GATE VALVE FOR PIPING (API 600, 602, 603)

What is a gate valve? It is a shut-off device to open and close the flow of the fluid conveyed by a piping system (or a pipeline). A
gate valve is a bi-directional valve, as the fluid may flow in either direction. The installation of this type of valve creates a
modest pressure drop in the pipeline, lower than globe valves. Gate valves have forged bodies for bore sizes below 2 inches
(API 602/BS 5352), and cast bodies for larger sizes (API 600, API 603, API 6D). 

Gate valves are on-off valves to open and close the flow of the fluid in a pipeline. The valve is opened and/or closed by the
vertical movement of a disc on the valve’s seat.

The main advantages of this type of valve are:

 Easy to maintain and disassemble

 Optimal as a shut off valve
 Bidirectional
 Low cost
 Can be used with slurries and viscous liquids
 Available in large sizes
 Inherently fire-safe (when used with a metal sheet)

The disadvantages are:

 Slow open and close time

 Low-pressure limitations
 Erosion of the seat and disk can occur
 Poor throttling characteristics
  Difficult to repair

Gate valves should not be used:

i. In horizontal lines transporting heavy or abrasive slurries in which sediment may become trapped in the pocket
below the valve seat, preventing closure. Reverse acting through conduit and knife-edged types are unaffected by
this.
ii. For throttling duties as the valve is very inefficient at controlling flow. Full flow persists until the valve is 80% closed and very
high velocities can be generated. Erosion of seats and gate, etc. may cause leakage.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS

The most important specifications covering gate valves used for piping systems are:

 API 600: Steel Gate Valves- Flanged and ButtweldingEnds, Bolted Bonnet
 API 603: Stainless steel valves
 API 602/BS 5352: forged valves
 API 6D: Slab and through conduit valves for pipelines
 ASME ANSI B16.34: pressure ratings
 ASME ANSI B16.10: face to face dimensions
 ASME ANSI B16.5: flanged ends
 ASME ANSI B16.25: butt weld ends
 ASME ANSI B16.47: flanged ends for bore sizes above 24 inches
 ISO 15761: Steel gate, globe and check valves for sizes dn 100 and smaller, for the petroleum and natural gas industrie
 API-598: Valves testing

GATE VALVE TYPES

CAST STEEL

This is the most common type, covered by the API 600 (carbon and alloy steel) and API 603 (stainless steel and higher grades)
specifications. Cast steel gate valves are available in sizes above 2 inches, and up to 80 inches.

FORGED STEEL

Forged steel valves are used for small bore piping, generally below 2 inches in diameter. The API 602 and BS 5352 specifications
cover this type of gate valves.

API 6D FOR PIPELINES (THROUGH-CONDUIT)

These are gate valves for pipelines and are available in two key designs, slab and expanding gate.

PRESSURE SEAL

Pressure seal gate valves are used for high-pressure applications. The most common types of valves for high-pressure
application are the flexible wedge and the parallel slide pressure seal valve. They are generally available with cast or forged
bodies, in dimensions from 2 to 24 inches and pressure rating from 600# to 4500#, with socket weld or buttweld, ends to
ensure tight flanged joint connections (but flanged ends are also possible).

Pressure seal gate valves

KNIFE TYPE

Knife gate valves were originally introduced within the pulp and paper industry, where standard shut-off valves could not
properly operate due to the nature of the fluids conveyed during the paper production process.

Knife valves should never be used as modulating valves (to regulate the flow) as the fluid flowing through a partly closed valve
would generate vibration and erode both the disk and the seat.

Therefore, knife valves should be used completely closed or opened like any other type of gate valve (globe valves are
recommended to regulate the flow).

Lastly, to protect the valve against the impact of the water hammer effect, knife valves feature a very slow opening and closing
speed.
A Knife valve can be manufactured in materials from ductile iron to stainless steel and in sizes between 2 and 24 inches
(generally with cast bodies) with low-pressure ratings (< 300 lbs).

There are many different variants of knife valves, such as the soft-seated (resilient type, with elastomer seats) and the metal
seated (the seat and the disc generate a metal-to-metal seal), the slide gate and bonneted types

**Knife gate valves should not be used on hazardous service or at other than low pressure.

**This valve has a bevel or knife-edged single piece parallel sided gate, and is designed to handle slurries, solids, etc. liable to
obstruct a wedge gate.

