The service life issue of ball valves

What is the operating temperature? You can contact me

The temperature isn’t above 100 degrees; mainly, steam and cooling water share the same pipeline, resulting in rapid heating and cooling

A mold temperature controller? Rapid cooling and heating will definitely cause damage; it’s a harsh operating environment. Require frequent maintenance, with regular replacement of valve seats and seals. Or sealed with other materials.

It’s normal to say it’s normal, and it’s also abnormal to say it’s abnormal.

Using a ball valve with a soft seal in this manner can indeed cause damage; considering a ball valve with a hard seal might be an option. Of course, the cost will be higher, but the lifespan will be longer – each option has its advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, there are quality issues associated with ball valves with soft seals. Under normal circumstances, the situation you described isn’t that serious; if the quality of the ball valve is poor, it’s quite common to need to replace it every year

How many times is it turned on and off on average per day? Or you can choose maintenance, which would work too:D

This operating condition isn’t too harsh; it depends on the quality of the valve. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact me at 15251600084. We are a valve manufacturer based in Wuxi, Jiangsu. The valves come with an 18-month warranty, so they should be able to handle this type of operation for two to three years without any problems.

Selection and application of sealing materials for high-temperature ball valves in steam systems: In people’s minds, ball valves seem to be used primarily in water systems, and previous failed attempts to use them in steam systems have only reinforced this perception. In reality, watt ball valves are widely used in various industrial and domestic systems; they can be found in high-temperature and high-pressure systems (for example, ball valves with a diameter of 1 meter and operating at temperatures of 700°C), as well as in low-pressure systems (such as low-pressure normal-temperature water systems). In some parts of the Americas, the vast majority of users employ ball valves in steam systems for isolation and shut-off purposes, with check valves being used rarely; in China, however, the situation is reversed. Therefore, the use of valves is largely related to people’s usage habits. Based on the different applications for ball valves, they can be roughly divided into three categories: high-parameter applications, which include ball valves that operate under conditions of high temperature and pressure, low temperature, or large diameters; for example, valves that function at temperatures above 500°C or at temperatures below minus 101°C. These valves are primarily used in power plants, petrochemical industries, and other environments with high operational parameters. They account for the smallest proportion in the overall ball valve market, around 5-10%. In applications with medium parameters, most industrial applications fall into this category, such as steam, natural gas, hot oil, liquid hydrocarbons, high-pressure gases, edible oils, and so on. Compared to the previously high parameters, in these applications the temperature generally does not exceed 350°C, and the pressure does not exceed 40 MPa. Most industrial fluids fall within this range; therefore, in industrial applications, medium-parameter ball valves are widely used, accounting for approximately 20–30% of the total ball valve market. In applications with low parameters, the vast majority of ball valves are used in low-temperature and low-pressure environments such as water systems, air conditioning systems, and low-pressure compressed air systems, where the pressure is generally no more than 0.7 Mpa and the temperature is no more than 150°C. The usage of this type of ball valve is very high, accounting for approximately 50%-60% of the total number of ball valves. The reason why ball valves exhibit such significant differences in their areas of application is that, in addition to the material used for the valve body and its design, the type of sealing surface also plays a very crucial role. Most Wafer ball valves use soft seat sealing surfaces, such as pure PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), reinforced PTFE, PEEK, ACETAL, UHMWPE, etc.; a stainless steel metal seat can also be chosen for regulating and controlling flow. Pure PTFE is quite commonly used. PTFE was first discovered in the 1930s by Dr. Roy Plunkett, a scientist at DuPont, and it was initially employed during World War II in the top-secret Manhattan Project (for atomic bomb research). In the late 1940s, DuPont(r) commercialized PTFE under the Teflon(r) trademark. Later, PTFE was put into commercial use. The unique properties of pure PTFE make it the preferred polymer for many advanced applications. Among all polymers, it has the lowest coefficient of friction and an extremely wide operating temperature range, and has been used in the design of various products, including advanced medical devices and high-temperature industrial equipment. PTFE boasts unique chemical resistance and excellent chemical inertness, making it the preferred sealing material for most ball valves. PTFE has the following properties: it is extremely smooth, with the lowest friction coefficient among all polymers ； The operating temperature can reach up to 230℃ ； Chemical resistance (all common solvents, acids, and alkalis) ； Features such as flame retardancy. Most low-parameter ball valves use PTFE as the sealing material for their seats and stems. Generally, since the maximum temperature tolerance of PTFE is around 230°C, its strength decreases under high temperatures and pressures; therefore, for ball valves made of pure PTFE to be used in saturated steam applications, the recommended maximum operating pressure is 0.7–0.8 Mpag, with a maximum of 1 Mpag. Due to its excellent chemical resistance, PTFE seals can also be used in clean steam systems; the main models include M10V, M31V, and M70V, among others. PDR0.8 is a carbon and graphite-reinforced PTFE material developed by DuPont specifically for use in Taiwanese steam applications. Compared