High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve

Size 1/2" to 4" BSP 
Body 316 Stainless Steel 3 piece
Seat 50/50 Stainless Steel & PTFE
Pressure 63 BAR
Temperature -20°C to 220°C
Actuation Spring Retunr Pneumatic with stand off bracket

• What is a High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve ?

  A High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve is constructed of three seperate body pieces and held together by the use of stainless steel tie rods with nuts at either end. It has a direct mounted anodised aluminium rack and pinion actuator fixed to the valve which conducts its 90 degree turn (open,close). This kind of ball valve design makes it easy to remove from the line as you do not need to unscrew its ends from the pipework to maintain the valve. It is also very easy to change the valve seats as you can access them directly when the ends are removed making them ideal for applications where the seat is worn regularly. Our assembly also features an extension pad to reduce heat transfer from the valve body to the actuator. It has live loaded packings and seats that are equal parts stainless steel and PTFE allowing temperatures up to 220 degrees celsius (refer to the pressure vs temperature graph). The actuator has a namur interface and position indicator. The ball valve carries a fire safe certification (API607 Sixth Edition).

• How does a High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve work?

  The High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve works the same as any normal two way ball valve, whereby the ball is rotated 90 degrees within the body of the valve which will either open or close the valve. The ball itself has a hole either end which the media will flow through when it is open. When the valve is closed, these holes are blocked off to the flow effectively isolating the media either side of the valve. The ball is turned by a spring rack & pinion actuator which is connected to a shaft which in turn is mated to the ball by a female slot. When the actuator is operated by a 5/2 valve (the most common we see is a 5/2 direct interfacing namur solenoid valve) the shaft will be rotated effectively turning the ball inside the cavity and switching it to its other state (either open or close). Extras such as limit switch boxes and positioners can also be mounted directly to the actuator. The actuator is considered fail safe as if air pressure is lost it will return to a fail safe position (either open or closed depending upon how it is set up) under torque given by the springs in the actuator.

• How long will my High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve last?

  Like any valve this depends upon the usage case of your ball valve, its environment, media 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 or more. 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 is a reasonable life cycle for the ball valve depending upon the application. Being a 3 piece construction it is relatively easy to change the seats out when there wear which is the main perishable in the valve. These are available as spare parts in a repair kit. The actuators life will depend upon how clean and dry the supply air is (the air that makes the actuator operate) however we regularly test these to over 800,000 cylces. 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. The most common failure we see is due to dirty wet air been sent to the actuator.

• How do I install a High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve?

  These have female parallel BSP threaded ends so it is best to put a male tapered BSP fitting into the valve ends. Thread tape or a sealant should be used to help the seal and also if dissimilar metals are used it will reduce dissimilar metal corrosion. The tie rods can be undone if needed and the ends installed by themselves but this is usually unnecessary and you would have to measure the exact face to face before your installation. The spring return pneumatic 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 or 3/2 valve, the air line 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). If you are running a 3/2 configuration in one port of the actuator only (the spring will do the other part of the operation) then it is recommended a silencer be put into the unused port to help protect it from the surrounding environment.

• What are typical uses of a High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve?

  These High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve are used in a very wide application range. They are quite often used in corrosive environments as they are 316 Stainless Steel such as areas where there is a caustic washdown. It also carries a fire safe certification so they are quite often used in areas where this is a requirement and also in high temperature applications such as steam and thermal oil.  Been double acting pneumatic they are not used in fail safe applications as if you loose air it will just stay in its current configuration.  Being spring return they are ideal for fail safe applications where you need a predetermined position (open or closed) to be reached if air is lost.

• How do I maintain a High Temperature Stainless Steel Spring Return Ball Valve?

  Very little maintenance is required. Routine visual inspections should be carried out to ensure there are no leaks from the flanges or stem area and that the valve is still isolating correctly. For actuated valves, it is recommended to: Periodically cycle the valve to ensure smooth operation, Check air lines and fittings for leaks and Ensure air supply quality meets actuator requirements. The valve body can be disassembled for internal inspection, and replacement seats, seals, body gasket and steam O-rings are available as a complete repair kit. The stem uses O-ring seals, chevron washers and live loaded packing, so no gland tightening is required.

• 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.