All About Butterfly Valves

Like all valves, butterfly valves are used to regulate the flow of a fluid. Butterfly valves are used widely in many areas. Interestingly, it was even part of the steam engine prototype built by James Watt! Although we usually think of big valves, there are actually a number of smaller-sized valves used today across various industries.

In industrial use, butterfly valves are used in the chemical, pharma and F&B industries. When sourcing for such use, it is necessary to check that the butterfly valves exporters stocks valves from manufacturers who follow GMP guidelines. Butterfly valves are also used in public water distribution systems.

Parts of the butterfly valve

Body: This is the main body. It is usually situated between two pipe flanges

Disk: The disk is the device which regulates the flow. It can seal off or open up the flow. The design will depend on the type of valve.

Stem: A butterfly valve may have a one-piece shaft or a two-piece shaft. The stem is usually isolated from the media. This allows a wider applicability as we do not have to worry about its effect.

Seat: The seat of the valve is where the disk regulates the flow.

Application of butterfly valve

Butterfly valves are used widely across various industries and water management systems. It is suitable for high-pressure flows and where we are dealing with slurries. Some of the applications are air, water or gas cooling, slurry flow, high pressure water/steam flow, high temperature water/steam flow, vacuum service and compressed air/gas.

Types of butterfly valve

These are the most common types of valves with butterfly valves exporter:

Wafer-style butterfly valve: This type of butterfly valve has two or more centering holes. This makes the installation easier. It is used in systems meant for unidirectional flow. The valve seals off bi-directional pressure differences prevent back-flow. It is not used as the end-of-the-line valve. Among the advantages of wafer-style butterfly valve is its lightweight and low cost.

Lug-style butterfly valve: This type of butterfly valve has bolt holes that connect with pipe flanges. It has threaded inserts on both sides of the flange and is connected to them by separate bolts. The separate bolts also allow us to disconnect the valve on one side without removing the other. This type of butterfly valve also has a low pressure rating. The threaded bolts also makes the valve operation safer. The lug valve can be used end-of-the-line.

Rotary valve: Used mostly in the powder processing industries, the rotary valves has pockets that differentiate it from the general butterfly valves. The pockets are used to deposit solids when in work.

Flanged valve: As the name suggests, this valve has a flange face on either sides. This is the most common design in large valves.

Welded: This design is used when dealing with high pressure flow. Because of the high pressure, this is not usually used in plastic-lined valves.

Benefits of using butterfly valves

Ease of operation: A butterfly valve offers ease of operation because not only is it easy to open, it also opens quickly. This is largely possible because of its handle. The handle of the valve can be turned a full 90 degrees. This makes a complete closure or opening possible. In large butterfly valves the handwheel is connected to the stem in the gearbox, which makes it easy to operate despite the large size. However, it is not as fast.

Cheap: The butterfly valve has a simple mechanism that requires few opponents. This makes its assembly easy and inexpensive. In most designs we need few parts that are affixed with bolts. This means that it is cheap to build for butterfly valves exporters. Along with the ease of operation, it is one of the most economic valves in terms of cost and operation.

Size: Although you find large butterfly valves, these are equally common in small size. The size means that it can be found anywhere. The simple design needs little space for operation.

Easy maintenance: Butterfly valves have very low wear and tear. These also require less maintenance. In other words, these are durable with low maintenance. Both factors make it even more economic.

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