Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Things To Know About Cylinder Valves

By Marissa Velazquez


Cylinder valves refer to appliances used to open, shut, or modify/change passages through inlets, pipes, or outlets in a manner as to halt, allow, or regulate how fluids flow. These appliances might be as basic as pressing a portion of a hosepipe to regulate the pressure with which water is released or might be very sophisticated. The complicated models are complex ad contain inbuilt electronics for sensing real time events. These versions are very accurate and regulate fluid flow with great precision.

Actuation is the mechanism that enables a valve to open, close up, or do whatever the function it is supposed to do. The simplest kind of actuation is manual while the other one is automatic. Manual actuation requires that a person does the opening, shutting, or any other modifications by hand. Automatic actuation on the other hand is self-performed. There is no need for any external assistance from the operator.

Automatic actuation depends on the occurrence of a certain event. When the event happens, the valve closes or opens up by itself. Such events are normally changes in certain conditions such as air pressure, temperature, or level of fluid in a place. A nice example of self actuation can be observed in a relief safety valve installed in water heating device. When the pressure rises beyond a given point, the valve pops open on its own.

These devices have certain basic parts that are found in almost all models. Some of the basic parts are seats, discs, body, bonnet, seal, stem, and fasteners among many others. The body is the part that comes in direct contact with the liquid being transported. Normally it is made of plastic material that is compatible with the process liquid. The bonnet is mostly constructed with the same material as the body and is often confused with the body.

There are diverse valve ratings though the key ones are the close-off rating and capacity index rating. Capacity index is called flow coefficient sometimes. It refers to quantity of water at a temperature of sixteen degrees Celsius that passes through a certain completely open valve with 1Ib/in2 fall in pressure. When this value is determined, the flow of all kinds of fluids through a similar gadget can be calculated.

The close off rating is the maximum tolerable pressure drop that a device can be placed under when completely closed. It is often a function of power gained from the actuator to maintain the valve closed against pressure. The main limiting factors for the close off are structural components like the stem.

Valves are made from different materials depending on environment they are designed to be utilized in. Air conditioning hydronic gadgets, ventilating, and heating environments do best with gadgets made of bronze and cast iron bodies. The valve material selected must be able to prevent rusting and/or corrosion. Freezing could be stopped through application of commercial glycol though it must be understood that glycol is harmful to give kinds of elastomers.

Cylinder valves come in different sizes to suit various applications. The price varies with the size and material used to build the device. Regular maintenance should be done after installation.




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