Valves

We have come across pipelines all around that resourcefully transport vast amounts of liquids and gases. But they need a regulating body to resolve the amount of the flow and to start and stop the flow for their efficient working. Here, valves come into picture and are the regulating body that control the flow rate and act as a switch to start and stop the flow.

Valves are machine-driven devices that obstruct pipes or ways of liquids and gas either wholly or partially to control the flow rate as necessary. In our lives we come across many valves daily, but might have never noticed them. The taps that we open and close to control the flow of water is a valve. The regulators that we use to control the flow of gas from our gas pipelines are also valves. There are gas or liquids control valves in our cookers too. These valves are not limited to man-made things, but are found obviously and that too in our bodies. Our heart has valves that help in regulating the flow of blood in our body.

Types of Valves are bothprepared of plastic or metal and can be controlled either by handles, pedals, levers and wheels or can be controlled mechanically. Typically, the exterior parts are either metal or plastic and are called seat and the inner part generally has plastic and rubber valves for an operative control of the flow of fluids. Body is the internal part of the valve that fits on the seat and controls the flow by opening and closing either moderately or wholly depending upon the necessity of the flow rate.

There are several types of ball valves that are extensively used in various industries depending upon their designs, sizes and pressure handling capabilities.

Full port valves are used when there is a condition of free flow rate of liquids. This valve has an oversized ball with a big hole to allow huge quantities to flow through it. Then when there is a requirement of high pressure in the flow, reduced port valves are preferred. Valves have been singing a major role in the transportation of liquids in various industries like oil, gases and petrochemicals, pharmaceutical industries and food and beverage productions and have become vital parts of many types of machinery too.