Ball valve

[1] The handle lies flat in alignment with the flow when open, and is perpendicular to it when closed, making for easy visual confirmation of the valve's status.

Ball valves are durable, performing well after many cycles, and reliable, closing securely even after long periods of disuse.

The ball valve's ease of operation, repair, and versatility lend it to extensive industrial use, supporting pressures up to 1,000 bar (100 MPa; 15,000 psi) and temperatures up to 750 °F (400 °C), depending on design and materials used.

In the event of ambient temperatures falling below freezing point, the sides can crack due to the expansion associated with ice formation.

[4] For cryogenic fluids, or product that may expand inside of the ball, there is a vent drilled into the upstream side of the valve.

Usually the maximum working pressure for the high-pressure ball valves is 7,500 psi (520 bar) and depends on the structure, sizes and sealing materials.

Ball valves in sizes up to 2 inches (51 mm) generally come in a single piece, two or three-piece designs.

One-piece ball valves are almost always reduced bore, are relatively inexpensive, and are generally replaced instead of repaired.

Two-piece ball valves generally have a slightly reduced (or standard) bore, and can be either throw-away or repairable.

The three-piece design allows for the center part of the valve containing the ball, stem and seats to be easily removed from the pipeline.

This facilitates efficient cleaning of deposited sediments, replacement of seats and gland packings, polishing out of small scratches on the ball, all this without removing the pipes from the valve body.

This type of design requires a generally more robust construction due to higher velocities of the fluids, which might damage a standard valve.

Valves are usually manufactured with different materials, each with specific applications they are good for due to their chemical compatibility, pressures, and temperatures.

These material choices ensure that valves are suitable for their respective functions, providing efficient and reliable performance in various industries and applications.