Valves Used in Fire Protection System

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AIR VENT VALVE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BALL VALVE
BUTTERFLY VALVE
CHECK VALVE
DRAIN VALVE
GATE VALVE
LANDING VALVES
WET ALARM VALVE
Y STRAINER

Air Vent Valve

When liquid is pumped through the system, the initial air inside the piping is pushed
into the air vent by the pressure of the flow. The float stays at its lower position and the

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valve is fully open, allowing the air that enters the air vent to be pushed around the
float and discharged.
After the initial air venting, the liquid flows into the air vent. The float rises with the
rising liquid level and closes the valve.
If air enters the air vent while it is closed, the liquid level drops and the float lowers to
open the valve and discharge the air. When liquid flows into the air vent again, the float
will rise to close the valve.

Ball valve
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A ball valve is a valve with a spherical disc, the part of the valve which controls the flow through it.
The sphere has a hole, or port, through the middle so that when the port is in line with both ends of
the valve, flow will occur. When the valve is closed, the hole is perpendicular to the ends of the
valve, and flow is blocked. The handle or lever will be inline with the port position letting you "see"
the valve's position. The ball valve, along with the butterfly valve and plug valve, are part of the
family of quarter turn valves.
Ball valves are durable and usually work to achieve perfect shutoff even after years of disuse. They
are therefore an excellent choice for shutoff applications (and are often preferred to globe
valves and gate valves for this purpose). They do not offer the fine control that may be necessary in
throttling applications but are sometimes used for this purpose.
Ball valves are used extensively in industrial applications because they are very versatile,
supporting pressures up to 1000 bar and temperatures up to 752F (500C) depending on the ball
valve design and material. Sizes typically range from 0.2 to 48 inches (0.5 cm to 121 cm). They are
easy to repair and operate.
The body of ball valves may be made of metal, plastic, or metal with a ceramic center. The ball is
often chrome plated to make it more durable.

Butterfly valve
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A butterfly valve is a valve which can be used for isolating or regulating flow. The closing
mechanism takes the form of a disk. Operation is similar to that of a ball valve, which allows for quick
shut off. Butterfly valves are generally favored because they are lower in cost to other valve designs
as well as being lighter in weight, meaning less support is required. The disc is positioned in the
center of the pipe, passing through the disc is a rod connected to an actuator on the outside of the
valve. Rotating the actuator turns the disc either parallel or perpendicular to the flow. Unlike a ball
valve, the disc is always present within the flow, therefore a pressure drop is always induced in the
flow, regardless of valve position.
A butterfly valve is from a family of valves called quarter-turn valves. In operation, the valve is fully
open or closed when the disc is rotated a quarter turn. The "butterfly" is a metal disc mounted on a
rod. When the valve is closed, the disc is turned so that it completely blocks off the passageway.
When the valve is fully open, the disc is rotated a quarter turn so that it allows an almost unrestricted
passage of the fluid. The valve may also be opened incrementally tothrottle flow.
There are different kinds of butterfly valves, each adapted for different pressures and different
usage. The resilient butterfly valve, which uses the flexibility of rubber, has the lowest pressure
rating. The high performance butterfly valve, used in slightly higher-pressure systems, features a
slight offset in the way the disc is positioned, which increases the valve's sealing ability and
decreases its tendency to wear. The valve best suited for high-pressure systems is the triple offset
butterfly valve, which makes use of a metal seat,[clarification needed] and is therefore able to withstand a
greater amount of pressure.

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Check valve
A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve or one-way valve is a valve that normally
allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction.
Check valves are two-port valves, meaning they have two openings in the body, one for fluid to enter
and the other for fluid to leave. There are various types of check valves used in a wide variety of
applications. Check valves are often part of common household items. Although they are available in
a wide range of sizes and costs, check valves generally are very small, simple, or inexpensive.
Check valves work automatically and most are not controlled by a person or any external control;
accordingly, most do not have any valve handle or stem. The bodies (external shells) of most check
valves are made of plastic or metal.
An important concept in check valves is the cracking pressure which is the minimum upstream
pressure at which the valve will operate. Typically the check valve is designed for and can therefore
be specified for a specific cracking pressure.

