Structure types of ball valves

Ball valves are available in a variety of body styles, including reduced bore, full bore and V-notch. Each of these ball valve forms offers specific advantages depending upon the requirements of the given application. The body consists of several parts of the valve including the bonnet and trim. Ball valves can come in a variety of styles to ensure proper function in the system.

Reduced port ball valves have an opening that is smaller than the diameter of the piping. The media flow through the valve is limited to 75%. Reduced port valves have higher pressure drops.

Full port ball valves have a ball with a bore equal to the inside diameter of the pipe. The advantage to this design is they minimize the pressure drop across the valve and keep the flow from being restricted as it flows. They can be used for throttling applications.

V-notch ball valves bodies have a similar construction to standard ball valves. The difference lies in the contoured V-notch in the ball, which produces an equal-percentage flow characteristic. They have good rangeability, control, and shut off capability for use in the paper industry, chemical plants and power industry. The ball remains in contact with the seal during rotation and produces a shearing effect as the ball closes to minimize clogging.

Reduced port and full port ball valves are considered recovery valves. Recovery valves can be used in systems with a low pressure drop and high flow coefficient. Ball valve bodies can also come in three configurations depending on the installation and maintenance requirements of the system.