US2792016A

US2792016A - High pressure pump valves

Info

Publication number: US2792016A
Application number: US456756A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roy K Shellman; Clarence H Leathers
Original assignee: MACCLATCHIE Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: MACCLATCHIE Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1954-09-17
Filing date: 1954-09-17
Publication date: 1957-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-14

Description

May 14, 1957 R. K. SHELLMAN ET AL HIGH PRESSURE PUMP VALVES Filed Sept. 17, 1954 IN VEN TORS. 5/7 54 L Mfl/V,

H LEO THEES 4rraeA/sy.

Ray K Canes/v65 7% HIGH 1 PRESSUREi PUMP. VALVES Roy K.-Sli ellinan,. Compton, and Clarence H. Leathers,

Redondo Beach, Calif., assignors to MacClatchie Manufacturmgfiompany; Compton, Calif., a corporation of California Application september 17, 1954, Serial No.- 456,756 9 Claims. (Cl. 137-516.)

This'invention'has to .do generally with improvements inmud pumpjvalves, and has for its general purpose the provision of. an improved valve in which an elastomer guide-andisealing structure is provided, the function of whichis 'tom'inimizeabrasive wear between valve components and thereby to materially extend the useful life of the valve.

Past' experience with mud pump valves has shown theirsusceptibility'to 'wear due to the detrimental abrasive action of drilling mud flowingin and about the metallic valve seating and guide surfaces. Large abrasive particles in the mud becomingentrapped between metallic valve seatingrand guide surfaces during closing of the valve act'to'score' and pit'these surfaces .in proportion to the size ofthe abrasive particles as related to the clearances between the moving metal surfaces. In addihen; the high valve closing pressures squeeze the abrasiveparticles.'into the metal surface as the latter come togetheror'slidei relative to one another, resulting in excessive valve wear and proportionately decreased valve life.

The present invention is predicated on the concept of materially reducing mud pump valve wear through the provision of natural or synthetic rubber valve sealing and guide means designed to tolerate, without undesirable wear,th'e presence of'abrasive particles. It is proposed in'accordancewith the invention to combine in the valve rubber 'guides'and' rubber sealing means leaving substantially reduced metal areafor contact with the valve seat.

The rubber'guide means preferably comprises several fingers depjen'di'ng' from'a rubber body carried by themetal valve, the fingersprojecting into a portenclosed'by'the valve seat and in .close but spaced proximity to the metal wallof.th'eiport' to act as guides forvalve movement. The fingersare shaped soasv to provide spaced mud flow passageshaving maximum area and to accommodate the presence of abrasive mud particles'to prevent scoring of the portwall.

The rubberguide'means ispreferably combined with the rubber sealing means in the valve assembly in order to maximize the tolerationof the valve to" abrasive wear. 1n accordance'.with.this.concept, the rubber sealing means operatesin conjunction with therubber fingersioaccommodate abrasive particles trapped between the metal valve'seatand the sealing means.- Inaddition', by;virtue of the fact that the rubber sealingrneans is positioned outwardlyrofnthe -metal .valve. shoulder. and is supported by meta'lTvalvestr-ucwre itisenabledfito bearia certain proportion of the valve loading or closing of the valve, and thereby to somewhat reduce the large pressures exerted by the rigid shoulder on the valve seat and to reduce abrasive scoring between those elements.

All the various features and objects of the invention, as well as the details of several typical and illustrative embodiments, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

United States FatentO Fig. 1 is'a viewshowing themud' pump valve in section;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2'of Fig; 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a view taken'on line P4 of Fig. 3 and looking-at the bottom" side of the valve; and

Fig.5 is across-sectional view of still another embodiment of the invention.

In Fig.1 of the drawing numeral 10 designatesa valve assembly including valve stem 11, threaded shank 12and a lower section 13; Joined to the threaded shank is a threaded cap 14; which tightly engages shoulder 15 formed on"lowersection 13. A metal flange 16 is integrally cated bydotted'lines 18'which define web sections joining lower section'13 'with the flange 16. Supported between flange'16' and cap14 is .a rubber body 19 which includes an. annular valvesealingjshoulder 20 lying adjacent the outeredge'offla'nge 16 .and. being sloped similarly to 'rigidshoulder 17. Body 19' carries four

rubberfingers

22, 23, 24, and which project down through the apertures 'formedin the flange. The spaces between the fingers definepassages through which viscous mud flows when the valveisopen. Outer edges v26 of the fingers extend .parallel with and in closeproximity to the cylindrical inner wall 27 of annular valve seat 28, Wall 27 generally defining a valve port '29. The upper surface 30 ofthe valveseat 23is' conically tapered to provide a valve seating surface of a shape accommodating the shoulders 17 and.20 when the valve is closed.

It will be understood that the fingers act as valve guide members, and uponaxial movement of the valve to'open or close port 29"one or more of the fingers may come into cushioned engagement with port wall 27 to prevent lateral displacement of the'valve with respect to the valve seat 28'. It will also be 'notedthat each of the fingers is tapered toward its free end and toward the port wall to define finger sections of decreasing width and area proceeding toward the 'endof each finger. This construction 'providespassages between th'efin'gers of maximum 7 to that shown in Fig; l, and'simila'r components are given the/same numbers.

It will b'e'noted, however, that the rubber fingers are joined to. a second'rubber'body '31 which'is'disc shapedand attachedto the underside of the rigid'fiange32. As shown in the drawing, the second rubber b'bdy'may be moldedto thedove-tailed annular groove 33 formed "in the 'flange '32.-

Thevalv'e assembly" shown'inFig. 3 includes a stem 34'on' which is formed a shoulder '35which engages a cap 36% The lower end '37 of the stem is threaded to receive a nut 38and'washer 39; which'retain a rubber body 40 between'the cap'and thewasher.

