VALVES

Valves are mechanical devices that controls the flow and pressure within a
system or process. They are essential components of a piping system that
conveys liquids, gases, vapors, slurries etc. Some valves are self-operated while
others manually or with an actuator or pneumatic or hydraulic is operated. A
valve controls system or process fluid flow and pressure by performing any of
the following functions:

First: The control of flow in lines and provision for isolation of equipment when
needed are accomplished with valves. Last: A valve is a device that regulates the
flow of a fluid (gases, fluidized solids, slurries, or liquids) by opening, closing, or
partially obstructing various passageways.

To slow down or stop the flow of a fluid

To reduce or increase the flow rate of a fluid.
To control the direction of a flow
To regulate process pressure.
To relieve a pipe system of a certain pressure
Stopping and starting fluid flow
Varying (throttling) the amount of fluid flow
Controlling the direction of fluid flow
Regulating downstream system or process pressure
Relieving component or piping over pressure
There are many valve designs, types and models, with a wide range of industrial
applications. All satisfy one or more of the functions identified above. Valves are
expensive items, and it is important that a correct valve is specified for the
function, and must be constructed of the correct material for the process liquid.
Regardless of type, all valves have the following basic parts: the body, bonnet,
trim (internal elements), actuator, and packing. The basic parts of a valve are
illustrated in the image on the right.

A. Basic Parts of Valves

Parts of a Valve Description
1. Valve Body The valve body, sometimes called the shell, is the primary
boundary of a pressure valve. It serves as the main element
of a valve assembly because it is the framework that holds
all the parts together.
The body, the first pressure boundary of a valve, resists
fluid pressure loads from connecting piping. It receives inlet
and outlet piping through threaded, bolted, or welded
joints.
The valve-body ends are designed to connect the valve to the
piping or equipment nozzle by different types of end
connections, such as butt or socket welded, threaded or
flanged.
Valve bodies are cast or forged in a variety of forms and each
component have a specific function and constructed in a
material suitable for that function.

2. Valve Bonnet The cover for the opening in the body is the bonnet, and it
is the second most important boundary of a pressure valve.
 A bonnet acts as a cover on the valve body, is cast or forged
of the same material as the body. It is commonly connected
to the body by a threaded, bolted, or welded joint. The
attachment of the bonnet to the body is considered a
pressure boundary, this means that the weld joint or bolts
that connect the bonnet to the body are pressure-retaining
parts.

3. Valve Disk The disc is the part which allows, throttles, or stops flow,
depending on its position. The disk is the third most
important primary pressure boundary. With the valve
closed, full system pressure is applied across the disk, and
for this reason, the disk is a pressure related component.
Most valves are named, the design of their disks.

4. Valve Seat The seat or seal rings provide the seating surface for the
disk. A valve may have one or more seats. A valve may have
one or more seats. To improve the wear-resistance of the
seal rings, the surface is often hardfaced by welding and
then machining the contact surface of the seal ring.

A fine surface finish of the seating area is necessary for good

sealing when the valve is closed. Seal rings are not usually
considered pressure boundary parts because the body has
sufficient wall thickness to withstand design pressure
without relying upon the thickness of the seal rings.

5. Valve Stem The valve stem provides the necessary movement to the
disc, plug or the ball for opening or closing the valve, and is
responsible for the proper positioning of the disk. It is
connected to the valve hand wheel, actuator, or the lever at
one end and on the other side to the valve disc. Stems are
usually forged, and connected to the disk by threaded or
other techniques. To prevent leakage, in the seal, a fine
surface finish of the stem is necessary.
Two types of valve stems are rising stems and nonrising stems. Illustrated
in Figures 2and 3, these two types of stems are easily distinguished by
observation. For a rising stemvalve, the stem will rise above the actuator
as the valve is opened. This occurs becausethe stem is threaded and
 mated with the bushing threads of a yoke that is an integral partof, or is
mounted to, the bonnet.

