All You Need to Know About Ball Valve

Product Description

FlowBiz ball valve is a shut-off valve that allows, obstructs, and controls the flow of liquids, gases, and vapors in a piping system by rotating the ball having a bore inside the valve. The ball is mounted against two seats and has a shaft connecting it to the operating and control mechanism that rotates it. When the cross-section of the bore is perpendicular to the area of the flow, the fluid is not permitted to pass through the valve. The fluid flows through from the valve, and the fluid flow rate depends on the area of the bore exposed to the floor.

Parts of a ball valve:

Ball

Shaft

Bonnet

Seat

Types of Ball Valves:

One-Piece Ball Valve

Two-Piece Ball Valve

Three-Piece Ball Valve

Top Entry Ball Valve

Ball Design:

Floating Ball Valves

Trunnion Ball Valves

Vented Ball Valve

Bore Profile

Full Bore Ball Valve

Reduced Bore Ball Valve

Segmented Ball Valve

Materials for the Construction of Ball Valves:

The ball valve's ball and its housing are commonly constructed from the following materials:

Brass

Stainless Steel

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Polypropylene Ball Valve (PP)

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Ball Valve (GFPP)

Polyvinylidene Difluoride Ball Valve (PVDF)

Polyethylene (PE)

Conclusion:

Ball valves are shut-off valves used to allow or obstruct the flow of fluids by rotating the ball having a bore inside it by 900. They can be operated manually or by an actuator.

Ball valves consist of the ball, shaft, and seat in the valve housing. The ball is placed between two seats and has a stem that connects it to the operating mechanism.

Types of ball valves are classified according to their housing assembly, ball design, and bore profile. Ball valves come in many designs and features to satisfy the needs of a specific industry.

As the housing is divided into many pieces, the cleaning and maintenance of the ball valves get easier but more expensive to acquire.

Depending on the working pressure it will be installed, there are different ball designs to select from.

A smaller bore diameter has a larger pressure drop across the valve, which makes pumping difficult and more expensive. The ball may have a multiport bore, which can be used for splitting and combining flow rates and diverting flow directions.

The material for ball valves must be hard, tough, and rigid. The seats must have a low coefficient of friction, high compressive strength, and compatibility with the working fluid. However, the application of ball valves is limited by the working temperature of the seats.

Ball valves are easy to operate and activate and offer minimal risk to leakage.

Throttling is not advisable for ball valves.

Proper maintenance must be done to avoid particle build-up between the ball and the body.