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Internal parts of a typical globe valve.

Stainless steel globe valve A globe 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.[1] 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[2] can be screwed in to close (or shut) the valve. The plug is also called a disc or disk.[3][4] In globe valves, the plug is connected to a stem which is operated by screw action in manual valves. Typically, automated valves use sliding stems. Automated globe valves have a smooth stem rather than threaded and are opened and closed by an actuator assembly. When a globe valve is manually operated, the stem is turned by a handwheel. Although globe valves in the past had the spherical bodies which gave them their name, many modern globe valves do not have much of a spherical shape. However, the term globe valve is still often used for valves that have such an internal mechanism. In plumbing, valves with such a mechanism are also often called stop valves since they don't have the global appearance, but the term stop valve may refer to valves which are used to stop flow even when they have other mechanisms or designs. Globe valves are used for applications requiring throttling and frequent operation. For example, globe valves or valves with a similar mechanism may be used as sampling valves, which are normally shut except when liquid samples are being taken. Since the baffle restricts flow, they're not recommended where full, unobstructed flow is required.

Contents
[show] 1 Parts of a typical globe

valve 1 . 1 B o d y 1 . 2 B o n n e t 1 . 3 P l u g o r d i s c ( d i s k ) 1 . 4

S t e m 1 . 5 C a g e 1 . 6 S e a t r i n g 2 Materi als 3 Images 4 Refere nces 5 Extern al links

[edit] Parts of a typical globe valve

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

Globe valve

[edit] Body
The body is the main pressure containing structure of the valve and the most easily identified as it forms the mass of the valve. It contains all of the valve's internal parts that will come in contact with the substance being controlled by the valve. The bonnet is connected to the body and provides the containment of the fluid, gas, or slurry that is being controlled. Globe valves are typically two-port valves, although three port valves are also produced mostly in straight-flow configuration. Ports are openings in the body for fluid flowing in or out. The two ports may be oriented straight across from each other on the body,[5] or oriented at an angle such as a 90 angle.[6] Globe valves with ports at such an angle are called angle globe valves. Angle type globe valves are mainly used for corrosive or high viscous fluid which shall solidify at room temperature. This is because straight valve shall have outlet pipe inline to the inlet pipe and the fluid has chance of staying there in case of horizontal piping whereas in the case of angle valve the outlet pipe shall be directed towards bottom which will allow the fluid to drain of instead of staying there which will in turn clog or corrode the valve components when allowed to settle down. A globe valve can also have a body in the shape of a "Y". This will allow the construction of valve to be straight at the bottom instead of conventional pot type construction (to arrange bottom seat) in case of other valves. This will again allow the fluid to pass through without low cavities which shall let the fluid clog or corrode in long run of settling down.

[edit] Bonnet
The bonnet provides a leakproof closure for the valve body. The threaded section of the stem goes through a hole with matching threads in the bonnet. Globe valves may have a screw-in, union, or bolted[5] bonnet. Screw-in bonnet is the simplest bonnet, offering a durable, pressuretight seal. Union bonnet is suitable for applications requiring frequent inspection or cleaning. It also gives the body added strength. A bonnet attached with bolts is used for larger or higher pressure applications. The bonnet also contains the packing, a wearable material that maintains the seal between the bonnet and the stem during valve cycling.

[edit] Plug or disc (disk)

The closure member of the valve, plugs are connected to the stem which is slid or screwed up or down to throttle the flow. Plugs are typically of the balance or unbalanced type. Unbalanced plugs are solid and are used with smaller valves or with low pressure drops across the valve. The

advantages are simpler design, with one possible leak path at the seat and usually lower cost. The disadvantages are the limited size; with a large unbalanced plug the forces needed to seat and hold the flow often becomes impractical. Balanced plugs have holes through the plug. Advantages include easier shut off as the plug does not have to overcome static forces. However, a second leak path is created between the plug and the cage, and cost is generally higher.

[edit] Stem
The stem serves as a connector from the actuator to the inside of the valve and transmits this actuation force. Stems are either smooth for actuator controlled valves or threaded for manual valves. The smooth stems are surrounded by packing material to prevent leaking material from the valve. This packing is a wearable material and will have to be replaced during maintenance. With a smooth stem the ends are threaded to allow connection to the plug and the actuator. The stem must not only withstand a large amount of compression force during valve closure, but also have high tensile strength during valve opening. In addition, the stem must be very straight, or have low run out, in order to ensure good valve closure. This minimum run out also minimizes wear of the packing contained in the bonnet, which provides the seal against leakage. The stem may be provided with a shroud over the packing nut to prevent foreign bodies entering the packing material, which would accelerate wear.

[edit] Cage
The cage is part of the valve that surrounds the plug and is located inside the body of the valve. Typically, the cage is one of the greatest determiners of flow within the valve. As the plug is moved more of the openings in the cage are exposed and flow is increased and vice versa. The design and layout of the openings can have a large effect on flow of material (the flow characteristics of different materials at temperatures, pressures that are in a range). Cages are also used to guide the plug to the seat of the valve for a good shutoff, substituting the guiding from the bonnet.

