Usage of valves & it’s importance

Global industrial valves market is expected to surpass $77 billion by 2022, according to ‘Global Industrial Valves Market by Product Type, By Application, By Region, Competition.  In the coming years, the demand for industrial valves is anticipated to rise as they are used in various commercial construction projects, automation projects and so on. Increased industrialization, expansion of existing facilities have spurred the demand owing to technological innovations and boost the industry growth.

What’s the world’s favorite form of transportation? The car? The bicycle? The jet airplane? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d pick none of these things. Instead, I’d opt for the humble pipeline. You might not notice pipes, but they’re transporting vast amounts of fluid (liquid and gas) around the world quietly and efficiently, day in and day out. To work efficiently, pipes need a way of regulating how much fluid can pass through them; they also need a way of switching the flow off completely. That’s the job that valves do: valves are like mechanical switches that can turn pipes on and off or raise or lower the amount of fluid flowing through them. Let’s take a closer look at how they work!.

What is valves:

Valve is a device that regulates, controls or directs the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing fluid flow. Sounds a bit complicated? Ok, let me further simplify this.  A valve is a mechanical device that controls the flow and pressure of fluid within a system or Process.  So basically, it controls flow & pressure.

A valve is a mechanical device that blocks a pipe either partially or completely to change the amount of fluid that passes through it. When you turn on a faucet (tap) to brush your teeth, you’re opening a valve that allows pressurized water to escape from a pipe. 

Valves regulate gases as well as liquids. If you have a gas cooktop (hob) on your stove, the controls that turn the gas up or down are valves. When you turn up the heat, you’re opening a valve that allows more gas to flow in through the pipe. More gas burns with a bigger flame so you get more heat.

Valves are pretty much guaranteed to be in any machine that uses liquids or gases.  There’s a valve in your clothes washer that turns the water supply on or off each time the drum rinses out. There are also valves in the cylinders of your car engine, opening and closing several times a second to admit air and fuel and to allow burned exhaust gases to escape.

Importance of Valves :

Valves serve a variety of functions. Such as:

1. Stopping and starting a fluid flow. Depending on whether a valve is open or closed, it lets pass the process fluid or halt the fluid.
2. Throttling the fluid flow . Some of the valves let you throttle the fluid depending open % of total opening. Lesser the opening higher the throttling and otherwise.
3. Controlling the direction of a fluid flow. Multiport valve lets you decide the way fluid will go.
4. Regulating a flow or pressure within the piping system. Some of the automatic control valves maintain the flow and pressure within the system by adjusting opening and closing.
5. Relieve pressure or vacuum from the piping system and equipment. Pressure and vacuum relief valves safeguard the process system from overpressure and during vacuum conditions.

Usage of valves in Food and Beverage:

The food and beverage industry is a large and growing industry with an increasing need for parts and products that keep plants running smoothly .The industry’s many challenges, including safety concerns, have prompted strict material requirements for the valves used in these plants. There are two classifications for valves in the food and beverage industry: those in direct contact with food materials and those handling utility services (i.e. steam, water). For valves which come into direct contact with food, there are regulations in place (issued by such organizations as the FDA) which require that the inside of the valve be smooth enough to avoid trapping particles or bacterial accumulation. Valves made of a soft material must not absorb or hold any product going through the valve. These standards also specify that there should not be dead volume in the valve or crevices where material can be trapped to avoid decay or stagnate. Valves in the food and beverage industry do not face the high pressures or highly corrosive materials that are present in other industries.

Types of Valves:

1. Gate Valve.
2. Globe Valve.
3. Check Valve.
4. Plug valve.
5. Ball Valve.
6. Butterfly Valve.
7. Needle Valve.
8. Pinch Valve.
9. Pressure Relief Valve.

 

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To find out more about the valves in the machines and their use in special packaging machines in CUBII Company, you can follow this video