Mar. 07, 2024
Mechanical Parts & Fabrication Services
In order to most effectively work with valves, you need to know the most important components of valves. Valves are assembled products that consist of 7 major parts so today, you will learn about the different parts and what each component does.
The valve body not only houses other valve parts including the disk and seat but it also is the main pressure-retaining part of the valve. It is also where fluid passes through the valve as both ends of the valve body are connected with piping. The ends can either be threaded or flanged or finished with butt-welding types that depend on the size and pressure of the piping system. Valve bodies come cast or forged in a variety of materials including cast steel, stainless steel, and alloy steel depending on the requirements of the valve as a whole.
The bonnet is the second pressure-retaining component of a valve and is also referred to as the cover. It is connected to the valve body to create the valve enclosure. In the case of globe, diaphragm, gate, or stop check valves, it has an opening where the valve stem passes through and provides access to the internal parts of the valve when maintenance is needed.
The valve stem’s purpose is to transfer the required motion to either the disc, plug, or the ball in order to open and close the valve. It is connected to the valve actuator, lever, or handwheel at one end and the valve disc at the other end.
In a gate or globe valve, the stem uses the linear motion of the disc to open or close the valve while in plug, ball, and butterfly valves, the disc is rotated to open or close it.
The disc is the part of the valve that either allows or stops the flow, depending on where it’s positioned. A valve disk can be forged, fabricated, or cast.
The seat is one of the main parts of the valve that directly affects the rate at which the valve leaks and is an integral part of the valve body. Valves can have one or more seats depending on the type of valve. For example, a gate valve has two seats, one that sits on the upstream side and the other on the downstream side.
Valve trim is the collective term for the removable or replaceable internal parts that come into contact with the flow medium. These parts include the valve seat, disc, glands, spacers, guides, bushings, and internal springs.
The actuator is the mechanism that operates the valve and is connected to the stem and disk assembly. It can be manually operated by a handwheel, lever, gear, chain, or through the motor, solenoid, pneumatic, or hydraulic mechanism.
Valve trim refers to the operating parts of a valve that are usually exposed to the process fluid. In this article, you will learn more about the meaning of valve trim, review a valve trim chart, learn about the material selection process, and review the selection process in action by comparing two common trims: trim 5 vs. trim 8.
The trim, particularly the mating elements that regulate the stream to the controller’s demands, is at the heart of the control valve. Each process is distinct in its own right, necessitating particular flow control features. Valve trim includes the stem, plug, disc, seating surface, etc. It’s also the plug and seat arrangement’s actual shape. The flow properties of the valve are determined by the shape of the valve plug.
Shaping the valve trim changes the operating characterization of the valve itself. For example, a stem-guided globe valve’s plug profiles can be specified to be either quick-opening, linear, or equal-percentage.
Plug ProfileA quick opening valve plug significantly increases flow with a minor initial change in stem travel. Thus, a modest percentage of stem lift achieves near maximum flow. Quick open plugs can quickly create full flow for on-off applications.
Regardless of plug position, the linear profile delivers step-wise identical changes in flow per unit of valve stroke. Linear plugs are used in systems where the valve pressure drop is a significant fraction of the total system pressure drop.
The equal percentage valve plug generates the exact percent change in flow per fixed increment of valve stroke at any point along its characteristic curve. This type of valve trim sees frequent use in high specification applications.
The valve’s flow characteristic curve describes the relationship between valve stem position and flow rate through a control valve. The curve plots the valve opening percentage vs. the maximum flow coefficient (CV). This is established by monitoring the flow rate at several points along the valve’s passage while maintaining a constant differential pressure across the valve. A variant of the generalized Control Valve CV equation computes the CV value at each valve position.
The valve trim parts are usually made by a lathe machine and they include the back seat, glands, spacers, guides, bushings, retention pins, and internal springs.
A disc is the initial valve trim component. The disc is the component that, depending on its position, enables, throttles, or stops the fluid flow. The name of the valve often originates from the type of disc. Examples include gate, ball, plug, and needle valves, which have discs that are the same shape as the name.
Featured content:A valve disc can be forged, cast, or manufactured. The sealing face of the valve disc is occasionally hardened to improve wear resistance. The disc required a smooth machine surface to reduce friction with a seat; the valve disc is a pressure-maintenance component.
In the closed position, a disc rests against the stationary valve seat. The stem may move via manual or automated actuation.
The seat provides the disc with a place to set and seal against. A valve may have more than one seat. There is only one seat on a globe valve and a swing-check valve. A gate valve and a ball valve, on the other hand, have two seats, one upstream and the other downstream.
The efficiency of the seal between the valve disc and seat is directly proportional to the seat leakage rate. Valve seats can be permanent or removable rings. Seats on valves are often screwed, welded, or integrally cast or forged, and are toughened through heat treatment or hard facing.
