All Oil And Gas Engineers Must Know About These Common Valves!

In oil and gas industries, valves are important system components. They’re part of various piping and tubing systems, performing a range of functions.

From regulating to controlling flow and pressure of the passing material(s), valves get a lot done! They may be used in systems transferring gas, oil, another liquid or vapors.

Depending on the transferring material and application, there are various common valve designs that are currently in use. If you’re a part of the engineering team or managing a plant, you must be aware of these valve configurations.

Ball valves

These are rotational valves that incorporate a quarter turn. The design makes use of a ball shaped

disk for controlling the flow. The holes present in the ball disc stay in line with its inlet, letting the content pass through.

Stainless steel ball valves can operate at various high and low temperatures. For example, SealExcel, a stainless steel ball valve manufacturer, offers designs that can work at temperatures between -54°C to 232°C.

These valves can quickly turn the flow on or off. They offer tight sealing and low torque.

Breather valves

These are also called vacuum relief valves and are designed particularly for tank protection. They prevent excessive buildup of pressure or vacuum that can potentially unbalance the system and damage the vessel.

Pressure and vacuum intensity is usually controlled through weighted pallets. They can be combined to obtain standard levels.

Butterfly valves

These valves are similar to ball valves. That is, they are also quarter-turn designs. Butterfly valves are easy to open and are often used to start, stop and regulate the flow.

While the operation is simple, it takes considerably more time. They are lightweight although some larger design options are available too. At larger sizes, they can easily cope with high-pressure recovery and low-pressure drop.

Gate valves

These are designed to stop or start the flow. It is useful when a straight line of flow or minimum flow levels are required. When in use, they are often either fully opened or closed.

The disc is fully removed in open position, allowing free movement of materials. A bidirectional flow and excellent shut-off is possible through gate valves.

Globe valves

They are most often used in water cooling systems, and in transporting turbine or fuel oil. It is type of linear motion valve that is used to regulate flow or start or stop it altogether.

It has good shut-off capability but can’t cope well with high pressure drops.

Your systems may require one or more of these valve designs. If you need high quality ball valves, consult SealExcel. They have regular, high pressure and two/three directional ball valves for excellent flow control.