A Comprehensive Comparison of Four Commonly Used Valves

A Comprehensive Comparison of Four Commonly Used Valves: Gate Valves, Ball Valves, Globe Valves, and Butterfly Valves

In fluid control systems, valves serve as crucial components for regulating and controlling fluid flow, and they come in a wide variety of types, each with its unique characteristics. Among them, gate valves, ball valves, globe valves, and butterfly valves are four common types of valves. They differ in their working principles, typical applications, and product features. In this article, we will conduct a comprehensive comparison of these four types of valves.

1.  Let's take a look at gate valves.

(1) Operating principle: a gate valve primarily achieves the cutoff and opening of fluid through the lifting and lowering of the gate plate. Its operating principle is simple and reliable, making it suitable for fluid control in large-diameter, high-pressure, high-temperature, or low-temperature applications.

(2) Typical applications: gate valves are widely used in industries such as water conservancy, electricity, and chemical engineering. Especially in situations where complete fluid cutoff is required, the advantages of gate valves are particularly evident.

2.  Next, it is the electric ball valve.

(1) Operating principle of ball valves: It relies on rotating the ball body 90 degrees to achieve the cutoff and opening of fluid.

(2) Product Features: It features rapid switching and convenient operation. Especially in HVAC and refrigeration systems, ball valves stand out due to their unique advantages such as high adjustable flow ratio, wear-resistant graphite-enhanced PTEE ball valve seat, and integrated design of the porting disc.

(3) Typical application: It is widely used for on-off and flow regulation control of hot water, chilled water, and cooling water.

3.  Let's take a look at globe valves.

(1) Operating principle: A globe valve is a type of valve that controls the flow of fluid by moving the valve stem up and down, causing the valve disc to either move away from or press against the valve seat.

(2) Product Features: During the opening and closing process, the sealing surface between the valve disc and the valve seat is always in contact and rubs against each other, resulting in good sealing performance. However, the opening and closing torque is large, making it laborious to open and close, and it is not suitable for media with particles, high viscosity, or prone to coking.

(3) Typical application: Despite this, globe valves still play an important role in pipeline systems in industries such as chemical and petroleum.

4. Let's explore the electric butterfly valves.

(1) Operating principle: The butterfly valve achieves the cutoff and opening of fluid by rotating the butterfly plate 90 degrees within the valve body.

(2) Product Features: It boasts a simple structure, compact size, lightweight, and requires minimal operating torque. It can be installed in confined spaces and offers swift switching, 90-degree reciprocating rotation, and low driving torque. Consequently, it offers convenient, effortless, and rapid operation, making it ideal for applications with large diameters, high flow rates, and low pressure differentials.

(3) Typical applications: The extended valve neck design, soft seal design, and grooved valve seat design of butterfly valves have made them widely used in water systems or ventilation systems in commercial buildings, public buildings, and urban pipe networks.

In summary, gate valves, ball valves, globe valves, and butterfly valves each have their unique working principles, typical applications, and product characteristics. When selecting valves, we need to comprehensively consider factors such as specific usage scenarios, fluid properties, and operational requirements to choose the appropriate valve type. It is hoped that the comparative analysis in this article can provide some reference and assistance for you when selecting valves.