Questions about spherical gate valves?

The expandable spherical gate valve is a type of pipeline isolation valve with a new design, jointly developed by Sinopec Engineering Company (SEI) and Zhejiang Petrochemical Valve Co., Ltd.; the **patent for this invention was granted in 2003 (Patent No.: ZL03219993.7). This valve incorporates the advantages of gate valves and ball valves in terms of structure and operating principle, while overcoming their disadvantages; hence it is regarded as a next-generation version of gate valves. Its installation and connection dimensions are the same as those of ordinary gate valves, allowing it to be used as a replacement for them. A specialized standard for this product has been established: JB/T 10673-2006. It is included in the **Torch Program projects as well as Wenzhou’s major scientific and technological initiatives for patent commercialization. Over the years, it has been widely used in the petroleum and chemical industries, with total production value exceeding 300 million yuan. The structure and operating principle of this valve combine those of gate valves and ball valves, giving it advantages such as a large flow area, good self-locking capability, and easy operation; there are also other notable advantages. 　　1) The sealing pair consists of a spherical surface (spherical lobe) against a conical surface (valve seat); the sealing specific pressure is high, making sealing easy. 　　2) During the opening and closing process of the valve, the sealing surfaces separate from each other, resulting in no friction between them; thus, the valve can be operated with less effort and has a longer service life. 　　3) When the valve is opened, it only needs to be lifted a short distance – 90° of rotation is sufficient – so the opening time is short, only one-tenth that of a gate valve. 　　4) It requires less installation space, only two-thirds that of a gate valve, which is beneficial for pipeline layout. Expanding spherical gate valves are widely used at the Jinling Petrochemical Branch of Sinopec. Between 2005 and 2013, Jinling Petrochemical placed orders for 11 batches, totaling 892 valves, which were installed in units for atmospheric and vacuum distillation, catalysis, heavy catalysis, hydrogenation, hydrogen production, and coking. The nominal pressure of these valves ranges from PN16 to PN160 (CL150 to CL900), while their nominal diameter ranges from DN100 to DN600 (NPS 4 to NPS 24). The material used for the valve bodies is mainly WCB; other materials such as WC6, C5, and CF8 are also used. The suitable media for this valve are the same as those for ordinary gate valves; therefore, it represents the latest generation of gate valves. Valves are highly favored by operators because they not only open and close quickly but are also easy to operate. 　　This valve also has certain limitations when it is installed and in use. Due to the large space inside the valve body, if there are welding rods, slag, sand, stones, or other solid debris in the fluid, they can easily accumulate within the valve body and be difficult to remove. Ordinary gate valves also have grooves at the bottom of their valve bodies, and they face the problem of the gate not being able to descend due to the accumulation of solid debris. If the solid particles are not very large (with a diameter of no more than 1 mm), as in catalytic and coking units, the concentration of solid particles

Spherical seal gate valves feature zero friction at the sealing surface, which greatly extends the valve’s service life and improves its sealing performance; they also allow for rapid opening and closing. Feel free to contact me if you need more information. I’ll send you the detailed technical information.