A stainless steel ball valve is a fitting that is attached to the juncture or the end of a pipe. It is used to regulate the flow of gas or liquid. These valves are found in all kinds of shut-off valve application. Inexpensive plastic versions, nylon and pvc, are manufactured for residential use while high-end, high-precision ones are used in industrial applications. The latter could be as large as several feet in diameter. Some of these are made using an amalgamation of various metals and can prove to be very expensive.
A stainless steel ball valve is constructed in a specific manner. It is made of a smooth plastic or metallic ball that is encased in a smooth cavity. This ball is flanked by a ring-shaped seal and is attached to the entry and exit ports of the valve. The ball has an open port which is also called a bore. This core runs right through the steel ball on one side. The sealed valve stem shaft has a handle connected to it. When the valve is switched-off the port stands perpendicular to the pipeline that holds the valve and the flow of either the gas or the liquid gets completely blocked.
This ball valve has an intuitive operation. When the handle is pulled-up perpendicular to the pipe, the flow gets shut-off. Dropping the handle down parallel to the pipeline makes the ball turn 90 degrees. This opens up one end of the port and the flow from one side of the pipe to the other is literally an unrestricted one. The primary function of these valves is for an “on” “off” function. However, some ball valves are designed especially for throttling operations where the flow of liquid or gas has to be modulated. These will have a port that is shaped like a football or a “V” shaped one as well. There are certain precautionary measures that have to be taken.
Since the ball is smooth and slippery, it can be either opened of shut with considerable ease. Liquids cannot be compressed and fully opening or closing a valve sometimes creates water-hammering. The sudden shutting-down action sends a shock-wave of sorts into the liquid which in turn leads to an impact on the mechanism itself. This can damage the equipment that is connected to the pipe. Critical, high-flow applications have dampeners attached to them. The opening and closing rates of the valves can be regulated with these fittings. Some industrial set-ups literally have thousands of valves that are fitted at various pipe junctures and joints. Ball valves can be one piece, two piece up to four piece. Other common valves in brass, bronze, pvc or 316 stainless are globe valves, gate valves, check valves and butterfly valves.
In order to ensure that there is no tampering of these valves, camlocks (also called quick couplings) can be fitted to them. These locks are used in residential and industrial applications alike. They can range from uncomplicated and inexpensive designs to rugged and heavy-duty ones. The camlocks that you buy will be dependent on the equipment that they are going to be used for. Industrial equipment is essentially different from residential ones in that it has be stronger, the safety levels that have to be maintained are different and strict quality standards have to be followed in their manufacture. Stainless steel and Aluminium camlocks are most used and ideal for oil, fuel and water trucks.
Anix Valve USA has all kinds of Camlocks on offer. A Stainless Ball Valve can be used either in residential or industrial applications.