Valves have been made to specifically control the flow of fluids through a pipe. Valves have gained much importance in our day to day lives. Valves play an important role in performing, maintaining and controlling quality, flow and pressure of liquids and gases. The passage of fluids is controlled by opening, closing and obstructing the pipe. Valves have gained immense importance in the oil, gas, mining, water and sewage industries. These valves are also very useful for controlling water for irrigation, industrial process and are also very useful for day-to-day residential uses. There are a wide variety of valves available in the market today that are designed to cater to the specific needs of the users. There are simple valves as well which are used in our daily activities like in washing machines, gas cookers.
Valves can be manually operated and can also be automatic. Some of the types of valves available in the market are poly ball valves, non-return valves, air release valves, foot valves, ratio valves and floor valves to name a few. Changes in pressure, temperature or flow drive the automatic movement of the valves. Valves are closely related to our day to day lives. It has become an integral part of the mechanical industry. Valves consist of a body, seat, bonnet, parts of opening or closing and actuating device to name a few. The valve is controlled by either the actuating device or the movement of the fluid. These two features derive the turning, sliding or the rotating of the parts for opening or closing and are also responsible for changing the area of the flow passage.
These wide varieties of valves available in the market have varied uses that cater to a large number of needs of the users. One of the main types of function that a valve does is to isolate fluids. One of the most commonly used valves is the butterfly valve. Specifically made for the use in broad pipes, these valves also work as a control valve. Butterfly valves come handy in sealing pipes, protecting pipes against damage as well as are considered as energy saver. For instance, in winters, these valves lock in heat which allows the liquid to flow without any obstruction. Butterfly valves are known to regulate pressure levels within the pipes. One of the best features about butterfly valves is that these valves can undergo high levels of oil and also the corrosive properties of salt which makes it very useful for ships.