[edit] Seat ring

The seat ring provides a stable, uniform and replaceable shut off surface. Seat rings are usually held in place by pressure from the fastening of the bonnet to the top of the body. This pushes the cage down on the lip of the seat ring and holds it firmly to the body of the valve. Seat rings may also be threaded and screwed into a thread cut in the same area of the body. However this method makes removal of the seat ring during maintenance difficult if not impossible. Seat rings are also typically beveled at the seating surface to allow for some guiding during the final stages of closing the valve. Economical globe valves or stop valves with a similar mechanism used in plumbing often have a rubber washer at the bottom of the disc for the seating surface, so that rubber can be compressed against the seat to form a leak-tight seal when shut.

[edit] Materials
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011) Typically globe valves are made of metallic alloys, although some synthetic materials are available. These materials are chosen based on pressure, temperature, controlled media properties. Corrosive and/or erosive process streams may require a compromise in material

selection or exotic alloys or body coatings to minimize these material interactions and extend the life of the valve or valve trim components. Typically, carbon steel alloys are specified for noncorrosive applications. Other alloys such as Hastelloy, Monel, Inconel and others are available. Packing material must also be considered during valve selection. Typically the requirement for a low friction packing conflict with a durable material that will provide low maintenance requirements during service life. Corrosive applications can further complicate packing material selection as the typical packing materials may or may not be compatible with the processed materials. Typically graphite or PTFE is used due to its low friction coefficient. Enviro-seal applications also have the availability of constant applied force (live-load) packing. While more complex, it allows for constant packing force load throughout the life of the packing material. This packing helps meet contemporary environmental laws.

[edit] Images

Stainless steel globe valve with socket weld ends and extended bonnet for cryogenic operation

Carbon steel globe valve

Globe valve

[edit] References
1. ^ McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. McGraw-Hill Companies

(April 25, 2007). "Globe Valve". http://www.answers.com/topic/globe-valve.

2. ^ Process Instrumentation (Lecture 8): Control valves

3. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/globe-valve under heading "McGraw-Hill Professional

Architecture" diagram shows disc

4. ^ Globe Valve Disks 5. ^ a b http://www.answers.com/topic/globe-valve under heading "McGraw-Hill

Professional Architecture" diagram shows disc. See diagram of "straight body" globe valve with bolted bonnet here.
6. ^ http://www.tpub.com/content/doe/h1018v2/css/h1018v2_37.htm Globe Valve Disks.

See diagram of angle globe valve here.

[edit] External links

Control Valve Handbook Fisher Controls International (4th Edition) a complete 297page online book. Process Instrumentation (Lecture 8): Control valves an article from a University of South Australia website.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Globe_valve&oldid=460657715" View page ratings Rate this page Rate this page Page ratings What's this? Current average ratings. Trustworthy Objective Complete Contains most key information Well-written

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Hidden categories:

Alloy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the type of material. For the specification language, see Alloy (specification language). For lightweight auto wheels, see alloy wheel.

Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0.02% and 2.14% by mass.

Photomicrograph of annealed steel. The heterogeneous, lamellar microstructure, called pearlite, consists of the phases cementite (light) and ferrite (dark).

An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements.[1] Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal (heat treatment) history. Alloys usually have different properties from those of the component elements. Alloy constituents are usually measured by mass. Alloys are usually classified as substitutional or interstitial alloys, depending on the atomic arrangement that forms the alloy. They can be further classified as homogeneous, consisting of a single phase, heterogeneous, consisting of two or more phases, or intermetallic, where there is no distinct boundary between phases.

Contents
[hide] 1 Theory 2 Terminol ogy 3 History 4 See also 5 Referenc es 6 External links

[edit] Theory
Alloying a metal is done by combining it with one or more other metals or non-metals that often enhance its properties. For example, steel is stronger than iron, its primary element. The physical properties, such as density, reactivity, Young's modulus, and electrical and thermal conductivity, of an alloy may not differ greatly from those of its elements, but engineering properties such as tensile strength[2] and shear strength may be substantially different from those of the constituent materials. This is sometimes a result of the sizes of the atoms in the alloy, because larger atoms exert a compressive force on neighboring atoms, and smaller atoms exert a tensile force on their neighbors, helping the alloy resist deformation. Sometimes alloys may exhibit marked differences in behavior even when small amounts of one element occur. For example, impurities in semi-conducting ferromagnetic alloys lead to different properties, as first predicted by White, Hogan, Suhl, Tian Abrie and Nakamura.[3][4] Some alloys are made by melting and mixing two or more metals. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was the first alloy discovered, during the prehistoric period now known as the bronze age; it was harder than pure copper and originally used to make tools and weapons, but was later superseded by metals and alloys with better properties. In later times bronze has been used for ornaments, bells, statues, and bearings. Brass is an alloy made from copper and zinc. Unlike pure metals, most alloys do not have a single melting point, but a melting range in which the material is a mixture of solid and liquid phases. The temperature at which melting begins is called the solidus, and the temperature when melting is just complete is called the liquidus. However, for most alloys there is a particular proportion of constituents (in rare cases two)the eutectic mixturewhich gives the alloy a unique melting point.

