Ball Valves

Description

Ball valves are mechanical devices used to control the flow of gas, oil, water and other fluids. The ball has a port through the middle so that flow occurs when the port is in line with the ends of the valve. When the valve is ‘closed’, the port is perpendicular to the ends of valve, thus blocking the flow. By turning the handle attached to the valve, the flow of the fluid is regulated. Materials used for making ball valves can be of bronze, cast or ductile iron, brass, steel, stainless steel, and plastics like PVC.

Types

Ball valves are classified in terms of body styles and ports.

According to body styles, they are further classified as

• Single body
• Split body
• Top entry
• Welded

According to ports, they are further classified as

• Full port ball valves
• Standard port ball valves
• Reduced port ball valves
• V port ball valves
• Multi port ball valves

Other types are

• PVC ball valves
• Flanged ball valves
• Floating ball valves
• Pneumatic ball valves
• Hydraulic ball valves

Specifications

Specifications to be considered for manufacturing ball valves include

• Working pressure and temperature
• Valve size 
• Number of ports
• Flow coefficient
• Body material
• End connections, sizes and configurations

Advantages

The main advantages of ball valves are

• Durability increased due to its construction
• Due to its unique design, valve functions without complications of side loads
• Inspection and repair can be carried out without removal of the valve’s body from the pipeline

Applications

Ball valves are used,

• In natural gas pressure regulating stations
• For cryogenic fluid applications
• In chemical and food manufacturing industries
• In process and instrumentation applications  

Other industrial applications include automotive, electronics, plastics, glass, metals, textiles, transportation, wood processing, power generation, printing, tire and rubber, cement and concrete and medical applications.