Safoco, Inc.

Baker Hughes Corporation

Joy Manufacturing Company

Other

Array Holdings, Inc.

Terry G Young

Dual piston pneumatic actuators used in opening and closing gate valves are disclosed. The actuators allow for pressure to vary based on opening or closing a gate valve versus keeping the gate valve open or closed.

Dual piston pneumatic actuator

Disclosed herein are apparatuses and methods of preventing rotational stress on the top shaft of valve actuators. Certain methods and apparatuses include a bifurcated top shaft. Other apparatuses and methods include a method of preventing rotational stress at the distal end on the top shaft of an actuator.

Rotatable actuator shaft

Disclosed herein are new types of hydraulic piston valve actuators wherein the piston is replaceable with different sized pistons. Further disclosed are parts of the piston interchange system resulting in the fewest number of parts changed between one piston diameter and another piston diameter. Methods of changing from one piston diameter to another piston diameter are also disclosed.

Cylindrical liner for piston actuator

Hydraulic valve apparatuses with a low profile and without a top shaft are disclosed. Additionally, hydraulic valve apparatuses with indicator markers and side windows are disclosed.

Low profile hydraulic actuator

A valve actuator apparatus and method for adjusting for valve bore drift using an adjustable downstop is disclosed. The adjustable downstop comprises a downstop and a drift adjuster. The drift adjuster can me moved in an upwards or downwards direction to increase or decrease the stroke length of the operator shaft.

Adjustable valve acutator system

A valve actuator apparatus and method comprises an operator housing secured to a bonnet assembly. The bonnet assembly is secured to the valve body, and includes a bonnet stem movably within a bonnet housing for moving a gate within the valve body to open and close the valve. A downstop member is fixably secured to the bonnet stem and engages removable stem spacers which are added or removed to obtain a selected bonnet stem drift setting. The operator housing connects to a base ring that surrounds the bonnet housing and rotates to allow positioning of a fluid port in the operator housing. The operator housing may removed and replaced without altering the bonnet stem drift adjustment. A top shaft extends from the operator housing and rotates with respect to the bonnet stem to prevent torque transmission from the top shaft to the bonnet stem. A replaceable sealing cartridge sealingly supports the top shaft for axial movement within the operator housing.

Valve actuator apparatus

The invention is a valve actuator or a booster module for an existing valve actuator that provides an incremental force to the valve stem at a position close to valve closure. The force is stored in a spring which is held in the compressed position by a collet. Upon sufficient movement of the valve actuator stem in the direction towards valve closure, the collet which had previously held the spring in a compressed position is freed to move to allow the spring to expand against the collet. Since movement of the collet has caused it to be engaged to the valve actuator stem, the spring forces are transmitted directly to the valve actuator stem via the collet. The spring is oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the valve stem so that substantially all of its retained energy is transmitted directly to the valve stem through the collet.

Wire cutting valve actuator

A sequence valve for directing fluid pressure is provided, having a fluid pressure inlet, a first actuator outlet with associated vent port, and a second actuator outlet with an associated vent port. A spool is movably mounted within the body for selective direction of fluid pressure applied to the inlet to either of the actuator outlets or selectively to bleed pressure applied to either of the actuator outlets through respective vent portions in a predetermined sequence.

Sequence valve

A valve actuator is disclosed which is encased in a housing with a bonnet mounted at one end and an end cap on the other end. Inside, an actuator shaft is slidably mounted through a bore on a guide connected to the bonnet. A piston is slidably mounted with respect to the guide and creates a variable-volume cavity between itself and the guide. The shaft is connected to the piston by virtue of a disk which, when bolted down to the top of the shaft, puts a preload in the spring. A connecting member is placed into contact with the disk and the piston once the spring has been preloaded. The connecting member is segmented and fits between spacers which hold the spring at a distance from the disk and allow insertion of the connecting member after preloading of the spring. The spring bears on the connecting member. Pressurization of the cavity results in an overcoming of the spring force and movement of the shaft between a first and second position. The guide has a liner which is replaceable to effectively change the bore size in the guide, allowing the actuator to accommodate different shafts having a variety of diameters, depending upon the application.

Valve actuator

A high pressure in-line test valve (42) is positioned to block off a first fluid pressure source (10) acting on a control valve means (32 and 34) and to provide communication with an alternate test fluid pressure source (138) for testing the control valve means. The test valve (42) has a central bore (70) in which a depressible piston (78) is positioned for longitudinal movement between a seated extended position (FIG. 2) blocking the first fluid pressure source and simultaneously communicating test fluid to the control valve means, and an unseated retracted position (FIG. 3) re-establishing communication between the first fluid pressure source and the control valve means and simultaneously blocking the alternate fluid pressure source (138) with a dual sealing means. The dual sealing means includes a primary metal-to-metal sealing member (84 and 114) and a secondary annular sealing member (120) providing a test valve that is capable of withstanding high working pressures such as 20,000 pounds per square inch without leaking fluid from the first fluid pressure source ( 110) to the alternate fluid passage (104) or externally of the test valve. The dual sealing means are releasable upon engagement of a hollow stinger (124) which actuates the piston (78) into its seated position and provides a connection means (134) to supply a test fluid from an alternate fluid pressure source (138) for testing of the control valve means (32 and 34).

Dual seal in-line test valve

A sensor base structure (24) for supporting high and low pressure sensors (20,22) having autoclave type connectors (44) and communicating pressurized fluid from the main flowline (10) to the sensors. The sensor base structure comprises a cylindrical manifold (52) having a longitudinal passage (54) therein and including a plurality of lateral bores (58) extending therethrough intersecting the longitudinal passage. One end (60) of each lateral bore threadably receives the autoclave connectors of the respective pressure sensors. The opposite end (61) of the bore (58) threadably receives a plug (62) having an externally threaded portion (64) and a reciprocal autoclave connector (66) facing the pressure sensor to provide a high pressure metal-to-metal seal upon contact with the respective autoclave connectors. Each plug has fluid communication means (70, 72, 74) therethrough such that when the plug is positioned within the lateral bore the reciprocal autoclave connector of the plug is in fluid communication with the longitudinal passage of the manifold. Furthermore, the plug includes a secondary sealing means (76, 78, 80) to provide a seal between the plug and lateral bore of the manifold. The plug allows the respective pressure sensors to be rotated to a preselected rotational alignment relative to each other and the sensor base while providing a metal-to-metal autoclave seal and secondary seal to prevent the escape of pressurized fluid from the sensor base structure.

Growing community of inventors

Spring, TX, United States of America

Terry G Young