manual butterfly valve
butterfly valve 4 inch
6″ butterfly valve
Although ball valves and butterfly valves come with many differences, they have some similarities also. Both these valves are easy to open and are quite popular. They are quarter-turn valves with simple designs and low cost.
Due to these similarities, sometimes it is challenging to choose which one is better, ball valves or butterfly valves. This article will go through some differences between ball valves and butterfly valves to help you make an intelligent choice.
What is Ball valve?
As the name depicts, a ball valve has a sphere-like disc enclosed in a globe-like valve body. Keep in mind that this valve appears hollow that can turn off a lever or handwheel by only 90 degrees.
Then the valve opens to pass the media or close to prevent the media from going so. It is to note that these values are famous for having low-pressure drops.
What is Butterfly valve?
The butterfly valve has a vapor-like disc that acts as a barrier when the disc is closed. The good thing about butterfly valves is that they are compact and only take a quarter turn to open.
Butterfly valves can withstand low temperatures, and all this is because they are lightweight and have a short face-to-face dimension.
The main difference between the butterfly valve and the ball valve is their working mechanism. Let’s discuss the differences in detail.
Ball Valve vs. Butterfly valve
What are the differences between a butterfly valve and ball valve? DBV industrial valve manufacturer will explain from the following aspects.
Application
If the sealing feature of a valve is good, then it means that they are best in service. Ball valves are considered fantastic in sealing and are widely used in critical applications where there is a danger of contamination.
They are also well-suited for gas applications where there is low pressure. Most surprisingly, ball valves can handle freezing temperatures, such as cryogenic industries. On the other side, butterfly valves are affordable and compact enough to fit even a small space.
Butterfly valves are widely used in water services where there is a need to control the medium’s flow. This is why the valves are commonly used in large-scale projects. The butterfly valves can handle pressure up to 285 psi and temperature ranging from -200F to 1000F.
Function
Ball valves are famous for the bubble-tight shutoff, and they are mainly used for isolation. They are not used as the control valve because there is a danger of damaging the valves.
Keep in mind that ball valves show a little pressure drop because there is very little interference. Keep in mind that at this time, the ball valve is opened. On the other hand, they are very good at managing high-pressure applications.
Unlike ball valves, butterfly valves can be used as control valves and isolation valves. But unfortunately, they are unable to give a bubble-tight shutoff. For this purpose, the valve should be an excellent throttling valve where the media should be slow-moving to avoid any kind of friction caused by the media’s fast velocity.
Keep in mind that when the butterfly valve is open, there will be a substantial pressure drop. So whenever the media flows, the disc in the butterfly valve is always in contact with the media. This will cause a change in pressure in the butterfly valves.
On the other side, there should be a bypass valve installation to compensate for the pressure balance or butterfly valves. Unfortunately, butterfly valves are difficult to open manually; therefore, larger butterfly valves may require pneumatic or electronic actuation.
Structure
There is a change in the structure of the ball valve and butterfly valve. If we talk about a ball valve, it has a hollow sphere-like disc inside the valve body. In a butterfly valve, the disc is thin with a relatively thin body.
Conclusion
Along with some differences, ball valves and butterfly valves have some similarities, such as inexpensive, long-lasting, and practical, but the question arises which one to pick. The answer lies in the nature of the projects in which they are required. Whether you are purchasing butterfly valves or ball valves, do not compromise on quality.