What You Need to Know About Globe Valves: A Comprehensive Guide

Globe valves are regulating or shutoff valves used to control liquid flow. They come in various styles and configurations to meet specific needs and applications. Selecting the ideal globe valve for your application can be daunting due to its various shapes and design variants. Globe valves come in a range of materials, sizes, and pressure limits to meet your application. Selecting the appropriate one is key to getting maximum performance from your valve. 

Let’s take a detailed look into the globe valves and how to choose the best one for you.

What Are Globe Valves?

globe valve is a linear motion closing-down valve that utilizes a disc to start, stop, and throttle fluid flow. The seat opening varies in direct proportion to disc travel and thus makes it ideal for tasks requiring controlling flow rate.

Globe Valves can be employed in a number of applications, such as steam and condensate service, temperature or pressure regulation in pipelines, and even nuclear plant process control. They come with various body and stem designs that can be tailored to meet specific requirements.

Globe valve disk designs come in three basic forms: ball, composition, and plug. The ball disk is ideal for low-pressure or temperature applications, while the composition disk features a hard insert ring that ensures tight closure. Finally, plug disks offer better throttling than either ball or composition disks and may be used when hard service requirements exist.

Globe valves come in several body patterns, the three most popular being standard, angle, and Y-shaped. Of these three options, the standard pattern is by far the most prevalent and typically employed for throttling services.

globe check valve
globe check valve

What’s the part of Globe Valve

A typical globe valve consists of the following parts:

  • Back Seat
  • Bonnet 
  • Disc or Plug 
  • Gland Bolts and Nuts 
  • Gland bushing and flange 
  • Handwheel: Mechanical Actuator
  • Packing
  • Pressure Seal Gasket
  • Seat ring 
  • Stem 
  • Valve Body: Globular shape
  • Yoke
  • Yoke Sleeve 

How Globe Valves Work?

A globe valve is a multi-directional device that can open, close or throttle fluid flow. It consists of five major parts: the valve body, bonnet, handwheel, stem, and plug.

Valve Stem: The stem of a globe valve connects with the handwheel and operates the opening or closing action of the valve. It may be either smooth sliding or threaded.

Bonnet: The bonnet of a globe valve attaches to the stem and protects it from damage. Its seal, made from wear-resistant material, provides leak-proof closure for any media inside of the valve.

Ball Disc: The valve disc is another important element of a globe valve, used for low-temperature and low-pressure applications.

Seat Ring: The seat ring of a globe valve is where the disc fits and stops the fluid flow. Generally, this part can be screwed or threaded into an existing thread cut in the valve body to prevent removal during repairs or servicing.

Disc and Seat Capabilities: Globe valve discs come in various patterns, each providing its own advantages.

Globe valves are typically mounted, so the pressure is above the disk in high-temperature steam service and below it in lower-temperature or lower-pressure applications. This makes for easier operation and protects packing while reducing erosive action on seat and disk faces.

Generally, globe valves are designed for straight-through flow with ports oriented at right angles to the pipe axis. However, they come in various configurations, most often two-port but also three-port varieties.

What’s the Types of Globe Valves Available

Globe valves are widely used in industrial and marine applications to start, stop, and regulate flow, as well as isolate and throttle functions. However, some are specialized for specific tasks or environments.

Globe Valves Types of Globe Valves Globe valves can be divided into three basic body styles: Tee, Angle, and Wye. Each style offers its own advantages and can be utilized in various applications.

Tee Pattern: This type of globe valve is the most commonly used. It features a z-shaped diaphragm, which allows its stem and disk to pivot perpendicular to the horizontal line. While it works well for throttling applications, its low flow coefficient, and higher pressure drop make it less suitable for high-pressure service than Y-body or Angle valves.

Y-body Globe Valves: Y-body globe valves produce linear action due to their inclined inlet and outlet ports, which minimizes pressure drop in this design. Furthermore, they maintain their seat and stem at a 45-degree angle for an easier flow path when fully opened.

