Threaded ball valve

Ball valve is a shut-off pipeline fitting designed to stop the flow. Ball valves are named after the spherical shape of the valve element, which has a hole through the center to allow for the passage of the working medium. In the open position, the axis of the hole coincides with the axis of the pipeline, and by turning the ball 90° around the axis perpendicular to the pipeline axis, the valve is closed.

Working media

The universal design of ball valves allows them to be used with almost any working media, including water, steam, compressed air, gas, petroleum products, viscous and abrasive media. All threaded ball valves that you will find in our catalog can be used for water, but the possibility of using them with other media should be clarified with the suppliers.

Applications

Despite the fact that the ball valve design has been known for over 100 years, they have gained wide popularity only with the advent of polymer materials such as PTFE, the sealing rings of which are capable of providing sealing of the valve closure. Currently, threaded ball valves are widely used in heating and water supply systems, almost completely replacing gate valves, cork valves, and valves.

Threaded ball valves are installed on pipelines with a nominal diameter of DN50 or less, transporting a working medium with a temperature of up to 100°C and a pressure not exceeding 16 bar. In other cases, welded, flanged, and intermediate flanged ball valves are used.

Long-term operation of the ball valve at partial opening of the valve is not allowed, since the abrasive wear of the ball can lead to a loss of sealing of the flow closure.

Advantages

Low cost
Low weight
Small dimensions
Long working life
Reliable and universal design
No maintenance required
Low hydraulic resistance
Absence of stagnant zones in the flow part
Possibility of full-bore execution
Allowed installation in any position
Sealing of flow closure
Possibility of fast closure
Supply of the working medium in any direction

Disadvantages

High torque is required to close, which entails the need to use long levers for manual control, or expensive electric drives for automatic control.
Sharp opening of the valve can lead to a hydraulic shock, which is unacceptable for some systems.
In district heating systems, it is prohibited to use threaded shut-off valves at working medium temperatures above 115°C, pressures above 1.6 MPa, and nominal pipe diameters over 100 mm.

What can be used instead