Importance

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Abstract

A valve plug in which excess metal has been removed, leaving only the necessary surfaces for providing sealing and a flow passage. The invention abandons the truncated cone shape of the prior art for a non-conical shape; the only portions of the plug which extend toward the surface of the valve body are those necessary to provide sealing contact. The plug uses a pipe-shaped flow conduit having a cross-sectional dimension to match the size of the valve body seat around the flow ports in the valve body. The flow conduit has walls of substantially uniform thickness, such that the exterior surface of the conduit is spaced from the interior surface of the valve body, except at the ends of the conduit. In two embodiments, arcuate plates extend laterally from the sides of the flow conduit; the plates prevent the passage of fluid through the valve body when rotated into position adjacent the flow ports. A cavity is defined between the plates and the exterior surface of the flow conduit. In another embodiment, pipe-like sealing extensions are affixed to the sides of the flow conduit. The ends of the extensions mate with the valve body seat around the flow port when the valve plug is in the closed position. In this embodiment, the exterior surface of the flow conduit and the interior surface of the sealing extensions form the sealing surfaces which prevent the passage of fluid through the valve body.

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First Claim