What Are Some of the Common Valves Used in the Oil & Gas Industry?

Valves are an important forged component in any pressure system. They work together with flanges, nozzles and other pressure vessel connections for the flow of air, gas and fluids within a piping system.

Functions of Valves in the Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Industries

Valves are a critical component in any piping system for the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. These are used to shut off or turn-on the flow of fluids, control the flow rate of the fluid, and isolate and protect equipment and personnel.

Ball Valve

Ball valves are the standard in the industry for opening and closing the flow of a liquid through a piping system. It uses a ball-shaped disc to control the flow within the pipe. They are simple valves that can be used for air, gas and liquid, they can handle extremes in temperature, and seal tight with low torque.

They can be used to open and close the flow through the piping system. They cannot control the rate of flow—which is one of the reasons why some choose a butterfly valve over a ball valve in some situations.

Butterfly Valve

Butterfly valves are used for both shutoff and regulating the flow of fluids within a piping system. They are simple valves that can be used on very large pipes. They use quarter-turn rotational valves which are typically controlled by some form of electro-mechanical means via a control-box, actuator, or motor of some kind.

Because they have a simple design and construction, they are used a lot in fluid-based piping systems.

Globe Valve

Globe values are typically manual valves–but can be used as part of an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic flow control system. These valves are used to throttle the flow rates in high-pressure, high-volume systems. Some examples of where you might see globe valves are in cooling water systems and for transporting fuel oil.

Gate Valves

These valves are designed to open or close the flow of liquid in piping systems. It is the most common valve used for these applications because of its use as a “shutoff” valve. These valves cannot be used to throttle or regulate the flow rate of the fluid.

Check Valves

Check valves are used for one purpose in piping systems: to prevent backflow within it. In complex piping systems there are many situations where backflow can damage equipment. In these cases, check valves are essential to help reduce maintenance and downtime within the piping system.

These are just a few of the valves commonly used in petrochemical piping systems.

Looking for a Manufacturer of Forged Valve Components?

Forged Components Inc. (FCI) manufactures forged valve components for a variety of commonly used valves in the oil & gas and petrochemical industries. FCI specializes in forging valve bodies and adapters from a wide range of material grades that it carries in its vast raw material inventory. They can deliver such components in a very timely manner for different industry applications. For more information, please give us a call (281) 441-4088 or contact us online to speak to one of our sales staff.