Lug Butterfly Valves to Regulate Flow
Lug butterfly valves can be utilized to control the flow of a gas or a liquid as it passes through a pipe system. The power to exert such manipulation is often necessary in various industrial applications, as liquids or gases need to be filtered, refined, circulated, or otherwise integrated into various types of production.
Lug butterfly valves are part of the quarter-turn valve family. They operate by moving a spherical disc into an open or closed position. When the valve is in the closed position, the spherical disc is positioned perpendicular to the pipeline. It creates a reliable seal, and does not allow any gas or liquid to penetrate through to the other side. It is essential that a valve is ordered in the correct size for the pipeline in which it will be implemented, to ensure that the disc is able to block the entire pipe opening.
The position of the spherical disc is controlled by a rod to which the disc is attached. Lug butterfly valves have rods that can extend to various types of actuators, which provide the actual power for moving the disc between the different positions. Hydraulic, pneumatic, and electric actuators are all possible options for actuators. Depending on the type of system that is in place, electric actuators are a popular choice because they are generally easier to wire, control, and diagnose should difficulty around lug butterfly valves ever occur. Hydraulic and pneumatic actuators can provide a greater amount of pressure, should higher levels be necessary for valve movement between positions. A larger amount of space is needed for the installation of hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, however, as they require a pump system in order to operate.
Lug butterfly valves are different from other butterfly valves in that they have threaded inserts. These inserts are located on either side of the valve body. When lug butterfly valves are installed in a pipeline, nuts are not needed, but a double set of bolts is used to hold them in place. Different sides of a piping system are then able to be disconnected without interrupting the processes of the other side of the system. This type of set-up could be incredibly useful for a system that always needs to be on for production or filtering purposes, as one part of the system can be interrupted for cleaning, maintenance, quality control, or any other variety of reasons without shutting the whole system down.
In addition to allowing a substance to flow through a pipeline or preventing its movement, lug butterfly valves can also be used to throttle the flow of substances. Gases or liquids can be permitted to pass through, but not at their full force, if the butterfly valve disc is at a partially open position. Some companies require flow, but need to have control over adjusting the amount of substance that is flowing at any given point. Lug butterfly valves can provide this type of manipulation, and a quick adjustment can determine how much flow is allowed through at any given time.