Patent ID: 8496226

Claim:
A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a valve interior in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet; a bonnet removably secured to a top portion of the valve body; a ball element pivotably mounted in the valve interior, an exterior surface of the ball element defining a portion of a sphere, wherein all points on the exterior surface of the ball element are not equidistant from a central pivot point of the ball element disposed along a rotational axis of the ball element; a seal ring disposed within the valve interior and biased toward the ball element, wherein the seal ring is adapted to sealingly engage the ball element; a seal carrier disposed in the valve interior between the seal ring and the valve body, the seal carrier being removably secured to the valve body by a plurality of bolts that are both disposed within the valve interior and adapted to be inserted and removed from within the valve interior, wherein a primary leak path exists between the seal ring and the seal carrier and a secondary leak path exists between the seal carrier and the valve body, the primary leak path and the secondary leak path being exposed to fluid pressure within the valve; a bellows seal disposed between the seal ring and the seal carrier, the bellows seal preventing all fluid flow through the entire primary leak path, wherein the bellows seal is secured to a radially-inward portion of the seal carrier and a radially-inward portion of the seal ring; and an auxiliary seal disposed between the seal carrier and the valve body, the auxiliary seal preventing fluid flow through the secondary leak path.