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A self piloted check valve which utilizes closure of a piloting flapper valve to permit development of closure forces for a ball valve. The normally open ball valve has a central flow passage and simultaneously rotates and translates as it traverses between its fully open and fully closed positions.

A self piloted check valve which utilizes closure of a piloting flapper valve to permit development of closure forces for a ball valve. The normally open ball valve has a central flow passage and simultaneously rotates and translates as it traverses between its fully open and fully closed positions. An opening bias system utilizes a combination of a first less stiff spring and a second stiffer spring. Reversible decoupling means disconnects and reconnects the second spring at a short travel distance from the normally open position of the ball, while the first spring always provides opening bias forces to the ball. The pressure induced force required to fully close the ball valve following decoupling of the second spring is more than the force required to overcome the combination of the first and second springs. Additionally, while the secondary spring is engaged, hydrodynamic damping of the ball opening movement is provided.

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1. A valve apparatus comprising: (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore; and(b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving comp

1. A valve apparatus comprising: (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore; and(b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving components including: (i) a ball seat having a seat flow passage;(ii) a ball valve having a valve flow passage, wherein the ball valve is movable with simultaneous directly related rotation and translation to a first ball position with the valve flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body, a second ball position abutting the ball seat wherein the valve flow passage is not in fluid communication with the seat flow passage such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the flow passage are closed, and a third ball position intermediate between the first and second ball positions;(iii) a pilot valve mounted within the valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers, wherein each flapper is mounted on an individual flapper pivot pin having multiple elastromeric rings on an outer surface of the pivot pin to provide vibrational energy absorption and wherein each flapper is rotatable between a closed position and an open position and wherein each flapper has a flapper bias spring that biases the flapper toward the closed position;(iv) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system including a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring provides a continuous bias on the ball valve to urge the ball valve towards the first ball position and wherein the second spring is activated to bias the ball valve towards the first ball position only when the ball valve is at the first ball position or when the ball valve is moving between the first ball position and the third ball position; and(v) a motion damping device that increases a dampening of a vibratory motion on the ball between the first ball position and the third ball position. 2. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein a maximum combined bias force applied by the first spring and the second spring as the ball valve is moving between the first ball position and the third ball position is less than a maximum bias force applied by the first spring when the first spring is maximally deflected when the ball valve is in the second ball position. 3. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the flappers are in the closed position the flappers are separated by a predetermined gap. 4. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transverse end of the internal valving components abuts a first damper having a first elastomeric element and the second transverse end of the internal valving components abuts a second damper having a second elastomeric element, wherein the first elastomeric element has different vibrational energy absorption characteristics from the second elastomeric element. 5. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring bias mechanism includes an axially reciprocable latching system. 6. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring bias mechanism further comprises: (a) a ball pusher seat having a ball side and an opposed side, wherein the ball side bears against a first side of the ball valve;(b) a tubular ball pusher mounted on the opposed side of the ball pusher seat, wherein an internal diameter of the ball pusher equals the diameter of the flow passage of the ball valve;(c) a spring retainer, wherein a portion of the spring retainer encircles a portion of the ball pusher; and(d) a latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism is latched to the ball pusher when the ball valve is in the first ball position, unlatches from the ball pusher as the ball valve goes from the first ball position to the second ball position, and is latched to the spring retainer when the ball valve is in the second ball position. 7. The valve apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a spring washer fitted between an external surface of the ball pusher and a spacer sleeve, wherein the spacer sleeve has a bore having a section that provides a close fit to an outer diameter of the spring washer whereby when the ball is between its first and third positions, the spring washer increases a dampening of an axial vibratory motion of the ball pusher. 8. The valve apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a ball cage stationarily positioned in the main counterbore of the tubular body, wherein the ball valve is eccentrically engaged with the ball cage by a pair of opposed eccentric pins mounted on the ball cage. 9. