Metal seated vs resilient seated gate valves

Nowadays, there are two kinds of valve seat gate valves on the market, one is the resilient seated gate valves,  and the other is the metal seated gate valves. And before the resilient seated gate valve was introduced to the market, gate valves with a metal seated wedge has been widely used.

Goto Yaxing Valve to know more.

What is a soft seal gate valve?

A soft seal gate valve is a valve that uses a reliable resilient seal between the valve gate and the valve seat to achieve a sealing effect through the friction between the seal and the gate to control the flow of media in the pipeline and cut off the fluid. Compared with the traditional metal sealed hard seal gate valve, the soft seal gate valve is more advantageous in terms of sealing and material adaptability. The soft seal gate valve is mainly composed of grey cast iron or ductile iron body, bonnet, gate, stem, and sealing ring. Both sides of the gate are fitted with reliable resilient sealing rings, which are usually made of resilient materials such as rubber or PTFE. These materials have excellent wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature resistance, will not produce problems such as air and water leakage in the use of the valve, and can maintain a stable seal.

1. Easy to operate: 

The soft seal gate valve has a simple structure and is easy to operate, usually only a gentle push or a pull to achieve the switching action.

2. Good sealing performance: 

Soft seal gate valve adopts a reliable elastic sealing ring, good sealing performance, not easy to leak, with reliable sealing.

3. Strong adaptability: 

Soft seal gate valve has a wide range of applications, including municipal engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, light textile, and other industries, and can be applied to a variety of media, including water, oil, gas, acid, and alkali, etc.

4. Durable: 

The sealing ring of the soft seal gate valve is usually made of rubber or other elastic materials, which have excellent wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature resistance, and the valve has a long service life.

5. Easy to maintain: 

Soft seal gate valves are easy to maintain, the cover can be opened and the seal can be inspected and replaced directly without the need to dismantle the valve.

In general, the soft seal gate valve has the advantages of easy operation, reliable sealing, durability, and easy maintenance. It has a wide range of applications in general industrial pipelines, municipal projects, construction projects, pharmaceuticals, food, light textile, and other fields.

What is a hard seal gate valve?

Hard seal gate valve is a valve product with more stable sealing performance, high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and wider adaptability. The sealing structure of the hard seal gate valve uses friction between metal materials to achieve the sealing effect. The excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance of this sealing method can adapt to a variety of complex media occasions, and can also handle applications with high tightness requirements.

The hard seal gate valve has the following characteristics:

1. High temperature and pressure resistance: 

Hard seal gate valves can be operated in media temperatures up to 400°C and pressures up to -psi.

2. High sealing: 

The hard seal gate valve adopts a metal-to-metal friction seal for a more stable sealing effect, with better sealing and longer service life.

3. Corrosion resistance: 

Hard seal gate valve sealing materials usually use stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant materials, able to operate in harsh media such as strong acids, strong alkalis, and high concentrations of salt solutions.

4. Adaptable: 

Hard seal gate valves use advanced sealing mechanisms that can adapt to high-viscosity media, media containing particles, cellulose, residues, and other media to prevent blockage.

In general, the hard seal gate valve is suitable for chemical, electric power, oil, and gas industries, for high temperature, high pressure, strong corrosive media, high viscosity media, and media containing solid particles or cellulose media and other harsh media in the pipeline system to cut off and regulate the flow.

Soft seal gate valve applicable working conditions:

The soft seal gate valve is an industrial valve that is sealed by friction between a flexible seal and the gate. Compared with the hard seal gate valve, the soft seal gate valve has better sealing performance and a wider range of applications.

The following are the applicable working conditions of soft seal gate valves:

1. Low and medium pressure pipelines: 

Soft seal gate valves are suitable for low and medium pressure (PN&#;2.5MPA) pipelines of water, sewage, drainage, natural gas, etc.

2. Low-temperature environment: 

The sealing ring of soft seal gate valves is usually made of rubber and other materials, which can maintain good elasticity and sealing performance in a low-temperature environment.

