Common Types of Manual Valve
Date: 2025-06-15 Categories: Valve Knowledge Views: 7092
Excerpt:
Manual valve are critical control components in pipeline fluid conveyance systems. Widely used in industrial applications, they are designed to ensure smooth fluid flow and safe system operation. This article focuses on four common types: manual butterfly valves (featuring a simple structure and easy operation; available in handle-operated and worm-gear types, suitable for pipes of various diameters), manual gate valves (commonly used in water supply systems; available in exposed-stem and concealed-stem types, with an intuitive indication of open and closed states), manual ball valves (used for shutoff, diversion, and flow regulation, with a spherical operating element), and manual globe valves (offering good wear resistance and easy maintenance, though requiring high torque to open and close, with a nominal diameter ≤200 mm). Selection should be based on pipeline characteristics and operating conditions to ensure efficient and stable system performance.
Manual Valve, as critical control components in pipeline fluid conveyance systems, are widely used across numerous industrial sectors. Although they come in a wide variety of types and serve diverse functions, their core objective is to ensure the smooth flow of fluids and provide a reliable guarantee for the safe operation of the system. This article will provide a detailed overview of several typical manual valves that are widely used in the industry.
I. Manual Butterfly Valve
Manual butterfly valves are a common type of valve widely favored for their simple design and ease of operation. Based on their drive mechanisms, they can be divided into two main categories: lever-operated butterfly valves and worm gear-operated butterfly valves. Handle-operated butterfly valves are primarily used in piping systems with smaller diameters, while worm gear-operated butterfly valves are better suited for the control requirements of large-diameter pipelines. Worm gear-operated butterfly valves are driven by the rotation of gears within a gearbox to open and close the valve, making them not only easy to operate but also highly efficient.
II. Manual Gate Valve
Manual gate valves are extremely common in water distribution systems and are operated by opening and closing them using a handwheel. Based on their structural characteristics, they can be classified into two types: rising-stem and non-rising-stem. In rising-stem gate valves, the threaded portion of the stem is exposed, making the valve’s open or closed status immediately apparent; in contrast, the stem of a non-rising-stem gate valve is concealed within the valve body, and the valve’s open or closed status can only be determined once the stem has been turned until it can no longer be rotated.
III. Manual Ball Valve
Manual ball valves and manual butterfly valves have similar structures; both rely on a manual operating handle or handwheel to control the opening and closing of the valve. The opening and closing mechanism of a ball valve features a spherical design; the valve opens and closes through the rotational movement of the ball along the centerline of the valve body. In piping systems, ball valves are primarily used for shutting off, diverting, and regulating the flow of media.
IV. Manual Globe Valve
During opening and closing operations, manual globe valves exhibit relatively low frictional resistance at the sealing surfaces and offer excellent wear resistance. In addition, they feature a moderate lift height, are manufactured with precision, and are very easy to maintain. Nevertheless, due to the high torque required for operation and their relatively long structural length, their nominal diameter is typically limited to DN ≤ 200 mm.
