A Comprehensive Guide On Ball Valve Vs Butterfly Valve butterfly valve

When it comes to controlling the flow of a gas or liquid, valves play a crucial role. Ball and butterfly valves are 90-degree rotary turns that help control the flow of liquids or gasses. These are inexpensive and durable.

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Also, they can control the flow even in high temperatures making them reasonably efficient for the job. Although their operations are pretty similar, they have certain significant differences.

Various factors like pressure, quality, and supply pipe size act as a deciding feature that differentiates them from each other. This comprehensive guide will help to understand the difference between a ball valve and a butterfly valve so that one can buy them as per their requirements. Here is a comprehensive guide between ball valve and butterfly valve.

What Is A Ball Valve?

A floating ball with a hole through it makes up a ball valve. When the valve is opened, the hole is positioned in such a way that the passage of materials, whether liquid or gas, is either partially blocked, or completely blocked.

Ball valves provide several advantages, including a tight seal that makes them perfect for gas flow applications. They are frequently utilized in high-pressure liquid or gas lines with a diameter of fewer than 6 inches. Ball valves spin practically without resistance, even though the supply side generates enormous pressure. Some designs don’t allow for pressure dips. Most ball valves can function in high-temperature conditions ranging from -30°C to 230°C.

Types Of Ball Valves

Various types of ball valves are available in the market with different features. Make sure to buy them only from reputed manufacturers. Some of them are discussed below:

1. Full-port ball valves – the hole size in the ball is somewhat similar to that of the pipe, thus creating zero resistance to the flow.
2. Reduced-port ball valves – the hole size is smaller than the pipe, creating a specific amount of resistance to the flow.
3. V-port ball valve – the shape of the ball is designed in a V shape providing a stable flow to the material.
4. Cavity-filler ball valve – During blockage of the substance inside the pipe, a cavity-filler ball valve is installed to restrict the blockage from forming by extending the seats.
5. Trunnion ball valve – in large-scale or high-pressure applications, trunnion ball valves help drift away the ball, reducing the problems generated in the seating mechanism.

What Is A Butterfly Valve?

Butterfly valves are lightweight valves and primarily come in one or two-piece configurations. Their design resembles many of the butterfly’s wings, which significantly provides its name. The portions of butterfly valves are folded inward to enable the full flow and lie flat when closed in the two-piece configuration. A disc is attached to a spindle that spins around the pipe in a one-piece arrangement. When the valve is activated, the disc rotates, allowing or blocking the flow of gas or liquid via the valve.

Butterfly valves are often less costly when the subject is materials and upkeep. They are also lightweight than ball valves and open and close faster. They are frequently employed in significant projects like municipal water and sewage systems. Butterfly valves are commonly used in applications that regulate flow from a body of water. Butterfly valves are great for managing flow and pressure if flow loss is not a concern. 

Types Of Butterfly Valve

Butterfly valve also comes in two different modules, which differ regarding utility.

1. Wafer Valves – these are used for a permanent fixture because once connected to the pipe, one cannot disconnect one of its sides.
2. Lug Valves – in contrast, these are used for a less permanent fixture. This design enables one to detach one of the sides of the pipe system while leaving the other intact.

Ball Valve vs Butterfly valve

Below mentioned are a few distinctions between a butterfly vs ball valve. 

• Application

Ball valves seal well. Thus they can be employed in sensitive applications where contamination is a concern. Furthermore, ball valves, particularly low-pressure ball valves, are well-suited for gas applications.

On the other hand, butterfly valves take up less space in the plant; they are employed in water services where the flow of media must be controlled. These valves are employed in large-scale projects since they are less expensive to manufacture.

• Function

Ball valves are exclusively used to isolate. The bubble-tight cutoff of ball valves is what makes it beneficial as well as popular. Because the soft elastomeric seats are readily destroyed in this state, ball valves are rarely employed as control valves.

In ball vs butterfly valve comparison, Butterfly valves can provide isolation and control mechanisms. However, they do not provide a bubble-tight shutdown. To be an excellent regulating valve, the media must be slow-moving to minimize friction caused by the excessive velocity of the medium.

• Cost

In terms of cost, both of them are more or less the same, but the butterfly valves are comparatively cheaper than the ball valves.

• Bore Size

The diameter of the ball and hole in proportion to the standard pipe size of the valve distinguishes a normal ball valve from a full-port ball valve.

• Installation space

In terms of installation space, Butterfly valves require smaller installation space in the comparison of ball valve vs butterfly.

• Ports

In terms of ports available, butterfly valves consist of only two ports, while on the other hand, ball valves can have multiple ports depending on the usage and the type.

• Structure

Both of them have a different structure when compared to each other. A butterfly valve comes with a simpler design that consists of a thin disk in a thin body, while on the other hand, a ball valve comes with a complex design. The disk valve has a hemispheric-shaped disk inside a bulky body.

• Flow restriction

The butterfly valve disc slows down the flow by causing a significant pressure drop. On the other hand, when compared to butterfly valves, ball valves have significantly less pressure loss.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ball Valves and Butterfly Valves

Below mentioned are some common pros and cons of using ball valves and butterfly valves.

Advantages of Ball Valves

The following are the advantages of ball valves –

• Ball valves are fast-acting that require just a 90-degree rotation to open or close entirely.
• They offer a tight seal, fully blocking the passage of the medium once closed.
• Ball valves provide accurate and dependable flow control.
• The restraining mechanism’s hemispheric design allows it to resist enormous pressures.
• Ball valves rarely produce pressure dips when completely open since the ball does not interfere with the movement.
• Irrespective of the inflow intensity, a ball valve will always spin.

Advantages of Butterfly valves

The following are the advantages of butterfly valves –

• Butterfly valves are fast-acting, requiring just a 90-degree rotation to open and close entirely.
• Butterfly valves have excellent open/close control.
• Butterfly valves are less expensive than ball valves of comparable capacity.
• These are smaller and lighter than ball valves due to their shape. This allows them to fit into small areas and intricate circuits.

Disadvantages of Ball Valves

• Ball valves are somewhat costly when compared to butterfly valves.
• They are bigger and heavier than their equivalents of the same capacities, making them impractical in some situations.

Disadvantages of Butterfly valves

• Butterfly valves do not provide complete encapsulation and are prone to leaks.
• The disc is constantly in the fluid stream by design. While the disruption may be little, it can cause a pressure reduction
• Butterfly valves are not ideal for high-pressure situations because the disc cannot tolerate such pressures consistently.
• Inflow pressure limits exist over which the valve may refuse to turn.