BALL VALVES

 MFC has the capabilities to produce any type of ball valve a customer requires. We also offers ball valves that meets:

• API Spec 6D – Pipeline valves
• API Spec6D-SS – Subsea pipeline valves

 MFC offers ball valves are typically operated with:

• Lever
• Gear
• Actuator - Electric, Pneumatic, Motor, Hydraulic, Spring 

Ball valves are part of the quarter turn family meaning that the opening mechanism needs to be turned a quarter (or 90 degrees) to open or close the valve. They are an excellent choice for shutoff applications; however typically do not offer fine control necessary for throttling application.

 MFC offers various body styles of ball valves:

• Single Body
• Two-Piece Body
• Three-Piece Body
• Split Body
• Top Entry
• Welded Body

The difference is based on how the pieces of the valve - especially the casing that contains the ball itself - are manufactured and assembled. The valve operation is the same in each case.

 MFC offers ball valves of different styles related to the bore of the ball mechanism:

Full Port – more commonly known Full Bore Ball Valve

•  Has an over-sized ball so that the hole in the ball is the same size as the pipeline resulting in lower friction loss
• Flow is unrestricted but the valve is larger and more expensive
• Only used where free flow is required, for example in pipelines which require pigging (a method use to clean pipes

Reduced Port – more commonly known Reduced Bore Ball Valves

• Flow through the valve is one pipe size smaller than the valve’s pipe size resulting in the flow area being smaller than the pipe
• As the flow discharge remains constant and is equal to area of flow (A) times velocity (V), A1V1 = A2V2 the velocity increases with reduced area of flow

 V Port – ball valve has either a ‘v’ shaped ball or a ‘v’ shaped seat

• Allows the orifice to be opened and closed in a more controlled manner with a closer to linear flow characteristic
• When the valve is in the closed position, and opening is commenced, the small end of the ‘v’ is opened first, allowing stable flow control during this stage
• Requires a generally more robust construction due to higher velocities of the fluids, which might damage a standard ball valve

Trunnion Ball Valve

• Has an additional mechanical anchoring of the ball at the top and the bottom
• Suitable for larger and higher pressure ball valve

Floating Ball Valve

• Ball is floating (not fixed by a trunnion) inside the valve body, it drifts toward to the downstream side and tightly pushes against the seat under the medium pressure to ensure sealing reliability
• Suitable for smaller and lower pressure ball valve

Cavity Filler Ball Valve

• Many industries encounter problem with residues in the ball valve. Where the fluid is meant for human consumption, residues may also be a health hazard, and as the fluid changes from time to time, contamination of one fluid with another may occur
• Residues arise because in the half open position of the ball valve a gap is created between the ball bore and the body in which fluid can be trapped
• To avoid the fluid getting into this cavity, the cavity has to be plugged, which can be done by extending the seats in such a manner that it is always in contact with the ball.

 We offer ball valves that can be made in:

• Three-Way Design
• Four-Way Design

These designs are usually L or T shaped with a hole in the middle. Such valves are used to divert flow to multiple ports at the same time