Valves 101: Valve Types, Sizes, Standards & More - Unified Alloys

What Are Valves and How Do They Work? 

At their most basic, valves are devices that work to control, regulate or direct flow within a system or process.

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They often feature a range of characteristics that help to define their ideal application.

However, whether you’re looking to control flow, provide safety in a system that is piping liquids, solids, gasses or anything in between, there are likely stainless steel valves available to help.

Valves provide several functions, including:

• Starting or stopping flow based on the valve state
• Regulating flow and pressure within a piping system
• Controlling the direction of flow within a piping system
• Throttling flow rates within a piping system
• Improving safety through relieving pressure or vacuum in a piping system

Valve Opening Methods Explained

While many valves accomplish similar goals, how they do so mechanically can vary.

How a valve opens and closes will not only impact the overall performance but also determine how much control you have over the flow and how quickly the valve can operate.

Most valves fit into one of three categories:

• Multi-Turn valves: Think of these valves like a screw or piston. You crank the handle and the plug, plate, membrane, or other controlling obstruction moves into the path of the pipe blocking access. Depending on the valve, these can have higher or lower differentials allowing you to open or close them at various speeds.
• Quarter turn valves: Quarter-turn valves offer a full range of motion in a 90-degree turn of the handle. This makes them ideal for situations where precision isn’t as important as rapid action and easy opening or closing.

On top of the mechanical motion involved with a valve, also consider the method of actuation. In most cases, valves fall into one of three categories:

• Manual Valves: Typically adjusted by hand, these valves use handwheels, hand levels, gear wheels, or chains to actuate.
• Actuated Valves: Often connected to electric motors, air or pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems, or solenoids, these valves allow remote control and automation for high-precision or large-scale applications.
• Automatic Valves: Some valves activate when a specific flow condition is met. Examples include check valves closing during backflow or pressure release valves activating when an over-pressure condition is detected.

Common Valve Types and Their Applications

Valves feature a range of characteristics, standards, and groupings the help to give you an idea of their intended applications and expected performance. Valve designs are one of the most basic ways to sort the huge range of valves available and finding a good fit for a project or process.

Common types of valves include:

You might also see valves classified by function instead of design.

Common functional designations and their common design types include:

• Isolation Valves: Ball, butterfly, diaphragm, gate, pinch, piston, and plug valves
• Regulation Valves: Ball, butterfly, diaphragm, globe, needle, pinch, and plug valves
• Safety Relief Valves: Pressure release and vacuum relief valves
• Non-Return Valves: Swing check and lift check valves
• Special Purpose Valves: Multi-port, float, foot, knife gate, and line blind valves

Valve Sizing Explained: Keeping Things Flowing

While valves might be a small part of your piping process or system in terms of space, they’re often a substantial portion of the design and build budget. They also have a significant impact on long-term costs and overall system performance.

Choosing a proper valve size is essential to both optimizing costs and ensuring safe, accurate, and reliable operation.

The first thing to consider is the overall size of the valve -- both in terms of physical dimensions and in terms of internal size and flow rates (CV).

Choosing a valve that does not fit properly in the space required could result in added costs. Choosing a valve which does not provide the ideal flow rate can lead to inaccurate flow control at the least and complete system failure at worst.

For example, if your valve is too small, it could cause reduced flow downstream while creating back-pressure upstream. If the valve is too large, you’ll find that flow control is drastically reduced the further you move from fully open or fully closed.

When choosing the proper size, be sure to consider both the connector diameter and the overall flow rate of the valve compared to your needs. Some valves offer excellent flow while others constrict flow and increase pressure.

This means sometimes you must install a larger valve to adjust for flow than the adapter diameter alone might imply.

Valve End Connections: The Key to a Good Fit and Proper Operation

With sizing and design out of the way, it’s also important to consider valve end connections.

While the most obvious implication here is choosing an end connection compatible with your piping, there are also functional characteristics to common end types that might make one valve more suited to your needs than another.

Common valve connections and ends include:

• Screwed or Threaded: Often used in instrument connections or sample points
• Flanged: The most common ends for piping use
• Butt Welded: Typically used in high-pressure or high-temperature operations
• Socket Welded: Commonly used on small bore piping where threaded connections are not permitted
• Wafer and Lug: Often used for compact valves installed in systems with limited space

Valve Materials: Ensuring Safety and Long-Lasting Performance

Depending on your intended use, the materials with which your valves are made might be a critical aspect in ensuring safe operation and reducing maintenance and replacement costs over the life of your operation.

Stainless steel valves are excellent options in a range of processing environments, including those involving corrosive media (such as chemicals, saltwater, and acids), environments with strict sanitation standards (such as food and beverage manufacturing and pharmaceuticals), and processes involving high pressure or high temperatures.

However, if you are processing solvents, fuels, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), choosing a valve material from a non-sparking material -- such as brass, bronze, copper, or even plastic -- is often a better option. In addition to selecting the correct body material, internal (wetted) trim parts should be evaluated for chemical compatibility as well. If your valve contains elastomers, they should also be evaluated for their chemical compatibility as well as pressure and temperature limitations.

Valve Standards: Meeting Compliance and Regulatory Concerns

Depending on your intended usage, you might find that valves must adhere to particular standards to meet regulatory requirements for safety, sanitation, or other concerns.

