Tel:+86-17717520739
Email:info@shxvalve.com
Address: NO.720, Suide Road, Jiading District,Shanghai, China.
2022-09-23
Side entry ball valve is a ball valve whereby a ball is assembled from the inner part. Side entry ball valve is assembled in two or three pieces. Each piece of assembly uses bolts or studs similar to how two flange pieces are joined.
Side entry ball valve is made from forge metal to help reduce defects that occur when the valve is made by casting. Using studs to assemble the pieces of side entry ball valves makes it easy to align. These valves are manufactured using composite or metal seats configured with a single or double piston effect that enhance double blocks and bleeds in open and closed positions.
Side entry ball valve is used in various applications such as low emissions, cryogenic, crude oil, high temperatures, crude oil, natural gas, transmission pipelines, transmission lines, measuring stations, pumping, and compression reinjection among others. The side entry ball valves find many applications because of their many advantages such as simple design, small weight, and volume, easy to disassemble and repair, quick operation, offers bubble-tight seal, among others.
What is a side entry ball valve?
The side entry ball valve is a valve in which a ball is assembled from the inner part. The assembly is usually in three or two piece body. Each piece is assembled by use of a stud or bolt similar to joining two flange pieces. These valves are produced from forge metal. Each part of the body is forged and then they are assembled. Such construction helps to reduce defects that arise from casted valves. These valves are easy to assemble as components are easy to align. Side entry ball valves are the most widely used ball valves.
Side entry ball valve is designed to enhance high performance and it has a robust design as per international standards. Side entry ball valves contain metal soft or composite seats which can be configured with either double or single piston effect to enhance double block and bleed in both closed and open positions. Side entry ball valve manufacturers make the valves with forgings and independent bellows or springs loaded floating seats that are always kept in contact with the ball. This makes the valves a preferred choice for various demands such as cryogenic, low emission, high temperatures, crude oil, natural gas, transmission lines, transmission pipelines, measuring stations, compression, reinjection, and pumping units among others.
How does a side entry ball valve work?
Side entry ball valve manufacturer make the valve with a spherical closing unit that helps in on/off flow control. The spherical unit has a bore through its center. When in the open position, a valve is kept in a position that aligns the bore or port to the pipeline direction. This allows fluid to flow through it. When you rotate this valve for an angle of 90o, the port becomes normal to the path of flow which closes the valve and prevents fluid flow. Inside the side entry ball valve, the most common design is the one that uses the two-way design. This helps the fluid to flow linearly from the entry to the exit. Side entry ball valves have been known to have a long service life and reliable seal even if the seal is not used for a long time. Side entry valves are known to tolerate contaminated fluid better compared to other valves. These valves have also been used to control fluid flow rate. However, the use of this valve to control fluid flow rate is not common because accurate control of fluid is not easy.
Types of side entry ball valve
Soft seated side entry ball valve
This is a side entry valve ball classified based on seat material. In this type of side entry ball valve, a non-metallic soft material is used to cover most applications. These valves are made using thermoplastic materials such as NBR, PTFE among others. A side entry ball valve made of these materials can easily be damaged when abrasive media or high temperature or high-pressure fluid is used. In soft seated side entry ball valve, elastomeric or thermoplastic seats are fixed in a metallic seat ring or holder. This helps to provide soft seat action in the valve. The key features of a soft seated side entry ball valve are:
Metal seated side entry ball valve
These side entry ball valve is made of metallic materials like 316 SS, Monel among others. Side entry ball valves made of these materials are known for zero jamming, tight shut-off, wear resistance, good corrosion, and smooth control, a wide range of temperature, wear resistance, good stability under pressure among others.
The key features of a metallic-seated side entry ball valve are:
Two-piece side entry ball valve
This is a side entry ball valve made in two pieces where the ball is held in its position using a stud. This type of side entry ball valve can have a reduced bore or full bore design.
Three-piece side entry ball valve
This is a side entry ball valve that has one centerpiece and two end pieces. This type of side entry ball valve is mostly online maintainable. When the body bolts are removed and only one is kept, the body can easily be swung away by use of the last bolt as a fulcrum which helps to do any maintenance or installation on the valve. This helps to reduce the time taken on maintenance.
Floating side entry ball valve
These side entry ball valves are also known as seat-supported side entry ball valves. These valves have the following main features:
Trunnion mounted side entry ball valve
The main features of this type of side entry ball valve are:
Components of side entry ball valve
Valve body
This is the major component of the side entry ball valve and it contains all the internal parts for enhancing on and off operations of the valve.
Rotary ball
This is a ball that has a center hole through which the fluid flows. This gives the primary characteristic that differentiates between the ball valve and other types of valves. Through one axis, the ball hole connects the valve inlet and outlet.
Stem
This is the part of the side entry ball valve that helps to connect the ball to the outside control mechanism. Stem helps to control ball direction.
Seats
These are discs lying in between the body and the ball. They provide the necessary seal between body and ball as well as support the ball.
Power source
The source of power in a side entry ball valve could be a manual actuator or automatic actuator. For manual power, actuation is done via handles and levers that are used by the operator during on and off operation to control flow. An automatic actuator uses a pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic power source. The power is responsible for providing energy to the stem to rotate the ball and thus control flow.
Packing
This is a seal placed around the stem to ensure no fluid escapes.
Bonnet
This is the component of the side entry ball valve that contains the packing and stem.
Specifications when you need to purchase side entry ball valve
The specifications needed by the manufacturer or vendor when purchasing a side entry ball valve are:
Applications of side entry ball valve
Advantages of side entry ball valve
Disadvantages of side entry ball valve
Troubleshooting side entry ball valve
External leakages
Leakage at the socket connection
Leakage at the union nuts
At stem
Internal leakage
Frozen movements
This is the case where the valve is difficult to close/open accompanied by stem shear break. The probable causes and solutions are:
Structural damage