How to choose a valve?

To choose your valve properly, it is essential to determine what its function will be. Will it be used to regulate fluid or to stop its circulation?

Then it is essential to check what type of fluid must circulate in the circuit: a gas or a liquid? Is it a corrosive fluid, a chemically neutral fluid, a portion of food, or a medical fluid that requires special hygiene conditions?

It is essential to know that stainless steel needle valve manufacturers produce quality valves. In one case, a person will have to be on site to operate the valve, while in the other, the valve can be operated remotely, from a control station, for example.

It is also important to know how the valve is going to be integrated into the circuit and, therefore, the type of assembly or installation, especially if it is to be welded, bolted through flanges, or screwed. Ductile iron valve manufacturers in India produced the best valves.

When you have determined these different elements, you can take an interest in the technical characteristics of your installation, in particular the flow rates and pressures that will allow you to define the dimensions of your valve.

How to size your valve?

To size a valve, you must know the parameters related to the operation of the circuit.

• • The pressure is a key factor to consider; on the one hand, avoiding under-sizing your valve and exposing yourself to valve leakage or rupture problems, on the other hand, to avoid oversizing it.

• • The operating temperature, i.e., the temperature of the circulating fluid. Stainless steel non return valve manufacturers produced a valve body that is able to wear high temperature. It is important that you know the extreme temperatures that the valve will have to endure in order to be able to choose a valve designed to operate under these conditions, especially with regard to the materials used in the manufacture of the body, the closure system, and the parts of the valve.

• • The working pressure, that is to say, the pressure to which the fluid is subjected at the level of the valve.

• • The fluid flow rate and flow velocity. The flow rate and rated speed are essential elements that will help you choose the correct valve, especially if it is to be used to regulate this flow. The flow factor (Kv) is a theoretical value defined by the manufacturer, which makes it possible to calculate the nominal flow rate of the valve. This factor can be indicated in liters per minute (l / min) or cubic meters per hour (m3 / h). Valve manufacturers offer charts that allow this factor to be determined depending on the desired flow rate and the nominal diameter.

• The nominal diameter (DN) of the circuit at the valve. This criterion is vital to avoid oversizing the valve, which could generate unstable operation of the installation or under-sizing it in order to avoid generating a significant pressure drop and quickly damaging the valve.