Control valve
Valves are mechanical devices that control the flow of fluids such as gas, liquid, fluidised solids, slurries, and so on, by opening, closing or partially obstructing a passage.
‘The primary aim of any control system is to maintain specified comfort conditions, such as temperature. A simple control system may achieve this by switching items such as pumps and boilers on and off. A more complex system such as a BMS will use motorised control valves to control the flow rate of water in heating and cooling circuits, and motorised dampers to control the flow of air in ductwork. Both valves and dampers are moved by actuators, which receive signals from the control system.’ Ref Guide to Controls (BG 83/2023) written by John Marrow and published by BSRIA in June 2023.
Types of control valves include:
- Ball valve.
- Butterfly valve.
- Differential pressure control valve.
- Four port control valve.
- Globe valve.
- Pressure independent control valve.
- Rotary shoe valve.
- Three port control valve.
- Two port control valve.
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