A ball valve is used to control the flow of a gas or liquid with the help of a rotary ball. You can rotate the ball around its axis to control the flow. The best thing about ball valves is that they have a long service life. They will remain reliable during their lifetime. Thus, they are very popular in the market.
Ball valves are also more resistant to contaminated media when compared with other valves. You can also use them as a control valve. However, this application of the ball valve is not popular. In this article, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about Ball Valve.
Ball Valve Types
1. Standard valve
This type of valve has housing, lever, ball, and seats. These are the most common type of ball valves. They can be used in various locations. These valves have a large operating range for temperature and pressure.
2. Hydraulic valve
Hydraulic valves are designed for heating and hydraulic systems mainly. They can operate under high operating pressure. These hydraulic valves are made of stainless steel or steel. Thus, they can be operated in extreme conditions.
3. Flanged valve
This type of ball valve is characterized according to its connection type. The ports will be connected to the piping system. You can use these valves for providing a high flow rate. If you are going for a flanged ball valve, then you should check the compression class. It will indicate the highest pressure that this valve can withstand.
4. Vented valve
Vented valves are similar to 2-way ball valves. It is mainly used in compressed air systems. If you have a safer working environment, then you can use a vented ball valve.
Working of Ball Valve
Ball valves will have multiple ports which are just the openings in the ball valve. 2-way ball valves will have two ports. You can use them as an on/off valve. There are also multi-port valves which you can use. Every type of ball valve will have a different application.
You can open the port of a ball valve through actuation or manually. If you are handling it manually, then you need to use the lever. You need an operator that can control the valve. If you are using electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic actuation, then you don’t need an operator for controlling the valve. Actuation is very useful for complex control systems as you don’t need to worry about human errors.
Advantages of Ball Valves
Some of the main advantages of using ball valves are:
- Ball valves have a compact and economical design. Thus, they are more affordable when compared with other valves.
- Ball valves have very fast shut-off speeds.
- Ball valves are durable in high volume, high-temperature, and high-pressure applications.
- They are less prone to damage and corrosion.
- Ball valves have a long service life. You can use it for a long period of time.
- Ball valves are very versatile in nature. You can use them in multiple industrial applications.
Where is the Ball Valve used?
Ball Valves are used everywhere in the world. You can find it in your home and even in a very specialized industry. It is used in outdoor hoses, washing machines, and dishwashers. You can learn about how the industries are using Ball Valve at https://linquip.com/industrial-directories/341/ball-valve. Some of the specialized industries where Ball Valve is used are:
- Manufacturing facilities.
- Irrigation Equipment.
- Water Treatment equipment.
- Pharmaceutical.
- Chemical Treatment and admixtures.
- Automotive.
- Food and Beverage Equipment.
- Power Processing.
- Vehicle Wash Systems.
- Oil and Gas.
Conclusion
Ball valves are used heavily in the industry. They can help you in doing a lot of work. You can use them as on-off devices if you want. It is also used in specialized industries as it can withstand extreme conditions.
