The ever-first ball valve was invented in the fifties. By definition, it is a form of quarter-turn valve whose hollow or solid shape makes the fluid flow. The advancement in technology and enhancement in processing techniques has given the ball valves huge popularity in recent years. Typically, it is a valve with a spherical disc containing many round holes. This spherical disc has a role to open and close the valve by rotating upon the valve handle. Its ability to move within 90 degrees leads to serving many applications in both industrial and commercial settings. Besides the availability of different types of ball valves, there are certain factors that demand improvement.
More often, ball valves are used in the fields of chemical, paper, pharmaceutical, water, electricity, petroleum refining, and steel industry. Further, its tight shut-off characteristics make it specifically appropriate for flow control applications in high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. If designed adequately, the ball valves can easily endure pressures up to 10,000 psi. and temperatures as high as 400°F. More often, the material used hinders the movement, because some materials cannot bear the high temperature.
Common Features of Ball Valves:
Low fluid resistance
In ball valves, the resistance efficiency is the same as the pipeline which has the same length. Being developed from the coak valve, the ball valve is capable of throttling and fluid control. In both the full port and reduced port, the passage of the ball valve is smaller, specifically in the full-port kind. The smaller pipe diameter of the full-port ball valve makes the partial resistance similar to the resistance of the pipe.
Total sealing
Currently, the sealing element used is made up of flexible materials like Polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE. Combined with other metals and non-metals, the sealing element ensures a guarantee with low machining precision and a rough surface.
Open and close feature
These valves are designed to be used in a fully open or fully closed position. The 90-degree manual handle easily opens and closes, maybe in as little as 0.1 seconds to complete the course of action.
Better corrosion resistance
The compact construction and the sealing elements inside the body and seat lead to separate the medium that can prevent erosion. These valves can work smoothly without using lubricants, this aspect makes them perfect to handle corrosive medium and low-boiling-point fluid.
Simple structure
Ball valves feature a compact, low operating torque, maximum flow design, and lightweight that make them ideal to use in the low-temperature medium. Further, the flexing design of the ball valves guarantees a leak-tight seal in both low and high-pressure systems. Ball valves are uncomplicated in design, sturdy, and tend to lend a long service life.
Easy maintenance
Ball valves are smooth to use and maintain. They can easily regulate high-pressure, high-volume, and high flow of temperature.
Long Life
The self-lubrication aspect of PTFE minimizes the roughness between the sealing element and the ball. Apart from this, the enhancement in machining skills reduces the rough surface of the ball. This factor upsurges the life span.
High reliability
Compared to other valve types, ball valves ensure exceptional flow characteristics and provide precise, reliable control in several applications.
Easy operation
The handle rotation can be made from a long distance within 90 degrees in a short span. Besides, its straightforward and active structure favors easy removal and replacement.
Without a doubt, the existing features of ball valves are an added advantage to the operations of the valve. It’s lightweight and straightforward structure keeps the flow smooth. Further, the two discs used ensure the stiffness. The common material used for the sealing surface is the plastic that makes the valve a perfect fit for the vacuum system.
Types of Ball Valves:
Just because there exists different working conditions, the valves are designed in a certain way that meets different requirements. Based entirely on specific shapes, sizes, designs, or manufacturing materials, there’s a huge variety of ball valves available. Whatever be the difference in specifications, all the kinds are designed to control the passage of fluids or gases.
Floating ball valve
Because the name suggests, those forms of valves characteristic a floating ball between the two seats that effectively brings in pressure to push the ball downstream for a closure. The existing simple design with single-sides sealing can deliver enhanced sealing performance. Usually, this type of valve is preferably used for medium and low-pressure conditions. However, its tight sealing ability with low torque makes it well-suited to multi-port applications.
Trunnion-mounted valves
This valve brings in use the trunnion or higher/lower stem to create the support required within the frame itself. The trunnions are connected to the bearings which can be assembled in the valve body. This makes it easily rotate with restricted movement horizontally. It is made up of the basic components including the body, ball, stem, end connections, and trunnion. The disc placed above or under the valve, make it feasible to meet large pressure flow rate needs. Specifically, in high-pressure applications, the ball is placed by the trunnions.
Fix ball valve
These types of valves come with two specific systems: two-piece and three-piece. As compared to the floating valve, this kind of ball valve works differently. The generated power via the fluid pressure at the ball entirely passes to the bearing that hinders the ball’s movement in the direction of the clack seat. Primarily based on its characteristic, the torque of the valve is small with a clack seat not easy to be deformed.
Features of the Fix Ball Valve:
- The fix ball valve gets the necessary support by means of upper and lower bearings. This aspect makes these valves function easily.
- The ball valves operate easily. This is because the rotation of the handle can be made from a long-distance perpendicular in a quite short span.
- Due to the valve’s layout, it can lessen the friction and eliminate the over torque moment.
- It offers reliability because the PTFE ring is embedded in the steel clack seat that ensures leak-proof.
- The fix ball valve has in-built hearth-proof design which helps in avoiding serious leakages or shock heating.
