What is a ball valve?

Ball valves, as an important fluid control equipment, are widely used in various industrial pipeline systems. This article will introduce the structure, working principle, and application areas of ball valves in detail to help readers better understand the function and value of this key equipment.
The ball valve is mainly composed of the valve body, ball, sealing ring, valve stem, and transmission device. Among them, the valve body is the main part of the ball valve, usually made of cast iron, cast steel, or stainless steel, with good corrosion resistance and pressure resistance. The ball is the key part of the ball valve, and its surface is usually spherical, which can cooperate closely with the valve seat to achieve fluid control. The sealing ring is used to prevent fluid leakage and is usually made of high-performance materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene. The valve stem is used to transmit the operating torque and drive the ball
Rotate to realize the opening and closing action of the ball valve. The transmission device includes a handle, gears, an electric actuator, etc., which are used to drive the valve stem to rotate.

The working principle of a ball valve is very simple. When the valve is in the closed state, the ball fits tightly against the valve seat to prevent the fluid from passing through. When the valve needs to be opened, the transmission device drives the valve stem to rotate, thereby driving the ball to rotate. When the ball rotates 90 degrees, the fluid channel is opened and the fluid can pass through the valve smoothly. Since the surface of the ball is usually spherical, the resistance of the fluid passing through the valve is small, and better flow control can be achieved. At the same time, due to the presence of the sealing ring, the ball valve can effectively prevent fluid leakage and has a high sealing performance.

Ball valves can be used in pipeline systems in petroleum, chemical, metallurgy, electric power, pharmaceutical, and other industries to control the flow of various fluids (such as liquids, gases, steam, etc.). In these industries, ball valves are often used as shut-off valves, regulating valves, safety valves, etc. The cut-off valve is mainly used to cut off the fluid channel and realize the opening and closing of the pipeline; the regulating valve is mainly used to adjust the flow and pressure of the fluid to realize the automatic control of the process; the safety valve is mainly used to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline system.
When the pressure in the channel exceeds a certain value, the pressure relief valve will automatically open.

Advantages of ball valves
1. Small fluid resistance: Since the surface of the ball is spherical, the resistance of the fluid when passing through the valve is small, and better flow control can be achieved.
2. Good sealing performance: The ball valve adopts high-performance sealing ring, which can effectively prevent fluid leakage and has high sealing performance.
3. Easy to operate: The transmission device of the ball valve is reasonably designed, the operating torque is small, and the switch is light and flexible.
4. Long service life: The ball valve is made of wear-resistant material, is durable, and has a long service life.