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Drain valve

The drain valve is opened to ensure any residual water is drained from the sprinkler zone for test or
maintenance purpose.

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Foot Valve
The foot valve prevents water from flowing backwards out of the jet pump and well piping back into
the well when the jet pump stops operating.
A foot valve is basically a check valve combined with an inlet strainer. The strainer prevents picking
up large debris that could clog or jam the foot valve in its open position (or that might damage the
water pump itself).
The check valve is a one-way valve that lets water flow up from the well and into the well piping. The
spring loaded check valve closes when the well pump stops pumping.
Closing the check valve prevents water in the well piping from falling backwards into the well when
the pump has stopped running. We need this function to keep the well piping and water pump filled
with water - otherwise the well pump may lose prime, leading to loss of water in the building.

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Various types of valves are required to maintain optimum function of

water and air pumps, and among these valves are foot valves. Foot
valves are used to prime up a centrifugal pump; they are known for
their efficacy and affordability.
Description

Foot valves are a type of check valve and are placed at the pumps wet
well. Unlike other valves, a foot valve is created with a larger flow area than
the actual pipe size to make sure that there is less head loss. Foot valves are
either made of PVC plastic or stainless steel, and they are known for keeping
the continuous presence of suction within the pump.

Function

Foot valves are used to maintain hydraulic pressure to keep the water
flow in accordance with the given settings or configurations. There are
instances where the pressure can actually pop the valve out and cause major
leakage; thus, it is important to use the right kind of material in the tubing to
be able to support the force within the valve.

Features

Being an important part of a centrifugal pump, foot valves come with

easily manageable features. Most foot valves are designed with a selftapping male and female threads to ensure easy installation; internal balls
for quick sealing and valve reaction; and flexibility to fit various types of
water pump uses, such as well development and volatile organic compounds
sampling and purging. Although they are cheaper to use, as compared to
other valves used to prime a pump, foot valves are usually made up of heavy
duty cast iron and bronze, as well as PVC (depending on the type) so that
they will last longer while submerged in the water.
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Types

There are three types of foot valves. The micro-flow system valves are
used in direct push technology micro wells and multi-level well installations.
These are usually made of stainless steel and are either of fluorotherm (FEP)
or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tubing. The high-flow system valve is
used on 2-inch wells or larger and can stand high pumping rates and very
deep wells. On the other hand, low-flow system valves are used in small
diameter piezometers, which lift up to 100 feet of water.

Support

Foot valves usually come with surge blocks. A surge block is a tool
used to press the body of a valve to remove the residues that may block
smooth flow of water within the pump during operation. It also helps the
valve expand while being used, thus enabling the presence of increased
pressure without causing damage to the valve itself.

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Gate valve
A gate valve, also known as a sluice valve, is a valve that opens by lifting a round or rectangular
gate/wedge out of the path of the fluid. The distinct feature of a gate valve is the sealing surfaces
between the gate and seats are planar, so gate valves are often used when a straight-line flow of
fluid and minimum restriction is desired. The gate faces can form a wedge shape or they can be
parallel. Gate valves are primarily used to permit or prevent the flow of liquids, but typical gate
valves shouldn't be used for regulating flow, unless they are specifically designed for that purpose.
Because of their ability to cut through liquids, gate valves are often used in the petroleum industry.
For extremely thick fluids, a specialty valve often known as a knife valve is used to cut through the
liquid.[1] On opening the gate valve, the flow path is enlarged in a highly nonlinear manner with
respect to percent of opening. This means that flow rate does not change evenly with stem travel.
Also, a partially open gate disk tends to vibrate from the fluid flow. Most of the flow change occurs
near shutoff with a relatively high fluid velocity causing disk and seat wear and eventual leakage if
used to regulate flow. Typical gate valves are designed to be fully opened or closed. [2] When fully
open, the typical gate valve has no obstruction in the flow path, resulting in very low frictionloss.[3]
Gate valves are characterised as having either a rising or a nonrising stem. Rising stems provide a
visual indication of valve position because the stem is attached to the gate such that the gate and
stem rise and lower together as the valve is operated. Nonrising stem valves may have a pointer
threaded onto the upper end of the stem to indicate valve position, since the gate travels up or down
the stem on the threads without raising or lowering the stem. Nonrising stems are used underground
or where vertical space is limited.
Bonnets provide leakproof closure for the valve body. Gate valves may have a screw-in, union, or
bolted bonnet. Screw-in bonnet is the simplest, offering a durable, pressure-tight seal. Union bonnet

