Floating ball valve and fixed ball valve
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May I ask: Can a floating ball valve and a fixed ball valve be interchanged? In a floating ball valve, the ball is floating; under the pressure of the medium, it can move to a certain extent and press against the seal ring at the outlet end, thereby ensuring sealing at that outlet. It operates with single-sided forced sealing ； In a fixed ball valve, the ball is fixed and does not move under pressure; therefore, during design, the two sealing rings must have sufficient pre-tightening force to ensure sealing, resulting in a double-sided forced seal. Typically, thrust or sliding bearings are installed on the upper and lower valve stems that are integrated with the ball. When designing a floating ball valve, special attention should be paid to whether the material of the sealing ring can withstand the load exerted by the medium acting on the ball. Since all the load from the working medium acting on the sphere is transferred to the outlet seal ring, this floating ball structure is widely used in medium and low pressure ball valves. Furthermore, the need for a large torque to operate large-diameter ball valves should also be taken into account during design.
Regarding your question of whether a floating ball valve and a fixed ball valve can be interchanged, it depends on the specific usage conditions and requirements that need to be met. Firstly, they are designed for different conditions and purposes. As you mentioned, the design of the floating ball valve allows the ball to move to a certain extent under the pressure of the medium, which makes it quite suitable for use in medium and low-pressure systems. In contrast, the ball of a fixed ball valve does not move under pressure, which gives it better performance in high-pressure systems and large-diameter pipes. The sealing rings on both sides of the fixed ball valve provide sealing simultaneously, which enables the fixed ball valve to be used in more complex fluid control systems, such as those with bidirectional flow. However, in not all cases can the two be simply interchanged. Floating ball valves may not provide an effective seal when subjected to high pressures, while fixed ball valves may not be the most suitable choice for small-diameter pipes or low-pressure environments. For your specific system and requirements, it may be necessary to consult a professional valve engineer or manufacturer to determine which type of ball valve is most suitable. .
It was explained well; please talk more about it, and ideally in a systematic way.
Professional manufacturers tell you the rule: use floating type for low pressure and small diameters (below DN200); use fixed type for large diameters or high pressure (above DN200 and with a pressure of over 40 kilograms); use forged steel for small diameters with high pressure