What are the types of industrial gas valves?

In a recent article, we discussed why industrial gas valves are so important. While we focused on the dangers of choosing a substandard valve or a valve that is not compatible with your existing system, you need to choose the right type of industrial gas valve for your purpose.

We will cover this in more detail in this article as we analyze the different types of industrial gas valves available to you.  Although we can supply high quality valves, you still need to ensure that you select the correct industrial gas valve product for your specific requirements.

 Ball Valves

 Needle Valves

 Metering Valves

Safety Valves

 Regulating Valves

1) Ball Valves

Ball valves have an internal spherical component that regulates the flow of gas through the system. On the basic type of ball valve, the handle is rotated 90 degrees to open and close the valve. Other types of ball valves may include a gear system to make the larger valve easier to operate.

Because of the simple construction and operation of this type of industrial gas valve, it is often very cost effective. However, in high-pressure gas systems, this type of industrial gas valve should not be set in the partially open position because the high velocity motion of the gas accelerates wear on the ball assembly.

2) Needle Valves

The needle valve regulates the flow of gas through a narrow opening controlled by a fine needle-like plunger that stops or allows the gas to move. This industrial gas valve is particularly useful for obtaining consistent gas flow, especially over long periods of time.

This type of industrial gas valve may not be suitable for high pressure gas systems. This is due to the relatively small diameter of the needle used to control the flow, and the diameter of the needle of the industrial gas valve may be damaged over time as the gas velocity increases.

3) Metering Valves

There are other types of INDUSTRIAL GAS VALVES which can be used in place of needle valves. These can offer many advantages, including reduced long-term maintenance costs, as they may be less prone to scale buildup than the needle type of the industrial gas valve.

Certain types of industrial gas valves are designed for very high precision gas flow control. These high precision calibrations are suitable for low level gas flow and low-pressure applications.

4) Safety Valves

Managing the pressure in your gas system is an important part of ensuring the continued safety of your system. If the pressure is too high, components can be damaged, which reduces the life of the system and puts you, your team and the general public at risk. Safety valves are used to relieve system pressure and make pressure management easier to achieve.

Safety valves have an auxiliary component connected to the system that is used to divert the gas away from the main line. Since many of the gases used in industry are toxic or flammable, it is not feasible to simply release these gases into the atmosphere. Before releasing the safety valve, make sure that this auxiliary passage has been properly connected to ensure a safe release of pressure.

5) Regulating Valves

Control valves contain a mechanism that automatically manages the flow of gas through the system. Different types of mechanisms can be installed within the control valve, including spring-loaded, self-weighting and pressure-balancing components that automatically react to the gas as it passes through the system, changing its position to achieve a constant flow rate.

Control valves can also be fitted with internal safety valves to provide additional automatic regulation. These internal safety valves or IRVs open automatically when the pressure reaches a certain level, diverting the gas to the auxiliary passages to maintain the internal pressure of the system within the safety parameters.

There are so many different types of valves, but it's a learning curve to choose the right one. If you have questions about choosing a valve, please consult us and we will have a professional answer for you.