3 Way Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve

Size 1/4" to 3" BSP
Body 316 Stainless Steel
Seat Reinfoced PTFE
Pressure  63 BAR
Temperature -20°C to 180°C
Actuation Spring Return Pneumatic

• What is a 3 Way Stainless Steel Spring Return Pneumatic Ball Valve?

  A three way stainless steel spring return ball valve operates on the same principle as a two way spring return pneumatic ball valve, but instead of a complete isolation or completely open (2 states, closed or open) it will have one line open and one line closed (in either an L or T port configuration). It is important to note that during its 90 degree turn from one line to another there is a point where all lines are partially open to each other, even though this is for a very short period of time (the time for one cycle depends upon the size of the actuator, your air pressure and 5/2 valve size but is usually a second or so in the smaller sizes and a few seconds in the bigger sizes). The 3 way ball valve itself is made of cast stainless steel (CF8M) with a polished stainless steel ball and a direct mounted anodised aluminium rack and pinion actuator. The size of the actuator will get bigger with the size of the valve as the torque required increases. We match all of our actuators with at least a 30% safety margin in torque for the spring when it is fully extended so you know it will have enough torque to return to your fail safe position with no air.

• How does a 3 Way Stainless Steel Spring Return Pneumatic Ball Valve work?

  The 3 way ball valve will work by the spring return actuator rotating the ball 90 degrees in the valve. This will be in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction depending upon the actuator involved (ours usually open anti clockwise). The actuator itself is controlled by a 5/2 valve (either solenoid or manual) where air will be put into one side of the pistons and exhausted out the other side, allowing the actuator to rotate 90 degrees (in turn rotating the ball). It can also be controlled by a 3/2 valve as the actuator is spring return, air can be used to open the valve (or vice versa) and the spring force to close it once the air is exhausted. We always recommend using a 5/2 valve however as that way you can ensure clean air is being delivered to your actuator which will help it last a lot longer.

• How long will my 3 Way Stainless Steel Double Acting Ball Valve last?

  This depends upon the usage case of your valve, its environment, media, supply air cleanliness and how many times it is cycled. For instance, if it is on a clean media in a clean environment and not cycled regularly, the life will be decades. If it is on a corrosive media and in a dry application with a high cycle rate, the life will be much shorter. We conduct regular lab testing and 30,000 cycles for the ball valve is a reasonable life cycle depending upon the application. The actuator's life will depend upon how clean and dry the supply air is (the air that makes the actuator operate) however we regularly lab test these to over 800,000 cycles. Install a basic air filter if you are not sure about the quality of your air. We have pneumatic actuators that have been in operation for decades.

• How do I install a 3 Way Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve?

  This really depends upon the application it is going into. As this 3 way valve is female threaded, it will need a male thread to fit into each of its ports (eg. male nipple). These should be sealed with thread tape or a thread sealant. As the body is full stainless steel, if dissimilar metals are used this can be a potential corrosion point so make sure they are isolated from each other with some PTFE thread tape. The actuator can accommodate a namur solenoid valve which is a very popular configuration (the 5/2 control valve bolts directly onto the actuator with an o-ring face seal on the back of the valve) or just a standalone 5/2 valve. If you are using a stand alone 5/2 valve, the air lines will need to be run from here into the ports on the actuator (remember the longer the run the slower the operation unless you use quick exhaust valves near the actuator). A 3/2 valve can also be used by running the air into the open port on the actuator. If this method is chosen we would recommend a silencer or exhaust regulator silencer in the unused port as it will help filter out suspended solids being sucked into the actuator from the surrounding environment.

• What are typical uses of a three way stainless steel spring return ball valve?

  These three way spring return ball valves are used on a wide variety of applications. Everything from the food industry, power generation, mining and irrigation. The common theme though is where either a diversion (switching from one line to another) or isolation of one line to change over to another is used. The media can range from water, steam all the way through to corrosive chemicals that are compatible with the materials of the valve. As they have springs in the actuator that have enough torque to actuate the valve without air, you can have a fail safe position (either open or close) if you lose power/air. This is used a lot in the fuel industry where it is quite often necessary to achieve this.

• How long will my product take to get to me? 

  This depends upon where you are based and the freight method chosen. If the express freight option is selected it is usually next day delivery to metropolitan areas in Australia for under 5kg. If free freight has been selected it will go by road freight which can be anywhere from 1 to 10 days depending upon your location. It usually averages 3 days.

• What warranty do I get?

  All of our products come standard with a 12 month warranty. The good news is we have very strict quality controls and all valves leave our warehouse tested (full material and testing certificates to API598 are available) and inspected so there are rarely any issues. Also once your valve is in and operating it will most likely continue to do so for a very long time.