Metal seated knife gate valve Soft seat knife gate valve.

The differences with standard design are:

 A standard valve is available with flanged, butt weld and socket weld connections (knife have lugged or wafer
connections mainly)
 A standard valve has a V-ring packing set that seals the shaft that is attached to the gate. Knife valves feature instead of
a packing gland area that seals around the gate
 Gate valves are bidirectional, whereas the knife type is generally uni-directional
 A knife valve has a smaller profile than the ANSI gate valve, which is more bulky and refined
 Knife gate valves are lighter and cheaper than API and ASME types
GATE VALVE vs. BALL VALVES

What is the difference between a gate and a ball valve?

Ball and gate valves execute the same function, i.e. they can open and close the flow of the fluid of the pipeline. However, there
are a few differences between these two types of valves:

 Ball valves feature a stem and a ball, which turns horizontally to shut off the fluid’s passageway. Gate valves instead
close the passageway by the combined action of a wedge (which is a rectangular or round  “gate”) and a seat.
 Ball valves suit applications that require a tight shut-off, without pressure drop (gate valves, instead, create a small
pressure drop).
 Gate valves belong to the family of “on-off” valves, ball valves to the family of “quarter-turn” valves
 Ball valves feature very tight seals and are way less prone to leaks than gate valves
 Ball valves have a longer life cycle and a lower failure rate than gate valves
 Ball valves are easier to use than gate valves but tend to be more expensive

GATE VALVE vs. GLOBE VALVES

What is the difference between a gate and a globe valve?

A gate valve cannot be used to modulate and regulate the flow of the fluid, as its high speed would damage the wedge and the
seats in case of partial opening or closing of the valve, and they cannot be used for quick opening and close operations either.

Fluid throttling and regulation, and repeated open/close operations shall be executed using globe valves instead of gate valves.

GATE VALVE DIAGRAM

The gate valve diagram shows the standard assembly drawing of a gate valve. Many design variations are possible,
depending on the gate valve parts configuration:
  body material construction: forged or cast
 bonnet design and connection: can be standard or pressure seal (high-pressure gate valves), bolted/welded bonnet,
etc.
 ends connection: gate valves are available with multiple valves ends designs (socket weld and threaded for forged gate
valves and butt weld for cast body gate valves)
 wedge type (solid/flexible/split/parallel slide): see details below in this article
 stem type (rising/ non-rising): see details below
 manufacturing norm: API vs EN gate valves have slightly different designs
 type of valve operation: manual, gear or pneumatic/hydraulic/electric actuation etc.

WEDGE TYPES

The image below shows how the gate valve wedge opens and closes the flow of the fluid by application of a vertical movement
(which can be manual or operated by an actuator).
The wedge is positioned between two parallel (or oblique) seats which are perpendicular to the flow. The fluid flows
horizontally through gate valves and is not subject to pressure drops. Wedges can be of different types:

 “solid-wedge” (in this case, the wedge is manufactured with a solid piece of steel)
 “flexible-wedge” (in this case the disc features cuts around its perimeter to enhance the ability of the valve to correct
changes in the angle between the seats)

“split-wedge” (two pieces construction disc, to enforce self-alignment of the wedge on the seats)Valves less than DN 50 (NPS 2)
should normally have solid wedges and larger. Split wedges should be reserved for steam applications in which good low
differential pressure sealing is required and comparable applications in which a parallel slide valve cannot be used.
“parallel-slide wedge“ Parallel slide gate valves (like split wedge and expanding gate valves) in liquid or condensing service and
which are used in situations in which heat (process, fire, etc.) may be applied to a closed valve should be provided with a means
of relieving pressure built up in the body cavity. If this involves making the valve uni-directional, the flow direction shall be
clearly marked.

STEM TYPES

A gate valve may have a rising stem (in this case, the stem rises above the handwheel if the valve is opened) or a non-rising
stem (the stem doesn’t move above the valve when it is opened).
OS&Y VS. IS&Y DESIGN

It is very frequent to see the term “OS&Y” associated with gate valves.
This term means that when the handle of a gate valve is rotated to open or close the valve, it directly raises and lowers the disc
by interacting with the stem of the valve.

In an “OS&Y gate valve”, the stem of the valve itself raises and lowers outside the body of the valve in a very visible way, while
the handle remains in a fixed position.

