As an alternative to one-piece ball valve body designs, a new split-body valve series with a two-piece bolted-body design meets ANSI take-out dimensions for either a long full port or short reduced port pattern.
Engineers typically discard larger, one-piece body valves when seat failures occur. In many cases the equipment required to repair a one-piece body design is not available. One-piece body designs can have very finely threaded seat retainers, which tend to cause galling, a problem only amplified when it comes to stainless steel valves. Upgrading and converting a valve to have a metal seat, when it has a one-piece body design, is expensive and time-consuming.
On the other hand, the two-piece body design can accommodate a variety of hard-seat materials, including Peek, UHMPFE and other exotic materials.
A two-piece design offers:
• Ease of maintenance and seat change out;
• Lower cost and lighter weight than full port;
• Improved flow control; and
• Custom V-Port options.
Given the ease of ball valve change-out in the two-piece body design, full-port valves are easily converted to V-Port control. A reduced-port control valve offers better performance with more options, to customize flow at lower prices and torques.
It is now possible for a reduced port valve body to be provided with the same ease of assembly and disassembly as a full-port version.
Flo-Tite’s EZ series, two-piece reduced-bore flanged-end ball valves, are available in 6- through 14-inch ANSI Class 150.
Robert M. Donnelly is vice president of marketing with Flo-Tite Valves & Controls.
Flo-Tite Valves & Controls
