Gate Valve vs Ball Valve - How They Work
Gate valves and ball valves are the most commonly used flow control valves in the market. They are generally used to control the flow of liquid and gases. Although they are used in similar settings, there are a few important differences between these two valves. We discuss the differences between gate and ball valves and how to choose between them. Operation differences A ball valve uses a rotary ball with a bore and a stem as seen in Figure 1. When the handle attached to the stem is turned, it rotates the ball to open or close the valve. This valve is also called a quarter turn valve because the handle only needs a 90 ° turn (quarter turn) to allow or block the flow of the media. The valve is open when the handle is parallel to the pipe and it is closed when the handle is perpendicular to the pipe. For a more in-depth analysis of ball valves, view our ball valve technical article. A gate valve uses a gate to control the flow of the media. A gate is a solid disk structure that is...