6. Valve Stem Packing For a reliable seal between the stem and the bonnet, a
gasket is needed. This is called a Packing. Valve packaging
prevents damage to the stem and fluid or gas loss. When a
packing is too loose, the valve will leak. If the packing is too
tight, it will affect the movement and possible damage to the
stem.

An important aspect of the life time of a valve is the sealing

assembly. Almost all valves, like standard Ball, Globe, Gate,
Plug and Butterfly valves have their sealing assembly based
upon shear force, friction and tearing.
*typical sealing assembly
t is fitted with e.g. the following components:

Gland follower, a sleeve which compresses the packing, by a

gland into the so called stuffing box.
Gland, a kind of bushing, which compressed de packing into
the stuffing box.
Stuffing box, a chamber in which the packing is compressed.
Packing, available in several materials, like Teflon,
elastomeric material, fibrous material etc..
A backseat is a seating arrangement inside the bonnet. It
provides a seal between the stem and bonnet and prevents
system pressure from building against the valve pakking,
when the valve is fully open. Back seats are often applied in
gate and globe valves.

7. Actuator (Hand Operates the stem and disk assembly. An actuator may be
Wheel) controlled manually or automatically. An actuator in the
broadest definition is a device that produces linear and
rotary motion of a source of power under the action of a
source of control. Basic actuators are used to fully open or
fully close a valve. Actuators for controlling or regulating
valves are given a positioning signal to move to any
intermediate position.
8. Yoke Yoke connects the valve body or bonnet with the actuating
mechanism. The top of the Yoke holding a Yoke nut, stem
nut, or Yoke bushing and the valve stem passes through it.
Structurally, a Yoke must be strong enough to withstand
forces, moments, and torque developed by the actuator.

A Yoke nut is an internally threaded nut and is placed in

the top of a Yoke by which the stem passes.

B. CLASSIFICATION OF VALVES
1. BASED ON MECHANICAL MOTION

Linear Motion Valves

The valves in which the closure member, as in gate, globe, diaphragm, pinch,
and lift Check Valves, moves in a straight line to allow, stop, or throttle the
flow.

Rotary Motion Valves

When the valve-closure member travels along an angular or circular path, as
in butterfly, ball, plug, eccentric- and Swing Check Valves, the valves are
called rotary motion valves.

Quarter Turn Valves

Some rotary motion valves require approximately a quarter turn, 0 through
90, motion of the stem to go to fully open from a fully closed position or vice
versa.

VALVE TYPES LINEAR ROTARY QUARTER

MOTION MOTION TURN
Gate
Globe
Plug
Ball
Butterfly
Swing Check
Diaphragm
Pinch
 Safety
Relief

2. BASED ON PRIMARY FUNCTION:

a. Shutoff valves (Block valves/ Isolation valves)
The purpose of shut-off valves is to close on/off the flow through a pipe. The
valve is only either fully open or fully closed. A valve selected for shutoff
purposes should give a positive seal in the closed position and minimum
resistance to flow when open. Gate, plug, and ball valves are most frequently
used for this purpose.

Gate Valves
Gate valves are primarily designed to start or stop flow. The majority
of valves in the plant are of this type. In gate valves, the flow is straight
through and is regulated by raising or lowering the gate. In service, these
valves generally are either fully open or fully closed.

When the valve is fully open, gate valves are full bore, meaning there
is nothing to obstruct the flow because the gate and pipeline diameter have
the same opening. An advantage of this full-bore design is very low friction
loss, which saves energy and reduces total cost of ownership.

When the valve is fully closed, a disk-to-seal ring contact surface

exists for 360, and good sealing is provided. With the proper mating of a
disk to the seal ring, very little or no leakage occurs across the disk.
Several turns of the valve handle are usually required to close the valve,
so they are best used when operated infrequently.

Gate valves are not used to regulate or throttle flow because when it
is open partially, the disk tends to vibrate from the fluid flow which causes
disk and seat to wear. When the disk becomes deform, the valve will not
seal properly and will lead to leakage when in closed position.