[edit] Terminology
The term alloy is used to describe a mixture of atoms in which the primary constituent is a metal. The primary metal is called the base, the matrix, or the solvent. The secondary constituents are often called solutes. If there is a mixture of only two types of atoms, not counting impurities, such as a copper-nickel alloy, then it is called a binary alloy. If there are three types of atoms

forming the mixture, such as iron, nickel and chromium, then it is called a ternary alloy. An alloy with four constituents is a quaternary alloy, while a five-part alloy is termed a quinary alloy. Because the percentage of each constituent can be varied, with any mixture the entire range of possible variations is called a system. In this respect, all of the various forms of an alloy containing only two constituents, like iron and carbon, is called a binary system, while all of the alloy combinations possible with a ternary alloy, such as alloys of iron, carbon and chromium, is called a ternary system.[5]

Substitutional alloy

Interstitial alloy

When a molten metal is mixed with another substance, there are two mechanisms that can cause an alloy to form, called atom exchange and the interstitial mechanism. The relative size of each atom in the mix plays a primary role in determining which mechanism will occur. When the atoms are relatively similar in size, the atom exchange method usually happens, where some of

the atoms composing the metallic crystals are substituted with atoms of the other constituent. This is called a substitutional alloy. Examples of substitutional alloys include bronze and brass, in which some of the copper atoms are substituted with either tin or zinc atoms. With the interstitial mechanism, one atom is usually much smaller than the other, and so cannot successfully replace an atom in the crystals of the base metal. The smaller atoms become trapped in the spaces between the atoms in the crystal matrix, called the interstices. This is referred to as an interstitial alloy. Steel is an example of an interstitial alloy, because the very small carbon atoms fit into interstices of the iron matrix. Stainless steel is an example of a combination of interstitial and substitutional alloys, because the carbon atoms fit into the interstices, but some of the iron atoms are replaced with nickel and chromium atoms.[6] Alloys are often made to alter the mechanical properties of the base metal, to induce hardness, toughness, ductility, or other desired properties. While most metals and alloys can be work hardened by inducing defects in their crystal structure, caused by plastic deformation, some alloys can also have their properties altered by heat treatment. Nearly all metals can be softened by annealing, which repairs the crystal defects, but not as many can be hardened by controlled heating and cooling. Many alloys of aluminum, copper, magnesium, titanium, and nickel can be strengthened to some degree by some method of heat treatment, but few respond to this to the same degree that steel does.[6] At a certain temperature, the base metal of steel, iron, undergoes a change in the arrangement of the atoms in its crystal matrix, called allotropy. This allows the small carbon atoms to enter the interstices of the crystal. When this happens, the carbon atoms are said to be in solution, or mixed with the iron. If the iron is cooled slowly, the carbon atoms will be forced out of solution, into the spaces between the crystals. If the steel is cooled quickly, the carbon atoms become trapped in solution, causing the iron crystals to deform when the crystal structure tries to change to its low temperature state, inducing great hardness.[6] In practice, some alloys are used so predominantly with respect to their base metals that the name of the primary constituent is also used as the name of the alloy. For example, 14 karat gold is an alloy of gold with other elements. Similarly, the silver used in jewelry and the aluminium used as a structural building material are also alloys. The term "alloy" is sometimes used in everyday speech as a synonym for a particular alloy. For example, automobile wheels made of an aluminium alloy are commonly referred to as simply "alloy wheels", although in point of fact steels and most other metals in practical use are also alloys.

[edit] History

A meteorite is shown below a hatchet that was forged from meteoric iron.

Bronze axe 1100 BC

The use of alloys by humans started with the use of meteoric iron, a naturally occurring alloy of nickel and iron. As no metallurgic processes were used to separate iron from nickel, the alloy was used as it was.[7] Meteoric iron could be forged from a red heat to make objects such as tools, weapons, and nails. In many cultures it was shaped by cold hammering into knives and arrowheads. They were often used as anvils. Meteoric iron was very rare and valuable, and difficult for ancient people to work.[8] Iron is usually found as iron ore on Earth, except for one deposit of native iron in Greenland, which was used by the Inuit people.[9] Native copper, however, was found worldwide, along with silver, gold and platinum, which were also used to make tools, jewelry, and other objects since Neolithic times. Copper was the hardest of these metals, and the most widely distributed. It became one of the most important metals to the ancients. Eventually, humans learned to smelt metals such as copper and tin from ore, and, around 2500 BC, began alloying the two metals to form bronze, which is much harder than its ingredients. Tin was rare, however, being found mostly in Great Britain. In the Middle East, people began alloying copper with zinc to form brass.[10] Ancient civilizations took into account the mixture and the various properties it produced, such as hardness, toughness and melting point, under various conditions of temperature and work hardening, developing much of the information contained in modern alloy constitution diagrams.[11] The first known smelting of iron began in Anatolia, around 1800 BC. Called the bloomery process, it produced very soft but ductile wrought iron and, by 800 BC, the technology had spread to Europe. Pig iron, a very hard but brittle alloy of iron and carbon, was being produced in China as early as 1200 BC, but did not arrive in Europe until the Middle Ages. These metals found little practical use until the introduction of crucible steel around 300 BC. These steels were of poor quality, and the introduction of pattern welding, around the 1st century AD, sought to balance the extreme properties of the alloys by laminating them, to create a tougher metal.[11] Mercury had been smelted from cinnabar for thousands of years. Mercury dissolves many metals, such as gold, silver, and tin, to form amalgams (an alloy in a soft paste, or liquid form at ambient temperature). Amalgams have been used since 200 BC in China for plating objects with precious metals, called gilding, such as armor and mirrors. The ancient Romans often used mercury-tin amalgams for gilding their armor. The amalgam was applied as a paste and then heated until the mercury vaporized, leaving the gold, silver, or tin behind.[12] Mercury was often used in mining, to extract precious metals like gold and silver from their ores.[13]

