Ball Valves for Sale

Ball valves control the flow of the liquid. That liquid passes through a pivoting ball. ball valves are a type of quarter-turn valves and are very reliable and durable. These valves are securely closed even after long periods of disuse. This is the main reason you can easily use these valves for shutoff and control applications.

Industrial ball valve construction

What are the components of the ball valve? There are many ball valve components such as valve bonnet, valve body, seats, stem, bolts, nuts, spherical closure members.

In 1967, a modern ball valve was made, but different sources said that the ball valve was invented in about 1957. It does not matter when the ball valves were invented, but still, they are more good than plug valves used in the 20th century.

When it was just invented, only the patented owner owned it. After that, the earliest ball valves were available commercially around the year 1967.According to different researchers, it was a spherical ball-type valve patented in 1871, and then it led to the invention of the modern ball valve.

All the ball valve parts are made up of high-quality brass such as brass valves, brass seats, and brass balls. In the past, the ball valve was not very popular and was not mentioned in the valves category in the late 1800s. But today, ball valves are very much famous and are included in recent inventions. So the idea of the ball valve was introduced about 125 years ago.

The ball valve’s working principle is that the inlet and outlet of the ball valve close the valve. This happens when the ball rotates 90 degrees and blocks the flow of the medium.

In the inlet and outlet, a full ball mouth is present, which allows the flow of the medium. This process undergoes when the ball rotates 90° again. During this process, there is almost no resistance.

1. Full port ball valve

The full port ball valve is the most expensive type of ball valve. This valve is larger where the flow is unrestricted.  The oversized ball is present in the full port ball valve, which helps lower the friction loss. In the ball valve, a hole is a present whose size is the same as the pipeline. These ball valves are usually used in different systems, such as throttling applications with low-pressure drops and high flow coefficients.

2. V-Port ball valve 

V-Port ball valve has the shape of V that may be either the shape of the seat or the ball’s shape. With the help of a V ball valve, people can easily control the opening and closing better. V-Port ball valve has the flow characteristic of close to linear. The fluids used in these valves have high velocities, and to overcome this problem, the designers manufactured more advanced ball valves. The reason is that these types of fluids damage the standard valves in a very short time.

3. Multiport ball valve

There are three to four ways in multiport ball valves.

In the middle, T-shaped or L-shaped holes are present. L valves can connect the central port to the side ports from these holes, whereas T valves can connect any ports.

The shape of the inlet in the multiport ball valve usually is orthogonal to the outlet plane.  These L-shaped ports in the ball are known as X ports.

4. Reduced bore ball valve

The reduced bore ball valve is also known as RB, reduced bore, or reduced port ball valve. The primary specialty in this ball valve is that the flow area is smaller than the pipe. Also, the flow through the valve is 1 pipe size smaller than the valve’s pipe size. When the flow area is smaller, then ultimately, it creates a pressure drop in the pipeline.

5. Manually operated ball valve

Manually operated ball valves have a simple design and are very easy to use. It is effortless to open and close this type of valve as it just happens by a quarter turn only. However, the disadvantage of this quick opening and closing would result in a water hammer’s danger.

6. Floating ball valve

In a floating ball valve, the ball is kept in place by two elastomeric seats. So the ball is in a floating position between these seats inside the valve body.

There is a slot at the top of the ball where the valve system is connected. So the ball can easily rotate 90° or one-quarter turn.

The valve shaft of this valve only permits a limited amount of lateral movement for the ball. This movement is thus generated from upstream pressure. Although the particular lateral movement is smaller, it puts enough load on the ball to press it against the downstream seat. This mechanism is beneficial in improving the tightness to avoid leaks.

So if we talk about the particular type of this ball valve, it can use bidirectional shutoff. It is difficult to operate the floating ball valve when the upstream pressure is very high. To overcome this problem, mounted ball valves are mainly used.

7. Mounted ball valves

As floating ball valves are unable to control the too high pressure, mounted ball valves were invented. Thus mounted ball valves serve as the solution to excessive pressure placed on a floating ball valve.

There is a short shaft called trunnion present in a mounted American ball valve. This short shaft is set in the body of the mounted ball valve. Most surprisingly, this design is convenient because the ball and steam work together as a single unit.

For the support of the ball, two floating or spring-loaded seats are present.

