- Since the ball valve is a quarter turn valve, it is very easy to automate.
- It can achieve fast opening and closing.
- It has the lowest flow resistance.
- They have a low pressure drop and relatively high flow capacity due to the opening size in the ball.
- When fully open, there is little turbulence or resistance to the fluid flow.
- It can be reliably used in corrosive media and low boiling liquids because it will not get stuck during work with the absence of lubricant.
- The medium is sealed reliably on both sides.
- It can achieve complete sealing within a large pressure and temperature range.
- When fully open and fully closed, the sealing surface of the ball and the valve seat is isolated from.
- When the medium passing through the valve at high speed, it does not cause erosion of the sealing surface.
- The valve body is symmetrical, especially the welded valve body structure, so it can well withstand the stress from the pipeline.
- Has a compact structure and is lightweight.
- Has a longer life span, it is an ideal valve for oil and natural gas pipelines.
- In large applications, a ball valve may be economically prohibitive. This is due to the amount of metal that makes up the body and ball.
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- They are not suitable for slurry type applications due to cavities around the ball and seats.
- Due to its widespread use, the ball valve is considered a commodity item and can be found at most piping supply shops.
- Slurries or other thick liquids tend to solidify or clog inside of the cavities, greatly increasing the operating torque of the valve and in some cases rendering the valve inoperable.
- They should only be used in either the fully open or closed position and should not be used for long term throttling.
- They have a limited accuracy in controlling the flow rate.
- Operating for extended periods in a partially open position will result in the soft seals of the valve deforming around the edges.
- The main valve seat seal material of is Teflon, which has a high coefficient of expansion, sensitivity to cold flow and poor thermal conductivity.
- For large diameter applications that require a quarter turn valve, a butterfly valve may be appropriate.
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