What is Ball Valve? Ball valve is a shut off valve, there is a rotary ball having a bore to control the flow of liquid or gas. When you rotate the ball a quarter turn (90 degrees) around its axis, the medium can flow through or is blocked.
Ball valve has a long service life and provide a reliable sealing during the life span, even when it is not in use for a long time. So they are more popular as a shut-off valve then for example the gate valve. And they are more resistant against contaminated media than most other types of valves. In special versions, ball valves are also used as a control valve. This application is less common due to the relatively limited accuracy of controlling the flow rate in comparison with other types of control valves. However, the ball valve also offers some advantages here. For example, the valve still ensures a reliable sealing, even in the case of dirty media.
Circuit function
The Ball valve could have two, three or even four ports (2-way, 3-way or 4-way). The vast majority of ball valves are 2-way and manually operated with a lever. The lever is in line with pipe when the valve is opened. In closed position, the handle is perpendicular to the pipe. Manually operated ball valves can be quickly closed and therefore there is a risk of water hammer with fast-flowing media. Some ball valves are fitted with a transmission. The 3-way valves have an L-shaped or T-shaped bore. As a result, various circuit functions can be achieved such as distributing or mixing flows. In the image below, the circuit functions 3-way ball valves are shown schematically.
Housing
The assembly of the valve housing can be divided in three commonly used designs: one-piece, two-piece and three-piece housings. The difference is how the valve is assembled and this affects the possibilities for maintenance or repair. The operation of the valves is the same in each embodiment.
One-piece - This is the cheapest variant. The two parts which enclose the ball are pressed or welded. The valves can not be opened for cleaning or maintenance. This type is generally used for low-demanding applications.
Two-piece - Two-piece valves can be disassembled for cleaning, servicing and inspection. Often, the parts are connected via a threaded connection. The valve must be completely removed from the pipe in order to separate the two parts.
Three-piece - More expensive valves have often three pieces. The parts are generally clamped together by bolt connections. The advantage of this embodiment is that the valve can be serviced without removing the entire valve from the pipeline.
TONY Fluid supplies variety of ball valves, with the features of:
- Maximum working pressure up to 10000 psig (689 bar)
- Working temperature from -400F to 4500F (-400C to 2320C )
- Various flow pattern
- 304 and 316 stainless steel body material
- Variety of end connections
- Color coded handles
- Each and every valve is tested at the factory
