Second improved ball valve assembly

摘要

Described herein is an improved ball valve assembly for use in a tank or a tank-like container. This improved ball valve assembly prevents leakage of a liquid with corrosive and abrasive contaminants within the tank or a tank like container. This improved ball valve assembly is especially useful in a railroad tank car that contains a liquid commodity in whenever a tank is mobile and subjected to wide temperature variations. The improved ball valve assembly contains a ball component made of a ceramic material. A ceramic wiper (i) mechanically seals against the ball component and (ii) prevents contaminants from embedding within, or otherwise abrading, top and bottom seats within the ball valve assembly. Also contained in the preferred embodiment of this invention is an improved drive coupling that (i) eliminates the previously existing need for custom square drive tool (ii) pre-attached to the ball valve assembly. The current invention also includes an improved stem packing assembly that reduces the number of annular components along the stem of the ball valve assembly.

主权项

1. A ball valve assembly comprising a body tube interior surface and a stem,
said ball valve assembly further comprising valve components within said body tube interior surface, and at least two of said valve components comprising ceramic, said at least two of said valve components comprising a first valve component and a second valve component, said ceramic of said at least two of said valve components not distorting or otherwise flexing or yielding upon contact of said first valve component with said second valve component, said second valve component of said at least two of said valve components comprising a hard spherical surface, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components comprising a physically integral and single component device, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components being a physically distinct component from remaining said valve components, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components comprising a first valve component radially inward surface, said first valve radially inward surface contacting said hard spherical surface, said first valve component radially inward surface comprising only three angled surfaces, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components comprising a first single middle continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components further comprising a single second single upper continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface and a third single lower continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface, said first single middle continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface being contiguous with said second upper continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface and said third lower continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface, said continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surfaces removing solids from said hard spherical surface, said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components comprising a perpendicular cross-section, said first continuous middle continuously circular integral non-distorting angled surface comprising a first acute angle, said second single upper continuously circular non-distorting integral angled surface comprising a second acute angle, and said third single lower continuously circular non-distorting angled surface comprising a third acute angle, and wherein said first acute angle, said second acute angle and said third acute angle are each acute to said perpendicular cross-section of said first valve component of said at least two of said valve components, said first acute angle, said second acute angle and second third acute angle each being different from remaining said acute angles.