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the ball is in the second ball position a spherical surface of the ball sealingly abuts a compatible spherical surface of the ball seat and fluid flow past the valve seat is prevented. 10. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the ball is in its first position a fluid flowing from the first end of the internal valving components toward the second end of the internal valving components with sufficient force to overcome the bias of the flapper bias springs rotates the flappers to the open position thereby allowing fluid flow through the ball valve flow passage. 11. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein whenever a fluid flowing from the second end of the internal valving components toward the first end of the internal valving components exerts sufficient force against the flappers in their closed position and the ball to overcome the bias of the first and second springs, the ball valve moves to the second ball position. 12. The valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein a ball stop delimits a movement of the ball valve when moving to the first ball position. 13. The valve apparatus comprising: (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore; and(b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving compontents including:(i) a ball seat having a seat flow passage;(ii) a ball value having a value flow passage, wherein the ball valve is moveable with simultaneous directly related rotation and translation to a first ball position with the valve flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body, a second ball position abutting the ball seat wherein the valve flow passage is not in fluid communication with the seat flow passage such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the flow passage are closed, and a third ball position intermediate between the first and second ball positions;(iii) a pilot valve mounted within the valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers, wherein each flapper is mounted on an individual flapper pivot pin and wherein each flapper is rotatable between a closed position and an open position and wherein each flapper has a flapper bias spring that biases the flapper toward the closed position;(iv) a shroud that protects downstream edges of the open flappers;(v) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system including a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring provides a continuous bias on the ball valve to urge the ball valve towards the first ball position and wherein the second spring is activated to bias the ball valve towards the first ball position only when the ball valve is at the first ball position or when the ball valve is moving between ther first ball position and the third ball position; and(vi) a motion damping device that increases a dampening of a vibratory motion on the ball between the first ball position and the third ball position. 14. A valve apparatus comprising: (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore; and(b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving components including: (i) a ball seat having a seat flow passage;(ii) a ball valve having a valve flow passage, wherein the ball valve is movable with simultaneous directly related rotation about an axis of rotation and translation to a first ball position with the valve flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body and a second ball position abutting the ball seat wherein the valve flow passage is not in fluid communication with the seat flow passage such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the valve flow passage are closed thereby preventing flow through the valve apparatus;(iii) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system including a reciprocable latching system, a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first spring provides a continuous bias on the ball valve to urge the ball valve towards the first ball position and wherein the second spring is activated to bias the ball valve toward the first ball position only when the ball valve is at the first ball position or moving between the first ball position and a third ball position; and(iv) a pilot valve mounted within the valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers wherein each flapper is rotatable between a closed position and an open position and wherein each flapper has a flapper bias spring that biases the flapper toward the closed position and wherein the pilot value includes a shroud having a recess fir each flapper, wherein a downstream edge of each flapper in the open position fits within one recess thereby protecting the downstream edge and minimizing flutter induced vortices;whereby a fluid flowing in a first direction from the first end of the internal valving components toward the second end of the internal valving components with sufficient force to overcome the bias of the flapper bias springs rotates the flappers to the open position allowing fluid flow through the valve flow passage and wherein the fluid flowing in a second direction from the second end of the internal valving components toward the first end of the internal valving components with sufficient force against the flappers in the closed position to overcome the bias of the first and second springs will rotate the ball valve to the second ball position. 15. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first transverse end of the internal valving components abuts a first damper having a first elastomeric element and the second transverse end of the internal valving components abuts a second damper having a second elastomeric element and wherein the second elastomeric element has different vibrational energy absorption characteristics than the first elastomeric element. 16. