AU620836B2

AU620836B2 - Valve

Info

Publication number: AU620836B2
Application number: AU27366/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Graham George Mee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-12-21
Filing date: 1988-12-21
Publication date: 1992-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 2008-12-21
Also published as: AU2736688A

Description

62083 6 APPLICANT: GRAHAM GEORGE MEE

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: SForm COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952 *COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED:

*O*

VALVE

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: C S o 0* APPLICANT: GRAHAM GEORGE MEE

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: Form COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA *The Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: -1- -2- This invention relates to improvements in valves.

There are many applications where it is desirable to prevent unauthorised use of fluid valves but, nevertheless, to permit the valve to be used by persons who have cause proper to use it.

It is one object of the present invention to p.ovide a valve which permits such restricted access.

Most valves, when they are closed, do not permit any return flow from the downstream side of the valve and, if the downstream system is pressurised when the valve is closed, then the system will remain pressurised.

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This is not objectionable in certain applications, but can be disconcerting or even dangerous in other applications, particularly where, during maintenance, the system is being disassembled and the system itself is under pressure whilst this is occurring.

It is a second object of the invention to provide means whereby a system is automatically depressurised when a valve is closed.

In accordance with the invention, I provide a valve having an actuating member connected to the stem of a valve member, a first **so member having a first aperture located outwardly from the body of the valve member, a further member having an aperture WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991 34 C1 0%, -3therethrough associated with the actuating member and moveable therewith, the actuating member and thus the further member being movable from a first position at which the further member overlies the first member with the aperture in alignment so that a lock or the like can be passed through the apertures to prevent unauthorised movement of the valve, to a second position away therefrom, the first member having an outwardly directed extension diametrically opposed to the first aperture, the actuating member having at least one downwardly directed extension which strikes the outwardly directed extension of the first member when the actuating member reaches one of its extreme positions.

Depending upon whether the valve is to be normally locked open or closed, so that the apertures are located to be in alignment in the required condition.

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Preferably there may be two apertures associated with the act-ating member which are at the same radial distance from the axis of rotation and at 90^0 to each other so that the actuating member can be locked in two positions.

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.i The apertured member or the valve body may be provided with at least one extension which can be contacted by a downwardly directed extension of the actuating member whereby the valve can be positively located in its two positions.

WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991 n ^q~ I_ tL The valve used with the invention may be a ball valve having a ball rotatably mounted in a support in a valve body, the valve body having an inlet and an outlet which are co-axial with the axis of the inlet and the outlet, to a position where it is at right-angles thereto, characterised-in that the body is located with a drain aperture to a lower surface thereof and the ball is formed so that, when the valve is closed, there is a relief path from the outlet past the ball's surface to the drain aperture.

Preferably the ball has part of its surface ground off to provide this relief path with the area ground being such that it does not, in any way, adversely effect the operating characteristics of the valve.

e. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, I I shall describe in relation to the accompanying drawings, *embodiments of valves which incorporate the two aspects of the S" invention.

*r In these drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the valve of the invention S. showing in general terms the actuating member arrangement; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the valve of Fig. 1 with the actuating member in one position; WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991

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it Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 with the actuating member in the other position; Fig. 4 is a partial section of the valve showing the ball arrangement when the valve is closed; and Fig. 5 is a view along line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In this description I shall refer to the valves as being ball valves, but it will be appreciated that the invention could well be applied to valves of other types.

The valves, used as an exemplification, can be considered to have a two component body 10, the components which fit together and one 11 of which has an inlet 13 and the other 12 and outlet 14, the inlet 13 and the outlet 14 being co-axial and which may receive a valve seat 15 which may be a single or multiple member and which may be of a low friction material, such as nylon or

PTFE.

Located in the seat and retained in position by the interconnection of the two members, there is a valve ball which has an aperture 21 therethrough, which is adapted to be brought into alignment with the inlet 13 and outlet 14, so that fluid can pass through the valve, or to be moved to a position at right-angles to this so taht the valve is closed.

WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991 1

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i 1 -6- Connected to the ball and extending through an aperture in one of the body portions, there is a valve stem 22 and, to this stem, there is connected an actuating member This is conventional.

In the first embodiment of the invention, I provide a pair of apertured members, 31, 32 each of which may be made of steel or the like, which may be chrome plated, and which are adapted to be connected, in the case of, member 31 to the valve body and, 1 in the case of member 32, to the actuating member 36 and to I extend outwardly therefrom.

The member 31 is provided with an outwardly extending lug 33 on one side thereof which overlies an extension 34 from the valve body and a screw or the like 35 holds the two components.

A similar extension, not illustrated, is provided on the other side of the body and a screw may pass through the body of the member 31 and be received in an aperture in this extension.

The actual form of fitting can vary. If required the apertures in the extension 34 can be tapped or alternatively a self drive screw can be forced therein.

The apertured members 31, 32 are located in effectively parallel planes and can thus directly overlie each other, with the WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991

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0u I -7arrangement of the members being such that, at one limit of the movement of the actuating member, illustrated in Fig. 2, they are in this condition and, at the other limit of movement, they are at right-angles thereto.

