Abstract: A ball valve includes a metal valve seat (36) carrying a relatively soft insert (40) which seals against a ported ball member (22). A packing ring (72) surrounding the seat is compressed between a spring loaded metal wedge (84) and a metal backup ring (66) to provide a seal between the seat and valve body. If the soft seals are destroyed by fire, the metal seat is pressed against the ball member to provide a metal-to-metal seal. Additional metal-to-metal seals are provided between the seat and valve body by the metal wedge and backup ring.

Abstract: A spring assembly (56) for a floating seat ring (40) to urge the seat ring into sealing engagement with the movable valve member. The seat ring is mounted in an enlarged bore portion at the valve chamber and has an annular rear face in opposed relation to a shoulder defined by the enlarged bore portion. The improved spring assembly is mounted in the spring pocket formed between the rear face and the shoulder and has a plurality of undulated annular wave springs (58, 60) about the seat ring. Each pair of contiguous wave springs is staggered so that the front nodes of one wave spring in each contiguous pair is in opposed contact relation to the rear nodes of the other wave spring of each contiguous pair. A flat portion (44A) on the outer circumference of the seat ring is in nested relation to a cooperating flat portion (64) on the inner circumference of the wave spring to maintain the wave spring in an oriented staggered relation.

Abstract: A ball valve in which cams (82, 84) are mounted on the ball member (34) to engage spring biased seat rings (30, 32) and cam the seat rings to a retracted position at which the seat rings are retained. The ball valve has a removable cover plate (16) so that the ball member (34) and seat rings may be subsequently removed from the valve body (12) while the valve remains in-line. A removable stop (56) engages and blocks rotation of the ball member past its fully opened and fully closed positions and the cams (82, 84) engage the seat rings only after the stop is removed and the ball member is rotated past its normal stroke and beyond fully opened or fully closed positions.

Abstract: A ball valve structure has a removable upper cover plate (16) to permit the ball (34) to be removed from the valve body. A separate cam tool (90, FIGS. 8-10) after removal of the cover plate is positioned within the bore of the ball which has been partially rotated from the full open position, and upon a return rotation of the ball with the cam tool therein to a full open position an adjacent spring urged seat ring (58) is cammed away from the ball to a retracted position. A seat ring retainer (82) is then actuated to hold the seat ring in the retracted position. The cam tool is then utilized in a similar manner to cam the other opposite seat ring in retracted position. The ball may then be removed with the seat rings for replacement or repair as desired. The seat rings and seals (70) thereon may be removed and replaced in such manner without removal of the valve from the flowline in which the valve is positioned.