Explosion Proof 3-Piece Ball Valves are designed to shut off fluids, steam and gases. These valves offer a full-flow body design that minimizes pressure drop and line turbulence.
One-piece ball valves have a single body portion and are not easily repaired, so they’re not suitable for high-demand applications. Two-piece valves have independent components that connect to each other either threaded or bolted.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel Explosion Proof 3-Piece Ball Valves are a great choice for applications where flammable or toxic gases may be present. They feature a double body seal design, live-loaded stem and seat seals to help reduce fluid resistance and improve the ability to withstand high cycles.
They have an anti-blowout stem that can handle high temperatures and are available in a variety of sizes and end connections including socket weld, flanged, or threaded. They can also be supplied with electric or pneumatic actuators and are able to be used in either on-off or modulating mode.
The full port, 316 investment cast Stainless Steel body and ball offers unrestricted flow with minimum pressure loss. A primary stem packing with graphite and an adjustable secondary packing of PTFE & PEEK provide fire safe protection. A built-in ISO 5211 actuator mounting pad makes these valves easy to automate. Other features include a fire safe design approved according to API 607; built-in anti-static devices for the ball-stem-body; and a pressure balance hole in the ball slot.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is a type of metal that contains low levels of alloying elements and has a high carbon content. It is an industrial metal that can be tempered to achieve excellent hardness. Carbon steel can be used to make tools that require hard materials, such as knives or axles.
3-piece ball valves are easier to service than one-piece valves, making them ideal for high demand applications that require regular maintenance. They can be disassembled to be cleaned and repaired without removing them from the pipe system.
The main parts of a 3-piece ball valve include the body, stem, and handle. The body of a 3 piece valve is solution annealed and investment cast to offer optimum strength. Its edges are machined curved to reduce wear on the seat and increase the number of cycles between maintenance. The handle is insulated from the valve to protect against electrical damage. The valve can be manually or electrically actuated.
Alloy Steel
Full port 3-piece SS ball valves maintain a full opening for high flow rates with minimal pressure drop. They have a blowout proof stem, reinforced PTFE seats and seals for longer life and a 316 SS (ASTM CF8M) ball for better performance. Actuators are direct mounted creating a compact assembly for tight spaces. Limit switches are able to be mounted directly on the valves allowing for remote position indication.
These welded full bore explosion proof ball valves are designed for petrochemical, chemical and steam applications with full body and seat welding, anti-static design, redundant stem packing and ISO 5211 actuator mounting pad for ease of actuation. All threaded or flanged ends are weld to the body to eliminate tailpiece unthreading, leakage and corrosion. Welded joints are also more likely to remain tight through a fire than screwed or flanged joints. The body is heat marked for traceability and CMTRs (Certified Material Test Reports) are available.
Cast Iron
Iron is found in many different metal alloy groups, including carbon steel, stainless steel, and superalloys. It is also the main ingredient in cast iron, which can be used for a variety of applications, from cooking pans to building structures and even works of art.
Most cast iron is gray or white, based on the color of fractured parts of the metal. It is brittle and has low tensile strength, but it can be hardened by prolonged heat treatment to form ductile iron.
Ductile iron has nodules of graphite, which are small spheres that have blunt boundaries. These blunt edges help alleviate stress concentrations in the material, making it more resistant to fatigue and abrasion. It is less hard than gray iron, but harder than wrought iron. It is also more machineable, and can be cast into shapes to create parts for cars, tractors, and other equipment. It is also used to make pipes for water and gas delivery.