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is suitable for applications requiring frequent inspection and cleaning. It also gives the body added
strength. Bolted bonnet is used for larger valves and higher pressure applications.
Another type of bonnet construction in a gate valve is pressure seal bonnet. This construction is
adopted for valves for high pressure service, typically in excess of 2250 psi (15 MPa). The unique
feature about the pressure seal bonnet is that the body - bonnet joints seals improves as the internal
pressure in the valve increases, compared to other constructions where the increase in internal
pressure tends to create leaks in the body-bonnet joint.
Gate valves may have flanged ends which are drilled according to pipeline compatible flange
dimensional standards. Gate valves are typically constructed from cast iron, ductile iron, cast carbon
steel, gun metal, stainless steel, alloy steels, and forged steels.
All-metal gate valves are typically used in ultra-high vacuum chambers to isolate regions of the
chamber.[4]

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Globe valve
A globe valve, different from ball valve, is a type of valve used for regulating flow in a pipeline,
consisting of a movable disk-type element and a stationary ring seat in a generally spherical body.
Globe valves are named for their spherical body shape with the two halves of the body being
separated by an internal baffle. This has an opening that forms a seat onto which a
movable plug can be screwed in to close (or shut) the valve. The plug is also called a disc or disk. In
globe valves, the plug is connected to a stem which is operated by screw action using
a handwheel in manual valves. Typically, automated globe valves use smooth stems rather
than threaded and are opened and closed by an actuator assembly.

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Fig 1:

Internal parts of a typical globe valve.

Fig 2: Stainless steel globe valve

Landing Valves
Landing valves are a firemen station in each landing of the building floor which is
placed on the wet riser, firemen can connect the fire brigade 1 1/2 " or 2 1/2 '' hoses
to the valve to supply them by the required flow and pressure.