Many ancient civilizations alloyed metals for purely aesthetic purposes. In ancient Egypt and Mycenae, gold was often alloyed with copper to produce red-gold, or iron to produce a bright burgundy-gold. Silver was often found alloyed with gold. These metals were also used to strengthen each other, for more practical purposes. Quite often, precious metals were alloyed with less valuable substances as a means to deceive buyers.[14] Around 250 BC, Archimedes was commissioned by the king to find a way to check the purity of the gold in a crown, leading to the famous bath-house shouting of "Eureka!" upon the discovery of Archimedes' principle.[15] While the use of iron started to become more widespread around 1200 BC, mainly because of interruptions in the trade routes for tin, the metal is much softer than bronze. However, very small amounts of steel, (an alloy of iron and around 1% carbon), was always a byproduct of the bloomery process. The ability to modify the hardness of steel by heat treatment had been known since 1100 BC, and the rare material was valued for use in tool and weapon making. Because the ancients could not produce temperatures high enough to melt iron fully, the production of steel in decent quantities did not occur until the introduction of blister steel during the Middle Ages. This method introduced carbon by heating wrought iron in charcoal for long periods of time, but the penetration of carbon was not very deep, so the alloy was not homogeneous. In 1740, Benjamin Huntsman began melting blister steel in a crucible to even out the carbon content, creating the first process for the mass production of tool steel. Huntsman's process was used for manufacturing tool steel until the early 1900s.[16] With the introduction of the blast furnace to Europe in the Middle Ages, pig iron was able to be produced in much higher volumes than wrought iron. Because pig iron could be melted, people began to develop processes of reducing the carbon in the liquid pig iron to create steel. Puddling was introduced during the 1700s, where molten pig iron was stirred while exposed to the air, to remove the carbon by oxidation. In 1858, Sir Henry Bessemer developed a process of steel making by blowing hot air through liquid pig iron to reduce the carbon content. The Bessemer process was able to produce the first large scale manufacture of steel.[16] Once the Bessemer process began to gain widespread use, other alloys of steel began to follow, such as mangalloy, an alloy of steel and manganese, which exhibits extreme hardness and toughness.[17]

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alloys

List of alloys Intermetallics Heat treatment CALPHAD (method)

[edit] References
1. ^ [1] 2. ^ Adelbert Phillo Mills, (1922) Materials of Construction: Their Manufacture and
Properties, John Wiley & sons, inc, originally published by the University of Wisconsin, Madison

3. ^ Hogan, C. (1969). "Density of States of an Insulating Ferromagnetic Alloy". Physical

Review 188 (2): 870. Bibcode 1969PhRv..188..870H. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.188.870.

4. ^ Zhang, X.; Suhl, H. (1985). "Spin-wave-related period doublings and chaos under
transverse pumping". Physical Review A 32 (4): 25302533. Bibcode 1985PhRvA..32.2530Z. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.32.2530. PMID 9896377.

5. ^ Michael Bauccio (2005) ASM metals reference book, ASM International 2005 6. ^ a b c Jon L. Dossett, Howard E. Boyer (2006) Practical heat treating, ASM
International, pp. 1-14

7. ^ T. A. Rickard (1941). "The Use of Meteoric Iron". The Journal of the Royal
Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland) 71 (1/2): 5566. doi:10.2307/2844401. JSTOR 2844401.

8. ^ Vagn Fabritius Buchwald Iron and steel in ancient times, Det Kongelige Danske
Videnskabernes Selskab 2005 pp. 1322

9. ^ Vagn Fabritius Buchwald Iron and steel in ancient times, Det Kongelige Danske
Videnskabernes Selskab 2005 pp. 35-37

10. ^ Vagn Fabritius Buchwald Iron and steel in ancient times, Det Kongelige Danske
Videnskabernes Selskab 2005 pp. 3941

11. ^ a b Cyril Smith (1960) History of metallography, MIT Press, ISBN 0262691205 pp. 2
4

12. ^ George Rapp (2009) Archaeomineralogy, Springer, p. 180 ISBN 3540785930 13. ^ Harry A. Miskimin (1977) The economy of later Renaissance Europe, 14601600,
Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521292085, p. 31

14. ^ Paul T. Nicholson, Ian Shaw (2000) Ancient Egyptian materials and technology,
Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521452570 pp. 164167

15. ^ Melvyn Kay (2008) Practical Hydraulics, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 0415351154 p. 45 16. ^ a b George Adam Roberts, George Krauss, Richard Kennedy, Richard L. Kennedy
(1998) Tool steels, ASM International, ISBN 0871705990 pp. 23

17. ^ Cast steel: Austenitic Manganese Steels

[edit] External links

Look up alloy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Surface Alloys Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Alloys". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

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Valve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the flow control device. For the game developer, see Valve Corporation. For the electronic component, see Vacuum tube. For other uses, see Valve (disambiguation).

