The advantages of high-platform ball valves

1. Easy installation: The high-platform ball valve adopts a new ISO5211 platform structure. There is a platform on the valve stem, allowing the actuator to be directly installed without the need for a bracket, which is convenient for installation and disassembly. When installing the actuator of a common ball valve, a bracket needs to be added first, and the valve fastening bolts need to be lengthened. This is not only troublesome but also costly.

2. Appearance and Craftsmanship: The high-platform ball valve is produced by silica sol casting process, and its appearance is superior to that of ball valves manufactured by ordinary processes.

3. Superior structure

Frictionless opening and closing: It has solved the problem of traditional valves affecting sealing due to mutual friction between sealing surfaces.

Top-mounted structure: Valves installed on pipelines can be directly inspected and maintained online, which can effectively reduce equipment downtime and lower costs.

Single-seat design: It eliminates the problem that the medium in the middle cavity of the valve affects the safety of use due to abnormal pressure increase.

Low-torque design: The valve stem with a special structure design can be easily opened and closed with just a small handle.

Wedge-shaped sealing structure: The valve is sealed by the mechanical force provided by the valve stem pressing the ball wedge onto the valve seat, ensuring that the valve's sealing performance is not affected by changes in pipeline pressure difference. The sealing performance is reliably guaranteed under various working conditions.

Self-cleaning structure of the sealing surface: When the ball tilts away from the valve seat, the fluid in the pipeline passes uniformly at 360° along the sealing surface of the ball. This not only eliminates the local scouring of the valve seat by the high-speed fluid but also washes away the accumulated substances on the sealing surface, achieving the purpose of self-cleaning.

4. Excellent performance

Low fluid resistance: Its resistance coefficient is equal to that of a pipe section of the same length.

Simple structure, small volume and light weight.

Tight and reliable: The sealing surface material of ball valves widely uses plastic, which has good sealing performance and has been widely used in vacuum systems.

Easy operation: It opens and closes quickly. It only needs to be rotated 90° from fully open to fully closed, which is convenient for remote control.

Easy maintenance: The ball valve has a simple structure, and the sealing rings are usually movable, making disassembly and replacement relatively convenient.

Wide application range: The diameter ranges from a few millimeters to several meters, and it can be applied from high vacuum to high pressure.

5. Strong corrosion resistance: During the production process, materials with strong corrosiveness are given priority to ensure that the high-platform ball valve has acid and alkali resistance.

6. High precision: The internal structure design has been optimized to prevent dripping during use.

7. Relatively low price: It has a high technological content, but due to the development of ball valve production technology in our country, the price is relatively low.

Daily maintenance methods for high-platform ball valves

1. Preparations before operation: It is necessary to confirm that the pressure in the upstream and downstream pipelines of the ball valve has been completely released before disassembling and assembling the valve.

2. Disassembly and assembly

When disassembling and reassembling, care must be taken to prevent damage to the sealing surfaces of the parts, especially non-metallic parts. Special tools should be used when removing O-rings.

When assembling, the bolts on the flange of the ball valve must be tightened symmetrically, gradually and evenly.

The non-metallic parts of the ball valve should be immediately removed from the cleaning agent after cleaning and must not be soaked for a long time.

After cleaning, the wall surface to be washed should be reassembled after the cleaning agent has evaporated (it can be wiped with a silk cloth that has not been soaked in the cleaning agent), but it should not be left for a long time, otherwise it will rust and be contaminated by dust.

When assembling ball valves, there should be no contamination, adhesion or retention of metal debris, fibers, grease (except for those specified for use), dust or other impurities and foreign objects on the surface of the parts or in the inner cavity.

3. Lubrication treatment: Use grease for lubrication. The grease should be compatible with the metal materials, rubber parts, plastic parts of the ball valve and the working medium. When the working medium is gas, grease such as Special 221 can be used. Apply a thin layer of grease on the surface of the seal installation groove, a thin layer of grease on the rubber seal, and a thin layer of grease on the sealing surface and friction surface of the valve stem.

4. Regular inspection and maintenance

• Valve seal inspection

① External leakage inspection: For the valve stem sealing part of the valve, check if there is any medium seepage. A small amount of leak detection solution (such as soapy water) can be applied around the valve stem to observe if there are any bubbles. If there are bubbles, it indicates that there is leakage in the valve stem seal. It is necessary to further check whether the sealing packing or sealing parts are damaged or aged. It may be necessary to replace the packing or sealing parts to solve the leakage problem. Check whether there is any leakage at the flange connection of the valve. You can also use leak detection fluid and observe whether there are any bubbles coming out of the flange edge. For flanges with slight leakage, it may be necessary to retighten the bolts or replace the gaskets to repair the leakage. In case of severe leakage, it is necessary to first close the valves upstream and downstream, drain the medium in the pipeline, and then carry out the repair.

② Internal leakage inspection: Depending on the type of valve and the working medium, different methods should be adopted to check for internal leakage. For ball valves and butterfly valves, the internal leakage situation can be initially judged by checking whether the position indicator after the valve is closed is accurate.