3. Corrosive media: 

Soft seal gate valve is suitable for corrosive media control and shut-off, using different materials seal rings, such as EPDM, NBR, etc., and can adapt to the requirements of different media.

4. Food, pharmaceutical, and other industries: 

Soft seal gate valves can be selected to meet the FDA standard material, suitable for food, pharmaceutical, and other industry requirements.

In general, the soft seal gate valve is suitable for low and medium-pressure pipelines, and a wide range of media, with excellent sealing performance and adaptability, and is a commonly used type of valve in industrial pipelines.

Hard seal gate valves for working conditions:

Hard seal gate valves are mainly used for cutting off and regulating the flow in the pipeline system of high temperature and high pressure, strong corrosive media, high viscosity media, media containing solid particles or cellulose, and other harsh media.

Specifically, the hard seal gate valve is suitable for the following working conditions:

1. High temperature and high-pressure working conditions: 

Hard seal gate valve can be applied to the medium temperature up to 400&#;, pressure up to -psi conditions of operation.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of resilient seated gate valves manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

2. Strong corrosive media: 

Hard seal gate valve has high corrosion resistance, and can be used in a variety of acid, alkaline, salt, and other strong corrosive media occasions.

3. High viscosity media: 

Hard seal gate valves have good self-cleaning and fluidity, and can be used in pipeline systems for high-viscosity media.

4. Solid particles or cellulose-containing media: 

Hard seal gate valve has an advanced sealing mechanism, which can better handle media containing particles, cellulose, residue, etc., and prevent blockage.

In general, the hard seal gate valve is suitable for industrial fields such as automobile manufacturing, petrochemical, chemical fiber, food, paper, medicine, etc., and has a wide range of applications in pipeline systems dealing with harsh media.

What is the main difference between soft seal gate valve and hard seal gate valve?

The main difference between soft seal gate valve and hard seal gate valve is in the sealing method, material composition and scope of application.

1. Sealing method: 

Soft seal gate valve adopts reliable elastic sealing ring, through the friction between the sealing ring and the gate to achieve the sealing effect, sealing performance is good; hard seal gate valve uses metal material as the sealing material, through the friction between metal and metal sealing, sealing effect is more stable but requires greater operating force.

2. Material composition: 

Soft seal gate valve sealing material is usually selected from rubber or other elastic materials, while hard seal gate valve sealing material is usually used in metal materials, such as stainless steel.

3. Scope of application: 

Soft seal gate valves are suitable for low temperature, low pressure, and non-corrosive media, such as municipal engineering, etc.; while hard seal gate valves are suitable for high temperature, high pressure, strong corrosive media, high viscosity media and harsh media such as solid particles or cellulose media, such as chemical, electric power, oil, and gas industries.

In general, soft seal gate valve and hard seal gate valve have their own advantages and disadvantages, the user should choose the appropriate type of valve according to the actual needs and working conditions and environment.

The popularity of the valve industry is influencing many industrial processes. In fact, valves today are making their contributions to the development of the modern industry. In order to fulfill the different industrial requirements and applications, valves have been categorized into many types. One of the types that are gaining huge attention in the industry is the Resilient Seated Gate Valve. It is a significant member of the valve family. What makes this type more popular is the linear motion that starts or restricts the fluid flow. In simple words, a gate valve is just a controlling device that is commonly used in residential and commercial buildings.

Gate valves are designed and manufactured in different sizes, ratings, and materials

A gate valve is designed with an actuator and a gate. The actuator can be a lever, a hand wheel, or an electric-powered motor. No matter what, it is expected to make the performance more convenient with the placed condition. The gate usually refers to a square or round piece of metallic, whose up and down determines the passing or no passing of the glide. Irrespective of the design and shape, the prime components of resilient seated gate valves include the gate, body, bonnet, stem, and valve seat.