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Wet alarm valve

General
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The alarm check valve is a waterflow alarm device designed for vertical installation
in the main supply to a wet pipe sprinkler system. When a flow of water from the
system equals or exceeds that of a single sprinkler, the valve is to actuate a fire
alarm.
The alarm may be accomplished in two ways:
1) Mechanically by means of a water motor alarm and/or
2) A water pressure actuated alarm switch connected to an electrically operated
signalling device such as bell or light
The valve seat is tinned. Only the listed components such as retard chamber, water
motor gong (alarm), drain valve and pressure gauges will be used.
Operation
When the sprinkler is placed in service, the water is allowed to flow into the system,
until the system pressure and the supply pressure are equal. The system pressure,
then, causes the rubber-faced clapper of the alarm valve to close tightly on the
grooved seat ring. It will remain in this closed position as long as the pressure in the
system is equal to or greater than the supply pressure.In the variable pressure
conditions, in service, the pressure on the system, most often, will be found to be
greater than the water supply pressure. This condition exists because excess
pressure from surges and fluctuations in the water supply is allowed to pass through
the external checked by-pass to be trapped in the system above the alarm valve
clapper. Normally, then, the clapper will remain in a closed position.
Sometimes, however, sudden surges of greater pressure may cause the clapper to
open momentarily, then close. In such instances, when the clapper is open, there
will be a limited flow of water through the seat ring opening and into the retard
chamber. There, the water can accumulate then drain away without causing a false
alarm.
When a sprinkler operates, the resulting water flow relieves the system pressure.
The greater supply pressure, then, causes the alarm valve clapper to open, thereby
permitting an unobstructed flow of water into the system. At the same time, water
flows through the seat ring openings and via alarm line connections into the retard
chamber. But now, with the system operating, the clapper remains in an open
position and the volume of water flowing through the alarm line is such that the
retard chamber drain cannot keep up with the incoming flow. The chamber quickly
fills and the water flow continues on to sound the water motor alarm and/or operate
the pressure actuated electric alarm switch. Caution
All sprinkler systems contain a certain amount of confined air. It is possible that a
pressure surge could compress this air and allow the alarm valve clapper to move
off the seat ring. Under some conditions, this could cause false alarm. It is
recommended, therefore, that the installer bleed off the confined air and fill the
system with water to the fullest extent possible.
Constant pressure:
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Under normal conditions, the system and the supply pressure will be the same. And
since the pressure is constant, there is no need to consider surged and fluctuation.
Therefore, a retard chamber is not provided. When a sprinkler operates, the system
pressure drops allowing the alarm valve clapper to open. At the same time that
water enters the system, it also flows through the seat ring openings and then via
the alarm line connections directly to operate the alarm devices.
Installation
The inlet and outlet of the alarm check valve are provided with standard flanges.
The water flow of sprinkler system should be cleaned off any dirt and foreign
matters such as sands and stones. Check the clapper for room of operation before
connecting the alarm valve to the flanged water supply piping.
WARNING:
The installation direction must be correct. The arrow direction indicates the direction
of water flow, reverse installation is not allowed.
After installation of alarm valve is completed, please actuate the system in the
following order:
1) Close the system control valve
2) Close the alarm control valve
3) Open the inspectors check valve
4) Slowly open the system control valve
WARNING:
Be sure to open this valve partially at the start of water flow into the system. Do not
fully open at this point; doing so may cause water hammer which could damage the
piping and trap large volumes of air within the system.
5) Continue to fill the system until water discharge in stream from the test orifice of
the check valve
6) Close the inspectors check valve
7) Turn the system control valve to wide open and watch the pressure gauge
NOTICE:
Be sure to open this valve partially at the start of water flow into the system. Do not
fully open at this point; doing so may cause water hammer which could damage the
piping and trap large volumes of air within the system.
8) Conduct main drain valve test to make sure that the water supply is sufficient
9) Open the alarm control valve
10) Conduct alarm device test

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11) Seal, lock and secure the system control valve, and the system is now ready for
service
12) If alarms connect to a central station or fire department, notify that the system
is ready for service

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Y Strainer
Y-Strainers are devices for mechanically removing unwanted solids from liquid, gas
or steam lines by means of a perforated or wire mesh straining element. They are
used in pipelines to protect pumps, meters, control valves, steam traps, regulators
and other process equipment.
Y-Strainers are very cost effective straining solutions in many applications. Where
the amount of material to be removed from the flow is relatively small, resulting in
long intervals between screen cleanings, the strainer screen is manually cleaned by
shutting down the line and removing the strainer cap. For applications with heavier
dirt loading, Y-Strainers can be fitted with a "blow-off" connection that permits the
screen to be cleaned without removing it from the strainer body.
Y-Strainers are used in a wide variety of liquid straining applications to protect
downstream process system components in many industries, including: chemical
processing, petroleum, power generation and marine. Water handling applications,
where Y-Strainers are used to protect equipment that could be damaged or clogged
by unwanted sand, gravel or other debris, are very common
Cast Iron Flanged Strainers feature a machined, tapered seat which ensures a
perfect fit for the removable, stainless steel screen. All sizes come complete with
flanged blow-off cover, gasket & plug. May be installed in vertical or horizontal
pipelines with blow-off connection at the lower end of the screen.

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