In different industries, ball valves are one of the most widely use valve types. There is still a growing demand for ball valves. In this article, we will explain how ball valves make an impact on your applications. Additionally, we will explain how a ball valve works so you can better understand it before you buy one. We are the leading ball valve supplier in Zambia.
What is a Ball Valve?
A ball valve has a ball-like disc that acts as a barrier when closed. When controlling or diverting media flow, ball valve manufacturing companies often design ball valves to be quarter-turn valves.
Often, ball valves use in applications requiring tight sealing. Their pressure drops are known to be low. The 90-degree turn makes it easy to operate even with high volume, pressure, or temperature media. Due to their long service life, they are quite economical. We are the leading ball valve supplier in Zambia.
Gases and liquids with small particles are ideal for ball valves. Slurries damage these valves’ soft elastomeric seats easily, making them unusable with slurries. Although ball valves have throttling capacities, they use as such because friction from throttling can damage the seats.
Parts of a Ball Valve
Ball valves come in many variants, such as 3-way ball valves and ball valves made from different materials. Similarly, the working mechanism of a 3-way ball valve differs from that of a common ball valve. Valve classification can be done in many ways. Whatever the case may be, all valves share seven common components.
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A ball valve’s body is its framework. The barrier prevents pressure from transferring to the pipes from the media. All components are held together by it. Threaded, bolted, or welded joints connect the body to the piping.
Stem
The stem opens and closes the valve. In addition, this is what connects the ball disc to the lever, handle, or actuator. To open or close the ball disc, the stem rotates.
Packing
An important part of the bonnet is the gasket that seals it to the stem. In this area, most issues occur, so proper installation is crucial. Leakage occurs when the screws are too loose. Stem movement restrict when the stem is too tight.
Bonnet
An opening in a valve covers a bonnet. This serves as a secondary pressure barrier. All the internal components are held together by the bonnet once they have to insert inside the valve body. In most cases, the bonnet is either forge or cast from the same material as the valve body.
Ball
The disc of the ball valve can be seen here. In the close position, the disc is subject to the pressure of the media due to its third most important pressure boundary. In floating ball valves, the ball disc can either suspend or mounted, as in trunnion-mounted ball valves.
Seat
The ball disc rests on these rings, sometimes call seal rings. Depending on the design of the ball disc, the seat may attach or detach.
Actuator
For a ball valve to open a disc, it needs an actuator to create the rotation needed. These often have a power source. Remotely controlled actuators allow valves to function even if they are located in remote or difficult to reach locations.
An actuator can be a handwheel that use to operate a ball valve manually. Other types of actuators include solenoids, pneumatics, hydraulics, and gears.
How Does a Ball Valve Work?
This is generally how ball valves work. The lever or handle must turn a quarter turn by some force, whether it operates manually or by an actuator. The force transfer to the stem, which opens the disc.
The hollowed side of the ball disc faces the flow of media as it turns. At this point, the lever is perpendicular to the flow of media and the port is parallel. A handle stop is located near the connection between the stem and bonnet, which allows only a quarter-turn.
A quarter turn of the lever closes the valve. By moving the stem in the opposite direction, the ball disc turns in the opposite direction, blocking media flow. The parallel is the position of the lever, and the perpendicular is the position of the port.
Take note, however, that ball discs can move in three different ways. The working operations of each of these are different.
On the stem of the floating ball valve is a balling disc that suspends. Ball valves are known for their tight seals due to the lack of support at the bottom of the ball disc.
Upstream linear pressure from the media pushes the ball toward the cupped downstream seat as the valve closes. As a result, the valve has a positive tightness, which increases its sealing factor. As the floating ball valve closes, the downstream seat carries the internal pressure.
A trunnion-mounted ball valve is another type of ball disc design. A set of trunnions are located at the bottom of the ball disc, making it stationary.
The trunnions also absorb the force from the pressure load when the valve closes, reducing friction between the ball disc and the seat. In both upstream-downstream ports, sealing pressure applie.
As the valve closes, spring-loaded seats push against the ball, which rotates around its axis. As a result of these springs, the seat pushes tightly against the ball. A trunnion-mounted ball type is suitable for applications that don’t require high pressure to move the ball.
Last but not least, the rising stem ball valve uses a tilt-and-turn mechanism. When the valve closes, the ball disc wedges against the seat. Opened, the disc tilts away from the seat to allow media to flow. Aira Euro Automation is the leading ball valve in Zambia. We offer various types of industrial valves like ball valves, butterfly valves, control valves, pressure reducing valves, and many more.
