US 12,435,797 B2
Gate valve with seat assembly
Alagarsamy Sundararajan, Katy, TX (US)
Assigned to SRI Energy Inc., Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed by SRI Energy Inc., Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on May 4, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/312,074.
Application 18/312,074 is a continuation of application No. 17/475,400, filed on Sep. 15, 2021, granted, now 11,644,105.
Application 17/475,400 is a continuation of application No. 16/240,528, filed on Jan. 4, 2019, granted, now 11,125,341, issued on Sep. 21, 2021.
Application 16/240,528 is a continuation of application No. 15/276,113, filed on Sep. 26, 2016, granted, now 10,174,848, issued on Jan. 8, 2019.
Application 15/276,113 is a continuation of application No. 14/311,419, filed on Jun. 23, 2014, granted, now 9,453,578, issued on Sep. 27, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/843,701, filed on Jul. 8, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2023/0272860 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. F16K 3/02 (2006.01); F16K 3/20 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 3/0236 (2013.01) [F16K 3/20 (2013.01); F16K 3/207 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gate valve assembly comprising:
a valve body having a channel;
a gate movable between open and closed positions;
first and second seat inserts respectively fixedly coupled within first and second pockets of the valve body;
metal first and second seats respectively slidingly coupled to the first and second seat inserts;
a first spring between the first seat and the first seat insert and a second spring between the second seat and the second seat insert; and
a static first seal between the valve body and the first seat insert and a static second seal between the valve body and the second seat insert;
a ring including at least one aperture;
wherein inner surfaces of the first and second seat inserts and the first and second seats each at least partially form the channel and each directly contact fluid when the fluid is traversing the channel;
wherein: (i) the first spring biases the first seat towards the gate, (ii) the first spring directly contacts the fluid when the fluid is traversing the channel, and (iii) the first spring biases the first seat insert towards the valve body;
wherein the first seat is between the first seat insert and the gate and prevents the first seat insert from directly contacting the gate;
wherein (i) the first seat and the gate form a metal-to-metal seal when contacting one another; (ii) the metal-to-metal seal has a first point of contact between the gate and the first seat and a second point of contact between the gate and the first seat; (iii) the second point of contact is between the first point of contact and the channel; and (iv) between the first point of contact and the second point of contact, only metal materials of the gate and the first seat are in direct contact with each other;
wherein (i) a first axis intersects a wall of the valve body, the first seat insert, the first seat, and the gate when the gate is closed, (ii) the first axis is parallel to a long axis of the channel, (iii) the first axis intersects the static first seal, (iv) a second axis is orthogonal to the first axis and intersects the ring and the first spring.