- The fix ball valve has two holes, one at the top and the other at the bottom. This allows people to check the leakage.
Top Entry Ball Valve
This valve is quite popular to be used in a variety of industries.
Two types of top entry ball valve:
Top entry floating ball valve
A compressed spring is used to carry force to the valve body so as to attach the surface of the valve seat tightly. This leads to good tightness.
Top entry fixed ball valve
The ball is fixed here with the removable valve seat. The spring used is compressed and adjusted to connect it with the spring. They fit well inside the valve body.
Types of Ball Valves Based on the Bore of the Ball Mechanism
Full Port valve
Also known as the full bore valve, this kind is made in the same diameter as the connecting pipeline.
Its design structure is a bit complex and expensive to manufacture, the full port valve is highly used to clean the pipeline. Such a design is perfectly suited for reforming, petrochemical, and process industries. These kind of valves highly find its usage where there require a free constant flow of liquid. For instance, pipes washing machine drain comes with a big hole that passes big quantity to flow through it.
Regular Port
The hole diameter is small again and exhibits increased resistance to fluid flow. Such designs are used in different industrial fluid flow control applications.
Port valve
In evaluation to other forms of valves, this valve has a smaller diameter, that’s perhaps 49% of the connecting pipe. In oil and gas industries, the reduced-port valve can manage the fluid flow through throttling. Due to its smaller size, it best suits small, end-loaded valves that need small-diameter balls.
Multiport ball valve
These kinds are generally of three or four ways. The three-way further comes with three kinds of ball passages including T-type, L-type, and Y-type. On the other hand in the four-way valve, there are four inlets, two channels, and outlets on the ball body. These kinds are generally required for application mixing processes.
Hollow or solid ball valve
Among the significant choices available, the distinction is possible considering the manufacturing of balls. Usually, a hollow ball is made up of welded steel plates or seamless stainless steel tubes. It is inside-hollow type. Because of its lightweight structure, it minimizes the spherical surface and the valve seat load which eventually extends the service life. Whereas, solid ball valve is closed-inside and brings in use the rotary ball to stop the flow of the liquid. Hollow valve balls can make floating or trunnion mounted type, two way or multi-way type. For large sizes or constructions, a solid ball would not be a practical choice.
Ball valves classification according to specific applications:
Pipeline Ball Valve
The use of a pipeline ball valve is quite common to ensure safety, sealability, and strength. This valve functions to control the medium, change the direction of the medium flow, prevent reflux, cut off the medium, and block the pipe.
Common Features:
- Offers reliable sealability. Thus, preventing leakage or even serious accidents.
- The operation time is long. Once the pipeline ball valve is in use, it keeps on working for several years.
- Offers high strength and resistance force. This makes it possible to survive the extending, curbing, or squeezing by external forces like earthquake, temperature, or equipment vibration.
- Resistant to corrosion. The natural gas containing Hydrogen sulfide can erode the valve, thus the resistance-proof material holds great significance.
- It functions automatically. This aspect helps in controlling the valve from a long distance.
- Being light-weight and tight in structure, the pipeline ball valve is easy to install and repair if required.
Fully Welded Ball Valve
A fully welded ball valve comes with a compact envelope that allows increased strength and a significant weight reduction. The valve structure is welded and round in shape, comprises four pieces forgings.
Since the body comprises welding forged parts, there is no probability of potential leak paths in comparison to side-entry and top-entry ball valves.
These valves are best suited to perform manual operation or for power-assisted operation.
Sanitary Ball Valves
Three-piece, full bore sanitary ball valves are quite popular in the pharmaceutical, and food processing industry. This is named a sanitary ball valve because its full cavity PTFE seat manages the liquid retention inside the ball valve.
Usually, the valve body is manufactured from pore-free stainless steel with electro-polished roughness depths from Ra<0.6 µm.
This can be made viable to welding, Tri-Clamp, and threaded options along with certain end connections. These kinds of valves have been specifically designed to be used for sanitary purposes. As it is important to maintain cleanliness in the piping systems in different industries, there is no other better way than doing so with a sanitary ball valve.
Ball Check Valve
It is the common check valve that is used in different industries. In this type of valve, a ball in the shell of the valve fits perfectly against the side of the valve from where the fluid comes in. The push from the water moves the ball against the spring, passing water through the valve. When this push is turned off, the ball remains at the place by the spring and keeps water from flowing backward through the pipe.
Although there are certain choices available, it is significant that you find a valve that meets your specific requirements. Whether to use it for a high temperature or high-pressure system, you need to find a valve that perfectly serves the purpose.
Conclusion
At EG Valves, we design and manufacture a wide range of valves and other products. All our products are manufactured in accordance with different surface finishes, materials, and industry standards. Connect with us at 86 577 5799 2227 to know more about our products and services!
[…] among the most common valves that are preferred due to their durability and simple construction. A ball valve is a disc-shaped sphere with an opening or closing mechanism to regulate fluid flow. A ball is a […]