Buried Ball Valves: Design Features & Maintenance Guidelines
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Buried ball valves are essential fluid control devices that play a crucial role in various applications. With their fully welded design, excellent sealing capabilities, and adaptable channel structure, these valves can withstand harsh conditions of high pressure and temperature while providing reliable solutions for deep-buried installations. To ensure the long-term stability and safety of these ball valves, proper maintenance and care are vital. This article will explore the design features of buried ball valves and key maintenance considerations to help users maximize their performance and extend their lifespan.
Design Features
Buried ball valves are specially designed for underground piping systems, showcasing remarkable performance in many industrial applications. Here are the main design features.
1. Fully Welded Structure
Seamless Connection: The fully welded design reduces the number of joints, minimizing leakage risks and enhancing overall strength and durability.
Improved Sealing: Welded connections enhance the sealing capability of the valve, making them particularly suitable for high-pressure and high-temperature environments.
2. Channel Design
Constant Diameter Channel: This design minimizes changes in fluid speed and pressure, making it ideal for high-flow transmission.
Reducing Diameter Channel: This design effectively adjusts flow rates when connecting pipes of different diameters, ensuring system flexibility.
3. Ball Types
Fixed Ball: Suitable for high-pressure environments, providing stable sealing performance.
Floating Ball: The ball moves slightly under fluid pressure, enhancing sealing and reducing impact on the valve.
4. Double Piston Effect Sealing System
Multiple Sealing Design: The double piston design ensures effective sealing during valve opening and closing, preventing media leakage and increasing safety.
5. Stem and Body Configuration
Long Stem with Long Body: The long stem design allows for easy operation from the ground surface, improving usability in deep installations.
Long Stem with Short Body: This design is ideal for tight spaces, reducing footprint and facilitating installation and maintenance.
6. Direct Buried Installation
Environmental Adaptability: Valves designed for underground use can effectively resist external factors like soil corrosion, temperature changes, and ground pressure, ensuring long-term stable operation.
Maintenance Considerations
Following strict maintenance practices is crucial when cleaning and maintaining buried ball valves to ensure proper functioning and extend their lifespan.
1. Before Maintenance
Keep the Valve Closed: Before maintenance, ensure the valve is closed to avoid safety hazards from pressurized fluid leaks.
Release Pipeline Pressure: Always relieve the pressure in the pipeline and open the valve before maintenance to ensure safety.
Disconnect Power or Gas Supply: Ensure all power and gas supplies are turned off before maintenance to prevent accidental device activation and ensure worker safety.
Separate the Actuator: When disassembling the valve, separate the actuator from the bracket for easy inspection and cleaning.
2. During Maintenance
Confirm Pressure Relief: Ensure that upstream and downstream pipeline pressure has been fully released before disassembling the valve to avoid safety risks.
Avoid Contamination: During assembly, ensure that the valve body and parts are free of metal shavings, fibers, grease (except specified uses), dust, and other impurities to maintain proper valve function and sealing.
Tighten Bolts Properly: Bolts on the flange must be tightened symmetrically and gradually to ensure sealing and stability, preventing leakage due to loose bolts.
Choose Appropriate Cleaners: Ensure that the cleaning agents are compatible with the valve’s rubber, plastic, metal components, and working media. For gas media, metal parts can be cleaned with gasoline, while non-metal parts should use purified water or alcohol to ensure cleaning effectiveness and material safety.
Clean Correctly: Disassembled parts can be cleaned by soaking, while non-dismantled non-metal parts should be wiped with a clean, fine cloth soaked in the cleaning solution to remove grease, dirt, residue, and dust without affecting valve performance.
Timely Reassembly: Remove cleaned non-metal parts immediately to avoid prolonged soaking, which may affect performance. After cleaning, wait for the cleaner to evaporate before reassembly; do not leave parts sitting for too long to prevent rusting or dust contamination.
Lubricate Properly: The lubricants used should be compatible with the valve’s metal, rubber, plastic materials, and working media. Apply a thin layer of grease to the surfaces of the sealing grooves, rubber seals, and sealing and friction surfaces of the valve stem to ensure good sealing performance and smooth operation.
Regular Inspections: In addition to routine maintenance, conducting regular comprehensive inspections is essential. Check the valve’s sealing, operating condition, wear, etc., to identify and address potential issues promptly, preventing failures.
Conclusion
Buried ball valves, with their unique design features and wide range of applications, play an important role in underground piping systems. By following the maintenance considerations outlined above, users can ensure the safe and reliable operation of buried ball valves, extending their lifespan and improving the overall efficiency and stability of the piping system. Regular maintenance will help identify potential issues early, prevent accidents, and provide more stable fluid control solutions across various industries. Considering the design and maintenance of buried ball valves can further enhance the system's economy and safety, ensuring smooth operations.
