Valve has become an aspect of several industries due to it facilitating the regulation of flow of gasses, liquid and other substances which flow through pipes and tubes. For instance in the manufacturing, energy and water management industries, the choice of which type of valve to use can be the single most important determinant in propulsion as well as safety. This site gives information on various types of valves, where they can be used and which aspects need to be considered when selecting a certain type of valve.
Types of Valves
The section of valves is extensive, and all sorts of valves exist, which are to be used on certain duties and conditions. Current most important types of the valves that are used by industries include the gate valves, ball valve, butterfly valves and the check valves.
– Gate Valves: Designed for use either on or off the service, gate valves allow minimum restriction of flow in open position. They are best suited when with the applications that flow direction with a usual single line and the lowest pressure drop.
– Ball Valves: Applications of the ball valves are many due its high level of reliability and possessing a high level of seal. They are also moderately durable, well suited to conditions of high pressure or high temperatures, and extremely easy to employ.
– Butterfly Valves: They are compact, affordable, intended for pneumatic application where a fast and easy shutdown is required. The Butterfly valves are used quite often in high volume utility sectors like water and wastewater treatment.
– Check Valves: Designed especially to prevent back flow check valves have to be installed in lines that should not be allowed to flow in the opposite direction. Sensors are automatic controls and can be broadly described as being applied in pipelines.
Each kind of value is good in its specific area as well as bad in a specific area related to the type of material that has to be controlled, optimum condition for the material and the degree of control desired.
Materials for Valves
The material of construction of the valve body and the components with which it would interact within the system determine aspects of use and compatibility with the medium being transported. Popular materials include stainless steel, cast iron, brass and plastic.
– Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is resistant to wearing and is ideal for chemical and food industries.
– Cast Iron: Cast iron therefore contains a high percentage of carbon and is most suitable for applications where pressure and high temperature is involved such as steam and oil pipes.
– Brass: Brass enjoys a very high corrosion immunities as well as enjoys great durability; brass is used in all small valves where necessary, such as for water and/or gas.
– Plastic: Plastic valves lack the strength of metals but they are almost completely resistant to oxidation and chemical solutions and therefore are suitable for low pressure services.
Selecting the right material in manufacturing a valve would definitely ensure that the particular valve would require replacement frequently due to leakage or contamination.
How to Select the Correct Valve
When selecting a valve, businesses must consider the specific requirements of their system, including:
– Flow Rate: Bollier categorized the valve types into four groups; manual valves, automatic valves, modulating and safety valves and grouped them in features according to the material flow rate. Of course, in high flow conditions such as the butterfly or gate valves may prove more useful.
– Pressure and Temperature: When the valves are in operation, pressures and temperatures are to be normal in regard to the valves. For instance, ball valves are ordinarily utilized in high pressure schemes as compared to other schemes of the similar type.
– Application Environment: Piston and check valves that are to be used in corrosive / highly turbulent environments should be preferably made of Stainless steel or brass.
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Maintenance and Safety
Valves have therefore to be well maintained often to ensure they have long life cycles since ruptures are inevitable. During daily inspections proper emphasis should be made on any area that shows signs such as wear and tear or corrosion and leakage. In industrial applications, failure in a valve may lead to some inevitable breakdowns or pose safety hazards to the organization. Key maintenance practices include:
– Lubrication: Lubrication reduces the contact force between a mating pair of flat surfaces and of rough surfaces in valves that are frequently opened and closed.
– Cleaning: Cleaning activity is performed occasionally on valves with a purpose of removing obstruction and keep on the systems if at some point some contaminants are present.
– Inspection and Replacement: This makes failure patterns discernible and allows components that are no longer optimal in one’s efficiency or that have reached their optimal effectiveness to be exchanged.
Frequency of providing service to the valve lowers the incidence of valve failure to the process in improving the reliability of the process in the industrial development.
Advanced Trends in Valve Application
In this section, advanced trends have been discussed with the following headings:With the arising of new technologies, new valves are needed in the past decades, technology has been introduced into industries and processes in the aspects of human life, so does the valve system. Manufacturers are now choosing smart valves to add the digital monitoring system to get data and control through the system while they are away. Smart valves are very dependable in conditions of the capacity for predicting when next maintenance might be necessary, stroke rate, pressure, and their ability to self-synchronize complicated industrial processes.
In vocations that entail business to business interconnection, the efficiency and productivity are tied with the uniformity of the equipment in B2B regions, any sign regarding the modification of valves’ technology might serve a useful purpose. The advantages of using updated technological designs of valves include the following; It’s cheaper to use them than to have to replace the valves now and then, safe and performs better in severe services.
Let us recall the fact that control valves are among the most important elements of any industrial processes and learning about their types, materials and how they should be treated is a must.
