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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-01-19 Origin: Site
How Does a 3 Way Ball Valve Work?
3-way ball valve is a quarter turn valve widely used in different applications, even though it is not generally considered to be a class of ball valves. This makes it suitable for a variety of applications from chemical processing platforms to water treatment plants to HVAC systems, thanks to its design, functionality, and flexibility. This article discusses 3-way ball valve operating principles and configurations so that you have a better idea about its function in a fluid system.
The major components of a 3-way ball valve include:
Body: The outer housing encasing the internal parts, with ports for the inlet and outlet pipes.
Ball: A round object with a hole drilled through it (port) — when the hole faces the pipe, fluid can flow through.
Stem: A stick that connects to the ball that can be turned manually or automatically.
Seals and Seats: Parts that create a pillow–ensuring no leaking.
This name "3-way" refers to there are three ports on the valve (A, B and C port in general), and A and C provide the flow medium flow path according to the necessary of the application.
The internal design of the 3-way ball valve determines its functionality, and this can be classified into two broad groupings:
The ball in the valve has a T-shaped hole in it.
This design supports three flow patterns:
Straight-through: Fluid flows directly between two ports.
Mixing: Two ports for inlet and one port for outlet.
Diverting: Fluid enters one port and divides into two separate flows.
Perfect to use to blend or for bypassing streams in process systems.
There is an L-shaped hole in the ball.
This design allows fluid to pass through two ports at a time, while the third port remains isolated.
Commonly used for redistributing or separating the flow to alternate lines.
A 3-way ball valve operates in a way where you turn the ball to orient the internal port with the flow path you want. Here’s how it usually goes:
A handle or actuator turns the stem and ball into the right position.
With manual valves, the position of the handle will usually indicate the flow path.
Fluid passes through the connected pathways when the ball’s port lines up with two or more external ports.
In some configurations, the ball can close one port completely, isolating it from the system.
They are highly effective for dynamic systems as they can instantaneously alter the flow direction or cease it completely.
Due to the versatility offered by a 3 way ball valve, they can be used in a wide range of applications, including:
Industrial Processes: to blend or redirect chemicals in process pipework.
Water Distribution Systems: Transporting water to various locations or segmenting flow paths.
HVAC systems: Control of cold or hot water flows for temperature management.
Food and Beverage Industry: Between cups of detergent and production lines.
With knowledge of a 3-way ball valve configuration and operation, you can choose the specific type that best suits your system. Engineering Applications and Devices provides precise control of flow in the other way, whether mixing, diverting or isolating fluids.
Referrer:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_valve
