Acf Industries, Incorporated

Scott W Binegar

Hamid J Saka

A fire-safe valve structure for a valve of the type having a valve body with a flow passage (18, 20) therethrough and a valve chamber which houses a valve element (70) for opening and closing the flow passage, the valve chamber becoming sealed off from the flow passage in the open and closed conditions. An annular metallic seat (110) with a port (200), which extends between its inner and outer annular surfaces (186, 188) and so located as to communicate the valve chamber with the flow passage, is disposed in an annular seat pocket (28) formed around the flow passage (20) on the upstream side of the valve. The seat pocket (28) opens to the valve chamber (50) and the metallic seat (110) is provided with sealing means (196) for sealing with the valve element (70) in the open or closed condition. A relief plug (202) of a selected temperature degradable material is positioned within the port (200) so that when the chamber is sealed off and the plug (202 ) is exposed to the environment within the valve chamber (50), the plug (202) will evacuate the port (200) at the degradation temperature of the plug material or will be ejected from the port (200) at a preselected pressure differential between the valve chamber (50) and flow passage (20), whichever first occurs. The pressure build-up in the valve chamber (50) which results from rising temperature is then relieved by communication of the chamber through the port (200) to the upstream flow passage (20).

Fire-safe valve structure

A pressure energized packing arrangement (50, 74) for sealing the stem (64) and bonnet (66) of a high pressure gate valve. A stack of packing rings (90) is compressed against the valve stem and bonnet by retainer rings (92, 94) which are urged together by fluid pressure in the valve body. Extrusion of the packing rings (90) is prevented by metal chamfer rings (102, 108, 114, 120) which are cammed by the retainer rings (92, 94 ) against the valve stem (64) and bonnet (66). The packing assembly is held together by pins (124) against which metal gaskets (132) are cammed by the retainer rings (92, 94) to prevent extrusion of the packing rings (90) along the pins.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Scott W Binegar