When the stem raises, the disc inside the body of the valve rises from the seat letting the fluid flow through the valve (valve in
open position).
Therefore with an OS&Y gate valve, the actual position of a valve (closed or open) is always evident to the operators.

Differently, the valve position is not immediately visible for “IS&Y gate valves” (inside screw and yoke), as the stem of the valve
does not raise or lowers outside the valve when the handle is rotated.

GATE VALVE MATERIALS

BODY
The body of gate valves below 2 inches is generally made of forged steel (the most common body material grades are ASTM
A105 for high-temperature service, ASTM A350 for low-temperature service and, ASTM A182 F304/F316 for corrosive service).
The bodies of gate valves of bore sizes above 2 inches are, instead, made of cast steel (the main cast grades are ASTM A216
WCB for high-temperature service, ASTM A351 for low-temperature conditions and ASTM A351 CF8 and CF8M – i.e. stainless
steel 304 and 316 gate valves).

TRIM

The removable and replaceable parts of the valve are collectively defined as “trim” (for a gate valve: seat, disc, backseat and,
stem).
The API 600 specification foresees a number of standard trim combinations, as illustrated below
MATERIAL SELECTION

**FOR 150 # GEAR OPERATOR RECOMMENDED FOR SIZE 10″ AND ABOVE
**FOR 300 # GEAR OPERATOR RECOMMENDED FOR SIZE 8″ AND ABOVE

GATE VALVE GUIDELINES

A typical Gate valve will have the following parts which could be identified.
• Body
• Bonnet
• Wedge
• Stem
• Gland
• Seat ring
• Yoke
• Packing
• Gland Flange
• Valve Port
• Yoke Bush.
• Lantern
• Back Seat Bushing
• Gland eye bolts & nuts
• Bonnet bolts & nuts
• Hand Wheel
• Hand Wheel nut
• Bonnet Gasket

Body:

The body is the part which gets attached to the vessel or piping. The classification of the body could be done depending on the
end connections as indicated earlier. Body could also be specified based on the material of construction of the same.
The wall thickness and end to end/face to face dimensions of the body shall be as per the Regulatory code to which it is
designed.The end flanges shall be integrally cast or forged with the body. It can also be attached by
welding, if so specified. The end connection shall suit the rating specified. The flanged connection shall be to ASME B 16.5 or
any of the flange standards.
The butt welding end connection shall be to ASME B 16.25 or any other end preparation required. The socket weld/screw
connection shall be to ASME B 16.11 or any other equivalent standards. The body can have auxiliary connection such as drains,
by-pass connections, etc.

Bonnet:
The bonnet is classified based on the attachment of the same to the body. The type of connections normally adopted are
Bolted, Bellow sealed, Screwed-on, Welded, Union, Pressure sealed etc. The bolted connection shall be flanged, male and
female, tongue and groove or ring type joint. In low pressure rating valves, it may be flat faced. The bonnet gasket is selected to
suit body bonnet connection. It can be corrugated or flat solid metal, corrugated or flat metal jacketed, asbestos filled, metal
ring joint, spiral wound asbestos filled, flat ring compressed asbestos for low pressure application, Teflon or Teflon filled for
corrosive applications.
The bellow sealed bonnets can be bolted or welded on to the body. These are selected for very critical services like the nuclear
application and very high temperature and lethal services. The screwed-on bonnet is used for very low priority application and
small sized valves.

Wedge:

This is the part which facilitates the service by its movement up and down. The type of wedges are classified as
• Solid Plain Wedge
• Solid Flexible Wedge
• Split Wedge

 When solid disc is wedged into the rigid body seat and the valve undergoes temperature changes, the wedge gets
jammed in the seat. Hence the flexible wedge and split wedge design is developed to overcome this difficulty. Normally
the solid plain wedge is referred as solid wedge and the split wedge is referred as flexible wedge. The design slightly
alters with the manufacturers though the basis remains the same.
 The flexible wedge design is followed for valve sizes 50 NB and above. Valves 40 NB and below are available in solid
wedge design only. Flexible wedge design is superior as it will not get jammed during high temperature operations.
 The wedge material should be at least of the same quality as that of the body. In case of integral seat rings the wedge
circumference is deposited with superior quality material. In smaller valves, the whole wedge will be manufactured out
of superior material.