These water valves are operated by handles.

A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category. In an open valve, fluid flows in a direction from higher pressure to lower pressure. The simplest, and very ancient, valve is simply a freely hinged flap which drops to obstruct fluid (gas or liquid) flow in one direction, but is pushed open by flow in the opposite direction. Valves are used in a variety of contexts, including industrial, military, commercial, residential, and transport. The industries in which the majority of valves are used are oil and gas, power generation, mining, water reticulation, sewage and chemical manufacturing.[citation needed] In daily life, most noticeable are plumbing valves, such as taps for tap water. Other familiar examples include gas control valves on cookers, small valves fitted to washing machines and dishwashers, safety devices fitted to hot water systems, and valves in car engines. In nature, veins acting as valves are controlling the blood circulation; heart valves control the flow of blood in the chambers of the heart and maintain the correct pumping action. Valves play a vital role in industrial applications ranging from transportation of drinking water to control of ignition in a rocket engine. Valves may be operated manually, either by a handle, lever or pedal. Valves may also be automatic, driven by changes in pressure, temperature, or flow. These changes may act upon a diaphragm or a piston which in turn activates the valve, examples of this type of valve found commonly are safety valves fitted to hot water systems or boilers.

More complex control systems using valves requiring automatic control based on an external input (i.e., regulating flow through a pipe to a changing set point) require an actuator. An actuator will stroke the valve depending on its input and set-up, allowing the valve to be positioned accurately, and allowing control over a variety of requirements.

Contents
[hide] 1 Applications 2 Types 2.1 Basic types 2.2 Specific types 2.3 In biology 3.1 Body 3.2 Bonnet 3.3 Ports 3.4 Handle or actuator 3.5 Disc 3.6 Seat 3.7 Stem 3.8 Gaskets 3.9 Valve balls 3.10 Spring 3.11 Trim

3 Components

4 Valve operating positions 4.1 Two-port valves 4.2 Three-port valves 4.3 Four-port valves

5 Control 6 Other considerations 7 Images 8 See also

9 References 10 External links

[edit] Applications
Valves vary widely in form and application. Sizes[ambiguous] typically range from 0.1 mm to 60 cm. Special valves can have a diameter exceeding 5 meters.[which?] Valve cost ranges from simple inexpensive disposable valves to specialized valves cost thousands of US dollars per inch of diameter. Disposable valves may be found inside common household items including mini-pump dispensers and aerosol cans.

[edit] Types

The inside of an extremely large butterfly valve

Valves are quite diverse and may be classified into a number of basic types. Valves may also be classified by how they are actuated:
Hydraulic Pneumatic Manual Solenoid Motor

[edit] Basic types

Valves can be categorized into the following basic types:

Duplex ball valve Ball valve, for on/off control without pressure drop, and ideal for quick shut-off since a 90 turn offers complete shut-off angle, compared to multiple turns required on most manual valves. Butterfly valve, for flow regulation in large pipe diameters. Ceramic Disc valve, used mainly in high duty cycle applications or on abrasive fluids. Ceramic disc can also provide Class IV seat leakage Check valve or non-return valve, allows the fluid to pass in one direction only.

Three check valves in corrosion-resistant Hastelloy Choke valve, a valve that raises or lowers a solid cylinder which is placed around or inside another cylinder which has holes or slots. Used for high pressure drops found in oil and gas wellheads. Diaphragm valve, which controls flow by a movement of a diaphragm. Upstream pressure, downstream pressure, or an external source (e.g., pneumatic, hydraulic, etc.) can be used to change the position of the diaphragm. Gate valve, mainly for on/off control, with low pressure drop.

Stainless steel gate valve Globe valve, good for regulating flow. Knife valve, similar to a gate valve, but usually more compact. Often used for slurries or powders on/off control. Needle valve for accurate flow control. Pinch valve, for slurry flow regulation. Piston valve, for regulating fluids that carry solids in suspension. Plug valve, slim valve for on/off control but with some pressure drop. Poppet valve Spool valve, for hydraulic control Thermal expansion valve, used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Pressure Reducing Valve Sampling valves Safety valve Aspin valve: a cone-shaped metal part fitted to the cylinder head of an engine Ball cock: often used as a water level controller (cistern) Bibcock: provides a connection to a flexible hosepipe Blast valve: prevents rapid overpressures in a fallout shelter or a bunker Cock: colloquial term for a small valve or a stopcock Demand valve: on a diving regulator Double beat valve

