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Resilient Seated Butterfly Valve Applications

Sales Resource Manual
SR-1053 RESILIENT APPS - 10/12/2010

Resilient Seated Butterfly Valve

Applications
Sales Resource - Table of Contents
Topic Page(s)
Vacuum Service.........................................................3
Measurement Terms...................................................3
Vacuum Levels...........................................................4
Butterfly Valve Selection.............................................4
Summary and Valve Selection Requirements..............5

Seawater & Brine Recommended Specifications.......6

Recommended Materials & Specifications.................7

Resilient Seated BFV Applications

Vacuum Service
Fluid media is driven through a valve by differential pressure,
that is, a difference in pressure on one side of the valve compared
to the other side. Often, this difference is called pressure drop,
because the fluid pressure drops or falls as it passes from the inlet
to the outlet. The inlet pressure is greater than the outlet pressure
and both are greater than atmospheric pressure.
Applications which involve inlet and/or outlet pressures lower
than atmospheric pressure are known generically as VACUUM
SERVICE. Standard Bray butterfly valves are directly adaptable
to many vacuum services, but there are a few important factors that
should be considered before making specific product selections.
Vacuum applications are common in the chemical and
pharmaceutical industries where they assist in product separation,
distillation and purification. Vacuum permits the recovery of heat
sensitive products at lower temperature to protect the quality.
Vacuum pumps can remove vapors and contaminating particles
from sensitive production chambers so that high purity crystals
can be grown for the electronics industry. Vacuum is also used in
various deposition processes including production of silicon films,
reflective coatings, and optical coatings. Vacuum is commonly
found in irrigation and bulk conveying systems.
Measurement Terms
Evangelita Torricelli (1608-1647) discovered that the atmosphere
exerted pressure when he constructed the worlds first barometer
in 1643. Scientists today know that atmospheric pressure at sea
level usually exerts 14.7 lbs (6.67 kg) of force on each square
inch of surface area. Likewise, a column of fluid exerts a pressure
dependent upon its height and density. Early experiments
performed with the element Mercury (Hg), a dense liquid, showed
that atmospheric pressure was capable of holding up a column of
Hg at 32 F ( 0 C) that measured 29.92 (760 mm high).

Vacuum : 3

Atmospheric pressure is still the common reference point for

all vacuum measurements. However, several different scales are
used to measure the deviation from atmospheric pressure:
Atmospheric Pressure

Absolute Vacuum

14.7 psi

0 psi

760 mm Hg

0 mm Hg

29.92 in-Hg

0 in-Hg

760 Torr

0 Torr

760,000 microns

0 microns

(Total Absence of Pressure)

PSI is not often used for vacuum measurement because the units
are too large to be convenient. The in-Hg scale is a little better, but
not very much. Rather than use small fractions such as 0.0967 psi
or 0.1969 in-Hg, most people prefer 5 mm Hg. The international
scientific community recognizes Mr. Torricellis pioneering work
by advocating the term Torr in place of mm Hg, otherwise the
scales are equivalent.
Although the Torr Scale has a convenient unit of measurement,
modern applications often involve vacuums much less than 1 Torr.
Rather than discuss a vacuum of 5-3 Torr, most people prefer 5
microns. The conversion factor is 1,000 microns = 1 Torr.
The industrial in-Hg scale operates in the opposite direction of
the other scales. Notice that 29.92 in-Hg is atmospheric pressure
and 0 in-Hg is absolute vacuum. The larger the number, the smaller
the pressure! However, do not be confused by the television
weathercasters who measure the barometric pressure with absolute
vacuum equal to 0 in-Hg; the higher the barometric reading, the
higher the pressure. Any reading over 29.92 in-Hg is considered a
high pressure cell, and anything below 29.92 in-Hg is considered a
low pressure cell. (Remember that atmospheric pressure varies with
weather conditions as well as altitude above sea level.)

All information herein is proprietary and confidential and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of BRAY INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
The technical data herein is for general information only. Product suitability should be based solely upon customers detailed knowledge and experience with their application.