Applications
Viscous liquids such as heavy oils, creams etc.
Slurries

Ball Valves
 Ball valves are best used for fast-acting stop/start applications.
They are considered quick-acting because they only require a 90 turn
from the full-closed to full-open which minimizes operation time and
decreases the possibility of leakage due to wear.
A Ball valve is a quarter-turn rotational motion valve that uses a
ball-shaped disk to stop or start flow. If the valve is opened, the ball rotates
to a point where the hole through the ball is in line with the valve body
inlet and outlet resulting in lower friction loss. Flow is unrestricted but the
valve is larger and more expensive. The advantage to this design is they
minimize the pressure drop across the valve and keep the flow from being
restricted as it flows.
If the valve is closed, the ball is rotated so that the hole is
perpendicular to the flow openings of the valve body and the flow is
stopped. flow through the valve is one pipe size smaller than the valve's
pipe size resulting in flow area being smaller than pipe. Reduced port
valves have higher pressure drops.

Applications of Ball Valves

The following are some typical applications of Ball valves:
Air, gaseous, and liquid applications
Drains and vents in liquid, gaseous, and other fluid services
Steam service

Advantages
Quick quarter turn on-off operation
Tight sealing with low torque
Smaller in size than most other valves
Can handle fluids with suspended solids.

Disadvantages
Conventional Ball valves have poor throttling properties
In slurry or other applications, the suspended particles can settle
and become trapped in body cavities causing wear, leakage, or
valve failure.

Plug Valves
 A Plug Valve is a quarter-turn rotational motion valve that uses a

tapered or
cylindrical plug to stop or start flow. In the open position, the plug passage
is in one line with the inlet and outlet ports of the Valve body. If the plug
90 is rotated from the open position, the solid part of the plug blocks the
port and stops flow.
Its advantage over gate valves is that they only require a quarter
turn to open or close. These valves are often actuated by solenoids and are
used where quick on-off switching is needed.

Applications
A Plug Valve can be used in many different fluid services and they
perform well in slurry applications. The following are some typical
applications of Plug valves:
Air, gaseous, and vapor services
Natural gas piping systems
Oil piping systems
Vacuum to high-pressure applications

Advantages
Quick quarter turn on-off operation
Minimal resistance to flow
 Smaller in size than most other valves

Disadvantages
Requires a large force to actuate, due to high friction.
NPS 4 and larger valves requires the use of an actuator.
Reduced port, due to tapered plug

Pinch Valves
Pinch valves, the simplest valve design, include any valve with a flexible
elastomeric body that can be pinched close to cut off flow, using a
mechanism or fluid pressure. They are linear motion valves that can be
used to start, stop and throttle media through a system. Pinch valves are
low maintenance, low weight, and can be used in systems requiring
explosion-proof line closure. While the design of pinch valves provides
extensive advantages for use in sterile lines and in situations where
product purity is a high priority, these same design features do create
some disadvantages. Due to their elastomeric bodies, pinch valves are not
viable in situations where the transport media is at a high temperature.
They are also not recommended for services that require high-pressure
flow, and for use with gases.

b. Control Valve
Control valves are used to regulate flow through a pipe. The valve is
partially closed and either actively regulated or manually set so the flow
through the pipe is maintained at a certain rate. Valves for controlling
should have smooth control over the full range of flow (from fully open to
closed). Globe, diaphragm, and butterfly valves are used for this purpose.

Globe Valves
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 the
valve. Since the flow changes direction, it results in high head loss even in
a wide open position.

Globe valves have a disk which can completely open or completely

close the flow path. This is done with the perpendicular movement of the
disk away from the seat. The annular space between the disk and seat ring
gradually changes to allow fluid flow through the valve. The gradual change
in spacing between the disk and seat ring gives the globe valve good
throttling ability.

Globe valves are used for liquids mostly water system, but it is not
suitable for handling both slurry and high purity liquids because it has
inherent cavities that easily promote contamination and allow slurry
material to become entrapped, disabling the valve operation. However, globe
valve is essential when tight shut off are needed, especially of gas flow.

