Ball Valves in Power Plants(II)

CONSTRUCTION FEATURES

Many power plant ball valve manufacturers are machining valve bodies from forged bar stock materials with massive wall thicknesses far exceeding that of rising stem valves. Several use the same valve body design on 1.5-inch and smaller sizes for all pressures classes—so that an ASME Class 1500 valve may actually have an ASME Class 4500 body. This standardization reduces raw material inventory, streamlines machining, shortens production times and allows for virtually unlimited alloy material selection. Usage is restricted by the pressure and temperature rating stated on the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tag and relevant American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.

Valve manufacturers produce a ­variety of power plant ball valve body designs, including two-piece end entry (Figure 2), one-piece end entry (Figure 3) and bolted bonnet top entry (Figure 4). Different seat designs are produced: integral seat, pressed-in seat, welded seat and locked seat. All designs incorporate a downstream sealing seat, with an upstream ring used as a guiding, balancing and bearing surface.

These designs all include a large cross-section conical load spring (Belleville washer) behind the upstream bearing ring. The designs feature live-loaded stem packing, although several methods provide this live-loading (Figure 5). Some use one large central Belleville spring, while others use four, equally spaced spring sets. Packing design varies among manufacturers—some use a single die-formed ring with wire-braided backup while others use multiple die-formed rings, and still others use top- and bottom-braided rings with internal die-formed rings.

- See more at: http://www.valvemagazine.com/