In the United States, over 40% of food production gets wasted. This can cause businesses to lose great profits. Similar situations are true with other kinds of materials processed by facilities.
Much of this waste happens because of inadequate material handling, such as spillage. One reason this can happen is that facilities are not using the proper types of valves for their machines and equipment. Therefore, managers should ensure that their facilities are equipped with the right valves.
If you don’t know enough about valves, read on to learn more about some common valve types.
How Do Different Valves Work?
Here are some basic valve facts. The primary purpose of valves is to control the flow of the material. They can make the flow start or stop, change direction, and so on.
Experts differentiate valves from each other into a few categories based on their construction. Certain valves have separate handles and means of moving these handles. Below are the more specific categories based on the valves’ discs, plugs, and so on.
1. How Do Ball Valves Work?
The plug of a ball valve, such as a 3 way ball valve, has a shape similar to a ball. It is low-maintenance and inexpensive. Experts also consider it easier and faster to operate than gate valves.
2. How Do Gate Valves Work?
A gate valve has a disc that an operator can raise or lower to stop the flow of material. Experts recommend that this valve remain fully open or closed. Therefore, this valve is not a great choice for throttling.
It is also rather difficult to repair the parts of this valve.
3. How Do Butterfly Valves Work?
The disc in butterfly valves rotates vertically or horizontally like a door. It is simple and lightweight. It is also excellent for throttling.
4. How Do Globe Valves Work?
Globe valves have a plug or disc that, when closed, sits between an upper and lower pipe. It rises or falls to stop or start the flow. It is also great for pressure regulation.
5. How Do Needle Valves Work?
Needle valves are like globe valves, but much smaller. A needle-shaped plug gets raised or lowered between two thin upper and lower pipes. This small size makes a needle valve excellent for very precise flow rates.
Learn More About the Types of Valves and More With Our Other Articles
Beyond this list, there are many more types of valves to explore. To make sure that your facility keeps functioning smoothly, you shouldn’t be searching ‘what are the most common valve types’ every time you need it. You need to learn as much as you can about the different types of valves and be able to choose among them.
Also, you can learn a lot more from the hundreds of other articles that we have on our site. Once you’re finished with this article, go to our search bar and look for different topics. With so many options, you’re sure to find something of interest.