Fingers

41, 42, 43, and'44 extenddownward from body 40 in'close proximity to the*wall.f "of the "valve seaf'46: Body '40 includes a flange portion 47 in" which is molded "am'etal ring '48," the ring being apertured to provide alternate metal and rubber webs 49 and 50 spaced around the ring. The upper surface of the ring engages the lower surface of cap 36 to give rigid support to the ring. The lower surface of the ring is annularly tapered to provide a rigid shoulder 51 for engagement with the dished valve seating surface 52 of valve seat 46. Shoulder 53 of rubber flange 47 is also tapered for cushioned engagement with valve seating surface 52, and it will be noted that shoulder 53 extends slightly below rigid shoulder 51 to provide for cushioned sealing of the valve as it comes into engagement with the valve seat. Although this construction is not shown in Figs. 1 and 5, it will be understood that rubber shoulder of those figures likewise extends slightly below rigid shoulder 17 for the same reason.

In operation when the valve is withdrawn from the valve seat, mud flows through the valve and through the spaces between the rubber guide fingers projecting into the valve port. When the valve is moved toward the valve seat to close off mud flow, the

guide fingers

22, 23, 24 and 25 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 preclude lateral displacement of the valve with respect to the valve seat, and in so doing any particles of sand or other abrasive material trapped between the fingers and the port wall 27 are prevented from scoring the metal wall since the portions of the fingers engaging the particles deflect and in efiect house the particles during movement of the valve. As the valve comes into engagement with the valve seat, the rubber shoulder 20 engages the rigid seating surface 30, cushioning the closing of the valve and sealing it. Any particles of abrasive material caught between sealing shoulder 20 and metal sealing surface 30 are pre eluded from scoring the latter surface by compressive deflection of those portions of the rubber shoulder 20 contacting the particles. In addition, the rubber shoulder absorbs a certain proportion of the overall load by virtue of the fact that it is positioned outwardly from the metal valve shoulder 17 and consequently has a large load bearing area of contact with the valve seat surface.

Complete closing of the valve brings rigid shoulder 17 into contact with seat surface 30, the force of contact between these elements comprising the major proportion of the load transferred. However, abrasive particle scoring of these surfaces is reduced somewhat, to the extent that valve loading is absorbed through the rubber shoulder 20.

We claim:

1. In a mud pump valve adapted to close against a seat annularly surrounding a port, the combination comprising metallic support structure including a central element for supporting the valve, backing means carried by said element and a member disposed concentrically of said element and opposite said means in load transferring relation to said structure, said member containing an aperture and having an annular engagement surface for closing against said seat, and rubber body means carried by said structure, said rubber means filling said aperture and extending on opposite sides of said member relative to said surface to form an annular rubber seal disposed concentrically of said surface for engagement with said seat and rubber guide fingers depending from said structure for movement within said port in proximate relation to the wall thereof.

2. In a mud pump valve adapted to close against a seat annularly surrounding a port, the combination comprising metallic support structure including a central element for supporting the valve, backing means carried by said element and a member disposed concentrically of said element and opposite said means in load transferring relation to said structure, said member containing an aperture and having an annular engagement surface for closing against said seat, and rubber body means carried by said structure concentrically of said element, said rubber means filling said aperture and extending on opposite sides of said member relative to said surface to form an annular rubber seal disposed concentrically of said surface for engagement with said seat and rubber guide fingers depending from said structure for movement within said port in proximate relation to the wall thereof.

3. In a mud pump valve adapted to close against a seat annularly surrounding a port, the combination comprising metallic support structure including a central element for supporting the valve, backing means carried by said element and a member disposed concentrically of said element and opposite said means in load transferring relation to said structure, said member containing an aperture and having an annular engagement surface for closing against said seat, and rubber body means carried by said structure, said rubber means filling said aperture and extending on opposite sides of said member relative to said surface to form an annular rubber seal disposed concentrically of said surface for engagement with said seat and rubber guide fingers depending from said structure inwardly of said surface for movement within said port in proximate relation to the wall thereof.

4. In a mud pump valve adapted to close against a seat annularly surrounding a port, the combination comprising metallic support structure including a central ele ment for supporting the valve, a flange carried by said element extending radially therefrom and an annularly extending apertured member disposed concentrically of said element opposite said flange and having load transferring connection with said structure, said member having opposite sides and an annular engagement surface between said sides for closing against said seat, and rubber body means carried by said structure concentrically of said element, said means filling said aperture and extending on said opposite sides of said member relative to said surface to form an annular rubber seal disposed concentrically of said surface for engagement with said seat and rubber guide fingers depending from said structure for movement within said port in proximate relation to the wall thereof.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 in which said member comprises a second flange formed integrally with said element.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 comprising a plurality of annularly spaced apertures extending through a portion of said second flange between said engagement surface and said element and through which extend continuations of said fingers.

7. The invention as defined in claim 5 comprising an annular aperture formed in the side of said flange facing said fingers and filled by a ring-shaped portion of said rubber means opposite said fingers.

8. The invention as defined in claim 4 in which said member comprises a ring carried by said rubber body means and abutting said flange.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 comprising a plurality of annularly spaced apertures extending through said ring and filled by said rubber means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,725,297 Paterson Aug. 20, 1929 2,178,876 MacClatchie Nov. 7, 1939 2,436,035 Cheiten Feb. 17, 1948 2,521,314 Therolf Sept. 5, 1950 2,544,498 Hiertz Mar. 6, 1951 2,613,054 Maier Oct. 7, 1952