Lower operating torque is required for the mounted ball valve design. Therefore, this lower torque will assist in reducing the size of the actuator and the valve’s overall cost. There is a difference in price because the valve size and pressure increase.

8. Split body ball valve

As the name depicts, in this split body ball valve, the valves’ body is divided into halves and thirds. This ball valve helps hold all the equipment such as the stem, seat rings, ball, and other internal mechanisms inside the body with bolting.

What are ball valves made of? Different kinds of materials are used to create different industrial ball valve types.

1. Bronze and brass 

Bronze and brass are perfect for those ball valves operated in systems under low or medium pressure. The primary specialty of bronze and brass materials is that they are also water and corrosion-resistant.

2. Stainless steel

Many manufacturers also use stainless steel material in different ball valve types. This is essential in terms of design and contains many positive characteristics such as corrosion resistance and durability.

Most importantly, in different geochemical systems and general plant systems, ball valves are made up of Stainless Steel material.

3. Iron

In many ball valves, iron material is also used according to the requirement. All the iron is not as good as PVC material, but somehow they are used in different ball valves. The supreme quality of iron is that it can withstand too high pressure and temperature. So we can say that iron is the most famous material for creating ball valves.

What are ball valves used for? Industrial ball valves are used on a wide scale in the industry, such as:

• Corrosive fluids
• Slurries
• Flow and pressure control
• Different manufacturing sectors
• Oil and natural gas industry
• Normal liquid and gases
• Residential uses
• Chemical storage

1. Before installation, make sure to check the valve identification carefully. Identification of the valve system is the main operation requirement.
2. Ensure to check the sealing surface and inside of the board before installation. If there is any dirt or contamination, then it should be removed with a soft clean cloth.
3. To prevent any blockage before installation, make sure to inquire about the actuator’s sensibility.
4. Then, tighten the bolts diagonally after looking at the valve located in the center of the piping.
5. After the valve is installed, do not weld the piping flange. Also, do not install the valve immediately after welding.
6. Make sure not to run the valve with a wrench or lever applied to the actuator.
7. Do not tight the piping Bolt partially.
8. Never force the valve between the piping flanges
9. Make sure to keep a space for easy check-up and repair.
10. It is prohibited to open the valve partially. So during operation, the valve must be fully closed or fully opened.
11. It is recommended to clean the industrial ball valve frequently. The reason is that with time, grease, dust, or any liquid residual starts accumulating at the surface of the stem and body.

During operation, it is highly recommended to check and maintain the industrial ball valves periodically. The reason is that there may be a danger of sealing surfaces and wear.

Also, there may be a risk of corrosion of the body. To avoid this situation, valves should be repaired or replaced. According to different manufacturers, inspecting and maintaining the valves every three months provided the fluid is water or oil.

Industrial ball valve advantages

1. ball valve is not confined to only the installation, direction, and the medium’s musical direction. Most amazingly, the full bore ball valve offers little fluid resistance.
2. The ball valve is a smaller size, light in weight, and easy to maintain. Exceptionally, the ball valve has a simple structure.
3. ball valves are compact and reliable. There are two sealing surfaces in these valves where the existing sealing surface is widely used in all kinds of plastic ball valves. The sealing surface in plastic ball valves comes up with a good sealing performance. These types of ball valves with proper sealing surfaces are widely used in different vacuum systems.
4. The ball valve is lightweight, therefore, suitable for regular operation with fast opening and closing. These ball valves are easy to operate and need a rotation to fully open to a fully closed system. Most surprisingly, the ball valve systems are fully automated.
5. The good thing about the ball valve is that it is easy to maintain as it is equipped with a simple structure with a flexible sealing ring. So the replacement and removal of the ball valve are more convenient.
6. Accordingly, ball valves come up with a good sealing performance. So, in the fully open or fully closed condition, the seat and ball’s sealing surface can be isolated with the medium. There is no danger of erosion on the sealing surface when the fluid passes through it.
7. Industrial ball valves offer a wide application range from several millimeters to a few meters diameter and high vacuum to high pressure.
8. During operation, there is low noise with no vibration.
9. As the process of opening and closing has friction, a ball valve can be used for the flow of the liquid containing suspended solid grains.

Industrial ball valve disadvantages

1. 1.ball valve cannot be used for throttling
2. Unfortunately, the position of the valve handle is rotated.
3. The ball valves are not very good in adjustment performance than the shutoff valve, especially the electric valve and pneumatic valve.