[edit] Specific types

Double check valve Duckbill valve Flipper valve Flow control valve: an application which maintains a variable flow rate through the valve Heimlich valve: a specific one-way valve used on the end of chest drain tubes to treat a pneumothorax Foot valve: a check valve on the foot of a suction line to prevent backflow Four-way valve: was used to control the flow of steam to the cylinder of early double-acting steam engines Freeze seal/Freeze plug: in which freezing and melting the fluid creates and removes a plug of frozen material acting as the valve Gas pressure regulator regulates the flow and pressure of a gas Heart valve: regulates blood flow through the heart in many organisms Larner-Johnson Valve: needle control valve often in large sizes used in water supply systems Leaf valve: one-way valve consisting of a diagonal obstruction with an opening covered by a hinged flap Pilot valve: regulate flow or pressure to other valves Plunger Valve: To regulate flow while lowering the pressure Poppet valve and sleeve valve: commonly used in piston engines to regulate the fuel mixture intake and exhaust Pressure regulator or pressure reducing valve (PRV): reduces pressure to a preset level downstream of the valve Pressure sustaining valve, or back-pressure regulator: maintains pressure at a preset level upstream of the valve Presta and Schrader valves are used to hold the air in bicycle tires Reed valve: consists of two or more flexible materials pressed together along much of their length, but with the influx area open to allow one-way flow, much like a heart valve Regulator: used in SCUBA diving equipment and in gas cooking equipment to reduce the high pressure gas supply to a lower working pressure Rocker valve Rotary valves and piston valves: parts of brass instruments used to change their pitch Rupture disc: a one time use replaceable valve for rapid pressure relief, used to protect piping systems from excessive pressure or vacuum; more reliable than a safety valve Saddle valve: where allowed, is used to tap a pipe for a low-flow need Safety valve or relief valve: operates automatically at a set differential pressure to correct a potentially dangerous situation, typically over-pressure

Schrader valve: used to hold the air inside automobile tires Solenoid valve: an electrically controlled hydraulic or pneumatic valve Stopcock: restricts or isolates flow through a pipe Swirl valve: A specially designed Joule-Thompson pressure reduction/expansion valve imparting a centrifugal force upon the discharge stream for improving gasliquid phase separation Tap (British English), faucet (American English): the common name for a valve used in homes to regulate water flow Thermal expansion valve, used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Thermostatic Mixing Valve Thermostatic Radiator Valve Trap primer: sometimes include other types of valves, or are valves themselves Vacuum breaker valve: prevents the back-siphonage of contaminated water into pressurized drinkable water supplies

[edit] In biology
Nature has developed an efficient valve, the sphincter, found in many animals including humans.

[edit] Components

Cross-sectional diagram of an open globe valve. 1. body

2. ports 3. seat 4. stem 5. disc when valve is open 6. handle or handwheel when valve is open 7. bonnet 8. packing 9. gland nut 10. fluid flow when valve is open 11. position of disc if valve were shut 12. position of handle or handwheel if valve were shut

The main parts of the most usual type of valve are the body and the bonnet. These two parts form the casing that holds the fluid going through the valve.

[edit] Body
The valve's body is the outer casing of most or all of the valve that contains the internal parts or trim. The bonnet is the part of the encasing through which the stem (see below) passes and that forms a guide and seal for the stem. The bonnet typically screws into or is bolted to the valve body. Valve bodies are usually metallic or plastic. Brass, bronze, gunmetal, cast iron, steel, alloy steels and stainless steels are very common.[citation needed] Seawater applications, like desalination plants, often use duplex valves, as well as super duplex valves, due to their corrosion resistant properties, particularly against warm seawater. Alloy 20 valves are typically used in sulphuric acid plants, whilst monel valves are used in hydrofluoric acid (HF Acid) plants. Hastelloy valves are often used in high temperature applications, such as nuclear plants, whilst inconel valves are often used in hydrogen applications. Plastic bodies are used for relatively low pressures and temperatures. PVC, PP, PVDF and glass-reinforced nylon are common plastics used for valve bodies.[citation needed]

[edit] Bonnet
A bonnet acts as a cover on the valve body. It is commonly semi-permanently screwed into the valve body or bolted onto it. During manufacture of the valve, the internal parts are put into the body and then the bonnet is attached to hold everything together inside. To access internal parts of a valve, a user would take off the bonnet, usually for maintenance. Many valves do not have bonnets; for example, plug valves usually do not have bonnets. Many ball valves do not have bonnets since the valve body is put together in a different style, such as being screwed together at the middle of the valve body.

[edit] Ports
Ports are passages that allow fluid to pass through the valve. Ports are obstructed by the valve member or disc to control flow. Valves most commonly have 2 ports, but may have as many as 20. The valve is almost always connected at its ports to pipes or other components. Connection methods include threadings, compression fittings, glue, cement, flanges, or welding.

[edit] Handle or actuator

A handle is used to manually control a valve from outside the valve body. Automatically controlled valves often do not have handles, but some may have a handle (or something similar) anyway to manually override automatic control, such as a stop-check valve. An actuator is a mechanism or device to automatically or remotely control a valve from outside the body. Some valves have neither handle nor actuator because they automatically control themselves from inside; for example, check valves and relief valves may have neither.

