Under What Working Conditions Must Gate Valves Be Used? Which Ones Are More Suitable for Ball Valves? Technical Comparison

      Applicable working conditions of gate valves

• Full open and full closed scenarios: Gate valves are suitable for occasions where fluid needs to be completely cut off or conducted. When fully open, the fluid resistance is small and it is suitable for large-flow pipelines.

• High-pressure and high-temperature environments: Gate valves have high structural strength and can withstand high pressure and high temperature. They are often used in pipelines for media such as steam and high-temperature oil products.

• Large-diameter pipelines: Gate valves are designed for large-diameter pipelines and can meet the control needs of large industrial systems for large-flow media.

Applicable working conditions of ball valves

• Demand for quick opening and closing: Ball valves operate quickly and can be opened and closed by only rotating 90 degrees. They are suitable for emergency cut-off or frequent operation occasions.

• High-pressure and high-temperature working conditions: Ball valves have good sealing performance. Metal-sealed ball valves perform stably under high pressure and high temperature and are suitable for the transportation of media such as oil and gas.

• Small-diameter pipelines: Ball valves have a compact structure and small volume, which are suitable for small-diameter pipelines and are convenient for installation and maintenance.

Technical comparison

• Sealing performance: The sealing surface of gate valves has a large contact area and is suitable for high-pressure environments, but it is easy to wear when half open; the sealing surface of ball valves has a small contact area and less wear. Metal-sealed ball valves are more reliable under high temperature and high pressure.

• Operating performance: The opening and closing speed of gate valves is slow, but the fluid resistance is small when fully open; ball valves open and close quickly and have small operating torque, which are suitable for quick cut-off.

• Maintenance cost: The structure of gate valves is complex and the maintenance cost is high; the structure of ball valves is simple, maintenance is convenient, and the service life is long.

• Applicable media: Gate valves are suitable for a variety of media but not for media containing solid particles; ball valves are suitable for gases, liquids and media containing particles and have strong anti-clogging ability.