These valves can be secured to a metal, plastic, or rubber bonnet by welding, bolting, or screwing it on. With ease, they can be repaired and replaced in the field without disassembling and require minimal service for ease of maintenance.

Angle Valves: The Angle Pattern Globe Valve has the two ends of the valve body oriented at right angles, which reduces flow resistance and allows fluid to discharge downward more symmetrically. This is useful in applications with pulsating flows. The angular design of this valve’s endpoints makes it a great option for medium with pulse or oscillation. It can be tailored to various flow characteristics and offers numerous advantages, such as:

Needle Type: The needle-type globe valve is ideal for applications requiring high-pressure throttling or control. It features an internal nonmetallic ring that provides superior shutoff performance.

Ball Type: The ball globe valve is an ideal choice for low-pressure systems. It features an internal ring to improve throttling, as well as a composite plug that can be installed to achieve more reliable shutoff.

Composite Type: The composite globe valve is ideal for low-pressure systems that require more than just throttling yet aren’t too hot or cold. It features an internal ring to offer additional control while still being easy to maintain; plus, it comes equipped with encapsulated reversible seats for extended lifespan and ease of service.

Limit Switch: Globe valves may come equipped with a limit switch that limits how far they open or close during throttling operations. This feature helps protect the valve stem and disc during such operations.

Positioners: Globe valves come equipped with a positioning feature that enables the operator to determine how open or closed the valve is for throttling. These capabilities can be invaluable tools for operators and process engineers in managing valve operations.

Globe valves are a ubiquitous part of most liquid and gas industrial applications. They come in an extensive selection of styles, types, and materials to meet the individual requirements of every application. Whether you need a manual handwheel valve, a quick-opening valve, or something in between – an experienced engineering professional can advise the right solution for your situation.

What’s the Application of Globe Valve

A globe valve is a type of valve that restricts or stops the fluid flow. They’re commonly found in piping systems transporting corrosives, viscous, or highly pressurized media.

They come in a range of patterns, each offering its own advantages. Furthermore, their ease of upkeep and ability to be repaired or replaced makes them an economical choice for many applications.

As its name implies, globe valves feature a spherical body. Two halves of this globe valve are separated by an internal baffle which contains an opening that acts as a seat for attaching a movable plug to close (or shut) the valve.

Globe valves are widely used industrial valves that can start, stop, and throttle fluid flow. They’re often found in systems requiring frequent throttling or regulating, such as vacuum systems, water hammer control, and systems operating at various temperatures.

How to Choose Between Globe Valve Vs. Ball Valve

globe check valve
4-Way ball valve
globe check valve
BELLOW GLOBE VALVE

When selecting plumbing components, there are two primary valve types to consider: globe and ball. Both offer reliable on/off controls with distinct advantages that may be worth taking into account for your project.

When selecting a valve to control, start, or stop flow in a fluid system, it is essential to learn which type is most suitable for your application. The two most common types of fluid control valves are globe and ball valves.

Ball valves and globe valves differ in that they use a disk to open, while globe valves utilize a ball with an integral hole. When one opens the valve, fluid can pass through while the ball rotates to block its passage when closed.

The primary distinction between a ball valve and a globe valve lies in their closure elements. A ball valve features a spherical closure element that seals against an internal seat; on the other hand, globe valves feature disk-shaped closure elements that fit onto an outer seat.

Valve offers a comprehensive selection of valves, such as globe, check gate, ball, butterfly, and air/oxygen control valves. Their product range encompasses six categories and thousands of varieties. XI has earned its customers’ trust by producing high-quality casting balls, and gate globe check wedge valves for various applications.

The valve’s cast steel globe valve is the most widely used type of valve in many applications due to its low resistance and tight closing mechanism. Not only is this simple valve easy to install but also very durable, making it suitable for use in low-temperature media systems.

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