Table of Contents
Introduction
With so many valve types available in the market, choosing the right valve type can be a difficult ordeal. Just as selecting the right floatable jet ski dock is essential for a jet ski rider, selecting the right valve type for your manufacturing business is also crucial.
With that in mind, we bring you a complete guide to butterfly valves, their subtypes, and various applications.
What is a butterfly valve?
A butterfly valve is a regulator valve that allows and restrains the flow of materials in pipes with large diameters. In a butterfly valve, the flow of liquid is isolated as well as regulated systematically. This type of valve consists of a disk that has a quarter-turn rotation system. This disk acts as a closing mechanism for the pipe system.
What is the structure of a butterfly valve?
The valve consists of a rod that penetrates through the center of a disk. Since the valve is spherical, the disk rod can be located either horizontally or vertically. This rod is connected to an actuator that regulates the motion of the valve disc system. The butterfly valve is different from other valve types since it tends to be always in motion. The motion causes the material to have a restrained or unrestrained flow, based on the pressure that is created by the motion of the actuator.
What are the uses of butterfly valves?
A butterfly valve starts, slows, or stops media flow entirely, thereby regulating it. The valve disk has a low-torque rotation feature that extends up to 90 degrees. The butterfly valve is the most commonly used valve type in the piping and fitting industry. Why you may ask? This is because butterfly valves tend to be very lightweight and cost-efficient and have numerous applications.
Other valve types can easily be affected and compromised by extremes of temperature and corrosion. A butterfly valve tends to be resistant to harsh temperature- it withstands extreme heat or extreme cold. The seal of the butterfly valve maintains its original integrity and is, therefore, the most useful for high-stakes applications such as petroleum processing and energy production. In these applications, one potential leak can threaten the environment or public safety.
Why is it called a “butterfly” valve?
Most of the valve types such as needle valve, ball valve, and globe valve are named after the shapes that they acquire and how they operate. Some other valves such as plug valves, pinch valves, gate valves, or slide valves are named after their movement and function. Similarly, a butterfly valve is named after the movement that it makes.
The movement of a butterfly valve is similar to that of a wing. The rod can be parallelly compared to the body of a butterfly, while the disc movement resembles the movement of a butterfly’s wings. Like the restricted movement of a butterfly’s wings, the disk has a low-torque rotation that extends up to 90 degrees.
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Types of Butterfly Valves
Wafer Style Butterfly Valve
This type of butterfly valve is designed to maintain a seal against the bi-directional pressure differential of liquid flow. This is done to prevent any backflow in a system that is designed for unidirectional flow. The valve has four holes that are aligned with the connected pipeline.
The wafer valve consists of a fitting seal, a gasket with machined precision as well as a flat valve face on both the upstream and downstream valve sides. Unlike lug valves, wafer-style butterfly valves cannot be used as pipe ends.
Lug-style butterfly valve
A lug-style butterfly valve is composed of materials such as steel or ductile iron. It features several threaded lugs that are positioned on the flanges of the valves for bolt connections. The flanges use separate sets of bolts to permit the piping system to be disconnected without interrupting the flow on the other side.
Unlike wafer-style butterfly valves, lug valves are suitable for end-of-line service. These valve types are the most compatible with pneumatic or electric actuation systems.
Rotary Valve
Rotary valves are often referred to as rotary airlocks or rotary feeders. These are pneumatic valve systems that handle and regulate the flow of powder or granular bulks.
A rotary valve is a derivation of the general butterfly valve. It is mainly used in the powder processing industry. This valve does not have a flat disc. The disc includes pockets that allow dropping a predetermined amount of solids while in rotation.
Butterfly Valve Applications
Butterfly valves are used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries for regulating or interrupting product flow. The valves are manufactured following the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) guidelines. Many industries have chosen reliable butterfly valve instead of ball valve for their extended applicability.
Conclusion
If you are a homeowner who is looking for information on pipeline fittings, we hope this article helped. We suggest that you consider buying atv goggles for your next watery adventure.
Suggestions aside, we hope that we provided you with a thorough insight into the different butterfly valves available in the market.