[edit] Disc

Valve disc

A disc or valve member is a movable obstruction inside the stationary body that adjustably restricts flow through the valve. Although traditionally disc-shaped, discs come in various shapes. Depending on the type of valve, a disc can move linearly inside a valve, or rotate on the stem (as in a butterfly valve), or rotate on a hinge or trunnion (as in a check valve). A ball is a round valve member with one or more paths between ports passing through it. By rotating the ball, flow can be directed between different ports. Ball valves use spherical rotors with a cylindrical hole drilled as a fluid passage. Plug valves use cylindrical or conically tapered rotors called plugs.[ambiguous] Other round shapes for rotors are possible as well in rotor valves, as long as the rotor can be turned inside the valve body. However not all round or spherical discs are rotors; for example, a ball check valve uses the ball to block reverse flow, but is not a rotor because operating the valve does not involve rotation of the ball.

[edit] Seat
The seat is the interior surface of the body which contacts the disc to form a leak-tight seal. In discs that move linearly or swing on a hinge or trunnion, the disc comes into contact with the seat only when the valve is shut. In disks that rotate, the seat is always in contact with the disk, but the area of contact changes as the disc is turned. The seat always remains stationary relative to the body. Seats are classified by whether they are cut directly into the body, or if they are made of a different material:
Hard seats are integral to the valve body. Nearly all hard seated metal valves have a small amount of leakage. Soft seats are fitted to the valve body and made of softer materials such as PTFE or various elastomers such as NBR, EPDM, or FKM depending on the maximum operating temperature.

The shut off butterfly valve for a Francis turbine at Gordon Power Station, Tasmania

Ball valve

A closed soft seated valve is much less liable to leak when shut while hard seated valves are more durable. Gate, globe, and check valves are usually hard seated while butterfly, ball, plug, and diaphragm valves are usually soft seated.

[edit] Stem
The stem transmits motion from the handle or controlling device to the disc. The stem typically passes through the bonnet when present. In some cases, the stem and the disc can be combined in one piece, or the stem and the handle are combined in one piece. The motion transmitted by the stem may be a linear force, a rotational torque, or some combination of these(Angle valve using torque reactor pin and Hub Assembly). The valve and stem can be threaded such that the stem can be screwed into or out of the valve by turning it in one direction or the other, thus moving the disc back or forth inside the body.[ambiguous] Packing is often used between the stem and the bonnet to maintain a seal. Some valves have no external control and do not need a stem as in most check valves. Valves whose disc is between the seat and the stem and where the stem moves in a direction into the valve to shut it are normally-seated or front seated. Valves whose seat is between the disc and the stem and where the stem moves in a direction out of the valve to shut it are reverseseated or back seated. These terms don't apply to valves with no stem or valves using rotors.

Inconel X750 Spring

[edit] Gaskets
Gaskets are the mechanical seals, or packings, used to prevent the leakage of a gas or fluids from valves.

[edit] Valve balls

A valve ball is also used for severe duty, high-pressure, high-tolerance applications. They are typically made of stainless steel, titanium, Stellite, Hastelloy, brass, or nickel. They can also be made of different types of plastic, such as ABS, PVC, PP or PVDF.

[edit] Spring
Many valves have a spring for spring-loading, to normally shift the disc into some position by default but allow control to reposition the disc. Relief valves commonly use a spring to keep the valve shut, but allow excessive pressure to force the valve open against the spring-loading. Coil springs are normally used. Typical spring materials include zinc plated steel, stainless steel, and for high temperature applications Inconel X750.

[edit] Trim
The internal elements of a valve are collectively referred to as a valve's trim. According to API Standards 600, "Steel Gate Valve-Flanged and Butt-welding Ends, Bolted Bonnets", the trim consists of stem, seating surface in the body, gate seating surface, bushing or a deposited weld for the backseat and stem hole guide, and small internal parts that normally contact the service fluid, excluding the pin that is used to make a stem-to-gate connection (this pin shall be made of an austenitic stainless steel material).

[edit] Valve operating positions

A seacock for cooling seawater, on a marine diesel engine.

Valve positions are operating conditions determined by the position of the disc or rotor in the valve. Some valves are made to be operated in a gradual change between two or more positions. Return valves and non-return valves allow fluid to move in 2 or 1 directions respectively.

