The ball valve is a quarter-turn valve suitable for clean gas, compressed air, and liquid service. They also can be used for slurry service, but provisions for prevention of crud buildup must be made. The use of soft-seat materials such as nylon, delrin, synthetic rubbers, and fluorinated polymers imparts excellent sealing ability. With fluorinated polymer seats, ball valves can be used for service temperatures ranging from 450 to 500f (270 to 260c); with graphite seats, service temperatures to 1000f (538c) or even higher are possible. Also, with metal backing seats, the valves can be used in fire-safe services. Ball valves are similar to plug valves in operation. They are nonbinding and provide leak-tight closure. The valves exhibit negligible resistance to flow because of their smooth body and port.
- Provides bubble-tight service
- Quick to open and close
- Smaller in size than a gate valve
- Lighter in weight than a gate valve
- Multiport design offers versatility not available with gate or globe valves. It reduces the number of valves required
- Several designs of ball valves offer flexibility of selection
- Can be used in clean and slurry applications
- High-quality ball valves provide reliable service in high-pressure and high-temperature applications
- Force required to actuate the valve is smaller than that required for a gate or a globe valve
- They are not suitable for sustained throttling applications
- In slurry or other applications, the suspended particles can settle and become trapped in body cavities causing wear, leakage, or valve failure.
- Air, gaseous, and liquid applications requiring bubble-tight service
- Low-point drains and high-point vents in liquid, gaseous, and other fluid services
- Instrument root valves
- Cooling water and feed water systems
- Steam service
