List of valves
List of valves. Valves are quite diverse and may be classified into a number types.
Basic types
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The inside of an extremely large butterfly valve
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Three check valves in corrosion-resistant Hastelloy
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Stainless steel gate valve
Valves can be categorized into the following basic types:
- Ball valve, for on/off control without pressure drop, and ideal for quick shut-off, since a 90° turn offers complete shut-off angle, compared to multiple turns required on most manual valves.
- Butterfly valve, for flow regulation in large pipe diameters.
- Ceramic Disc valve, used mainly in high duty cycle applications or on abrasive fluids. Ceramic disc can also provide Class IV seat leakage
- Check valve or non-return valve, allows the fluid to pass in one direction only.
- Choke valve, a valve that raises or lowers a solid cylinder which is placed around or inside another cylinder which has holes or slots. Used for high pressure drops found in oil and gas wellheads.
- Diaphragm valve, which controls flow by a movement of a diaphragm. Upstream pressure, downstream pressure, or an external source (e.g., pneumatic, hydraulic, etc.) can be used to change the position of the diaphragm.
- Gate valve, mainly for on/off control, with low pressure drop.
- Globe valve, good for regulating flow.
- Knife valve, similar to a gate valve, but usually more compact. Often used for slurries or powders on/off control.
- Needle valve for accurate flow control.
- Pinch valve, for slurry flow regulation.
- Piston valve, for regulating fluids that carry solids in suspension.
- Plug valve, slim valve for on/off control but with some pressure drop.
- Poppet valve
- Spool valve, for hydraulic control
- Thermal expansion valve, used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
- Pressure Reducing Valve
- Sampling valves
- Safety valve
Specific types
- Aspin valve: a cone-shaped metal part fitted to the cylinder head of an engine
- Ball cock: often used as a water level controller (cistern)
- Bibcock: provides a connection to a flexible hosepipe
- Blast valve: prevents rapid overpressures in a fallout shelter or a bunker
- Cock: colloquial term for a small valve or a stopcock
- Demand valve: on a diving regulator
- Double beat valve
- Double check valve
- Duckbill valve
- Flipper valve
- Flow control valve: an application which maintains a variable flow rate through the valve
- Heimlich valve: a specific one-way valve used on the end of chest drain tubes to treat a pneumothorax
- Foot valve: a check valve on the foot of a suction line to prevent backflow
- Four-way valve: was used to control the flow of steam to the cylinder of early double-acting steam engines
- Freeze seal/Freeze plug: in which freezing and melting the fluid creates and removes a plug of frozen material acting as the valve
- Gas pressure regulator regulates the flow and pressure of a gas
- Heart valve: regulates blood flow through the heart in many organisms
- Larner-Johnson Valve: needle control valve often in large sizes used in water supply systems
- Leaf valve: one-way valve consisting of a diagonal obstruction with an opening covered by a hinged flap
- Pilot valve: regulate flow or pressure to other valves
- Plunger Valve: To regulate flow while lowering the pressure
- Poppet valve and sleeve valve: commonly used in piston engines to regulate the fuel mixture intake and exhaust
- Pressure regulator or pressure reducing valve (PRV): reduces pressure to a preset level downstream of the valve
- Pressure sustaining valve, or back-pressure regulator: maintains pressure at a preset level upstream of the valve
- Presta and Schrader valves are used to hold the air in bicycle tires
- Reed valve: consists of two or more flexible materials pressed together along much of their length, but with the influx area open to allow one-way flow, much like a heart valve
- Regulator: used in SCUBA diving equipment and in gas cooking equipment to reduce the high pressure gas supply to a lower working pressure
- Rocker valve
- Rotary valves and piston valves: parts of brass instruments used to change their pitch
- Rupture disc: a one time use replaceable valve for rapid pressure relief, used to protect piping systems from excessive pressure or vacuum; more reliable than a safety valve
- Saddle valve: where allowed, is used to tap a pipe for a low-flow need
- Safety valve or relief valve: operates automatically at a set differential pressure to correct a potentially dangerous situation, typically over-pressure
- Schrader valve: used to hold the air inside automobile tires
- Solenoid valve: an electrically controlled hydraulic or pneumatic valve
- Stopcock: restricts or isolates flow through a pipe
- Swirl valve: A specially designed Joule-Thompson pressure reduction/expansion valve imparting a centrifugal force upon the discharge stream for improving gas-liquid phase separation
- Tap (British English), faucet (American English): the common name for a valve used in homes to regulate water flow
- Tesla valve: A form of check valve with no moving parts, invented by Nikola Tesla for use with fluids.
- Thermal expansion valve, used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
- Thermostatic Mixing Valve
- Thermostatic Radiator Valve
- Trap primer: sometimes include other types of valves, or are valves themselves
- Vacuum breaker valve: prevents the back-siphonage of contaminated water into pressurized drinkable water supplies
In biology
Nature has developed an efficient valve, the sphincter, found in many animals including humans.
References