While there are too many standard organizations and potential regulations to cover in detail, common general standard organizations include:

• CSA Group (CSA)
• The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• The American Society for Testing Materials International (ASTM International)
• The Manufacturers Standardization Society (MSS)
• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• The Public Health and Safety Organization (NSF)
• NACE International (NACE)
• The American Petroleum Institute (API)
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)

There are also industry-specific standards to consider.

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Major standards organizations by industry include:

• ASHRAE Valve Standards
• ASME BPVC Valve Standards
• ASSE Valve Standards
• ISA Valve Standards
• NFPA Valve Standards
• SAE Valve Standards

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right valve for your project might seem complex. However, by starting with general characteristics -- such as valve design, valve size and actuation method -- you can quickly limit your options to determine the best valves for your needs.

Whether you’re designing a new processing system or looking to make upgrades to or maintain an existing system, Unified Alloys’ selection of valves and fittings can help you find the ideal solution for your application and usage environment. As a leading provider of stainless steel alloys, valves, flanges, and more, our experts have helped industries across Canada and North America for more than 4 decades. Need assistance or have a question? Contact us for personalized help.

Industrial ball valves control the flow and ensure your industrial processes’ smooth operation and safety. They are highly durable, reliable, and easy to use. ̧

However, industries face challenges when selecting the optimal ball valve for their specific application. Let’s look at the key questions you should ask before choosing ball valves.

Also Read: Key Factors to Consider When Selecting High-Pressure Valves

Seven Essential Questions to Ask Before You Buy Industrial Ball Valves

1. What type of media will flow through the ball valve?

The nature of the fluid type (liquid, gas, or semi-solid) passing through the pipeline greatly influences the industrial valve selection. Different media have varying ike corrosive, abrasive, and viscosity. This analysis will guide engineers in selecting ball valves of ideal material to be compatible with the media to prevent leaks, damages, or malfunction properties, such as corrosive, abrasive, and viscosity. This analysis will guide engineers in selecting ball valves of the ideal material to be compatible with the media to prevent leaks, damages, or malfunctions.

2. What is the right actuation method for the ball valve?

How you actuate (close and open) valves will influence their efficiency. Therefore, it is vital to understand the various types of ball valve actuation.

There are different types of ball valve actuation, such as:

• Pneumatic ball valve: These valves use compressed air to open and close the ball. They are ideal for applications where large opening and closing forces are required.
• Electric ball valve: Such valves use an electric motor to open and close the ball and are highly useful where precise control is required.
• Hydraulic ball valve: Here, a pressurized hydraulic fluid opens and closes the ball where large forces are required.
• Manual ball valve: These valves are operated by a handle and are often used in low-pressure systems.

In this regard, you have to consider these things:

• Frequency of operation
• Energy availability and complexity
• Actuation operations
• Control and reliability

For instance, pneumatic actuators are needed for frequent and fast operations, whereas electric actuators are ideal for a reliable power supply. Similarly, hydraulic ball valves are best suited for high-pressure applications where frequent operations are needed, and manual ones are the ideal bet for low-pressure applications that require occasional manual control.

3. What are the maximum and minimum temp & pressure ratings of the fluid passing through the pipeline?

Ball valves also have temperature and pressure ratings. The minimum and maximum values indicate the temperature and pressure range of the working fluid that valves can handle.

Why is adhering to these values important?

• High-temperature variation can cause non-uniform expansion and contraction, leading to cracks.
• Minimum and maximum values indicate the valve’s temperature and pressure range.
• Excessive fluid pressure can break the seal and cause premature wear, leaks, and safety hazards.

4. What are the estimated annual cycles?

The number of times you open and close the valve in a year is known as its annual cycle rating. Ball valves are rated for a specific number of cycles. Using a valve over its annual cycle rating may hamper its durability. If you use ball valves to understand their cycle requirements, they can work for tens of thousands of operations without any performance issues.

5. How are you going to use the ball valve?

Different ball valves are available on the market depending on the nature of their operation.

• Shut-off vs. flow direction control:

Standard ball valves can completely restrict the fluid flow. However, specialized ball valves are also available if you need directional control.

• Multi-directional flow (3-way ball valves):

Three-way ball valves offer even more control by splitting the flow from a single source to two destinations.

6. How do you choose the right material for the ball valve?

The media flowing through the valve should be compatible with the materials of the valve’s body and internal components (ball, seat). Incompatible materials can corrode or weaken the seal, leading to safety hazards or malfunctions. Consider stronger options like Monel, Inconel, or alloys containing molybdenum, chromium, or nickel for highly corrosive fluids.

7. What certifications should the valve have?

It’s imperative to select ball valves with the right certifications relevant to the fluid type and application within your facility. Depending on your application, your ball valve and its actuator might require certifications from:

• ANSI (American National Standards Institute): verifies pressure and temperature ratings for pipe flanges for safe operations within desired limits
• NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association): sets design standards for electric ball valves for reliable performance
• NSF International: offers guidelines for selecting ball valves in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical production facilities to safeguard public health

Also Read: How to Choose the Right Valve for your Industrial Requirement?

Looking for an ideal supplier for high-quality industrial ball valves for your specific applications?

For more information, please visit Non-Sparking Chisel Tools.