Question: Is it suitable to use ball valves in operating conditions of 300+-50 degrees?
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I currently have a system design: I have chosen ball valves, both pneumatic and manual types, with metal seals, and the valve diameter ranges from DN25 to DN80； Operating conditions: Temperature of 300~350 degrees, PN16, with hydrogen, silicon powder, and chlorosilane as the media. Now the owner has pointed out that the ball valve has issues such as leakage and slow response under these operating conditions (mainly due to temperature), and recommends replacing it with a gate valve. May I ask: Is the ball valve suitable for these operating conditions? (I chose an imported brand; the quality of ball valves from such brands is generally reliable.)
A hard-sealed ball valve should be used. The service life of such a ball valve is related to the number of times it is operated per year; it is advisable to inform the supplier of this figure, as the hardness and material of the ball selected by the supplier will also vary.
Hoho!~ The wear-resistant ball valves are either VTI or Nalees... Their typical service life is half a year to one year
High-temperature ball valves do not have a long service life, especially since your medium contains particles.
It’s possible! A regular carbon steel with a temperature rating of 300 will work, but a hard-sealed version is necessary due to the high temperatures and the presence of particles. It should hold up for about a year without any problems.
It is recommended to use ball valves instead. Gate valves have relatively narrow sealing surfaces, and the valve disc and seat rely on friction for sealing; wear caused by silicon dust will occur more rapidly in such cases. Alternatively, disk valves could be considered – they feature a rotating valve core, and the valve disc and seat can automatically grind against each other through horizontal relative movement, thereby ensuring a longer sealing life
Personally, I think a gate valve would be more suitable for the process you mentioned. I recall having read somewhere that bottom valves are needed when dealing with particles; if my understanding is incorrect, I hope the experts here can correct me. :lol
Ball valves are more than suitable; under your operating conditions, they have a long service life.
Just to add, can hydrogen reach such high temperatures? If it’s just hydrogen gas, the temperature isn’t very high, so a Q41F-16C valve will suffice; I used this type of valve in a bell-type heating furnace before. Beijing Alken Valve Co., Ltd., Zhang Zilong, 13554412277
I think silicon powder is a solid powder, so there is no problem in using a metal hard-sealed ball valve. Primarily, attention should be paid to the performance of the supplier under identical or similar operating conditions.