What is the difference between a plug valve and a ball valve?
Thread Content
What is the difference between a plug valve and a ball valve? Especially in terms of performance, applications, and so on. Among these two types of valves that are commonly encountered, it seems that plug valves are more prone to leakage, and it is also difficult to open and close them. Sometimes the handle of a plug valve gets deformed or even breaks, yet the plug itself doesn’t move at all. What should be done in such a situation? Please let those who know tell me; thanks in advance!
In principle, a ball valve is also a type of special plug valve; the difference is that while the valve element in a regular plug valve is cylindrical or conical-cylindrical in shape, the valve element in a ball valve is spherical. Both types of valves maintain their sealing property by ensuring tight contact between the valve core and the sealing surface, and they both open the flow channel through the rotation of the valve core. If contaminants enter the valve core or sealing surfaces, the valve’s sealing performance will decline rapidly due to wear of those sealing surfaces
I have the same need as the original poster, and I’ve come to learn *
The shape of a plug valve is similar to the part at the bottom through which the acid or base is released during acid-base titrations; it consists of a valve body and a plug with a conical shape. Self-lubricating plug valves have a PTFE bushing between the valve body and the plug, while lubricated plug valves lack such a bushing and require manual application of grease to ensure proper lubrication. Plug valves provide 360-degree surface sealing with adjustable sealing, while ball valves offer linear sealing with non-adjustable sealing ； For valves of the same size, ball valves require a high torque, while globe valves require a relatively lower torque. Different valve types are used in various processes and with different media. I have worked at Flowserve and XOMOX in the past, and I am currently working at AZ. These three companies are among the top three in the world for manufacturing plug valves. If you have any technical questions, feel free to email or call me; we can discuss them together. Li Xuming / 13910177633 / lixuming@263.net
Strictly speaking, plug valves should have better sealing performance than ball valves, but they require more torque. However, the plug valves produced by FluoroSeal in Canada are still easy to operate – the handle does not deform even when trying to open them. This is largely due to factors such as design, manufacturing processes, and material selection; for example, there is a significant difference in performance between PTFE lining materials of domestic origin and those of imported origin.