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reciprocable latching system includes: (a) a ball pusher seat having a ball side and an opposed side, wherein the ball side bears against a first side of the ball valve;(b) a tubular ball pusher mounted on the opposed side of the ball pusher seat, wherein an internal diameter of the ball pusher equals the diameter of the valve flow passage; and(c) a spring retainer, wherein a portion of the spring retainer encircles a portion of the ball pusher;whereby the latching system is coupled to the ball pusher when the ball valve is in the first ball position and coupled to the spring retainer when the ball valve is in the second ball position, andwhereby the latching system uncouples at a third ball position in a movement of the ball valve from the first ball position to the second ball position and recouples at the third ball position, wherein the third ball position is between the second ball position and the first ball position. 17. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein (a) the ball seat and a spring retainer are spaced apart by a tubular spacer sleeve having a first cylindrical bore that abuts the ball seat on a first end of the spacer sleeve and adjoins a second cylindrical counterbore that extends to a second end of the spacer sleeve, wherein a length of the first cylindrical bore is equal to a distance between the first position and the third position of the ball; and(b) a ball pusher has an intermediate external groove containing a snap ring and an annular damper washer bearing on the snap ring on a first side and bearing on the first spring on a second side, wherein the damper washer is a close fit to the first cylindrical bore of the tubular spacer sleeve. 18. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein when the ball is in the second ball position a spherical surface of the ball sealingly abuts a compatible spherical surface of the ball seat and a fluid flow past the ball seat is prevented. 19. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein each flapper is separated from another flapper by a predetermined gap, the predetermined gap calculated to require a desired fluid pressure force in the second direction to rotate the ball valve to the second ball position. 20. The valve apparatus of claim 14, wherein a maximum combined bias force applied by the first spring and the second spring as the ball valve is moving between the first ball position and the third ball position is less than the maximum bias force applied by the first spring when the first spring is maximally deflected when the ball valve is in the second ball position. 21. A valve apparatus comprising: (a) a tubular body having a main counterbore; and(b) a plurality of internal valving components housed within the main counterbore, wherein the internal valving components have a first end and a second end transverse to the main counterbore, the internal valving components including: (i) a ball valve having a flow passage, wherein the ball valve is movable with simultaneous directly related rotation about an axis of rotation and translation to a first ball position with the flow passage in axial alignment with the main counterbore of the tubular body and to a second ball position such that the main counterbore of the tubular body and the valve flow passage are closed to fluid flow;(ii) a ball seat having a seat flow passage, wherein when the ball valve is in the second ball position a spherical surface of the ball valve sealingly abuts a compatible spherical surface of the ball seat such that a fluid flow past the ball seat is prevented and the ball flow passage is not in fluid communication with the ball seat flow passage;(iii) a ball cage that supports the ball valve, wherein the ball cage is stationarily positioned in the main counterbore of the tubular body and eccentrically engages the ball valve eccentric to a ball valve axis of rotation through a pair of opposed eccentric pins mounted on the ball cage;(iv) a spring biasing system for providing a bias on the ball valve, the spring biasing system comprising:a ball pusher seat having a ball side and an opposed side, wherein the ball side bears against a first side of the ball valve;a tubular ball pusher mounted on the opposed side of the ball pusher seat, wherein an internal diameter of the ball pusher equals the diameter of the flow passage of the ball valve;a spring retainer, wherein a portion of the spring retainer encircles a portion of the ball pusher;a first spring;a second spring; anda reciprocable latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism is coupled to the ball pusher when the ball valve is in the first ball position, the latching mechanism uncouples at an intermediate point when the ball valve is moving from the first ball position to the second ball position and recouples at the intermediate point when the ball valve is moving between the second ball position and the first ball position, and the latching mechanism is coupled to the spring retainer when the ball valve is in the second ball position; and(v) a pilot valve mounted within the ball valve flow passage, the pilot valve comprising a plurality of flappers, each flapper rotatable between a closed position and an open position, wherein a flapper bias spring biases each flapper toward the closed position and wherein the pilot value includes a shroud having a recess for each flapper, wherein a downstream edge of each flapper in the open position fits within one recess therby protecting the downstream edge and minimizing flutter induced vortices;whereby a fluid flowing in a first direction from the first end of the internal valving components toward the second end of the internal valving components with sufficient force to overcome the bias of the flapper bias springs rotates the flappers to the open position allowing fluid flow through the ball valve flow passage and wherein the fluid flowing in a second direction from the second end of the internal valving components toward the first end of the internal valving components with sufficient force against the flappers in the closed position to overcome the bias of the first and second springs will cause the ball valve to rotate to the second ball position.