BALL VALVES

Ball valves use a metal ball with a hole bored through the center, sandwiched between two seats to control flow. Used in many hydrocarbon process applications, ball valves are capable of throttling gases and vapors and are especially useful for low-flow situations.

A ball valve consists of a valve body in which a large sphere with a central hole equal to the inside diameter of the pipe is mounted. As the ball is rotated, in the fully open position the valve provides the through conduit or full bore required for unrestricted flow of the fluid and scrapers or pigs. Compared with a gate valve, a ball valve has very little resistance to flow in the fully open position. The ball valve, like the gate valve, is generally used in the fully open or fully closed positions.