• To begin with, understanding the valve gate is the most significant part that distinguishes it from the other valve types. It is generally designed in a wedged shape. It holds the capability to seal off fluid effectively ensuring a good sealing performance. About its placement in the device, it is usually placed against the valve seat.
• Moving on the valve body is meant to provide necessary support in the valve installation process and also in maintaining the fluid pressure. Considering the industrial application you need it for, it is recommended to make a wise selection of the valve body in accordance to withstand working extremes.
• Another part connected with the valve body is the valve stem, which is meant to handle the operational work of the valve. The valve component that decides the upwards and downward movement of the wedge is the stem that eventually manages the fluid flow.
• Next is the bonnet which refers to the flange at the valve body. It&#;s positioned in a manner to allow easy valve protection or rebuild. In phrases, these kinds of primary components cooperate to contribute to the operation and performance of the gate valve.
• The seat valve indicates the sealing surface of the gate valve. To ensure reliable performance and long service life, a valve seat is made specifically.

Gate Valve Seat Structure Analysis!

The sealing performance of the gate valve may change with structural changes in the valve. The two types prevailing in the industry comprise soft sealing and hard sealing.

The elastic type, plunger type, and special structure come under the soft sealing part. Specifically for the sealing properties, there exist different structures, and several features to choose from.

For instance, under strong fluid pressure, the valve seat experiences sealing through the elastic deformation of the material. Thus, the requirement is for a big seal pressure between the valve seat and the gate. Another structure is the elastic seat that deforms under the provided tightening force or fluid pressure. As a consequence, this minimizes the effect of the sealing characteristics that are a result of changes in conditions like temperature, regulating pressure, and abrasion.

While moving to the other side, for the hard-selling valve seat, it is easy to find many different structures such as hollow pipe style, rotating type, bulk surfacing, and multi-level. This indicates the built-up of the hard alley on the welding material which reduces the abrasion of the sealing face.

The prime characteristics of the rotating valve seat include rotation of the seal along the axis line, in the closing position of the valve. This results in uniform abrasion and also enhances the operation time for the valve seat to great extent.

The only thing that can ensure good sealing is choosing the right sealing material. Metals and special high polymers are quite commonly used as seat sealing materials. Further, the polymer material can be classified into two types including the common one and the special one. While Polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and Polypropylene belong to the same category, others like the PTFE-F4 are special.

e What you should not avoid considering are the important traits like resistance, stable flow, and friction coefficient when choosing material for sealing. In the metal types, stainless steel, chromium-based alloy, cobalt alloy, and Nickel alloy are widely preferred over others.

Resilient Seated Gate Valve!

In the valve industry, resilient gate valves and metal seated gate valves are widely used for certain applications. Before the introduction of resilient seated gate valves in the industry, metal seated gate valves have been widely used.

The common benefits of the metal seated gate valves include easily withstanding high pressure or high-temperature conditions along with providing excellent corrosion resistance.

So what do resilient seated gate valves indicate and how are they different from other gate valve kinds? Well, resilient gate valves can be defined as the gate valves with an elastomer-lined wedge. It forms a complete leak-proof corrosion-resistant fusion bonded epoxy coated body and bonnet.

At its initial phase in the s, the resilient seated gate valves were designed to meet the requirements of the waterworks industry.

Primarily, resilient gate valves are used in wastewater, irrigation purposes, and drinking water supply systems. Such valves are designed and manufactured in a way to ensure zero leakage throughout the valve life. Additionally, its structural design requires low maintenance which further enhances flexibility in functionality.

Metal seated or Resilient seated gate valves: which to choose?

While working with the metal seated gate valves, you will come across the conical wedge design and angular sealing device that are responsible for ensuring a tight closure. This is the reason pebbles and sands are used to be embedded in the bore. Further, this aspect fails to ensure the cleanliness of the pipe.

Irrespective of your hard efforts and time were given to the cleaning,  it is difficult to ensure the proper cleaning of the pipe system from impurities. Over time, this will make the metal gate valve perform inadequately. On the other hand, the precision of the rough surface will improve in the running sealing surface along with the number of particles that will be less than the surface.

