A Great Comparison between Gate Valves And Butterfly Valves: The Best Choice of Valves under Different Working Conditions!

Structural Characteristics

The structure is complex, consisting of multiple components such as gate plates, valve stems, and sealing parts, and the manufacturing process requires high standards.

The structure is simple and compact, composed of basic parts like valve bodies, butterfly plates, and valve stems, and the manufacturing process is relatively simple.

Production Cost

It is relatively high due to the complex structure and high requirements of the manufacturing process.

It is relatively low. With a simple structure, it has an obvious cost advantage.

Fluid Resistance

When fully opened, the gate plate is parallel to the flow direction of the fluid, resulting in low resistance and small pressure loss, which is beneficial for scenarios with high flow requirements such as long-distance transportation.

When in the open state, the butterfly plate is in the middle of the pipeline. Compared with the gate valve, it has relatively greater resistance and a certain amount of pressure loss, and it is not very favorable for long-distance transportation scenarios that are sensitive to pressure loss.

Opening and Closing Operations

For large diameters, it is relatively labor-saving to open and close with appropriate transmission devices. However, due to the long stroke of the gate plate, the opening and closing time is relatively long, and it is not very suitable for working conditions that require frequent and rapid opening and closing.

The butterfly plate rotates around the valve stem, enabling quick opening and closing. It can quickly respond to control instructions and is suitable for occasions that require frequent switching of the valve state.

Sealing Performance

Through precise machining and cooperation with good sealing materials, it has good sealing performance and can be used in pipeline systems that transport toxic, flammable, explosive and other media with high sealing requirements.

Relying on the sealing structure between the butterfly plate and the valve body, under harsh working conditions such as long-term use or high pressure and high temperature, the sealing reliability is slightly weaker, and its application is limited in environments with extremely high sealing requirements.

Flow Regulation Characteristics

It is mainly used for full open or full close control, and the flow regulation is relatively less flexible.

It can achieve continuous regulation within a certain range by changing the rotation angle of the butterfly plate, and it is practical for scenarios where the flow accuracy requirement is not extremely high and flexible flow adjustment is needed.

Wear Resistance

It is relatively good under normal use conditions. However, in case of failures, the maintenance difficulty and cost are relatively high.

The sealing surfaces between the butterfly plate and the valve body are prone to friction during frequent opening and closing, so the wear resistance is limited, and the wear problem is more prominent when transporting media containing solid particle impurities.

Installation Space Requirements

A relatively large space height is required during installation, and it may be inconvenient to install in pipeline layouts with limited space.

It has a small volume and light weight, and has more advantages in installation environments with limited space.

Applicable Media Range

It can adapt to a variety of media, including common media as well as special media with corrosiveness, high temperature, and high pressure (by selecting appropriate valve bodies and sealing materials).

It can also adapt to a variety of common media, but under extreme working conditions of some special media, there are relatively more limitations in aspects such as sealing.