Industrial Valves: anatomy and function for optimal results

The valves are a critical component in hydraulics, but also of water supply and civil and industrial plant engineering, as intercept or regulate the flow of material within a pipe. An example of a valve - ensuring specific levels of pressure or flow rate - is the simple tap in the house.There are various kind of valves – following are the main common types:• Ball valves: that kind of valves are the most suitable to intercept and manage a flow in the pipes. Usually there are carbon steel ball valves or stainless steel ball valves. • Butterfly valves: they rotate around the axes of the tube; usually used in water systems rather than other material flows.• Globe valves: they can be used as shutoff valves, balancing the passage of the matter.Three elements that are decisive in ensuring everything is working right constitute each valve: • a body, • a shutter • the control elements. The main body contains the shutter and allows both the hooking of the tubes where the material flows and the connection to the control elements. The shutter intercepts the flow, while the control elements - whether they are manual, electrical or magnetic - maneuver the shutter. The anatomy of a valve reminds a “Chinese box”: each element is connected to or containing another one and it is thanks to this simultaneous gear that the valve performs its action.How do valves differentiate?First, to evaluate the differences between valves, it is necessary to start from the shape of the body: butterfly, globe, mushroom, clamp, ball, needle, gate, fuse, rotation and vent.Next to the construction shape, it is important to know the type of drive connected to the element that determines the movement between the plug and the body for understanding how a valve operates:• there are actuators with electromagnetic control, where the linear movement of the shutter is determined by an electromagnetic field;• there are electric control actuators, which linear or rotational movement of the shutter are caused by an electric motor; • there are pneumatic control actuators, determined by a pneumatic piston;• there are hydraulically controlled actuators, whose shutters movement is connected to the energy of the hydraulic flow;• there are thermostatic controls, where the shutter is moved by thermal expansion.The drive can also be manual, thanks to a handwheel valve or lever.Finally, the type of application distinguishes the valves. It can be a shut-off one if they are only used to monitor the flow - and in that case must remain or open or closed.When the valves function is to control the flow, they are used in intermediate positions, thereby regulating the flow rate or pressure of material. A vent valve allows instead the removal of air, while the security valve promotes fluid leakage in the event of excess pressure of the flow.The check valve allows the passage of material in a single direction, indicated by an arrow on the outer body of the valve.All valves have therefore specific characteristics, suitable for specific functions and applications.It means that, also if generally are used carbon steel ball valves or stainless steel ones, you should check the valves you are interested in to see if they are the best suitable for your work to be done.