[edit] Two-port valves

Operating positions for 2-port valves can be either shut (closed) so that no flow at all goes through, fully open for maximum flow, or sometimes partially open to any degree in between. Many valves are not designed to precisely control intermediate degree of flow; such valves are considered to be either open or shut. Some valves are specially designed to regulate varying amounts of flow. Such valves have been called by various names such as regulating, throttling, metering, or needle valves. For example, needle valves have elongated conically-tapered discs and matching seats for fine flow control. For some valves, there may be a mechanism to indicate by how much the valve is open, but in many cases other indications of flow rate are used, such as separate flow meters. In plants with remote-controlled process operation, such as oil refineries and petrochemical plants, some 2-way valves can be designated as normally closed (NC) or normally open (NO) during regular operation. Examples of normally-closed valves are sampling valves, which are only opened while a sample is taken. Other examples of normally-closed valves are isolation valves, which are kept open when the system is in operation and will automatically shut by taking away the power supply. This happens when there is a problem with a unit or a section of a fluid system such as a leak in order to isolate the problem from the rest of the system. Examples of normally-open valves are purge-gas supply valves or emergency-relief valves. When there is a problem these valves open (by switching them 'off') causing the unit to be flushed and emptied. Although many 2-way valves are made in which the flow can go in either direction between the two ports, when a valve is placed into a certain application, flow is often expected to go from one certain port on the upstream side of the valve, to the other port on the downstream side. Pressure regulators are variations of valves in which flow is controlled to produce a certain downstream pressure, if possible. They are often used to control flow of gas from a gas cylinder. A back-pressure regulator is a variation of a valve in which flow is controlled to maintain a certain upstream pressure, if possible.

[edit] Three-port valves

Schematic 3 way ball valve: L-shaped ball right, T-shaped left

Valves with three ports serve many different functions. A few of the possibilities are listed here. Three-way ball valves come with a T- or L- shaped fluid passageways inside the rotor. The T valve might be used to permit connection of one inlet to either or both outlets or connection of the two outlets. The L valve could be used to permit disconnection of both or connection of either but not both of two inlets to one outlet. Shuttle valves automatically connect the higher pressure inlet to the outlet while (in some configurations) preventing flow from one inlet to the other. Single handle mixer valves produce a variable mixture of hot and cold water at a variable flow rate under control of a single handle. Thermostatic mixing valves mix hot and cold water to produce a constant temperature in the presence of variable pressures and temperatures on the two input ports.

[edit] Four-port valves

Main article: four-way valve

A 4-port valve is a valve whose body has four ports equally spaced round the body and the disc has two passages to connect adjacent ports. It is operated with two positions. It can be used to isolate and to simultaneously bypass a sampling cylinder installed on a pressurized water line. It is useful to take a fluid sample without affecting the pressure of a hydraulic system and to avoid degassing (no leak, no gas loss or air entry, no external contamination)....

[edit] Control

A sailor aboard a ship operates the wheel controlling a fuel valve.

Many valves are controlled manually with a handle attached to the stem. If the handle is turned ninety degrees between operating positions, the valve is called a quarter-turn valve. Butterfly, ball valves, and plug valves are often quarter-turn valves. If the handle is circular with the stem as the axis of rotation in the center of the circle, then the handle is called a handwheel. Valves can also be controlled by actuators attached to the stem. They can be electromechanical actuators such as an electric motor or solenoid, pneumatic actuators which are controlled by air pressure, or hydraulic actuators which are controlled by the pressure of a liquid such as oil or water. Actuators can be used for the purposes of automatic control such as in washing machine cycles, remote control such as the use of a centralised control room, or because manual control is too difficult such as when the valve is very large. Pneumatic actuators and hydraulic actuators need pressurised air or liquid lines to supply the actuator: an inlet line and an outlet line. Pilot valves are valves which are used to control other valves. Pilot valves in the actuator lines control the supply of air or liquid going to the actuators. The fill valve in a toilet water tank is a liquid level-actuated valve. When a high water level is reached, a mechanism shuts the valve which fills the tank. In some valve designs, the pressure of the flow fluid itself or pressure difference of the flow fluid between the ports automatically controls flow through the valve.

[edit] Other considerations

Valves are typically rated for maximum temperature and pressure by the manufacturer. The wetted materials in a valve are usually identified also. Some valves rated at very high pressures are available. When a designer, engineer, or user decides to use a valve for an application, he/she should ensure the rated maximum temperature and pressure are never exceeded and that the wetted materials are compatible with the fluid the valve interior is exposed to. In Europe, valve design and pressure ratings are subject to statutory regulation under the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC (PED)[1] Some fluid system designs, especially in chemical or power plants, are schematically represented in piping and instrumentation diagrams. In such diagrams, different types of valves are represented by certain symbols.

Valves in good condition should be leak-free. However, valves may eventually wear out from use and develop a leak, either between the inside and outside of the valve or, when the valve is shut to stop flow, between the disc and the seat. A particle trapped between the seat and disc could also cause such leakage.

[edit] Images

Globe valve

A valve controlled by a wheel

Large butterfly valve

Cast iron butterfly valve

Cast iron butterfly valve

Hastelloy ball valve

Stainless steel gate valve

Stainless steel gate valve

Hastelloy check valves

Duplex ball valve

Inconel gate valve

Stainless steel wafer check valve

Inconel check valve

Stainless steel ball valve

Cryogenic 254 SMO gate valve

Inside view of a tilting disc inconel check valve

Duplex ball valves

Cryogenic super duplex gate valve frozen up during operation

Super duplex ball valves

Flanged nozzle inconel check valve or axial check valve

Inside hastelloy check valve, wafer configuration

Large carbon steel swing check valve

Disc for an alloy check valve also known as axial check valve

Balls for alloy ball valves

Wafer check valve

Nuts and bolts for incoloy valves

Inconel check valve springs

Ball for a titanium ball valve