What are Knife gate valves?
A fluid flow inside a pipeline has various physical aspects that need to be controlled or regulated. There are different piping components that can facilitate the regulation of the flow. Valves are one of the most useful components to do this. And there are gate valves that are used for on-off operations. The Knife gate valves are a type of gate valves that operate in a system with highly viscous fluids to cut through the fluid and shut down the flow when necessary.
Where are knife gate valves used?
A Knife valve is most useful in thick media which contains slurry and suspended fluids that are difficult to shut down while flowing. The knife-shaped sharp edge of the gate facilitates cutting through this thick fluid and blocks the way. So the Unidirectional knife gate valve is used in slurry operations, waste management, and in high viscous effluent discharge systems. Food processing, oil processing, and a few chemical processing applications use knife gate valves to effectively manage the fluid flow.
How does a knife gate valve work?
As all gate valves, the Knife edge valve has a stem attached to it, and a handwheel is attached to the stem. The handwheel is rotated to raise or lower the knife edge into the seating. When fully open, the gate does not interfere with the flow at all. This implies minimum pressure drop through the valve. When the valve is closed, it cuts through the medium and lowers into the seat. To control the operation, Electric knife gate valve is used. The light weight of the valve is one of the main advantages that it is more cost-effective than other types of valves.
Can knife gate valves be installed upside down?
The intended position for the gate valve is to be installed in a horizontal pipeline with the handwheel of the Manual knife gate valve facing upwards. However, other positions are accepted. The valve can be installed upside down. Different installation positions have different wear-off ratios, and the position can also induce the Wafer knife gate valve to wear off unevenly. The fluid flow rate, viscosity, valve material, and other parameters have to be considered before installing the knife valve in different positions.
Features and benefits of knife gate valve
In different valves, there are body cavities below the valve gate. In the Flanged knife gate valve the body cavity is absent. This eliminates the accumulation of effluents in the body cavity and the blockage of the pipeline. In case the valve body is damaged, it could be replaced without changing the entire valve system. The Motorized knife gate valve can be automated, and the valve is also self cleaning due to the forced release of particles or suspended solids when the gate is closed.
How long does a knife gate valve last?
Valves have to stay longer in the pipeline. If a valve is fixed in a location, it is meant to stay there for longer than the pipe. In general, the Actuated knife gate valve or any other valve has a lifespan of ten years. However, depending on the frequency of operations, the fluid inside the pipe, the environment in which the valve operates, and the valve material can influence the lifespan. In high wear-off systems, the lifespan can be shorter, and in a low frequent operation, the lifespan can be longer.
