Valves are everywhere. From your household plumbing to the largest plant in your country. They control the flow of fluid gases or anything that flows through pipes. So if you want to buy valves for your household plumbing it is easy. You need just a couple of types like Ball Valves and Gate Valves.

But imagine you are an engineer and you are designing the flow of chemical in a textile industry. Then is becomes more completed as the type of valve you are going to use depends on a lot of factors.

To name a few:

1. Type of fluid
2. Temperature of the fluid in the pipe lines
3. Speed of the fluid when it running through the pipes
4. Pressure of the fluid in the pipe lines

These are just a few of a long list of variables that you need to account for.

For all these specific needs there are different types of valves designed for each special case

1. Ball Valves:

Ball Valve is he simplest of the valves you can say. It operates by using a ball that rotates inside the housing. They are suitable for simple on/off applications where there is not much pressure.

Most Ball valves are operated by a handle that is mounted in top of the valves connected to its ball inside.

2. Gate Valves:

A gate valve as the name suggests is operated by moving agate like disc up words and downwards with a handle or an actuator mounted on top of the valves. Gate valves are widely used in the industry. There are two types of gate valves

1. Rising Spindle OR OS&Y (Outside Stem & Yoke)
2. And Non-Rising Spindle or NRS

We will go into the details of those in a separate post.

3. Butterfly Valves:

In a butterfly valve the is a rotating disc that is turned by a handle or a gear type wheel to open the flow of fluid. Butterfly Valves are more suitable for low pressure applications.

Butterfly valves are light weight and much cheaper compared to other valves.

4. Globe Valves:

Globe valves have shape of globe and they have a plug inside the body that is used to open or close the flow of fluid. They are suitable for high precision and more controlled flow. They can handle high pressure.

5. Check Valves:

Check valves is type of Non-Return Valve or simple called NRV. These are generally used to prevent reverse flow or back-flow of fluid in pipe lines.

Ther are different type of check valves most common ones are  

1. Swing or Disc type Check valves.
2. Ball check valves.
3. Wafer check valves.

6. Diaphragm Valves:

Diaphragm valve have a diaphragm inside it to control the flow. They are used in contamination prevention environments and have a tight shut-off. Diaphragm valves are bi-directional, on-off throttle valves.

7. Control Valves:

Control valves is a complex type of valves it has an Actuator and a positioner mounted on it for accurate and precise flow of fluid with temperature and pressure. They are used in process control systems where their job is to maintain a certain variable accurately.

8. Safety Relief Valves:

Safety relief valves are a type of Pressure relief valve that opens abruptly upon reaching a certain pressure point.

9. Needle Valves:

Needle valves have a tapered threaded needle like stem onside them that controls the flow of liquids. They are perfect for use in Instrumentation and sophisticated lab environments. The fluid that flows through them is generally pure gases of liquids

10. Pressure Reducing Valves:

Pressure reducing valves are also a type of Pressure relief valves designed to reduce incoming water or steam pressure to a safer constant predetermined downstream level. They are used in water and steam applications.

11. Solenoid Valves:

Solenoid valves are used to remotely operate using an electrical signal. All solenoid valves have a solenoid and a coil that is charged to operate the valves. They are better suited for low pressure and are used in automation and remote-control systems. Pneumatic systems also use them

12. Plug Valves:

Plug valves have a cylindrical or tapered plug that rotates to control flow. They are often used in applications where quick shutoff is needed.

The selection of the appropriate industrial valve depends on factors such as the type of fluid, pressure, temperature, flow rate, and the specific application requirements. Industrial valves play a critical role in the safe and efficient operation of various processes in industries such as oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, water treatment, power generation, and many others. Their proper selection, installation, and maintenance are essential for the reliable performance of industrial systems.