While considering valve installations for your industrial system, you have plenty of options to go through. Some of these choices come with typical usage, while others have a more specific function attached to them.
To make the most out of your industrial system, you must pass up on generic fixtures in favor of specialized valves. This approach ensures that you move forward with a refined approach and get your desired results out of critical processes.
One of these specialized fixtures comes in the form of a knife gate valve. Widely used in key industrial applications, this valve is one of the most critical select systems components.
Here’s a lowdown on this essential device to help you learn more about knife gate valves and their overall function.
What is a Knife Gate Valve?
A knife gate valve is a shut-off valve, which means that it is used to start and stop the flow through a pipeline. It is mainly used in fluid-based applications and settings, especially those that involve a dense material.
The “knife” blade that is built in the valve uses its sharp edges to cut through tough or sticky material. The valve uses a pressure drop function to achieve this function and stop the flow when required.
This makes sure that the valve’s sealing is not compromised due to the material being stuck between its components. It also ensures that any excess material is not creating any cleanliness issues for your valve.
What Is It Made From?
Knife gate valves comprise a variety of materials. These materials include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), stainless steel, and carbon steel.
A variety of metals and thermoplastics are present to build the outer body of a knife gate valve. But the blades are almost always made from metals that can hold their own against corrosion, rust, and general wear and tear.
The overall composition depends upon specific industry usage, while the size of the valve varies upon your desired application.
Where Is It Used?
Due to their specialty against thick liquids, knife gate valves are highly sought after in industries that deal with viscous materials. These sectors use knife gate valves for shut-off in processing plants or material transfer systems.
This aspect helps cut maintenance costs and ensures that you do not have to deal with sludge or blockage issues in your valves.
Knife gate valves are specifically useful for those applications that deal with a hard-to-clean material. For instance, some materials that regularly utilize knife gate valves include slurry, wastewater, or food items. Other settings that involve corrosive materials also use these valves as their primary solution.
Where Can You Get Knife Gate Valves?
A knife gate valve is readily available through credible manufacturers, which use different materials and sizes to have premade valves available for purchase.
These providers can also design these valves for your outlined needs and size specifications if you have particular requirements. This detail-oriented approach ensures you can get your required results out of your valves and enjoy long term usage without any added troubles.
