Butterfly Valve Types and Applications Discussed
Butterfly valves, the versatile players in fluid control, come in a wide variety of types and offer significant advantages, making them indispensable in controlling water, gas, steam, corrosive media, slurries, petroleum products, liquid metals, radioactive substances, and more. Whether for shut-off or throttling, butterfly valves play a crucial role in pipeline systems. Let’s explore them together with leading butterfly valve manufacturers.
1. Classification by Connection Type
Butterfly valves differ in their connection methods, with common types including wafer-style, flanged, welded, threaded, and grooved connections. These diverse options allow butterfly valves to adapt flexibly to various piping systems, meeting different installation requirements.
1. Wafer-Style Butterfly Valve
In wafer-style butterfly valves, the disc is installed along the pipeline’s diameter, ensuring the valve remains fully open when in use. This design is not only structurally simple but also compact and lightweight. Additionally, these valves offer two sealing options: elastic sealing (where the sealing ring can be embedded in the valve body or attached to the disc edge) and metal sealing, providing versatile solutions for different applications.
2. Flanged Butterfly Valve
Featuring a vertical disc design and a one-piece metal stem, flanged butterfly valves ensure robust performance. Metal-seated versions use a composite sealing ring made of flexible graphite and stainless steel, mounted on the valve body, while the disc’s sealing surface is overlay-welded with stainless steel for enhanced durability. Soft-seated models, on the other hand, employ a nitrile rubber sealing ring mounted on the disc, delivering reliable sealing for various conditions.
3. Welded Butterfly Valve
Welded butterfly valves, a non-hermetic type, are widely used in industries such as construction materials, metallurgy, mining, and power generation. They are suitable for media temperatures up to 300°C and nominal pressures of 0.1 MPa, effectively enabling flow control, shut-off, or regulation.
4. Threaded Butterfly Valve
Threaded butterfly valves feature internal or external threads on the valve body, allowing easy connection with threaded pipelines. These valves are extensively used in production environments like construction materials, metallurgy, mining, and power plants.
5. Grooved Butterfly Valve
Grooved butterfly valves incorporate a gear reducer to enhance operability, allowing the disc to stop precisely at any position. These valves typically have a larger nominal diameter, with the valve body made of high-quality carbon steel for durability (though at a slightly higher cost). Instead of a rubber ring, the sealing mechanism uses a metal sealing ring, ensuring superior leak-tight performance.