The resilient valves have a Smooth bottom to pass on the impurities such as sand and pebbles. In the closed position of the valve, the particles can be easily passed off due to the rubber surface. Quite known for their industrial usage, rubber surfaces are popular for the durability, and long-standing value it gives. ADA compliant and with the highest quality standards, rubber surfaces can simply absorb impurities.

Also, the compound is strong enough to remove impurities in the open position of the valve.  The rubber surface retains the ability to take its original shape while providing a tight sealing. However, the only drawback is the inability to withstand high pressure and temperature conditions with the use of soft sealing materials.

The solution is to discuss your needs with the reputed China valve manufacturers when it comes to choosing the appropriate seat for the industrial application. Moreover, legitimate china providers offer an alternative as a part of their after-sale carrier. They have got a professional technician to resolve any issues with the existing units.

They provide a wide variety of vital tools. That assists you in many crucial aspects of trade with the Chinese valve providers. This allows you to make your business operation streamlined and much less time-consuming. In addition, before you indulge in the process, the businesses can get comprehensive consultation and an abundance of vital exchange tools needed to help your business maximize the various opportunities available.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right valve:

• Before you approach the reputed valve manufacturers, figure out your industrial purpose to invest in the valve. Pay critical attention to the material and medium you&#;ll want to adjust that may both be fluid or liquid. Find out the precise cause to use the valve. Whether it is required for regulating the fluid drift or to stop the flow. Figure out the working mechanism your industry will need, be it manually or automatically.
• In many industries, there&#;s an opportunity to function the entire device remotely. To go further, do not forget to consider the technical characteristics of installation like the strain and waft of the liquid. Considering the unique requirements, the designing and manufacturing process of the valve differs. Right from sourcing to production, the china valve manufacturing method is state-of-the-art because of the various components and materials used.
• It is important that you pick the ideal valve for your particular application that can further ensure perfect usage. Work out your needs and what the valve is going to be used for. The gate valve selection will depend on how much usage you require and how much you are willing to spend on its quality.
• It is an important aspect to consider the performance requirements of the valve. This includes taking into consideration the pressure and temperature ranges. Here, the need is to determine the temperature and pressure ranges, in order to decide where the valve will fix best. The characteristics of the metal valves made them bear high temperatures or pressure in comparison to the other types. This is why metal valves are considered the best choice for pressure gases as they are quite stronger and more durable.
• Furthermore, the seal performance must be taken into consideration which otherwise may lead to working failure to some serious industrial mishappenings. The most vital points include the attachment between the opening and closing device and two seal surfaces of the valve seat, the common joint between the valve body and cover. Also, the spacing factor between the valve stem and stuffing affects the performance. Avoiding any of these aspects may affect the cutting off of the medium ability and may cause industrial pollution along with some severe consequences. Irrespective of the design and type you choose, the seal performance is a vital aspect to consider when making the valve selection.
• Lastly, it is essential to understand the manner in which the valve unit will be integrated into the piping system. This would be required more specifically if you need to validate it. As soon as you make up your mind on these aspects, the selection process of the gate valve would become extremely simplified for you.

Taking into consideration the design factor, the gate valves can be classified into many types. Such as the rising, non-rising, wedge, and flexible valve. Also, there are bendable wedge valves that use double disc parts.  The selection can also be made for the parallel side valves that are used commonly in stem systems.

Depending on the behavior of the attached stem, the gate valves can be divided into rising and non-rising types. The first one where the stem rises in the open position of the valve are known as the rising stem valve. However, its usage is restricted to the placer with less space vertically. One such example is underground operations. In these places, non-rising stem valves are commonly used.

The next kind of gate valve classification can be made according to the bonnet style. For simple normal applications, the screw-in bonnet style is preferred, whereas, for the ones with bolted bonnets, other valves are used. This is because the seal bonnet avoids risk hazards in the case of high-pressure applications. All in all, the different designs and shapes in gate valves exist to fulfill different functionality requirements for multiple applications.

Wrap Up!