VALVES

 Primary Purpose: To slow down or stop the

flow of fluid. (at the price of large pressure drop)

 Some Valves:
◦ On-or-Off service, Fully open or fully closed
◦ Throttle, to reduce pressure and flow rate of fluid
◦ Permit flow in one direction only
◦ Steam trap: holds steam and allows water and inert
gas
◦ Automatic control valves
 Used in processes
involving hazardous or
toxic materials

 Sizes: ½ inch – 12 inch

 Gate valves and globe

valve, plug cocks and
ball valves, Check
valves.
Gate Valves (most common type)

•Flow is controlled by raising or

lowering the valving element.

•Diameter of opening is nearly the

same as that of the pipe.

•No Change in the direction of flow.

Small pressure drop.

•Gate valves are not usually used to

regulate flow because the valving
element can be damaged when in
the partially open position.
Advantages
• Gate valves opens or closes slowly, which prevents fluid
hammer and
subsequent damage to the piping system.
• They need long operation time since setting the valve to the
fully open or
closed position requires the handle to be turned many times.
• Good choice for on-off service.
• Full flow, low pressure drop.
• Bidirectional.

Disadvantages
• It is not suitable for throttling applications.
• It is prone to vibration in the partially open state.
• It is more subject to seat and disk wear.
• Repairs, such as lapping and grinding, are generally more
difficult to accomplish.
Globe Valves (most common)

A globe valve is a linear motion valve

used to stop, start, and regulate fluid
flow.

Advantages
o Recommended for throttling applications.
o Good for frequent operation.
o Easy to repair.

Disadvantages
o Flow path causes a significant pressure
drop.
o Globe valves are more costly than
alternative valves.
 Similar to globe valves
 But hand wheel is replaced by a spring
diaphragm pneumatic activator or electric
motor.
Plug Cock Valve
 For Temperatures below
250 oC, metallic plug
cocks are useful

 Fully opened: large as

inside dia of pipe, low
pressure drop

 Area of contact between

moving element and seat
is large
 Useful for throttling
Ball Valves
A ball valve is a rotational motion valve that uses a ball-shaped disk to
stop or start fluid flow.

Advantages
•Maintains and regulates high volume, high pressure, and high temp flow
•Low purchase and maintenance costs.
•No lubrication requirements.
•Give tight sealing with low torque.
•Time of valve operation is minimized.
•Can be used for throttling service.
•Can handle fluids with suspended solids.

Disadvantages
•Have relatively poor throttling
characteristics.
•Difficult to clean, leads to contamination
Check Valves
Check valves are designed to prevent the reversal of flow in a piping system. These
valves are activated by the flowing material in the pipeline. The pressure of the fluid
passing through the system opens the valve, while any reversal of flow will close the
valve. Closure is accomplished by the weight of the check mechanism, by back
pressure, by a spring, or by a combination of these means. The general types of check
valves are swing, tilting-disk, piston, , and stop.

Lift Check valve Swing check valve

Ball check valve

 In installing pipe:Lines should be parallel and
contain right-angle bends as far as possible.

 In clogged systems: Provision should be

made for opening the lines to permit cleaning
them out.

 In critical locations: elbows should be

replaced with tees or crosses with their extra
opening closed with plugs. Unions or flanged
connections should be included.
 With Hazardous materials: flanged or screwed
fittings should be used sparingly.

 In gravity flow systems: pipe should be oversized

and contain few bends; fouling of the lines
restricts increase of pressure head on the fluid to
keep the flow rate up.

 Leakage through valves should be expected.

Blind flanges will stop all flow.

 Room should be allowed for fully opening the

valve and for repacking the stuffing box.