding the peripheries of said inlet and outlet openings; a first valve seat having a ball engaging surface and a housing engaging surface, said seat adapted to be disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the inlet port and said ball member; and a second valve seat having a ball engaging surface and a housing engaging surface, said seat adapted to be disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the outlet port and said ball member, the ball member and valve seats being of a size so that when the ball member and valve seats are assembled with the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats engaging the relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball member, the assembly may be slidably received with substantially no restraint between the seat engaging surfaces of the housing, whereby the valve seats hold the ball member in place within the housing by merely engaging the seat engaging surfaces of the housing and said relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball when the ball member is disposed in an open position with the bore in communication with the housing ports and the outer spherical surface region of the ball member sealingly compresses the valve seats when the ball member is disposed in a closed position with the outer spherical surface of the ball member engaging the ball engaging surfaces of the seats.

Claim 3

A ball and seat assembly according to claim 1 wherein said chamferred regions form frustro conical surfaces.

Claim 4

A ball and seat assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the seat engaging surfaces of the housing are separated by a predetermined distance, and the housing engaging surfaces of the seats are separated by substantially said predetermined distance when the ball member and valve seats are assembled with the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats merely engaging the relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball member without compressing said valve seats.

Claim 5

A top entry ball valve, comprising: a housing having a top opening extending to a chamber, opposed inlet and outlet ports communicating with said chamber and seat engaging surfaces surrounding said ports and partially defining said chamber; a ball member having an internal bore therethrough forming inlet and outlet openings, said ball member having an outer spherical surface region merging into contiguous relieved outer chamfered surface regions, said relieved outer chamfered surface regions surrounding the peripheries of said inlet and outlet openings, said ball member being located within the chamber of the housing; first and second valve seats, each having a ball engaging surface and a housing engaging surface, said first valve seat being disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the inlet port and said ball member, and said second valve seat being disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the outlet port and said ball member, the ball member and valve seats being of a size so that when the ball member and valve seats are in an open position with the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats engaging the relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball member, the valve seats and ball member may be slidably received into the chamber without significant compression of the valve seats which hold the ball member in place within the chamber by merely engaging the seat engaging surfaces of the housing and said relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball and when the ball member is disposed in a closed position, the outer spherical surface region of the ball member engages the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats to sealingly compress the valve seats and close the ball valve; means for closing the chamber at the top of the valve; and means for rotating the ball between the open and closed positions.

Claim 6

A top entry ball valve, comprising: a housing having a top opening extending to a chamber, opposed inlet and outlet ports communicating with said chamber and seat engaging surfaces surrounding said ports and partially defining said chamber; a ball member having an internal bore therethrough forming inlet and outlet openings, said ball member having an outer spherical surface region merging into contiguous relieved outer chamfered surface regions, said relieved outer chamfered surface regions surrounding the peripheries of said inlet and outlet openings, said ball member being located within the chamber of the housing; first and second valve seats, each having a ball engaging surface and a housing engaging surface, said first valve seat being disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the inlet port and said ball member, and said second valve seat being disposed between the seat engaging surface surrounding the outlet port and said ball member, the ball member and valve seats being of a size so that when the ball member and valve seats are in an open position with the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats engaging the relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball member, the valve seats and ball member may be slidably received into the chamber without significant compression of the valve seats which hold the ball member in place within the chamber by merely engaging the seat engaging surfaces of the housing and said relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball and when the ball member is disposed in a closed position, the outer spherical surface region of the ball member engages the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats to sealingly compress the valve seats and close the ball valve; means for closing the chamber at the top of the valve; and means for rotating the ball between the open and closed positions.

Claim 7

A top entry ball valve according to claim 4 wherein said chamferred regions form frustro conical surfaces.

Claim 8

A top entry ball valve as described in claim 4, wherein the inlet and outlet ports of the housing are formed along an axis and the seat engaging surfaces are parallel to each other and in planes perpendicular to the axis.

Claim 9

A top entry ball valve as described in claim 4, wherein the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats are substantially parallel to said chamfered surface regions of the ball member when the ball is in the open position.

Claim 10

A top entry ball valve as described in claim 4, wherein the ball member is of a floating type held in position only by the valve seats.

Claim 11

A top entry ball valve as described in claim 4, wherein the seat engaging surfaces of the housing are separated by a predetermined distance, and the housing engaging surfaces of the seats are separated by substantially said predetermined distance when the ball member and valve seats are assembled with the ball engaging surfaces of the valve seats merely engaging the relieved outer chamfered surface regions of the ball member without compressing the valve seats.