초록 ▼

A chatter resistant shuttle valve is provided to direct fluid flow from at least two sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus. The shuttle valve includes a valve body with a shuttle valve member movably mounted inside. A dampening chamber is provided which dampen opening movement of t

A chatter resistant shuttle valve is provided to direct fluid flow from at least two sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus. The shuttle valve includes a valve body with a shuttle valve member movably mounted inside. A dampening chamber is provided which dampen opening movement of the shuttle as it moved from a closed position on one side of the shuttle toward a closed position on the other end of the shuttle. One or more dampening chambers may be provided.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A chatter resistant shuttle valve to direct fluid flow from at least two sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus, the shuttle valve comprising: a body engaging a pair of removable opposing coaxial adapters, the first adapter defining a first inlet and the

The invention claimed is: 1. A chatter resistant shuttle valve to direct fluid flow from at least two sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus, the shuttle valve comprising: a body engaging a pair of removable opposing coaxial adapters, the first adapter defining a first inlet and the second adapter defining a second inlet, each inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid and the body having a transverse outlet in fluid communication with the downstream apparatus; a first metal valve seat surrounding the first inlet and a second metal valve seat surrounding the second inlet, the metal valve seats being coaxially aligned on opposite sides of the body; a first skirt extending from the first adapter and surrounding the first metal valve seat and a second skirt extending from the second adapter and surrounding the second metal valve seat; an elongate shuttle coaxial with the inlets slidably moving from sealing engagement with the first valve seat to sealing engagement with the second valve seat in response to fluid flow from the sources of pressurized fluid; the shuttle including a central collar with opposing metal sealing surfaces to engage the first valve seat and a second opposing sealing surface to engage the second valve seat, the shuttle further including opposing first and second tubular end portions, each with an axial bore and a plurality of perforations through the tubular end portion to the bore, the central collar having a band formed on an outside diameter, the band being sized to alternately slip inside the first skirt and the second skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the skirts; the first skirt being longer than the length of the collar to completely surround the band of the collar when the shuttle is engaged with the first valve seat and the second skirt being longer that the length of the collar to completely surround the band of the collar when the shuttle is engaged with the second valve seat; the first and second tubular end portions of the shuttle sized to alternatively slip inside a first receptacle in the first adapter and a second receptacle in the second adapter with a minimal clearance between an outside diameter of the tubular end portions and an inside diameter of the receptacles; the collar, the first skirt, the first valve seat and the first tubular end portion defining a first dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuffle moves away from the first adapter, the first dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the first skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the first tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the first receptacle; and the collar, the second skirt; the second valve seat and the second tubular end portion defining a second dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuttle moves away from the second adapter, the second dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the second skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the second tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the second receptacle whereby the shuttle is less susceptible to disruption from momentary pressure changes from the sources of pressurized fluid. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flow bleed gaps are between 0.0005 and 0.002 inches for a valve having nominal inlets of 1 inch diameter. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the flow bleed gaps to the diameter of the central collar of the elongate shuttle is about 0.05% to about 0.2%. 4. A retrofit kit for an existing shuffle valve to convert the valve to a chatter resistant design, the existing shuttle valve directing fluid flow from two or more sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus, the existing shuttle valve having a body with two opposing adapter ports and a transverse outlet in fluid communication with the downstream apparatus, the retrofit kit comprising: a) a pair of removable opposing coaxial adapters each engaging the adapter ports in the valve body, the first adapter defining a first inlet and the second adapter defining a second inlet, each inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid; a first metal valve seat surrounding the first inlet and a second metal valve seat surrounding the second inlet, the metal valve seats being coaxially aligned on opposite sides of the body; a first skirt extending from the first adapter and surrounding the first metal valve seat and a second skirt extending from the second adapter and surrounding the second metal valve seat; b) an elongate shuttle coaxial with the inlets and slidably moving from sealing engagement with the first valve seat to sealing engagement with the second valve seat in response to differential fluid flow from the sources of pressurized fluid; the shuttle including a central collar with opposing metal sealing surfaces to engage the valve seats, the shuttle further including opposing first and second tubular end portions, each with an axial bore and a plurality of perforations through the tubular end portion to the bore; the central collar having a circular band formed on an outside diameter, the circular band being sized to alternately slip inside the first skirt and the second skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the skirts; the first tubular end portion being sized to slip inside a bore in the first adapter with a minimal clearance between the outside diameter of the first end portion and the inside diameter of the bore of the first adapter; the second tubular end portion being sized to slip inside a bore in the second adapter with a minimal space between the outside diameter of the second end portion and the inside diameter of the bore of the second adapter; the central collar, the first skirt, the first valve seat, and the first tubular end portion defining a first dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the first skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the first tubular end portion and the bore in the second adapter as the collar comes into sealing engagement with the first valve seat; and the central collar, the second skirt, the second valve seat, and the second tubular end portion defining a second dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the second skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the second tubular end portion and the bore in the second adapter as the collar comes into sealing engagement with the second valve seat. 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein fluid flows a) from the outlet and the second inlet into the first dampening chamber through an annular area between the first skirt and the shuttle central collar and fluid flows b) from the first inlet into the first dampening chamber through an annular area between the first tubular end portion of the shuttle and the bore of the first adapter. 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the flow bleed gaps are between 0.0005 and 0.002 inches for a valve having nominal inlets of 1 inch diameter. 7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the ratio of the flow bleed gaps to the diameter of the central collar of the elongate shuttle is about 0.05% to about 0.2%. 