Valve design plays a huge role in the functioning of a vacuum system, and many factors need to be considered. This 3 part blog will discuss each type so you can choose the best one for your application.
- Leak rate
- Conductance
- Application compatibility
- Expected service life
- Ease of maintenance
- Size
- Price
Ball valves, poppet valves, and gate valves all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to these different factors; this will guide you through each type so you can choose the best one for your application.
Ball Valves
Advantages
- High conductance
- Fast acting
- Can be used in “dirty” vacuum process applications*
- Configurable (straight-thru, angle, 3 port, manual/pneumatic)
- Compact size relative to gate valves
*Ball valves are ideal for applications such as MOCVD (Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition), due to the self-cleaning action provided by the Teflon® seats that wipes the ball clean as it opens and closes, thus preventing effluent build-up. This ability to hold up extremely well in high particle applications also makes ball valves a good choice to isolate scrubbers and traps downstream of roughing pumps.
Disadvantages
- Stem complications can occur in some designs*
- Limited to nominally 4" pipe size
*ANCORP ball valves have a patented stem design which helps avoids leaks and greatly reduces the risk of improper stem assembly.
Next related post: Poppet Valves, Part 2 of 3
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IES Technical Sales is a high technology field sales representation and distribution company located in Danvers, MA. Contact Us to learn more about ANCORP or for general inquiries about vacuum, thin-film, temperature, fluid handling, and related metrology.