There are three primary body designs for Globe valves, namely: Tee
Pattern or Z-body, Angle Pattern and Wye Pattern or Y-body body.

i. Tee Pattern Globe valve

Tee Pattern Globe Valve is the most common body type, with a
Z-shaped diaphragm. The horizontal setting of the seat allows
the stem and disk to travel perpendicular to the horizontal line.

ii. Angle Pattern Globe valves

The ends of this Globe valve are at an angle of 90 degrees, and
fluid flow occurs with a single 90 degrees turn. Angle valves
are designed so that the inlet and outlet are perpendicular.
They are used for transferring flow from vertical to horizontal.

iii. Wye Pattern Globe valves

Wye Pattern Globe valves is an alternative for the high
pressure drop, inherent in Globe valves. Seat and stem are
angled at approximately 45 degrees, what gives a straighter
flow path at full opening and offer the least resistance to flow.

Butterfly Valves
A Butterfly valve is a quarter-turn rotational motion valve, that is
used to stop, regulate, and start flow. Butterfly valves are easy and fast to
open. A 90 rotation of the handle provides a complete closure or opening
of the valve.
The "butterfly" is a metal disc mounted on a rod. Butterfly valve
can be used for both for shutting or throttling flow through pipe. Butterfly
valves are often used for the control of gas and vapour flows. The flow
control element is a disk of approximately the same diameter as the inside
diameter of the adjoining pipe, which rotates on either a vertical or
horizontal axis.

When the disk lies parallel to the piping run, the valve is fully
opened. When the disk approaches the perpendicular position, the valve is
shut. 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.
Its chief advantage is high capacity in a small package and a very
low initial cost. Much of the size and cost advantage is due to the wafer body
design, which is clamped between two pipeline flanges.

Applications
A Butterfly valve can be used in many different fluid services and
they perform well in slurry applications. The following are some
typical applications of Butterfly valves:
Cooling water, air, gases, fire protection etc.
Slurry and similar services
Vacuum service
High-pressure and high-temperature water and steam services

Advantages
Compact design requires considerably less space, compared to
other valves
Light in weight
Quick operation requires less time to open or close
Available in very large sizes
Low-pressure drop and high-pressure recovery

Disadvantages
Throttling service is limited to low differential pressure
Cavitations and choked flow are two potential concerns
Disc movement is unguided and affected by flow turbulence

Diaphragm Valves
Diaphragm valve is a manual or control type block valve which uses
a diaphragm as the closing device. The diaphragm valve is usually used to
isolate or block flow. Because the material of the membrane can chemically
degrade, diaphragm valves are used under the conditions of low pressure
and a limited temperature operating range.
 Diaphragm valves may be used for regulation of most gases and
liquids. Since diaphragms are subject to wear and tear, maintenance is
frequently needed for valves that are used on a regular basis. When
operating with a diaphragm valve, one must be aware of the operating
pressures and temperatures of the process because the valve is restricted
by the physical limitations of the diaphragm membrane.

The types of diaphragm valve include weir configuration and straight-

through configuration.

The weir type valve provides tight shut-off with comparatively low operating
force. The weir valve also produces only a short diaphragm movement
which, in the long run will have an effect on the length of the diaphragm's
life. By doing this it reduces the need for maintenance. Also, the weir valve
is better at throttling flow than the straight through configuration. However,
a disadvantage of the weir configuration is that at very low flow rates, the
flow control is poor.

The straight-through configuration, on the other hand, is better than the

weir configuration at handling viscous fluids, thick slurries, and fluids
containing solids. However, one serious flaw in the straight-through type
valve is it has long diaphragm movements. These longer movements
decrease the diaphragm's life and increase the need for maintenance.
Furthermore, since a more flexible diaphragm is needed, the diaphragm
material choice is limited to elastomers.

