{"id":1045,"date":"2024-03-19T05:34:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T05:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stvvalve.com\/?p=1045"},"modified":"2024-03-19T05:34:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T05:34:05","slug":"gate-valve-vs-butterfly-valve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stvvalve.com\/es\/gate-valve-vs-butterfly-valve\/","title":{"rendered":"Gate Valve vs Butterfly Valve"},"content":{"rendered":"

At first glance, it is not simple to decide between a gate valve and a butterfly valve for an application. Therefore, it is important to understand the differences between these two valve types to avoid unnecessary setbacks in an operation. This article lays out the fundamental similarities and differences between a gate valve and a butterfly valve, which can be seen in Figure 1, and looks at their application suitability, advantages, and disadvantages.<\/p>\n

Gate and butterfly valves are both used to turn on and off the flow, but butterfly valves can also regulate flow via partial disc closure. Butterfly valves are part of the quarter-turn family of valves and can be shut off much faster than gate valves, which are multi-turn valves. Gate valves are preferable for high-pressure systems whereas butterfly valves are preferable for larger port sizes.<\/p>\n

Gate valves<\/h2>\n

How does a gate valve work?<\/h3>\n

A gate valve is named after its disc, which behaves like a gate by either stopping or allowing media flow. It has a simple operation compared to other control valves, which makes it one of the most commonly used valves. Because a gate valve is a full-port valve, which means that the valve\u2019s ports are the same size as the inner diameter of the connecting pipes, there is very little resistance to liquid or gas media that flows directly through it. Therefore, the pressure drop through the valve is quite low. For a more extensive understanding, read our article on\u00a0gate valves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Operating a gate valve<\/h4>\n

Gate valves are multi-turn valves, meaning the handwheel must turn more than 360\u00b0 to fully open or close the valve. Turning the handwheel in one direction or the other moves the gate up or down via the stem. When the gate is completely up, the passageway is unobstructed, and media can flow. When the gate is down, media is blocked and cannot flow. Gate valves cannot\u00a0modulate\u00a0or throttle flow because there is a nonlinear relationship between the gate\u2019s travel and flow rate. If the gate is partially open, the flow will crash into it while traveling through the valve, causing the flow to move at a higher velocity and create turbulence, both of which lead to increased wear on the disc and seats.<\/p>\n

The three common means for actuating a gate valve are manually, pneumatically, or electrically. The manual method requires an on-site user to spin the handwheel to open or close the valve. This method is the most cost-effective since gate valves are not typically opened or closed often. The pneumatic and electric solutions allow for remote operation of a gate valve. Pneumatic actuation requires a pneumatic system on-site and electrical actuation requires electrical power on-site.<\/p>\n

Gate valve types<\/h3>\n

As mentioned above, there exist different styles of gate valves. Three factors typically determine a gate valve’s style: the gate type, the bonnet type, and the stem type.<\/p>\n

Gate type refers to the disc that blocks the flow when the valve is closed, for example:<\/p>\n