Industrial range
Ball valves
Quarter-turn valves with a bored ball between two seats: tight shut-off, low pressure drop and simple operation for water, air, fuel, chemical and process lines.
A ball valve opens and closes with a quarter turn of a ball that has a bore through it, held between two seats in the body. In a floating ball valve the ball is held by the seats and pushed onto the downstream seat by line pressure, which gives tight shut-off in small and medium sizes. We supply floating ball valves in one, two and three piece bodies, with flanged, threaded, socket weld or butt weld ends, to ISO 17292 and API 608, Class 150 to 800, in cast or forged steel and stainless steel.
Body styles
| Body | Construction | Ends | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One piece | Solid body with the ball loaded through one end; reduced bore | Threaded | Low-cost small valves for utilities |
| Two piece | Body and end piece bolted or screwed together | Flanged, threaded or socket weld | General process and utility lines |
| Three piece | Center body bolted between two end pieces; swings out for service | Threaded, socket weld or butt weld | Lines where valves are repaired in place |
Standards and ratings
| Standard | Covers | Range |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 17292 | Metal ball valves for petroleum, petrochemical and allied industries | DN 8 to 500; Class 150 to 800, PN 16 to 40 |
| API 608 | Metal ball valves, flanged, threaded and welding ends | Flanged NPS 1/2 to 24, Class 150 to 600; threaded and socket weld NPS 1/4 to 2, to Class 800 |
| API 598 / ISO 5208 | Shell and seat testing | Every valve |
| API 607 / ISO 10497 | Fire type test | Fire safe designs |
| ASME B16.10, B16.5, B16.11 | Face to face, flanges, socket weld ends | As applicable |
Materials and seats
Cast bodies are made in WCB carbon steel, LCB for low temperatures, CF8 and CF8M stainless (304 and 316) and their low carbon grades, and duplex; forged bodies in A105, LF2, F304 and F316. Balls and stems are stainless steel. Seats are PTFE or reinforced PTFE for general service, with harder polymer seats for higher temperatures and pressures; metal seats are made to order for abrasive service.
Fire safe design, anti-static device, lever locking device, stem extension for insulated lines and an ISO 5211 mounting pad for actuators. State the ones you need on each line.
Testing and documents
Every valve is shell and seat tested to API 598 or ISO 5208 and marked with size, class, body material and heat number. Body and bonnet materials are certified to EN 10204 3.1.
Ordering
Ball valve, three piece, full bore, NPS 1, Class 800, socket weld ends, A105 body, 316 ball and stem, reinforced PTFE seats, fire safe to API 607, tested to API 598, EN 10204 3.1, 20 pcs
Ball valve, two piece, reduced bore, NPS 4, Class 150 RF flanged, WCB body, PTFE seats, ISO 5211 mounting pad, tested to API 598, EN 10204 3.1, 6 pcs
Frequently asked questions
Full bore or reduced bore?
A full bore valve has a ball bore equal to the pipe bore, so it can be pigged and loses almost no pressure; a reduced bore valve is one size smaller through the ball, lighter and cheaper. Choose full bore where pigging, low pressure drop or slurry flow matter.
What does fire safe mean?
A soft-seated valve that has passed a fire type test, to API 607 or ISO 10497, showing that it still seals metal to metal after the seats have burned away. Order fire safe valves for hydrocarbon service where your specification asks for them.
Can the valve be actuated later?
Yes, if it is ordered with an ISO 5211 mounting pad. A pneumatic or electric actuator can then be fitted without changing the valve.
Do you supply trunnion mounted ball valves?
We supply floating ball valves, which cover most sizes and pressures in plant and utility piping. Large high-pressure trunnion valves come from pipeline valve specialists.