In modern industrial production lines, reliability and efficiency of media flow control are critically important. This is especially true for areas that require frequent switching or work in remote or dangerous areas. This is where ball valves equipped with pneumatic actuators come to the fore. This combination provides high response speed, reliability and the ability to integrate into automatic control systems.

Operating principle and key features

The ball valve itself is a simple and reliable design. Its locking element is a spherical ball with a through hole. Turning the ball 90 degrees completely opens or blocks the flow. First of all, it is this design feature that ensures minimal hydraulic resistance when open and reliable sealing when closed.

However, manual operation of a large diameter or high-pressure crane can be difficult and slow. Therefore, a pneumatic actuator is used to automate the process. This drive converts compressed air energy into mechanical rotation of the valve stem.

The key advantage of the pneumatic actuator is its high response speed (often fractions of a second) and significant output force. In addition, pneumatic systems are relatively simple, explosion–proof (which is critical in many industries) and are not afraid of overloads - when the stop is reached, the drive simply stops.

Areas of application of industrial cranes with pneumatic drive

Pneumatic ball valves are widely used in a wide variety of industries due to their versatility and reliability.:

• Chemical and petrochemical industry

Flow control of aggressive chemicals, petroleum products, and gases. Corrosion-resistant body materials (stainless steel, alloys), seals (PTFE, PPL) and explosion-proof drive design are especially important here. A ball valve with a pneumatic actuator is often used in metering and emergency shut-off systems.

• Oil and gas industry: Control of oil, gas, and water transportation in fields, main pipelines, and processing plants. High class A tightness (according to GOST or ISO 5208) and high pressure resistance are required.

• Energy : Management of heat carriers (water, steam) in boiler houses and heating networks, water treatment systems. Resistance to high temperatures and pressure is important.

• Food and pharmaceutical industry: Hygienic taps are required (polished surface, no stagnant areas) made of appropriate grades of stainless steel (AISI 316L).

• General industry and water treatment: Process automation

Полная версия