Butterfly Valve Review
A butterfly valve, in its simplest sense, open, closes, or controls the flow. It is a mechanical device used to regulate and isolate the flow of certain substances. It acts as a passageway for the entrance or exit of either water, air, or other chemicals. Their design features a disk mounted on a rod (you can know more about this at parts of a butterfly valve article). When closed, this disk blocks off the passageway in which it is mounted, which happens when the valve is turned by a quarter. When it is rotated by another quarter turn, unrestricted flow or passage then occurs. Opening or closing the valve is achieved by a number of turns; hence they are derived from a family of quarter turn valves. This simple design and consistent characteristics are what make this valve a popular one.
These valves appear in everyday use, most notably in a carburetor of a car. This valve is responsible for the flow of air in the carburetor. This is controlled by the car’s gas pedal which allows the entry or exit of air. When the pedal is stepped on hard enough, this allows unblocked passage of air and thus, would send the car moving fast. The simplicity of this valve is responsible for its very extensive and continuous use. Different companies are experimenting on the technology of these valves to further improve their performance. Here is a review of what most companies are trying to sell; note that these features are found in almost all valves of this kind.
- Simple design. Manufacturers and companies alike make it a point to provide a simple appearance and design of a butterfly valve, so as not to surprise the customers or users with a complex appearance. This design consists of fewer parts than its other kin. This simplicity also proves them to be easier to maintain and user-friendly, as well as low costs in repairs due to the lesser of parts this valve has. Because of this simple design and ease in installation, these ball type valves have become quite popular both in household and industrial use.
- Shutdown capabilities (opening and closing). As these are flow control valves, they provide a quick way to shut off piping systems by just a quarter turn. One advantage of these valves is that they are able to provide complete shutoff or modulate the flow of a piping system, making it less troublesome when there is a problem within the piping system.
- Various sizes for different purposes. These valves handily come in an assortment of sizes. They can also be built just specifically to fit a certain piping system, making them very flexible. Initially, they were made for water control, but nowadays, they are also used in regulating industrial and chemical fluids in a power plant.
- High temperature tolerance. Yes, this cutely named valve can tolerate high amounts of temperature in a piping system. Depending on the materials used in making them, they are known to operate in a temperature of 25 degrees up to a whopping 550 degrees. The butterfly valve sure packs a lot of punch.