Understanding Valves and Their Applications
What are valves? Valves are mechanical devices that control the flow and pressure within a system or process. They are essential components of a piping system that conveys liquids, gases, vapors, slurries, etc. Different types of valves are available: gate, globe, plug, ball, butterfly, check, diaphragm, pinch, pressure relief, control valves,etc. Each of these types has a number of models, each with different features and functional capabilities. Some valves are self-operated while others are operated manually or with an actuator, pneumatically, or hydraulically. 5 Main Types of Ball Valves Gate Valve Gate valves are used to shut off the flow of liquids rather than for flow regulation. When fully open, the typical gate valve has no obstruction in the flow path, resulting in very low flow resistance. The size of the open flow path generally varies in a nonlinear manner as the gate is moved. This means that the flow rate does not change evenly with stem travel. Depending on the cons