Butterfly Valves are built based on an easy-to-open and easy-to-close control system. They are mainly used to control the flow of water to the water tank. As the valves can be open and closed very quickly they have a vast range of applications.
As there are a very small number of moving parts, the butterfly valves don't trap any fluid or gas. Therefore, it is very fast to stop and flow of any liquid and gas on demand.
The DUTCO TENNANT’s quick shut-off bidirectional butterfly valves from Watts SeriesW-W1924 are specially designed to meet all the usage of plumbing,
What is A Butterfly Valve?
Butterfly valves are a family of quarter-turn rotational motion valves. They are widely used in the UAE to start, stop, and regulate the flow of water.
Due to very few moving parts their longevity is very well known and their usages are highly recommended in a lot of places. Especially, when the flow control and quick start or stop of flow is extremely necessary, such as plumbing Butterfly Valves play a critical role in sewage treatment.
Components of Butterfly Valves:
Depending on the type of usage the butterfly valves mainly comprised five parts.
Valve Body:
The valve body fits between the pipe rims of collars. The most common end connection types are flanged, wafer, and double lug types.
Disc:
Connected to the valve body there is generally a metal or high-quality durable plastic disc that functions as a gate that stops and controls the flow of fluids or gases.
In easier words, it can be compared to a gate in a gate valve. The disc is generally bored to receive the stem or shaft. There are many variations in disc design, orientation, and disk material to improve flow, sealing, and controlling the flow.
The Watts SeriesW-W1924 stainless steel weld and special nickel and epoxy-coated body seat ensure corrosion and erosion resistance. With this special type of seat design, it is easy to handle up to 27.5 bar water pressure. You can also opt for a Brass Butterfly Valve to reduce corrosion even more.
Seat:
Lining the internal valve body is a strong elastomer or metallic anti-leak seal that secures the disc in place in the closed position to achieve complete shutoff.
The Watts SeriesW-W1924 specially designed HVAC Butterfly Valves’ seats are made of EPDM so that they are useful in any water tank. It is highly effective even in the desert areas of UAE as its operating range is -20C to 120C.
Stem:
The valve shaft or the stem, is the component that connects the disc to the actuation mechanism and channels the torque through itself.
Seals:
Seals are extremely important and they are present at multiple interfaces within the valve to either ensure a tight seal during operations not only to control the flow but also to prevent any unwanted flow through the channels. With The Watts SeriesW-W1924, you can expect zero unwanted flow.
Butterfly Valve Type:
Generally, three types of butterfly valves are widely used for various purposes.
Lug-style butterfly valve:
Lug Type Butterfly Valves have specifically threaded inserts at both sides of their valve’s body. The threading allows them to be installed into a system using two sets of bolts only. No nuts are required for the assembly.
The lug-style valve is installed between two flanges or rims using a separate set of bolts for each flange. This setup allows either side of the piping system to be disconnected on demand without disturbing the other side.
These are great for fire water storage tanks because they can handle up to 150 psi pressure easily.
Wafer-style butterfly valve:
The wafer-style butterfly valve is specially designed to maintain a tight seal against a bi-directional pressure differential to prevent any backflow or reverse flow in systems that are significantly designed for the unidirectional flow of fluid.
The wafer-style butterfly valve achieves this with a tightly fitting seal; i.e., gasket, or o-ring, precision machined, and a flat valve face on the upstream and downstream sides of the valve.
The main drawback is that wafer butterfly valves only have a very limited flow control range. The pressure drops across the wafer butterfly valves the further you go from the source.
Flanged Butterfly Valves:
Flanged Butterfly Valves are used in HVAC, OEM, commercial, and institutional applications and those places where we need a positive shutoff. It is required to control the flow of liquids, gases, and sludges.
The Flanged Butterfly Valves operate on the derivation of the actuators fitted into the valves that control the level of pressure inside the valves resulting in a controlled flow of liquid and gases. This type of valve can be useful for large water tanks where flow control is highly recommended.
How To Tell If Your Butterfly Valve Is Open Or Closed?
Generally, if the valve’s handle is parallel to the valve then it is closed; on the other hand, if the handle is placed perpendicular to the valve then it is open.
On the other hand, the flanged butterfly valves need to be properly turned toward one direction to the designated side to ensure complete shut-off or full flow.
Conclusion:
Butterfly valves are a true miracle of mechanical engineering. If you need a static flow or controlled flow or you want to completely shut off the flow you need to rely on butterfly valves.
From irrigation to home water tanks to fire brigades to HVAC or Large OEMs use these types of valves to ensure they always get the flow of liquids and gases they want.
If you want a company to rely on, then check out DUTCO TENNANT's quick shut-off bidirectional butterfly valves from Watts SeriesW-W1924 for all your plumbing needs.
