1、 Structural characteristics

1. Sphere design
   • Full diameter structureThe diameter of the through-hole in the middle of the sphere is consistent with the inner diameter of the pipeline, and the fluid resistance is extremely low (close to zero), making it suitable for high flow and low pressure loss scenarios (such as long-distance pipelines).
   • V-shaped spherePart of the cut-off ball valve adopts a V-shaped cut ball, which precisely controls the flow rate through rotation angle, and has both cut-off and adjustment functions (such as slurry control in papermaking and sewage treatment).
   • Floating sphereThe sphere is supported by valve seats at both ends and sealed by fluid pressure pressing the valve seats. The structure is simple but suitable for medium and low pressure applications (such as valves with DN ≤ 200).
   • Fixed sphereThe sphere is fixed by upper and lower bearings and can be opened and closed by simply rotating the valve seat. It is suitable for high-pressure, large-diameter valves (such as oil and gas pipelines with DN ≥ 300).
2. sealed structure
   • soft sealUsing materials such as PTFE, PPL, or rubber as the sealing surface of the valve seat, it has good sealing performance (zero leakage), but limited temperature resistance (usually ≤ 200 ℃), and is suitable for media such as water and gas.
   • hard sealThe valve seat is made of metal material (such as stainless steel, hard alloy), and is subjected to surface hardening treatment (such as spraying, welding) to achieve wear resistance and high temperature resistance (up to 600 ℃), suitable for media such as steam and high-temperature oil.
   • Bidirectional sealingSome valves are designed for bi-directional pressure, ensuring reliable sealing regardless of the flow direction of the medium, and are suitable for systems that may experience backflow (such as pump outlet protection).
3. Drive Type
   • manualDirectly operated through a handle, worm gear, or lever, suitable for small caliber, low-frequency opening and closing scenarios (such as instrument valves with DN ≤ 50).
   • pneumaticDriven by a cylinder, with a fast response speed (≤ 1 second), suitable for automated production lines or situations that require remote control (such as food packaging machinery).
   • electricDriven by a motor, it can be equipped with an intelligent controller for remote monitoring and precise positioning, suitable for large valves or unmanned systems (such as urban water supply networks).
   • HydraulicDriven by a hydraulic system, it has a high output torque and is suitable for high-pressure, large-diameter valves (such as oil and gas pipelines on offshore platforms).

2、 Performance characteristics

1. Quick opening and closing
   • The sphere can be fully opened or closed by rotating 90 °, with a short operation time (usually 0.5-5 seconds), suitable for situations that require emergency shutdown (such as fire protection systems, emergency handling of hazardous medium leaks).
2. high sealing performance
   • Soft sealed ball valves can achieve zero leakage (compliant with ANSI B16.104 Class VI or ISO 15848 standards), while hard sealed ball valves have a leakage rate as low as 10 ⁻⁶ Pa · m ³/s, meeting the requirements of harsh working conditions.
3. Wear resistance and corrosion resistance
   • The surface of the sphere and valve seat can be coated with wear-resistant materials such as tungsten carbide and nickel based alloys to extend their service life (such as coal slurry conveying systems, which can last for more than 5 years).
   • The valve body material can be selected from corrosion-resistant materials such as 316L stainless steel and Hastelloy, suitable for media such as seawater and strong acids (such as chemical reaction kettle feed valves).
4. Resistant to high pressure and high temperature
   • The fixed ball valve design can withstand high pressure (such as PN100, Class 600), and the hard sealed structure can withstand high temperature (such as steam pipeline valves that can reach 550 ℃).
5. Low torque operation
   • Floating ball valves have fluid pressure assisted sealing, low opening and closing torque (only 1/4 of gate valves), easy manual operation, and low power requirements for electric/pneumatic actuators.

3、 Application advantages

1. System security enhancement
   • The quick cut-off function can effectively prevent medium leakage or diffusion, reducing the risk of fire and explosion (such as emergency shut-off valves for natural gas pipelines).
   • Bidirectional sealing design prevents medium backflow and protects equipment from water hammer impact (such as alternative solutions for pump outlet check valves).
2. Reduced maintenance costs
   • The structure is simple, with few components (only ball, valve seat, valve stem, etc.), low failure rate, and long maintenance cycle (usually every 2-3 years for maintenance).
   • Online maintenance is convenient, and some valves support pressure replacement of valve seats or seals, reducing downtime (such as catalytic cracking unit valves in refineries).
3. Adaptable
   • Can be designed as a fully welded structure (such as buried gas pipeline valves), resistant to soil corrosion and easy to install.
   • After being equipped with explosion-proof electric actuators, it is suitable for flammable and explosive environments (such as oil field gathering stations).
   • Low temperature valves (such as LNG specific valves) use special sealing materials and structural designs, and can work normally at -196 ℃.

4、 Typical application scenarios

1. Oil and gas industry
   • Used for medium cutoff, flow regulation, or equipment protection in oil pipelines, natural gas wellheads, and catalytic cracking units in refineries.
2. chemical industry
   • Reactor feeding, storage tank inlet and outlet, pipeline isolation to prevent cross contamination or leakage of media.
3. Water treatment field
   • Control the direction of water flow or isolate maintenance areas in waterworks and sewage treatment plants.
4. power industry
   • Quickly cut off high-temperature and high-pressure media in boiler feedwater systems and steam pipelines.
5. Food and pharmaceutical industry
   • Adopting hygiene grade design (such as inner surface polishing ≤ 0.8 μ m), meeting GMP/FDA requirements, used in beverage production lines and pharmaceutical reaction vessels.

5、 Selection precautions

1. Media compatibility
   • Select valve body and sealing materials based on the corrosiveness, temperature, and viscosity of the medium (such as using Hastelloy valve body+PTFE seal for strong acid media).
2. Pressure and temperature matching
   • Confirm whether the rated pressure (such as PN16, PN40) and temperature range (such as -40 ℃~+200 ℃) of the valve meet the operating requirements.
3. Opening and closing frequency
   • High frequency opening and closing scenarios (such as dozens of times per hour) require the selection of wear-resistant valves (such as hard sealing+surface hardening treatment).
4. Installation space
   • Large caliber valves need to consider actuator size and installation direction to avoid limited operation due to insufficient space.