Most industries use valves. It manages the fluid and gaseous movement. Of these commonly known types, there are ball valves and needle valves. Both have unique purposes by design and application. Thus, to know what you must pick for your system, you have to know about the basic difference of these two valves.
What is a Ball Valve?
In a ball valve, the flow is controlled by a spherical disc referred to as the ball. The flow through the pipeline is allowed only when a hole in the ball aligns with the pipeline. If the ball is rotated 90 degrees, the flow gets stopped. Ball valves are highly efficient in quick shutoff and show good durability, hence often used in places where full flow control is required in applications like oil and gas, chemical, and water industries.
What is a Needle Valve?
A needle valve uses a very thin tapered pin to regulate flow. It works by gradually tightening or loosening the needle-shaped plunger inside, which allows for very fine adjustments in the flow. Needle valves are used where very accurate flow control is required. Such applications include hydraulic systems, gas metering, and laboratory equipment, among others. They come in handy with applications involving small flow rates with accuracy.
Important Differences Between Ball Valves and Needle Valves
Ball Valves: It is characterized by an on/off control with relatively quicker response but not so useful for close flow regulation.
Needle Valves: Its design is actually for close control of flow with fine adjustments wherein the regulation of the desired flow rate becomes important.
Ball Valves: They have relatively simple design. The rotating ball permits 90-degree open/close operation, which is very effective in realizing a quick shutoff.
Needle Valves: These have a threaded, needle-like plunger to control flow. As such, they are best suited for applications that require gradual, smooth changes in flow.
Ball Valves: They are most applicable in systems that require a fast shut off like water systems, oil pipelines, and industrial plants.
Needle Valves: They can widely be applied in applications where the need is for controlling flow with accuracy. That can be including wide ranges of chemical laboratories, gas metering, and fine-tuning hydraulic systems.
Ball Valves: Really tough and excellent for high-pressure and high-volume applications.
Needle Valves: These are generally used for low-flow and low-pressure applications but do have better control at those pressure levels.
When to Use a Needle Valve
Needle valves excel in any applications where fine flow adjustments are required, such as:
Gas flow regulation: Capable of offering great control over gas flow, especially in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, welding, and chemical processing.
Hydraulic systems: Fine the flow of fluid to control it and provide high accuracy pressure in small amounts.
Laboratory equipment: Often used to regulate fluids and do delicate experiments in a broad number of experimental setups.
Conclusion
The selection of a ball valve versus a needle valve would be more with respect to the specific application or requirement of the system being considered. In high-flow applications, ball valves are very good for immediate complete shutoff; however, in low-flow applications requiring tight control, needle valves are more suitable. Both have their own specific advantages, thus being very useful in an industrial system.