Stem:

 The stem connects the hand wheel and the wedge for operations. The design can have rising stem and non rising stem.
The stem is operated rotating the stem nut by hand wheel mounted at the top of the yoke.In the rising stem design,
the stem moves up along with the wedge to open. This is called the OS & Y ( Outside Screw and Yoke) type of design.
 In case of non rising stem the wedge moves up and down and the stem is stationary. This is called the inside screw
design.
 Normally, bar stock or forging are used for the construction of stem.

Gland, Gland flange, Packing and Lantern:

There are two types of gland designs possible, Single piece and Two piece. In two piece design, there will be gland flange and a
follower. The follower will have a spherical end which facilitates proper aligning of follower and load on the packing. In Single
piece, the gland and follower will be cast integral. This design is used mostly in low pressure valves. Normally gland follower will
be of superior material than the gland flange. Gland flanges normally are made of carbon steel only. The glands are bolted to
the bonnet with gland eye bolts. The regulatory codes specify that the stuffing box should accommodate minimum six packing
rings for class 150 valves. As regards higher rating valves, it should have lantern ring with fivepacking rings above and two
packing rings below lantern. Lantern is not provided for class 150 valves. Lantern is provided for higher rating if required. When
lantern is provided, the stuffing box shall be provided with two plugged holes.The material of lantern shall have corrosion
resistance equal to that of the body.
Normally, the packing are of braided asbestos with suitable corrosion inhibitor. When special packing such as ‘Graphoil’ is used,
the number of packing rings required will be more. To accommodate more packing rings, the length of gland is also modified.
This design is called the ‘Deep Gland’ design. This is used for the high temperature services. But this cannot satisfy the EPA’s
fugitive emission standard of < 500 ppm threshold. Hence frequent LDASR will result in excessive expenditure.

Seat Rings :
There are two types of designs possible in seat rings. They are the integral and renewable. In case of renewable seat rings, it
may be either threaded, rolled in or welded in. In case of integral seat rings, the seat material is weld deposited directly on to
the valve body. The minimum hardness specified by the code for this material is 250 HB, with 50 HB minimum differential
between body and gate seats, the body seat being harder. The back seat arrangement is provided to repack the stuffing box
when the gate is in fully open position. The stem shall have an integral conical or spherical backseat surface to seat
against the bonnet backseat.

Yoke and Yoke Bush:

Yoke may be integral with or separate from the bonnet. When the yoke is integral, the stem nut should be removable without
removing bonnet. The yoke should have the same material of construction as that of the shell. The Yoke bush is normally a Ni
resist material. This is to prevent gauling of the stem as stem will normally be of a Nickel alloy.

Hand wheel and Hand wheel Nut:

The hand wheel is fixed to the stem by a threaded hand wheel nut. The arrow pointing the direction to open the valve will be
marked with the word “open” or “close” or “shut” unless the size makes it impracticable. Valves shall be closed by turning the
hand wheel in clockwise direction.
The material of construction of hand wheel shall be malleable iron, Carbon steel, Nodular iron or Ductile iron. Cast iron is not
preferred. The nut shall be of carbon steel or stainless steel. When the installed position of the valve is such that the hand
wheel is not accessible, then the hand wheels are replaced by chain wheels and the valve is operated with chains. For large
diameter valve where the operating torque is high, gear arrangement is provided to facilitate operation. Mostly, bevel gear
equipment is adopted. If remote operation of the valve is required, then this could be achieved through motor with switches.
Proper selection of the drive unit should be done depending on the services.

Bolting:

Normally high tensile stud bolts are used for bonnet bolts and low carbon bolts for gland and yoke bolting. Gland bolts are
normally hinged bolts with hexagonal nuts.

Valve Port:

The valve size is specified by the size of the end connection or the body end. The port or the bore is the passage through the
valve. There are two types of port designs possible in gate valves, full bore and reduced bore. In case of full bore, the net area
of the bore through the seat shall be as nearly practicable equal to the nominal pipe size. For reduced port valves, the port
diameter is normally one size less than the size of the end.
The compact design small bore (1/2 – 1/2 inch) gate valves are as per API 602 or BS 5352. Unless the full bore design is
specifically asked for, manufacturers supply the reduced bore valves. The full bore design gate valves are also covered in BS
5352. In full bore design, the net area of the bore through seat shall be equivalent to that of Sch 80 pipes for class 800
valves and Sch 160 pipe for class 1500 valves. In no case less than 90% of the above figure is acceptable as per code.