Patent ID: 8113484

Claim:
A ball valve, comprising: a valve housing having an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with a bore, the bore extending through the valve housing and defining a primary flowpath; a ball element mounted in the valve housing and movable between a closed position disconnecting the inlet from the outlet, to an open position connecting the inlet and outlet; and a seal assembly disposed within the valve housing, the seal assembly comprising a biased main seal and a seal housing, a secondary flowpath being formed between the seal housing and the biased main seal, the biased main seal being disposed within the primary flowpath and adapted to engage the ball element during the opening and closing of the valve, the seal assembly further comprising a C-seal disposed between the biased main seal and the seal housing, the C-seal being located between an annular shoulder formed on the main seal and an annular shelf formed on the seal housing, a bottom of the C-seal being located directly adjacent to the annular shoulder, the C-seal impeding fluid flow through the secondary flowpath, wherein the C-seal is formed from a single, temperature resistant and flexible material.