Gas valves are flow control devices that play an essential role in any piping system. They are used in the oil and gas industry to handle, regulate and control the flow rates of gases such as natural gas, oxygen and liquefied petroleum.
Engineers also use valves to prevent backflow, regulate pressure in fluids, isolate and protect equipment, as well as direct the refining process of crude oil. Gas valves are available in a variety of materials (plastic or metal) for different fluids (liquid, gas, corrosive, toxic, combustible, etc.), uses (control, on/off) and for use with different temperatures to suit all services and conditions.
In this article, we will discuss 9 common valves used in the oil and gas industry.
Plug valves are conical or cylindrically-tapered ‘plugs’ that can be rotated inside the valve body to start or stop the flow of medium through the valve or pipeline. The plug valves usually have one or more ports that allow fluid to flow through unobstructed when the valve is open.
Advantages: Plug valves are simple and often economical.
Disadvantages: They are smaller in size due to their reduced port and have minimum resistance flow.
Common plug values in the oil and gas industry include:
Bellow-sealed valves are made of steel and commonly used due to their internal construction and axial movement of the valve stem. There are two major types of bellow-sealed valves:
Ball valves are available in various materials and sizes. They are used for the broadest spectrum of isolation applications and are available in full flow and full through conduits.
Advantages: low-pressure drop, quick-acting, straight through flow in either direction, easily actuated, bubble tight shut off & operating torque.
Disadvantages: long “relative” face to face dimension and temperature limitations on seating material.
The function of the gate valve is to start or stop a flow when a straight-line flow of fluid and minimum flow restriction is needed.
During use, gate valves are kept either fully open or fully closed. The disc of the gate is completely removed when turned open, allowing contents to pass through.
Various types of gate valves include:
Advantages: a straight-through flow of fluid in either direction, low-pressure drop.
Disadvantages: slow-acting, takes a lot of space. Not drip tight shut off.
Check valves are also referred to as a non-return valve. Unlike other manually-controlled valves, check valves operate automatically. It prevents back-flow in the piping by constantly keeping fluid flowing in one direction.
Common check valves used in the oil and gas industry include:
As the name implies, this valve is used for high-pressure service. Pressure seal valves are typically used over 170 bar. It comes with a pressure seal bonnet and bolted bonnet for increasing internal pressure and sealing the valve and pressure seal gasket.
The butterfly valve is designed for flow isolation and operates at right angles to the flow. Due to the wing-like action of the disk, butterfly valves have slightly reduced flow characteristics and also provide bubble tightness with low operating torque.
Advantages: compact and lightweight, very efficient, simple and reliable, good regulating characteristics, low-pressure isolation.
Disadvantages: some part of the disc is always presented to the flow, even when fully opened.
An ORBIT valve is capable of working at -104OC to 427 OC, making it ideal for mole sieve dryers and hot oil systems.
Solenoid valves are electromechanically operated valves that are characterized by the strength of the magnetic field they generate. They are used to regulate (open, close, distribute, mix) the flow of gas or liquid in a pipe.
They are widely used in the oil and gas industry as they are not associated with a significant amount of methane emission.
Gas valves are used in a variety of applications and industries, including:
Aerospace Fire service Medical Agricultural Food service Mining Automotive Flood control Petroleum Commercial Food processing Power generation Construction Irrigation Pulp and paper Cryogenic Maritime Semiconductor
The demand for oil and gas is constantly on the rise, and operations have become more complex over the years. Quality valves are essential in oil and gas transportation since they can reduce methane gas emissions in transit.
As global warming continues to be a major concern for the oil and gas industry, performance expectations are now higher than ever. Control valves are essential in the regulation of the flow rate of fluid in a pipeline, reducing the emission percentage. For more information, feel free to get in touch with us.
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