8. A chatter resistant shuttle valve installed subsea at a depth of at least 5,000 feet comprising: a body engaging a pair of removable opposing coaxial adapters, the first adapter defining a first inlet and the second adapter defining a second inlet, each inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid and the body having a transverse outlet in fluid communication with the downstream apparatus; a first metal valve seat surrounding the first inlet and a second metal valve seat surrounding the second inlet, the metal valve seats being coaxially aligned on opposite sides of the body; a first skirt extending from the first adapter and surrounding the first metal valve seat and a second skirt extending from the second adapter and surrounding the second metal valve seat; an elongate shuttle coaxial with the inlets slidably moving from sealing engagement with the first valve seat to sealing engagement with the second valve seat in response to fluid flow from the sources of pressurized fluid; the shuttle including a central collar with opposing metal sealing surfaces to engage the first valve seat and a second opposing sealing surface to engage the valve seats, the shuttle further including opposing first and second tubular end portions, each with an axial bore and a plurality of perforations through the tubular end portion to the bore; the central collar having a band formed on an outside diameter, the band being sized to alternately slip inside the first skirt and the second skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the skirts; the first and second tubular end portions of the shuttle sized to alternatively slip inside a first receptacle in the first adapter and a second receptacle in the second adapter with a minimal clearance between an outside diameter of the tubular end portions and an inside diameter of the receptacles; the collar, the first skirt, the first valve seat and the first tubular end portion defining a first dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuttle moves away from the first adapter, the first dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the first skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the first tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the first receptacle; the collar, the second skirt; the second valve seat and the second tubular end portion defining a second dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuttle moves away from the second adapter, the second dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the second skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the second tubular end portion and the inside diameter of the second receptacle; and whereby a shuttle valve with a 1 inch nominal inlet diameter creates a dampening force in excess of 2,000 psi on the shuffle. 9. A chatter resistant shuttle valve installed sub sea at a depth of at least 10,000 feet comprising; a body engaging a pair of removable opposing coaxial adapters, the first adapter defining a first inlet and the second adapter defining a second inlet, each inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid and the body having a transverse outlet in fluid communication with the downstream apparatus; a first metal valve seat surrounding the first inlet and a second metal valve seat surrounding the second inlet, the metal valve seats being coaxially aligned on opposite sides of the body; a first skirt extending from the first adapter and surrounding the first metal valve seat and a second skirt extending from the second adapter and surrounding the second metal valve seat; an elongate shuttle coaxial with the inlets slidably moving from sealing engagement with the first valve seat to sealing engagement with the second valve seat in response to fluid flow from the sources of pressurized fluid; the shuttle including a central collar with opposing metal sealing surfaces to engage the first valve seat and a second opposing sealing surface to engage the valve seats, the shuttle further including opposing first and second tubular end portions, each with an axial bore and a plurality of perforations through the tubular end portion to the bore; the central collar having a band formed on an outside diameter, the band being sized to alternately slip inside the first skirt and the second skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the skirts; the first and second tubular end portions of the shuttle sized to alternatively slip inside a first receptacle in the first adapter and a second receptacle in the second adapter with a minimal clearance between an outside diameter of the tubular end portions and an inside diameter of the receptacles; the collar, the first skirt, the first valve seat and the first tubular end portion defining a first dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuttle moves away from the first adapter, the first dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the first skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the first tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the first receptacle; the collar, the second skirt; the second valve seat and the second tubular end portion defining a second dampening chamber that receives fluid as the shuttle moves away from the second adapter, the second dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the second skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the second tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the second receptacle; and whereby a shuttle valve with a nominal 1 inch inlet diameter creates a dampening force in excess of 4,000 psi on the shuttle. 10. A method of converting an existing shuttle valve to a chatter resistant design using a retrofit kit, the existing shuttle valve having a shuttle to direct fluid flow from two or more sources of pressurized fluid to a downstream apparatus, the existing shuttle valve having a body with two opposing removable adapters each engaging opposing adapter ports and the body having a transverse outlet in fluid communication with the downstream apparatus, the method comprising: a) removing the existing adapters and the existing shuttle from the valve; b) installing a first coaxial adapter in one of the adapter ports in the valve body, the first adapter defining a first inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid, the first adapter having a first metal valve seat surrounding the first inlet, a first skirt extending from the first adapter and surrounding the first metal valve seat; c) installing an elongate shuttle coaxial with the first inlet; the shuttle including a central collar with a first sealing surface and a second opposing sealing surfaces, the shuttle further including opposing first and second tubular end portions; the central collar having a circular band formed on an outside diameter, the circular band being sized to slip inside the first skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the first skirt; the first tubular end portion of the shuttle sized to slip inside a first bore in the first adapter with a minimal clearance between an outside diameter of the tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the bore; the central collar, the first skirt, the first valve seat, the first tubular end portion defining a first dampening chamber that resists short duration intervals of low pressure from fluid in the outlet and retards movement of the shuttle from a closed position at the first inlet, the first dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the first skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the first tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the first receptacle; d) installing a second adapter in the second adapter port in the valve body, the second adapter defining a second inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid, the second adapter having second metal valve seat surrounding the second inlet and a second skirt extending from the second adapter and surrounding the second metal valve seat; the flat band formed on the collar being sized to slip inside the second skirt with a minimal gap between the outside diameter of the collar and an inside diameter of the second skirt; the second tubular end portion of the shuttle sized to slip inside a second bore in the second adapter with a minimal clearance between an outside diameter of the second tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the second bore; and the central collar, the second skirt, the second valve seat, and the second tubular end portion defining a second dampening chamber that resists short duration intervals of low pressure from fluid in the outlet and the first inlet and retards movement of the shuttle from a closed position at the second inlet, the second dampening chamber having a first flow bleed gap between the collar and the second skirt and a second flow bleed gap between the second tubular end portion and an inside diameter of the second receptacle.