Advantages
Diaphragm valves can also be used for throttling service. Its
throttling characteristics are essentially those of a quick opening
valve because of the large shutoff area along the seat.
Diaphragm valves are particularly suited for the handling of
corrosive fluids, fibrous slurries, radioactive fluids, or other
fluids that must remain free from contamination.
Many fluids that would clog, corrode, or gum up the working
parts of most other types of valves will pass through a diaphragm
valve without causing problems. Conversely, lubricants used for
the operating mechanism cannot be allowed to contaminate the
fluid being handled.

c. Other Valves
Check Valves
Check valves are valves that open with forward flow and close with
reverse flow. The pressure of the fluid passing through a system opens the
valve, while any reversal of flow will close the valve. In the forward direction,
flow forces overcome the weight of the member or a spring to open the flow
passage. With reverse pressure conditions, flow forces drive the closure
member into the valve seat, thus providing shutoff. Exact operation will vary
depending on the type of Check valve mechanism. Most common types of
Check valves are swing, and lift (piston or ball)

Check valve is a type of non-return valve. The purpose of a check valve is to

allow relatively unimpeded flow in the desired direction but to prevent flow
in the reverse direction. Two common designs are swing-type and lift-type
check valves, the names of which denote the motion of the closure member.
Types
i. Swing Check Valve
A basic swing Check valve consists of a valve body, a bonnet, and a
disk that is connected to a hinge. The disk swings away from the
valve-seat to allow flow in the forward direction, and returns to
valve-seat when upstream flow is stopped, to prevent backflow. The
disc in a swing type Check valve is unguided as it fully opens or
closes. The valve allows full, unobstructed flow and automatically
closes as pressure decreases. These valves are fully closed when flow
reaches zero, in order to prevent backflow.
ii. Lift Check Valve
Lift Check valves are particularly suitable for high-pressure service
where velocity of flow is high. Flow to lift Check valves must always
enter below the seat. As the flow enters, the piston or ball is raised
within guides from the seat by the pressure of the upward flow.
When the flow stops or reverses, the piston is forced onto the seat of
the valve by both the backflow and gravity.

Relief and Safety Valves

Relief and safety valves prevent equipment damage by relieving
accidental over-pressurization of fluid systems. The main difference
between a relief valve and a safety valve is the extent of opening at the
setpoint pressure.

A relief valve gradually opens as the inlet pressure increases above

the setpoint. A relief valve opens only as necessary to relieve the over-
pressure condition. A safety valve rapidly pops fully open as soon as the
pressure setting is reached.

A safety valve will stay fully open until the pressure drops below a
reset pressure. The reset pressure is lower than the actuating pressure
setpoint. The difference between the actuating pressure setpoint and the
pressure at which the safety valve resets is called blowdown. Blowdown is
expressed as a percentage of the actuating pressure setpoint.

Relief valves are typically used for incompressible fluids such as

water or oil. Safety valves are typically used for compressible fluids such
as steam or other gases. Safety valves can often be distinguished by the
presence of an external lever at the top of the valve body, which is used as
an operational
check.

As indicated in Figure 29, system pressure provides a force that is

attempting to push the disk of the safety valve off its seat. Spring pressure
on the stem is forcing the disk onto the seat. At the pressure determined
by spring compression, system pressure overcomes spring pressure and
the relief valve opens. As system pressure is relieved, the valve closes when
spring pressure again overcomes system pressure. Most relief and safety
valves open against the force of a compression spring. The pressure
setpoint is adjusted by turning the adjusting nuts on top of the yoke to
increase or decrease the spring compression.
C. Rule of Thumb for Valve Selection
Control valves should always be sized for a flow rate larger than the normal
flow condition. Select a valve that operates between 10% and 80% open at
anticipated flow rates. A simple method is to calculate Cv based on the
normal flow rate and then select a valve that has twice this value of Cv, so
that in normal operation the valve will be roughly 50% open.
Choose a valve that is no smaller than half the pipe size. The valve should
be sized for a maximum flow rate 30% above the normal stream flow-rate.
The ratio between the maximum and minimum controllable flow rates is
known as the rangeability of the valve. A typical globe-type control valve
has a rangeability 50:1

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