Resilient Seated BFV Applications

Vacuum Levels
There have always been several levels of vacuum service,
generally designated as Low, Medium, or High Vacuum. Over
the years, technological advances have created equipment that
can reach Very High and even Ultra High levels.
Low Vacuum is between atmospheric pressure 0 in-Hg (760
Torr) and 28.9 in-Hg (25 Torr). It is usually generated with
a multistage centrifugal pump, a rotary water-sealed pump
or a reciprocating dry vacuum pump. Another common low
vacuum device is the steam jet injector which is found in more
than half of vacuum applications in large-volume chemical
and refining industries. Common applications are distillation,
crystallization, deaeration, bulk conveying, pump suction
irrigation and evaporation.
Medium Vacuum is between 25 Torr (25,000 microns) and 10-3
Torr (1 micron). It is usually generated by a rotary oil-sealed
pump, an oil vapor diffusion pump or several stages of steam
jet ejectors. Common applications are stripping, deodorizing,
metal degassing, dehumidifying and freeze-drying.
High Vacuum is between 1 micron and 10-3 microns. It is usually
generated with a multistage oil vapor diffusion or multistage
mercury vapor diffusion pump. Applications include high
purity food and pharmaceutical processing, electronic device
production, optical coating deposition, evacuation of cathoderay-tubes (CRTs), test facilities and scientific research.
Very High Vacuum is between 10-3 microns and 10-6 microns. The
equipment and applications are essentially highly demanding
extensions of those mentioned in the High Vacuum level.
Ultra High Vacuum is between 10-6 microns and 10-14 microns.
This level requires even more exotic equipment than Very
High Vacuum. Scientific notation (often seen on handydandy vacuum charts) can easily lead a person to overlook
the vast difference is size between the top and bottom end of
this range.

Butterfly Valve Selection

Butterfly valves in normally pressurized industrial applications
must seal in a variety of areas (disc-to-seat, stem-to-seat, seatto-flange, etc). All of these areas are still important in vacuum
service. However, the pressure of the fluid media is not available
to assist the sealing. The vacuum inside the valve creates a
pressure differential which tends to pull the seat inward, away
from the body, instead of pushing it outward.
A prime consideration, therefore, is the method employed to
retain the seat in the body. Brays tongue and groove design
provides positive seat to body retention in Low, Medium, and
High Vacuum Levels. The molded O-ring in the face of the seat is
strategically located opposite the machined groove in the body so
that the pressure applied by the pipe flange will further compress
the tongue into the groove. This situation is often referred to as
the Fish-Hook Lock since the cross section of the seat resembles
a fishhook.
Bray valves provide ample seat face width to insure sealing
against either slip-on or weld-neck flanges. Locating holes are
standard on wafer valves to positively align the seat face with
the adjacent flange. Lug bodies are aligned by the mounting lugs.
A double U cup seal is used around the stem to prevent external
substances from entering the stem bore. This seal is active in both
directions and is effective with either positive pressure or vacuum
in the line. Of course, the primary and secondary seals of the seat
flat and the stem hole pressing against the stem prevent the line
media from escaping.
As mentioned earlier, vacuum in the line will create a pressure
differential. Atmospheric pressure behind the seat is greater than
the line pressure inside the valve and the resulting force pushes
the seat inward. This actually assists the sealing of the seat against
the disc! If the seat is resilient, the vacuum will draw the seat
tightly against the disc effectively reducing the inner diameter of
the seat. The stronger the vacuum, the stronger the seal. Standard
Bray valves with EPDM seats have been subjected by customers
to vacuums as low as 10-9 microns, experiencing zero leakage
measured by a helium mass spectrometer.
It must be noted that PTFE seats are not as resilient as Buna-N
or EPDM, and therefore will not benefit as much from this
vacuum assisted sealing situation. PTFEs lack of resilience and
tendency to scratch could also impair its ability to seal against
small abrasions that might appear in the disc edge. For this reason,
PTFE seats are not recommended for vacuum service.

Vacuum : 4

All information herein is proprietary and confidential and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of BRAY INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
The technical data herein is for general information only. Product suitability should be based solely upon customers detailed knowledge and experience with their application.

