Importance

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Abstract

The invention provides a wellhead assembly including a wellhead housing supporting a tubing hanger within its central bore and forming a housing stem port through its outer wall to the central bore. The tubing hanger has a side stem port formed through its body intermediate its upper and lower ends providing access to the central bore of the hanger and being aligned with the housing stem port. The tubing hanger includes a ball valve member having a spherical exterior surface sealed and seated from above and below within the central bore of the hanger. The ball valve member forms a through port extending therethrough aligned with the production bore, and is rotatable in its seated position between open and closed positions with the through port being aligned with the production bore when in the open position. A slot in the exterior surface of the ball valve member if formed proximate the stem port. A ball stem assembly is sealed for axial rotation in both the stem port of the body and the housing stem port of the wellhead housing, one end of the stem providing a coupling for rotatably coupling to the slot in the ball valve member, the other end of the stem assembly extending exterior of the wellhead housing. The ball valve member is externally operated between open and closed positions by an operator coupled to the ball stem assembly exterior the wellhead housing.

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First Claim