Double-disc gate valve

Patent · 01 January 1979

OSTI ID:863258

Wheatley, Seth J ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge, TN

This invention relates to an improvement in a conventional double-disc gate valve having a vertically movable gate assembly including a wedge, spreaders slidably engaged therewtih, a valve disc carried by the spreaders. When the gate assembly is lowered to a selected point in the valve casing, the valve discs are moved transversely outward to close inlet and outlet ports in the casing. The valve includes hold-down means for guiding the disc-and-spreader assemblies as they are moved transversely outward and inward. If such valves are operated at relatively high differential pressures, they sometimes jam during opening. Such jamming has been a problem for many years in gate valves used in gaseous diffusion plants for the separtion of uranium isotopes. The invention is based on the finding that the above-mentioned jamming results when the outlet disc tilts about its horizontal axis in a certain way during opening of the valve. In accordance with the invention, tilting of the outlet disc is maintained at a tolerable value by providing the disc with a rigid downwardly extending member and by providing the casing with a stop for limiting inward arcuate movement of the member to a preselected value during opening of the valve.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4134571
• OSTI ID: 863258
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/251/
above-mentioned
accordance
arcuate
assemblies
assembly
assembly including
axis
based
carried
casing
close
conventional
differential
differential pressure
diffusion
diffusion plant
disc
disc-and-spreader
discs
double-disc
double-disc gate
downwardly
downwardly extending
engaged
extending
finding
gaseous
gaseous diffusion
gate
gate valve
gate valves
guiding
hold-down
horizontal
horizontal axis
improvement
including
inlet
inward
isotopes
jam
jamming
limiting
lowered
maintained
means
movable
moved
movement
operated
outlet
outlet ports
outward
plants
ports
preselected
preselected value
pressures
providing
relates
relatively
results
rigid
selected
selected value
separtion
slidably
slidably engage
slidably engaged
sometimes
spreaders
stop
therewtih
tilting
tilts
tolerable
transversely
uranium
value
valve
valve casing
valve disc
valve discs
valves
vertically
vertically movable
wedge