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    Steam Valve

    A steam valve, is a type of valve used to control the flow of steam from the source, e.g the boiler to the point of use, steam valves are also used to control the pressure of the steam. Steam valves can be of a nature called clean steam valves, or sanitary steam valves, these types of valves are used in for example the pharmaceutical, food and beverage sectors where the steam comes into contact with the end product, and needs to be of a sanitary nature.

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    How does a steam valve work?

     

    A steam valve can be a complete shut off ball valve, designed to operate within the temperature and flow characteristics of the media, to enable complete shut off.

     

    clean steam valves - Gestra

     

    An actuated steam valve is used to control the flow of steam within the system, by using a positioner and form of feedback to allow the regulation of the media.

     

    What type of valves are used in steam applications?

     

    Many different types of valves are available to use on steam applications, but every valve needs to be in the specification for the particular application involved, for example, 3-piece ball isolation valves with PTFE coated stainless steel gaskets seals.

     

    Safety valves are a critical piece of equipment for a steam application, these valves are also called Pressure Relief Valves or PRV’s, and are designed to be used as a safety feature in a piping installation, they have a pre-set pressure rating to ensure the safety of all the equipment in the pressure line if it exceeds the max allowable pressure of the valve, it operators by discharging the pressure by opening its set and allowing the steam to flow out of the line, when the pressure drops below the set pressure, it will manual close and maintain the set pressure again.

     

    Can you use ball valves on steam?

     

    Ball valves are a very good choice on steam for complete isolation, as long as they have been suitable matched to the condition of use.

     

    What are high pressure steam valves?

     

    A High-pressure steam valve is one designed to cope with pressures above approx. 1.75Mpa, 17.5Bar, 250psig

    What factors must be taken into consideration when specifying a steam valve?

     

    When specifying a steam valve, many factors need to be taken into considerations, for e.g, Flow rate of the steam, or the condensate for which it is going to be used.  The temperature rating to ensure all components will function effectively in that environment.

     

    What are thermostatic steam traps?

     

    Thermostatic steam traps are a mechanical operated valve, when in the cold, or starting up sequence the valve is open, allowing air and cold condensate to discharge, as the temperature rises, and just before boiling point the thermostatic, bellows, or capsule will close.

     

    What is a 3-way steam valve used for?

     

    A 3 way steam valve is used on application where 3 pipes are connected to the one valve, these can be configured in several different ways, e.g 1 inlet and 2 outlets, or the isolation of one path from another, e.g port 1 to port 2 with flow and port 3 isolated, then port 1 to port 3, with port 2 isolated.

     

    What is a non-return steam valve used for?

     

    A check valve, one-way flow control or non-return valve, as commonly known in industry, is a mechanical device with two ports, allowing flow of gas or liquids in one direction only, and opposing the flow in the opposite direction, this is always indicated with a directional arrow, and in the steam case, to prevent backflow to the boiler.

     

    What is the difference between steam control valves with electric actuators vs steam control valves with pneumatic actuators?

     

    The main difference between methods of actuation in this case, is one will use an electric motor to control the opening and closing of the stem, to allow the required flow of media to pass, this is a good option if compressed air is not readily available, e.g remote locations.

     

    Pneumatic actuation uses compressed air as its driving force to operator an actuator, these can be single acting or double acting, depending on the end user requirements.

    Contact Us

    Do you have questions or comments about receiving a quote, our products, solutions and services, and support? Contact us by filling out the form.

    • Brendan Merrigan (External) – mob: 087 2598124
    • Vicki McGrath – tel: 021 461 7207
    • Brian Barry – tel: 021 461 7211
    • Tim Quigley – tel: 021 461 7209
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    • Shauna O’Connor – tel: 021 461 7237
    • Tel: 021 461 7200

    How can Flexachem help you?

     

    Flexachem have over 38 years plus experience in working with valves and steam valves.

     

    Flexachem can provide actuation for all of our valves, including actuated steam valves, our main pneumatic actuator is Norbro, with a variety of switch boxes and feed back control, which is application specific to each installation. 

     

    We offer and support leading brands – Flowserve Worcester and Gestra steam valves.

     

    If you would like to find out more about our range of steam valves, why not contact contact one of our valve specialist team?