What is a ball valve used for?
How the ball valve works A ball valve is a globe valve that allows, blocks, and controls the flow of liquids, gases, and vapors in a piping system by rotating a ball with a hole in the valve. The ball is mounted on two seats and has a shaft that connects the ball to the operating and control mechanism that rotates the ball. When the cross section of the orifice is perpendicular to the flow area, fluid is not allowed to pass through the valve. Fluid flows through the valve, and the fluid flow rate depends on the area of the hole exposed in the floor. Ball valve is a kind of quarter-turn valve together with plug valve and butterfly valve. They can be operated manually or using actuators. The simplest operation of a ball valve is with a wrench or a lever turned manually by the operator. Apply torque to turn the lever arm 90° clockwise or counterclockwise to open or close the valve. If the lever arm is parallel to the pipe, the valve is open. If the lever arm is perpendicular to the pipe,