• Valve operation performance check

① Manual valve operation inspection: Regularly operate manual valves to check whether the opening and closing of the valves are flexible. When opening and closing the valve, pay attention to feeling whether the operating force is uniform and whether there is any jamming or abnormal resistance. If the operation is difficult, it may be caused by excessive friction between the valve stem and the packing, foreign objects stuck in the valve body, or damage to the valve components, etc. Check whether the opening degree indication of the valve is accurate. For valves with an opening indicator, such as control valves, when operating the valve, observe whether the reading of the opening indicator is consistent with the actual opening. Inaccurate opening degree indication may affect the flow control of the system, and the indicator needs to be calibrated or repaired. For manual valves that are frequently operated, it is necessary to pay attention to observing the wear of the handwheel or handle. Excessively worn operating components may affect the operator's feel and even lead to operational loss of control. Severely worn handwheels or handles should be replaced in a timely manner to ensure the safety and accuracy of valve operation.

② Inspection of electric valve operation: Check whether the power connection of the electric valve is normal and whether the wires are damaged, aged or loose. To ensure the normal transmission of the control signal of the electric actuator, the control system can be operated to check whether the valve can accurately open, close or adjust the opening degree according to the instructions. Observe the operation of the electric valve during the operation process, such as whether the opening and closing speed of the valve meets the requirements, and whether there is any abnormal vibration or noise. Abnormal vibration or noise may be caused by damage to the internal components of the electric actuator, mechanical structure failure of the valve, or improper installation, etc. Further inspection and maintenance of the electric valve are required, including checking the working conditions of components such as the motor, reducer, and coupling. Regularly inspect and adjust the travel limit switch of the electric valve. The travel limit switch is an important device for controlling the opening and closing positions of the valve. If the limit switch malfunctions, it may cause the valve to open or close excessively, damaging the valve or the electric actuator. By simulating the full opening and full closing actions of the valve, check whether the limit switch can accurately cut off the power supply of the motor to ensure the operational safety of the valve.

• Lubrication and maintenance

① Lubrication point inspection: Determine the lubrication points of the valve, which generally include the valve stem, bearings, gears and other parts. For different types of valves, the location and number of lubrication points may vary. For example, the main lubrication points of a gate valve are the contact areas between the valve stem and the gate plate and the guide rail. Ball valves require lubrication of the contact parts between the ball and the valve seat as well as the valve stem. Check whether there is sufficient lubricant at the lubrication points. If the lubricant is insufficient, it may lead to an increase in friction between components, affecting the operational performance and service life of the valve. For some valves with grease injection ports, it is possible to determine whether the lubricant at the lubrication points is sufficient by observing the grease injection ports or checking the grease level.

② Select the appropriate lubricant: Choose the suitable lubricant based on the working environment of the valve and the material of its components. Under normal temperature and pressure conditions, lithium-based grease is a commonly used lubricant, which has excellent lubricating and anti-wear properties. For working environments with chemical corrosiveness, such as valves in the chemical industry, lubricants with anti-corrosion properties should be selected. For instance, fluorine grease can resist the corrosion of strong acids, strong alkalis and other chemical substances, providing effective lubrication and protection for valves. At the same time, the compatibility of the lubricant with the materials of the valve seals and other components should also be considered to avoid component damage caused by the chemical properties of the lubricant.

③ Lubrication operation: For valves that require lubrication, lubrication should be carried out in accordance with the correct method and cycle. For manual valves, a grease gun or oil can be used to inject lubricant into the lubrication points. When injecting lubricant, it is necessary to avoid excessive injection to prevent the lubricant from overflowing and polluting the surrounding environment or affecting the normal operation of the valve. For electric valves, some electric actuators have built-in lubrication systems inside, which require regular inspection and replenishment of lubricants. For electric valves without a built-in lubrication system, manual lubrication should be carried out on the external lubrication points. After the lubrication is completed, operate the valve several times to ensure that the lubricant can be evenly distributed on the surface of the components and fully exert its lubricating effect.

• Inspection of valve accessories

① Filter inspection: If a filter is installed upstream of the valve, it is necessary to regularly check whether the filter is clogged. Filter clogging will lead to a decrease in fluid flow, an increase in pressure loss, and affect the normal operation of the valve. The clogging can be determined by observing the pressure difference at both ends of the filter. When the pressure difference exceeds a certain limit, the filter needs to be cleaned or the filter element replaced. When cleaning the filter, follow the correct operating procedures to avoid damaging the filter screen or other components of the filter. For some precision filters, it may be necessary to use dedicated cleaning equipment and cleaning agents.

② Pressure gauge and safety valve inspection: Check whether the pressure gauge near the valve is working properly. Observe whether the pointer of the pressure gauge can accurately indicate the pressure and whether the dial is clear and legible. If the pointer of the pressure gauge jumps, does not return to zero or indicates inaccurately, it may be due to damage to the internal components of the pressure gauge or a malfunction of the pressure sensor. Calibration or replacement of the pressure gauge is required. For systems equipped with safety valves, it is necessary to regularly check whether the safety valves are in normal condition. Check whether the opening pressure of the safety valve meets the requirements and whether it can accurately open at the set pressure to release the excess pressure. The performance of the safety valve can be checked through manual testing or professional testing equipment.