Resilient Seated BFV Applications

Many customers use vacuum in purification or other critical
processes where contamination is not permitted. Therefore, they
may be inclined to request PTFE seats for their sterile properties.
Brays standard EPDM or Buna N should be recommended in
place of PTFE, although PTFE is considered acceptable in Low
Vacuum applications where chemical resistance is of prime
importance.
Since Bray valves are already designed to have substantial discto-seat interference, adding more interference due to vacuum in
the line may not provide any extra sealing properties. If the valve
was bubble tight at atmospheric pressure and the vacuum cannot
pull the seat out of the body, the valve will continue to be bubble
tight. However, the operating torque of the valve may be higher
than normal and the seat may balloon or suction toward the
center of the valve when the disc is in the open position. The
seat may exhibit premature wear in cycling applications if these
conditions persist. For this reason, reduced diameter discs are
recommended for vacuum service.
Low and Medium Vacuum Levels do not produce enough
pressure differential to cause the seat to balloon when the disc
is in the open position. To provide extra protection against
suctioning in High Vacuum Applications, the seats may be
bonded into the valve body. Manufacturers use an adhesive to
bond the seat to the valve body, but care must be exercised that
the adhesive securely grips both the rubber seat and the metal
body at all service temperatures. However, it is impractical to
bond a seat into a split body valve since this limits the ability
to remove the disc stem from the valve at a later date. For this
reason, split body valves such as the Series 20 and 21 are not
recommended for vacuum service.

Vacuum : 5

Summary and Valve Selection Recommendations

1. Vacuum Service involves line pressures below atmospheric
pressure.
2. Low Vacuum (usually measured in in-Hg) is often found in
irrigation and conveying applications.
3. Medium Vacuum (usually measured in Torr or microns) is
often found in chemical processing applications.
4. High Vacuum (usually measured in microns) is often found
in pharmaceutical, electronic, and scientific applications.
5. The recommended seat materials for vacuum service are
standard EPDM or Buna N. Avoid PTFE (due to its lower
resiliency) and Series 20 and 21 valves (due to their split
body) except in Low Vacuum applications.
6. Bray valves with their tongue and groove seat design and
strategically placed molded O-ring provide superior seat-tobody retention in Vacuum Service.
7. The discs used in all Bray valves in vacuum service should be
reduced diameter discs.

Series

Size

30, 31,
3A

(50-500 mm)

30, 31,
3A

(50-500 mm)

32, 35
32, 35

2-20
2-20
24+
(600+ mm)

24+
(600+ mm)

Reduced
Diameter

Bonded
Seats

Recommendation

Yes

No

Low and Medium

Vacuum Service.

Yes

Yes

High Vacuum
Service

No

No

Low Vacuum
Service

No

Yes

Medium and High

Vacuum Service

All information herein is proprietary and confidential and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of BRAY INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
The technical data herein is for general information only. Product suitability should be based solely upon customers detailed knowledge and experience with their application.

Resilient Seated BFV Applications

Seawater & Brine (High Chloride) Applications

Recommended Specifications/Materials for Resilient Seated Butterfly Valves.

The materials recommended herein are based upon critical
design criteria inherent in Brays resilient seated butterfly valve
design. If any resilient seated butterfly valve design does not meet
the minimum design requirements stated below, then not only
are these recommended materials not applicable, but the resilient
seated valve design is not recommended for seawater, brine or
other High Chloride applications.

Recommended Resilient-Seated Butterfly Valve

Design Specifications
A. Critical Design Features of a resilient seated butterfly
valve in Seawater, Brine or other High Chloride
Applications.
1. The disc-stem connection must be an internal direct drive
connection design such as a double-d, hex, spline or
keyway and require no fasteners such as disc screws or
taper pins to connect the disc to the stem. There may be
no holes or possible leak paths in the disc face.
2. The tongue and groove resilient seat design must totally
encapsulate the body so the body is not in contact with
any line media. The seat must have a molded o-ring on
the seat face and be suitable for sealing with weld-neck or
slip-on flanges without any gaskets.

B. Valve Style, Flange Drillings, Coatings, & Pressure

Ratings
1. The valve style shall be wafer or full lug 2 20,
wafer 24 36 or double-flange 24 120.
2. Flange drillings shall meet standard drillings such as
ASME Class 125/150, BS10 Tables D & E, JIS 10, AS
2129, DIN ND 10/16, BS 4504 NP 10/16, etc.
3. Coatings shall be either Polyester coated or, for superior
coating protection, Nylon 11 coated. Any coatings which
are subject to UV deterioration or degradation such as
epoxy are not allowable.

Recommended Materials Selection for Resilient

Seated Butterfly Valves, Series 3A, 3AH, 30, 31,
31H, 32, 33, 35, 36 and 36H.
The following Materials Selection table (Pg. 7) identifies the disc,
body, stem, and seat materials which should be selected based
upon the Chlorides (ppm). Generally, seawater has a Chloride
ppm of approximately 17,000 while brine is generally considered
to be equal to or greater than a Chloride (ppm) of 20,000. Specific
comments are as follows:

3. The resilient seat shall have a molded seat hub that forms
a primary seal with the spherically hand-polished disc
hub to eliminate any line media from coming in contact
with the stem (i.e. the stem is a dry stem). This same seatdisc hub primary seal also prevents any line media from
entering into the disc or body machined stem hole which
would cause serious corrosion.

