More Than One Valve Or Pump Choice For Every Application

With hundreds of different types of valves in the industry today and thousands of manufacturers globally how do you know which is the best product for your process? Chances are that there may be several good alternatives that could serve you well with a high mean time between failure (MTBF). But the solution is not always 100 per cent clear. The reason there is not a one size fits all. Solution is that every process has variables. The variables can be numerous and certain types of valves will perform better in one set of variables than another. It is often not as simple as just the pressure, temperature and the medium.

- Todd Loudin

Pressure, temperature and medium are excellent starting points though. But what about other variables?

Other factors that may impact your valve selection may be:

• Specific gravity of medium

• Percent solids

• Vertical valve installation

• Isolation required in both flow directions

• Minimum, normal and maximum flow

• Manual, pneumatic, electric or hydraulic

• Supply air pressure provided

• Size of valve

• Threaded Connections

• Velocity of flow

• Percent solids

• Horizontal valve installation

• Isolation required in only one direction

• Concentrations of chemicals contained

• Required tightness of valve

• Voltage of electricity provided

• Pipeline material in which the valve be installed

• Flanged connections

The valve manufacturer or representative who asks a high number of questions and requires specific information will probably be the ones that you should trust. By capturing as much information as possible hopefully leads to less headaches and troubles for the owner.

Acceptable MTBF varies from process owner to process owner and also in various applications. In some brutal processes, a valve that needs to be repaired every six months may be acceptable. In certain processes, if a valve fails or needs repair every 10 years then that valve can be considered poor quality or the wrong choice for the application. If your process is clean and non-corrosive you may choose from a wide variety of inexpensive ball valves. Even when there are corrosive chemicals, you still choose a ball valve with different alloys that are able to survive in corrosive chemicals. Ball valves are produced by the thousands and are widely utilized in a high number of industries.

Dealing with Abrasive Mediums