to pure PTFE, it has virtually the same chemical resistance, but its strength is increased; it can also withstand temperatures up to 250°C. It is primarily used for steam and most other industrial fluids. When used with saturated steam, the recommended maximum operating pressure is 1.75 Mpag (208°C); it can also be used with natural gas, oil, fats, hydrocarbons, etc. . PEEK is another distinctive sealing material. In 1977, ICI successfully synthesized PEEK, which was put on the market in 1978 and has since been sold under the Victrex brand name. PEEK material possesses the following properties: high-temperature resistance and thermal-moisture resistance — PEEK is the thermoplastic with the strongest thermal stability available on the market. PEEK carbon fiber composites can withstand continuous operating temperatures of up to 260°C (500°F) in low-stress applications ； When used in aerospace structural applications, it can withstand humidity at 120°C (248°F). PEEK’s excellent mechanical properties: It is the material among all resins that offers the best combination of toughness and stiffness, with strength and fatigue resistance that are even superior to those of some metal and alloy materials. PEEK’s thermal stability and low coefficient of thermal expansion – PEEK carbon fiber composites can withstand thermal shock, and their coefficient of thermal expansion is lower than that of steel, allowing them to replace steel-based products. PEEK’s flame retardancy and low smoke generation: It possesses flame retardant properties without the need for additional flame retardant additives; specimens with a thickness of 1.45 mm can meet the UL-94 V0 standard, and its smoke emission is significantly lower than that of other types of resins. Chemical resistance of PEEK: Apart from being resistant to erosion by strongly oxidizing acids such as high-concentration sulfuric acid, it possesses chemical resistance similar to that of PTFE resin. It exhibits excellent resistance to acids, bases, oxidizers, hydrocarbons, salts, steam, oils, and liquids. Moreover, it maintains its mechanical properties intact in various chemical reagents, making it an exceptionally excellent corrosion-resistant material. Self-lubrication and wear resistance of PEEK: PEEK resin possesses excellent self-lubrication and wear resistance properties; the friction coefficient of the resin after filling can be as low as 0.15, with extremely low wear rates, making it an excellent material for bearings. PEEK’s hydrolysis resistance: It maintains good mechanical properties even after long-term immersion in high-temperature steam and hot water, making it the resin with the best hydrolysis resistance among all resins. PEEK dimensional stability: It has an extremely low water absorption rate and linear thermal expansion coefficient, enabling its products to exhibit excellent dimensional stability in various application environments. PEEK features high purity, low volatility, and non-toxicity: The PEEK resin itself is non-toxic, and its molecular structure is very stable, making it unlikely to produce volatile substances; the highly purified resin obtained through purification processes is an excellent material for biochemical and medical applications. Due to its very wide and unique range of properties, PEEK is also widely used as a sealing material for ball valves, especially in applications with high operating parameters; for example, when used with saturated steam, the pressure can reach 3.4 Mpag (240°C). Acetal is an engineering plastic, which is also referred to as plastic steel in China. Acetals possess high mechanical strength, good heat resistance (up to 80°C), high impact strength, and excellent wear resistance. They are tolerant to certain weak acids and can withstand most organic solvents; they are commonly used in screws, bearings, drums, and other applications. When used as a sealing material for ball valves, these valves can achieve a maximum operating pressure of 3.5 Mpag at room temperature, and are primarily used for high-pressure gases. UHMWPE is the English name for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene; it refers to polyethylene with a molecular weight of 1 million to 4 million. UHMWPE features excellent wear resistance, good resistance to low-temperature impact, self-lubricating properties, non-toxicity, water resistance, and chemical resistance. Its heat resistance is better than that of ordinary PE; however, its disadvantages include a low heat resistance (thermal deformation temperature), poor processability, lower surface hardness and rigidity, weaker creep resistance compared to ordinary engineering plastics, and a relatively high coefficient of expansion. UHMWPE has poor fluidity and extremely high viscosity in its molten state; it is a highly viscoelastic material with rubber-like properties. In the past, it could only be shaped using compression and sintering methods, but nowadays it can also be processed through extrusion, injection molding, and blow molding. UHMWPE can replace materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, and bronze in industries such as textiles, papermaking, food machinery, transportation, healthcare, coal mining, and chemicals. Such as impact and wear-resistant components used in the textile industry, including shuttle guides, shuttle rods, gears, connectors, pick-up rods, buffer blocks, eccentric blocks, rod bushings, and components affected by swinging movements. Used in the paper industry for box covers, wiper blades, compaction components, joints, sealing shafts for transmission machinery, idler wheels, scrapers, filters, etc ； Lining for hoppers, silos, and chutes used in the transportation industry for handling powdered materials. UHMWPE can be used to manufacture various mechanical components, including gears, worm gears, worms, and bearings for food processing machinery. Used in the chemical industry for pumps, valves, etc. Since UHMWPE does not contain Teflon material, ball valves made from this material can be used in the tobacco industry. However, it should be noted that such ball valves cannot be used in steam systems due to their low temperature tolerance (70°C).

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