UNDERSTANDING VALVES

What is a Valve?
A valve is a mechanical device that controls the flow of
fluid

What functions do valves perform?

Control fluid flow

Stop and start fluid flow

Control the amount of fluid flow (throttling)
Control the direction of fluid flow

Prevent backflow
Protect piping and equipment from over pressure

Valve Classification based on

function

Flow
Controlling
Valves

Backflow
Preventing
Valves

Check Valve

Gate Valve
Globe Valve
Needle Valve
Ball Valve
Plug Valve
Butterfly Valve
Diaphragm Valve

Pressure
Controlling
Valves

Relief Valve
Safety Valve

Gate Valve
A linear motion valve
used to start or stop
fluid flow

Advantages

Good choice for ON-OFF service

Full flow-low pressure drop
Bidirectional

Gate Valve
A linear motion valve
used to start or stop
fluid flow.

Disadvantages

Not for throttling; use fully opened or fully

closed
Metal-to-metal seating means not best choice
for frequent operation. Bubble-tight seating
should not be expected with metal-to-metal
design
Are not quick opening or closing valves
Require large space for installation, operation,
and maintenance

Globe Valve
A linear motion valve
used to stop, start,
and regulate fluid flow

Advantages

Good shutoff capability

Moderate to good throttling capability
Good for frequent operation
Shorter stroke (compared to a gate valve)
Available in zed, wye, and angle patterns, each
offering unique capabilities
Easy to machine or resurface the seats

Globe Valve
A linear motion valve
used to stop, start,
and regulate fluid flow

Disadvantages

Higher pressure drop (compared to a gate

valve)
Requires greater force or a larger actuator to
seat the valve (with pressure under the seat)
More costly than alternate valves

Globe Valve Configurations

Globe Valve Body Designs

Z-Body Design
Valve Design

Y-Body Design

Angle

Needle Valve

Advantages

Used to make relatively fine

adjustments in the amount of
fluid flow
Very accurate throttling is
possible

Typical Applications

Used for instrument, gauge, and

meter line service
Used in some components of
automatic combustion control
systems where very precise flow
regulation is necessary

Ball Valve
A rotational motion valve
that uses a ball-shaped
element to stop or start
fluid flow

Advantages

Provides bubble-tight service

Quick to open and close, not torquedependent for seating
Offers high cycle life
Especially useful for low flow situations
Easier to automate than multi-turn valves

Ball Valve
A rotational motion valve
that uses a ball-shaped
element to stop or start
fluid flow

Disadvantages

They are not suitable for sustained throttling

applications
In slurry or other applications, the
suspended particles can settle and become
trapped in body cavities causing wear,
leakage, or valve failure

Plug Valve
A rotational motion valve
used for the same full-flow
service as gate valves,
where quick shutoff is
required

Advantages

Simple design with few parts

Quick to open or close
Can be serviced in place
Offers minimal resistance to flow
Provides reliable leak tight service

Plug Valve
A rotational motion valve
used for the same full-flow
service as gate valves,
where quick shutoff is
required

Disadvantages

Requires greater force to actuate, due to high

friction
Typically, plug valves may cost more than ball
valves

Plug Valve Configurations

Multiport Plug Valves

A single multiport valve may be installed in lieu of

three or four gate valves or other types of shutoff
valve

Butterfly Valve
A rotary motion valve that
is used to stop, regulate,
and start fluid flow

Advantages

Require considerably less space, compared to

gate, globe, or other valves
Light in weight
Quick 90 open/close
Available in large sizes, ranging from NPS 112 to over NPS 200
Have low-pressure drop
Easier to automate than multi-turn valves

Butterfly Valve
A rotary motion valve that
is used to stop, regulate,
and start fluid flow

Disadvantages

Throttling service is limited to low differential

pressure
Do not normally create a tight seal

Diaphragm Valve
A linear motion valve that is
used to start, regulate, and stop
fluid flow

Diaphragm Valve

Advantages

Offer good chemical resistance due to variety of linings available

Stem leakage is eliminated
Provides bubble-tight service
Does not have pockets to trap solids, slurries, and other impurities
Particularly suitable for hazardous chemicals and radioactive fluids
Do not permit contamination of flow medium, thus they are used
extensively in food processing, pharmaceutical, brewing

Diaphragm Valve

Disadvantages

The weir may prevent full drainage of piping

Working temperatures and pressures are limited by the
diaphragm material. Generally the pressures are limited to
200 psi (1380 kPa) and temperatures up to 400F (204C)
The diaphragm may experience erosion when used
extensively in severe throttling service containing
impurities
Available in limited sizes, usually NPS 12 to 12

Check Valve
A valve designed to
automatically prevent
the reversal of flow in a
pipeline system

Advantages

Self-actuated and require no external means to

actuate the valve either to open or close
Fast acting

Disadvantages

Difficult to determine whether the valve is

open or closed
Valve disc can stick in open position

Check Valve Configurations

Check Valve Designs

Swing Check

Lift Check

Stop Check

Relief and Safety Valves

Prevent equipment damage by relieving
accidental over-pressurization of fluid systems
Relief Valve

Safety Valve

Relief and Safety Valves

Differences

Relief Valve

Opens only as
necessary to relieve
the over-pressure
condition
Typically used for
incompressible fluids
such as water or oil

Safety Valve

Rapidly pops fully open

as soon as the pressure
setting is reached and
will stay fully open until
the pressure drops
below a reset pressure
Can often be
distinguished by the
presence of an external
lever
Typically used for
compressible fluids
such as steam or other

Valve Actuators
A device that utilizes a source of power to operate a valve

Actuator Classification

Manual (Hand Wheel, Lever, Gears, Chains etc)

Automatic (Pneumatic, Motorized, Hydraulic, Solenoid etc)

Manual Actuators
Hand Wheel

Lever

Gears

Valve Actuators
A mechanism that causes a valve to perform its function.

Automatic Actuators

Pneumatic

Motorized

Solenoid

Summary

Gate valves are generally used in systems where

low flow resistance for a fully open valve is
desired and there is no need to throttle the flow.
Globe valves are used in systems where good
throttling characteristics and low seat leakage are
desired and a relatively high head loss in an open
valve is acceptable.
Ball valves allow quick, quarter turn on-off
operation and have poor throttling characteristics.
Plug valves are often used to direct flow between
several different ports through use of a single
valve.
Diaphragm valves are used in systems where it is
desirable for the entire operating mechanism to
be completely isolated from the fluid.

Summary

Butterfly valves provide significant advantages

over other valve designs in weight, space, and
cost for large valve applications.
Check valves automatically open to allow flow in
one direction and seat to prevent flow in the
reverse direction.
A stop check valve is a combination of a lift check
valve and a globe valve and incorporates the
characteristics of both.
Safety/relief valves are used to provide automatic
over- pressurization protection for a system.