Description

Ball valves are durable and usually work to achieve perfect shutoff even after years of disuse. They are therefore an excellent choice for shutoff applications (and are often preferred to globe valves and gate valves for this purpose). They do not offer the fine control that may be necessary in throttling applications but are sometimes used for this purpose.

Ball valves are used extensively in industrial applications because they are very versatile, supporting pressures up to ***0 bars and temperatures up to **0°C. Sizes typically range from 0.5 cm to *0 cm. They are easy to repair and operate.

The body of ball valves may be made of metal, plastic or metal with a ceramic center. The ball is often chrome plated to make it more durable.

A ball-check valve is a type of check valve with a ball without a hole for a disc, and is not covered in this article.

There are five general body styles of ball valves: single body, three piece body, split body, top entry, and welded. The difference is based on how the pieces of the valve—especially the casing that contains the ball itself—are manufactured and assembled. The valve operation is the same in each case.