Ball Valves
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IQS Newsroom Articles on Ball Valves
About Ball Valves and Ball Valve Suppliers Including: 3 Way Ball Valves, Actuated Ball Valves, Ball Check Valves, Ball Valve Manufacturers, Brass Ball Valve, Flanged Ball Valves, Floating Ball Valve, High Pressure Ball Valves, Mini Ball Valve, Motorized Ball Valve, PVC Ball Valves & Stainless Steel Ball Valves.
A ball valve is a stop valve that is designed mostly
for on/off service. It is essentially a plug valve with a round hole
and a sphere-shaped plug. A ball valve contains a ball with a small hole
in the middle that helps to control the flow of materials through the
pipe. An actuator, which can be either electric or a manually operated
handle, rotates the ball 90%. When the hole of the ball is facing away
from the pipe opening, flow is restricted. When it is aligned with the
opening, flow is restored. The position of the handle immediately indicates
whether the valve is closed or open. Along with being easy to monitor,
ball valves are also simple to clean and repair; as the ball rotates,
the seat performs a self-wiping action that prevents any buildup.
Ball valve suppliers offer their products with two primary design options.
These are the floating ball design, a less costly option for lower duties,
and a trunnion ball option, which is used for higher duties and, therefore,
more costly. Ball valve suppliers also provide several body styles, including
one-piece, two-piece, three-piece, even four- and five-piece and flanged
body construction. The type of application determines which ball valve
is the most appropriate. Sizes of ball valves range from very small up
to 42 inches and up to 7,500 psi in pressure ratings. Although they are
manufactured from a wide variety of materials, some common materials
are stainless
steel, plastic, bronze, copper, cast iron, ductile iron,
metal alloys and brass. Metal valves are recommended for gases and high
temperature fluids; use plastic valves for liquid applications only.
Bore, or port, sizes differ as well. In a full bore valve, the diameter
of the hole in the ball is the same size as the hole in the pipe. Looking
down a piece of pipe, in other words, there would not appear to be any
constriction at the location of the valve. If the diameter of the hole
through the ball is less than that of the pipe, it is referred to as
a reduced or standard bore/port. Some valves gradually narrow, while
the reduction in others is basically a shoulder. Many times the diameter
tapers to the next standard size. There is very little pressure loss
difference between the full bore and reduced bore valve.
Advances in ball valve design and materials have significantly increased
their popularity. Ball valves can be used for isolation of systems, regulation
of some types of low flow (e.g. throttling the flow of air at differential
pressures up to 1,000 psi) and backflow prevention, but only with a swing
check component. They can handle high pressure and a large volume of
fluids, gases and suspended solids (slurries). New valve designs have
enabled ball valves to be used in high-vacuum situations. This possibility
was not previously considered, due to the inherent tendencies of these
valves to leak and trap gas. Ball valve suppliers will also be able to
offer aluminum construction in the near future.
Types of Ball Valves
- are valves where liquids can flow
only one way. The pressure from the liquid forces the ball to move,
when the pressure from the fluid stops the ball also stops and the
valve closes.
- make
various kinds of ball valves.
- can
handle small and large flows with high pressure ratings.
- are quarter-turn valves which utilize a cylindrical or
tapered plug with a hole in the middle to control flow.
- are
made of a polymer of vinyl chloride.
- are
made of stainless steel.
- use outside levers to slow down the flow of materials
through a pipe. The lever pulls the ball into the flow which causes
the flow to stop more quickly.
- have three different ports. Some three way
valves have all ports open while others may all be closed or
only have one
open.
- have an inlet pipe connection and an outlet pipe connection.
