How to Select the Right Control Valve for Your Process?

Control valves play an important role in various process industries. They are designed to control the flow of fluids in a system. They are designed to start and stop as well as throttle the fluid flow to ensure efficient process operation. Owing to their increasing use in process industries, today, it is easy to find these valves in different specifications. This large selection may be confusing to users who are purchasing it for the first time. There are several factors to be considered when making a selection. This post aims to ease the

control valve selection

Control valves are differentiated based on their designs and other characteristics. The following are a few important types of control valves in use today:

Directional control valves start, stop or change the direction of flow in compressed air applications. They are one of the most fundamental parts in hydraulic machinery as well and pneumatic machinery. They allow fluid flow into different paths from one or more sources. They usually consist of a spool inside a cylinder which is mechanically or electrically controlled. The movement of the spool restricts or permits the flow, thus it controls the fluid flow. Many manufacturers apply compressed air as the power to operate tools and equipment which are used to make the products they offer. To understand the different applications of compressed air and how valves are used, one must first have a knowledge of the kinds and types of valves used by industries.T ypes of pneumatic directional control valvesWhen choose a pneumatic directional control valves, below factors need to be considered:• Working environment• Acting type (3/2 way, 5/2 way, 5/3 way)• Working pressure • Working temperature• Fluid type ( air, water, oil, etc)• Size (thread size)• Approvals needed (for example: Department of Transportation, Underwriters Laboratory, FDA)