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What Is a Ball Valve? Structure, Working Principle, and Industrial Applications

17/04/2026

What Is a Ball Valve? Structure, Working Principle, and Industrial Applications

WHAT IS A BALL VALVE?

A ball valve is an industrial valve used to start, stop, or regulate flow of liquids, gases, or steam in pipelines using a rotating spherical ball with a hole through it.

When the hole aligns with the flow → valve is open.
When rotated 90 degrees → flow is completely blocked.

Ball valves are one of the most widely used valves due to:

Fast operation (quarter-turn 90°)
Excellent sealing performance
High durability
Simple operation

BALL VALVE STRUCTURE

A typical ball valve consists of:

1. Valve Body

Outer shell that withstands pressure (stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron)

2. Ball

Spherical closure element with a bore

3. Stem

Connects actuator/handle to the ball

4. Seats & Seals

PTFE, RPTFE materials for tight sealing

5. Handle / Actuator

Manual lever or automatic pneumatic/electric actuator

WORKING PRINCIPLE

OPEN: bore aligned with pipeline → flow passes
CLOSE: ball rotates 90° → flow blocked

This makes ball valves ideal for quick shut-off systems.

TYPES OF BALL VALVES

Stainless steel ball valve
Carbon steel ball valve
Flanged ball valve
Threaded ball valve
Pneumatic ball valve
Electric ball valve

ADVANTAGES

✔ Fast operation
✔ High sealing capability
✔ Low maintenance
✔ Suitable for automation

APPLICATIONS

Water systems
Oil & gas
Chemical industry
Steam systems
HVAC systems
Fire protection

CONTACT – PHUC MINH ENGINEERING

Phuc Minh Engineering Co., Ltd
Website: pm-e.vn
Email: info@pm-e.vn
Hotline: +84 907 450 506 – +84 902 720 814 – +84 979 737 351

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