1. For Chlorides (ppm) less than 20,000, Nylon 11 coated

Ductile Iron Discs are the best choice based on longer service
life, greater corrosion resistance, lower torques/longer cycle
life and cost. If a metal disc is required, the ASTM A995
Grade 5A Duplex Stainless Steel is preferred to the NickelAluminum-Bronze.

4. The stem hole in the seat shall be smaller in diameter than

the stem diameter and form a secondary seal.

2. For Chlorides (ppm) less than 40,000, Nylon 11 coated

Ductile Iron discs are preferred versus the ASTM A995
Grade 5A Duplex Stainless Steel or ASTM A351 CK3MCuN
(254 SMO) for the same reasons as stated above.

5. The stem must be mechanically retained in the body.

6. The metal, uncoated disc edge and hub must be spherically
machined and hand-polished for minimum torque and
maximum sealing capability.
7. No field adjustment to the valve shall be required to
maintain optimum field performance.
8. 2 20 resilient-seated butterfly valves shall have an
upper stem non-corrosive bushing and self-adjusting
stem seal. 24 and larger valves shall have packing
glands adjustable without removing a manual operator or
actuator and upper/lower bronze bearings.

3. The stem material recommended is ASTM A479 Type 316N

to achieve the corrosion resistance of 316 Stainless Steel and
the greater physical properties of 316N Stainless Steel.
4. EPDM is the preferred seat material. If hydrocarbons may
be present in the seawater, then Buna-N should be selected.
5. If the valve is a lug or double flange, Bray can supply
a Cast Iron body to ASTM 126 Class B. However,
Bray recommends a Ductile Iron body to ASTM A536
Grade 65-45-12 for such body types.

9. All valves shall be bidirectional and tested to 110% of the

full rating.
Seawater/Brine : 6

All information herein is proprietary and confidential and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of BRAY INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
The technical data herein is for general information only. Product suitability should be based solely upon customers detailed knowledge and experience with their application.

Resilient Seated BFV Applications

Materials - Selection*
Chloride (ppm)

Disc

Body

Stem
ASTM A479 Type 316
ASTM A479 Type 316N

ASTM A995 Gr. 4A

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM B 148 Gr. 958

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

ASTM A995 Gr. 5A

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

Nylon Coated ASTM 536 Gr.

65-45-12

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

ASTM A351 CK3MCuN

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

< 55,000

ASTM A351 CK3MCuN

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

< 100,000

ASTM A494 CW2M

ASTM 126 Class B

ASTM A479 Type 316

ASTM A479 Type 316N

EPDM / BUNA-N

< 20,000

< 30,000

< 40,000

Seat
EPDM / BUNA-N

*Other Materials are available upon request.

Equivalent-Material References and Specifications

Reference
UNS #
F12102

Reference ASTM #
ASTM A 126 Class B

0.6030

Cast Iron

Tensile Strength
Min (psi)
31,000

D4512

Ductile Iron

65,000

45,000

12%

Reference DIN #

Generic Name

Yield Strength
Min (psi)
-

Elongation
-

A536 Gr. 65-45-12

F33100

A494/A 494M Gr. CW2M

N26455

2.4610

Hastelloy C276, or C4C

72,000

40,000

20%

A479/A Type 316

S31600

X5CrNiMo 17 13 3

316 Stainless Steel

75,000

30,000

30%

A479 Type 316N

S31651

X6CrNiMoTi122E

Stainless Steel

80,000

35,000

30%

B 148 Grade 958

C95800

Nickel Al. Bronze

85,000

35,000

15%

A995/A 995M Gr. 4A

J92205

1.4462

Duplex 4A

90,000

60,000

25%

A351-CK3MCuN

J93254

1.4547

254SMO

94,250

43,500

35%

A995/A 995M Gr. 5A

J93404

75,000

18%

N08367

Super Duplex 5A
Austenitic Stainless
Alloy

100,000

A479 Type AL-6XN

1.4469
X1 NiLrM.CuN
25-20-6

108,000

53,000

47%

Seawater/Brine : 7

All information herein is proprietary and confidential and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of BRAY INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
The technical data herein is for general information only. Product suitability should be based solely upon customers detailed knowledge and experience with their application.