When they so overlie, the apertures 36, 37 are in alignment and a lock or the like can be passed therethrough to prevent inadvertent or deliberate manipulation of the valve.

If required, the actuating member 10 may also be provided with an aperture 38 which is radially at the same distance from the axis of rotation as the aperture 37 in the apertured member 32 and at a right angle thereto so that at both limits of movement an aperture associated with the actuating member overlies the aperture 36 associated with the valve body and the valve can be locked in either position.

The second apertured member 32 is identical to the member 31 and may be provided with means whereby it can be fitted over the valve stem 22 associated with the ball and may be constrained to move therewith, either by forming the aperture therethrough to correspond with the shape of the stem, which normally has two flats, or by constraining it to move with extensions on the actuating member.

Preferably this member 32 has extension 45 which overlies the screw 35 through the first apertured member on the side away from see* *B06 0 0 0..

**OS

0 09 41re0: e 0 00 0O 0 0 O0 WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991 1 -8the apertured portion, if this has a head, or to overlie tie head of a drive screw or the like, if this is used, to prevent access to this by unauthorised persdfis.

The actuating member 10 has a pair of downwardly directed extension 40, 41 located with their inner edges being at rightangles and one of these is adapted to contact the extension 33 of the member 31 when the valve is one extreme condition and the other to contact the extension 33 when the actuating member is in the other extreme position, so that the valve can be positively located in a fully open or fully closed condition.

oooo In the second aspect of the invention, the ball valve is adapted so that it automatically relieves the pressure on the downstream end thereof then the valve is closed.

Sooo In this embodiment, a hole 50 is drilled through the ball valve body, preferably co-axial with the axis of the ball on the bottom of the body and the ball itself is formed so that there is a flat surface 51 thereon which extends from adjacent the hole in the body to the outlet 12, when the valve is closed.

The surface may be ground and is of such a depth that there is Sa pathway between the outlet and the aperture in the body when the valvs is closed.

When the valve is open, the flat surface 51 is located away from the path through the valve.

WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991

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-7 -9ti (1 -tj 0 0 4 I

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I. S I. e C S *0SO *S St The arrangement is such that, regardless of the position of the ball, the ground surface has no adverse effect on the operation of the valve but, when the valve is closed, there is a leakage path directly from the downstream side of the valve to atmosphere through the volume defined by the flat surface 51 of the ball and to the aperture FO in the body.

This arrangement is particularly suitable where high pressure fluids, whether liquids or gasses, are controlled by the valve.

It will be appreciated that, if the downstream side of the fluid system is pressurised when the valve is closed, and a normal valve will operate to maintain this pressure in the system and, should, for example, portion of the system be pulled down for maintenance services, it would be that the fitter or other operator who does the dismantling is suddenly brought into contact with the high pressure fluid, and this can be dangerous.

By the use of the valve of the present invention, this problem is obviated.

WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991

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Claims

1. A valve having an actuating member connected to the stem of a valve member, a first member having a first aperture located outwardly from the body of the valve member, a further member having an aperture I therethrough associated with the actuating member and moveable therewith, the actuating member and thus the further member being moveable from a first position at which the further member overlies the first member with the aperture in alignment so that a lock or the like can be passed through the apertures to prevent unauthorised movement of the valve, to a second i position away therefrom, the first member having an outwardly directed extension diametrically opposed to the first aperture, the actuating member having at least one downwardly directed extension which strikes the outwardly directed extension of the first member when the actuating member reaches one of its extreme j .positions.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuating member has an aperture therethrough which aperture is at the same spacing from the valve stem as the aperture in the first member sc that when the valve is in its second position, the actuating member overlies the first member and the aperture in the actuating WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991 -11- member overlies that in the first member.

3. A valve as claimed in cl-im 1 or claim 2 wherein the actuating member has two downwardly directed extensions one of which strikes the extension of the first member at each extreme position of the actuating member.

4. A valve as claimed in any preceding claim being a ball valve having a ball rotably mounted in a support in a valve body, the valve body having an inlet and an outlet which Sare co-axial, the ball having a central aperture therethrough which moves with the ball from a position where it is co-axial with the axis of the inlet and the outlet, to a position where it is at right-angles thereto, characterised in that the body is located with a drain aperture to a lower surface thereof and the ball is formed so that, when the valve is closed, there is a relief path from the outlet past the ball's surface to the drain aperture.

5. A valve as claimed in claim 4 wherein portion of the lower surface of the ball is removed to provide a face thereon which extends between the outlet and the drain aperture.

6. A valve as claimed in claim 5 wherein the surface is WP51\spec\M,, 4 December 1991 P i ~I" -7 -12- removed from the ball along a plane in such a way that there is connection between the outlet and the drain aperture but without affectiing the normal operation of the valve.

7. A valve substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 4th day of December ,1991 i II K (1 I SI GRAHAM GEORGE MEE By His Patent Attorneys A. TATLOCK ASSOCIATES a.. a. a a a a. a.. WP51\spec\Mee\4 December 1991