Butterfly valve

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Large butterfly valve used on a hydroelectric power station water inlet pipe in Japan.

Duplex valve in wafer butterfly configuration.

A butterfly valve is a valve which can be used for isolating or regulating flow. The closing
mechanism takes the form of a disk. Operation is similar to that of a ball valve, which allows
for quick shut off. Butterfly valves are generally favored because they are lower in cost to
other valve designs as well as being lighter in weight, meaning less support is required. The
disc is positioned in the center of the pipe, passing through the disc is a rod connected to an
actuator on the outside of the valve. Rotating the actuator turns the disc either parallel or
perpendicular to the flow. Unlike a ball valve, the disc is always present within the flow,
therefore a pressure drop is always induced in the flow, regardless of valve position.
A butterfly valve is from a family of valves called quarter-turn valves. In operation, the
valve is fully open or closed when the disc is rotated a quarter turn. The "butterfly" is a metal
disc mounted on a rod. When the valve is closed, the disc is turned so that it completely
blocks off the passageway. When the valve is fully open, the disc is rotated a quarter turn so
that it allows an almost unrestricted passage of the fluid. The valve may also be opened
incrementally to throttle flow.
There are different kinds of butterfly valves, each adapted for different pressures and different
usage. The resilient butterfly valve, which uses the flexibility of rubber, has the lowest

pressure rating. The high performance butterfly valve, used in slightly higher-pressure
systems, features a slight offset in the way the disc is positioned, which increases the valve's
sealing ability and decreases its tendency to wear. The valve best suited for high-pressure
systems is the triple offset butterfly valve, which makes use of a metal seat,[clarification needed] and
is therefore able to withstand a greater amount of pressure.

Contents

1 Types
o 1.1 Triple-eccentric (offset) design

2 Wafer-style butterfly valves

3 Lug-style butterfly valve

4 Images

5 See also

6 References

Types
1. Concentric butterfly valves - This type of valve has a resilient rubber seat with a metal
disc.
2. Doubly-eccentric butterfly valves (high-performance butterfly valves or double-offset
butterfly valves) - Different type of materials is used for seat and disc.
3. Triply-eccentric butterfly valves (triple-offset butterfly valves) - The seats are either
laminated or solid metal seat design.

Triple-eccentric (offset) design

Triple eccentric (offset) Design prevents galling and scratches between the metal seat and the
metal disc due to its unique design. The only time where the seal comes into contact with the
seat is at the point of complete closure. Triple offset valves are generally used in applications
which require bi-directional tight shut-off in oil and gas, LNG/NPG terminal and tanks,
chemical factories, and shipbuilding. They are also used for dirty/heavy oil to prevent
extrusion.

Wafer-style butterfly valves

The wafer style butterfly valve is designed to maintain a seal against bi-directional pressure
differential to prevent any backflow in systems designed for unidirectional flow. It

accomplishes this with a tightly fitting seal; i.e., gasket, o-ring, precision machined, and a flat
valve face on the upstream and downstream sides of the valve.

Lug-style butterfly valve

Lug-style valves have threaded inserts at both sides of the valve body. This allows them to be
installed into a system using two sets of bolts and no nuts. The valve is installed between two
flanges using a separate set of bolts for each flange. This setup permits either side of the
piping system to be disconnected without disturbing the other side.
A lug-style butterfly valve used in dead end service generally has a reduced pressure rating.
For example a lug-style butterfly valve mounted between two flanges has a 150 psi pressure
rating. The same valve mounted with one flange, in dead end service, has a 75 psi rating.
Double-flanged, triple eccentric, resilient seated valve designed for services in the water
industry.

Features & Benefits:

Triple eccentric design:

o 1st offset: center line of the resilient disc seal is offset from the center line of
the shafts
o 2nd offset: the center line of the shaft is offset from the valve body
o 3rd offset: the Keystone RMI Dubex body seat landing surface has the shape
of an oblique cone with the ground surface perpendicular to one side of the
cone

Triple eccentric design, along with a resilient disc seal, ensures bi-directional droptight shut-off.

In-line replaceable resilient disc seal.

Fully rated dead end service.

Standard body seating surface is ductile iron with Epoxy lining (Epasfill). Alternative
seating surfaces such as stainless steel are available on request.

Dry shaft option available.

Axial bottom shaft bearing carrying the disc weight when installed with shaft in
vertical position and ensuring accurate centering of the disc assembly.

Reversed V-shaped packing for vacuum applications.

Open brackets for packing access and adjustments are available on request.

Self-lubricating bearings are PTFE lined. Alternative bushing materials are available
on request.

Horizontal or vertical shaft mounting.

Low head loss, suitable for throttling services.

Face-to-face:
o According AWWA C504-06 short
o Above 72": manufacturer standard
o Alternative face-to-face dimensions on request

Clockwise closing, optional counter clockwise closing.

Suitable for manual gear, electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuation.

Self-adjusting V-shaped shaft packing available.