For optimal sealing, the seating area must have a fine surface polish. For non-critical applications, non-metallic seats were utilized in some ball valves and plug valves. Valve manufacturers produce numerous styles of combination valve seats that combine elastomer and metal seats to attain the requisite leak tightness that metal seats alone cannot achieve.
The back seat comprises a shoulder on the stem and a mating surface on the underside of the bonnet. When the stem is entirely open, it forms a seal. It inhibits media leakage into the packing chamber and into the environment. Note: For safety reasons, it is NEVER recommended to change the packing while the valve is under pressure.
The stem links the handwheel/actuator and the disc. The valve disc moves and positions from the stem movement. The valve stem delivers the required motion to the disc, plug, or ball for the valve’s opening, closing, or setting. The stem connects the valve’s actuator, handwheel, or lever at one end to the disc at the other.
The linear motion of the disc opens or closes the valve in gate and globe valves, whereas the disc rotates to open or close the valve in the plug, ball, and butterfly valves. Stems are typically stainless steel and typically attach to the disc via connections or other mechanical means.
Trim materials such as discs, seats, stems, back sheets, and sleeves are grouped together and assigned one number called trim number or combination number. This defines the material grade for each component.
This system, provided by API, allows for a range from 1 to 18.
API Trim No.MaterialSeatDiscBackseatStemNotes1410410410410410 2304304304304304 3F310310310310310 4Hard 410Hard 410410410410Seas 750 BHN min.5HardfacedStelliteStellite410410 5AHardfacedNi-CrNi-Cr410410 6410 and Cu-NiCu-NiCu-Ni410410 7410 and Hard 410Hard 410Hard 410410410Seas 750 BHN min.8410 and HardfacedStellite410410410 8A410 and HardfacedNi-Cr410410410 9MonelMonelMonelMonelMonel 10316316316316316 11Monel and HardfacedStelliteMonelMonelMonel 12316 and HardfacedStellite316316316 13Alloy 20Alloy 20Alloy 20Alloy 20Alloy 20 14Alloy 20 and HardfacedStelliteAlloy 20Alloy 20Alloy 20 15304 and HardfacedStelliteStellite304304 16316 and HardfacedStelliteStellite316316 17347 and HardfacedStelliteStellite347347 18Alloy 20 and HardfacedStelliteStelliteAlloy 20Alloy 20 API Trim Materials (1 through 18)Understanding the material selection process is critical to engineering any application and/or part design. All valve applications are built on the foundation of material selection.
The most economical trim material is stainless steel. Available in different grades, this material provides strong resistance to erosive, corrosive, and temperature impacts and provides an excellent all-around choice.
In addition to stainless steel, more expensive materials such as Monel, Alloy 20, and Cu-Ni may be selected. These materials, sometimes referred to as exotic materials, generally are more expensive and have longer lead times than stainless.
Manufacturers’ guidelines should be followed for trim selection. One must consider trade-offs between the initial cost and the estimated service life. For instance, it may be a poor decision to select Stellite trim if it extends the valve’s service life by 20% but doubles the price. It’s essential to think about reliability, downtime, and labor costs.
Applications engineers should not try to correlate operating pressures to anticipated wear.
Hardened trim suits most high-pressure applications. Although solid hard plugs are more cost-effective for valves under 1 inch in diameter, a hard material overlay is more cost-effective for larger sizes. These overlays work well for services such as superheated steam, two-phase flow, and high temperatures over 600°F (315°C).
Usually, a few front-runners emerge in the trim material selection. For example, two similar trims are Trim 5 and Trim 8 which may be paired against each other. To determine which is the best choice, compare the characteristics of each trim number.
DetailsTrim No. 5Trim No. 8Nominal Trim410 – Full Hard faced410 and Ni-CuTrim CodeF6HFF6HFSStem and other trim parts410 (13Cr) (200-275 HBN)410 (13Cr) (200-275 HBN)Disc/WedgeF6+St Gr6 (CoCr Alloy) (350 HBN min)Monel 400® (NiCu Alloy) (250 HBN min)Seat Surface410+St Gr6 (CoCr Alloy) (350 HBN min)Monel 400® (NiCu Alloy) (175 HBN min)Trim Material Grade13Cr-0.5Ni-1Mn/Co-Cr-A13Cr-0.5Ni-1Mn/Ni-CuTrim number 5 provides strong service in high pressure, slightly erosive, and corrosive service between -265°C and 650°C. It is a great fit for high-pressure water and steam service. Trim number 8 provides long service life up to 593°C. It suits moderate pressure applications and corrosive conditions. Generally, trim 5 is considered superior due to the higher degree of hardening.
In this example, determining whether trim 5 vs. trim 8 is the best fit is a matter of understanding the service conditions, but also an exercise in product availability and calculating both the initial capital investment and expected service life. This exercise holds true for all valve trims and all service conditions.
Need help? Feel free to reach out to the QRC Valves team for technical support.
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