SIO’s one-piece body floating ball valve has a reduced bore and a cast or forged steel body. It comes with a floating ball, anti-static device, blow-out proof stem, and a fire-safe design. It is made from durable materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, low-temperature carbon steel, and more. Our one-piece body floating valve is available in sizes between NPS ¾” and NPS 6” and pressure ratings of #150 and #300.
The design and manufacture are in accordance with ASME B16.34 and API 608. It is compliant with fire safety standards API 607 / API 6FA and special material standards NACE MR0175. With these certificates, the operation of our one-piece body floating valve is guaranteed safe and reliable.
SIO also builds two-piece body cast floating ball valves that may have a full or reduced bore. They are supplied with a floating ball, anti-static device, blow-out proof stem, fire-safe design, and low emission features. They are made with materials suitable for different applications which include carbon steel and stainless steel. The sizes of these floating ball valves range from NPS ½” to NPS 8” and pressure ratings of #150 and #300.
Their design conforms to ASME B 16. 34, API 6D, and BS EN ISO 17292 standards. Their safety and reliability are ensured with API and BS EN pressure and fire safety standard certifications. They are environment-friendly valves as they are ISO 15848 certified for fugitive emissions.
Two-piece / Three-piece Body Forged Floating Ball Valve
Our forged floating ball valve may come in a two-piece or three-piece body design. They are equipped with a full or reduced bore, floating ball, anti-static device, blow-out proof stem, fire-safe design, and low emission features. Valve sizes are between NPS ½” and NPS 8” and pressure ratings from #150 to #2500. They are made from materials well-suited for severe conditions, such as stainless steel, low-temperature carbon steel, duplex, and more.
The design and manufacture of these ball valves are in accordance with ASME B 16.34, API 6D, and BS EN ISO 17292. They are certified with API and BS EN ISO fire safety standards and ISO 15848 for fugitive emissions. These prove that our floating ball valves guarantee stable operations with positive sealing and zero risk of leakage.
Floating ball valve is a type of ball valve that is not held in position by a trunnion and only adheres to the stem. This causes the ball to sometimes float downstream, allowing it to press against the seat and provide a positive seal. We build floating ball valves that ensure a complete shut-off of process media under critical service conditions.
SIO floating ball valves are manufactured in a range of materials, sizes, and pressure ratings. They are in full compliance with ASME, API, and NACE specifications. They are also designed to conform with API 6D, ASME B 16.34, and BS EN ISO 17292.
We offer various design options and features for our floating ball valves to suit different service conditions. They are equipped with an anti-static device, blow-out proof stem, and a fire-safe design. Depending on the service, these ball valves can either have a cast or forged steel body. SIO floating ball valve has a reduced bore but some models offer the options of a full bore.
Floating Ball Valve VS. Trunnion Mounted Ball Valve
Ball valves are classified in a wide range of criteria and among these are their design. Ball valves are either floating or trunnion mounted and have different characteristics.
• Appearance
When it comes to the appearance, a floating ball valve and trunnion mounted ball valve are easily distinguishable. A floating ball valve only has one shaft found at the top, which makes the ball “float” during operation. A trunnion mounted ball valve has an extra anchoring system found at the bottom to keep the valve in place.
• Working Principle
Floating ball valves only have one stem found at the top surface, allowing a slight displacement of the ball. Trunnion mounted ball valves have stems at the top and bottom, keeping them in place at all times.
The sealing of a floating ball valve is determined by the pressure of the process medium. When the ball valve is closed, the floating ball presses against the sealing surface influenced by the pressure. When a trunnion mounted valve is closed, the ball will not displace. Instead, the floating seats will press against the ball influenced by the flow pressure.
• Sealing Surface
A floating ball valve has a single-sided seal since the ball will float on the downstream seat when receiving pressure. Meanwhile, trunnion mounted ball valve is kept in position and will have seals on both sides.
Since they have different sealing principles, the required materials for their sealing surface are also different. The floating ball valve should be able to handle the pressure of the floating ball.
• Applications
Floating ball valves usually have smaller diameters and are well-suited for low-pressure applications. Trunnion ball valves are typically larger and are ideal for high-pressure applications. Both provide positive sealing and are widely used in different industries.
Floating Ball Valve Design Features and Options
• Full or Reduced Bore
SIO offers full and reduced bore for the floating ball valves. A full bore means the valve bore or port has a similar diameter with the pipe. It is ideal in process media that have mixed solids and liquids where flow restrictions could cause these substances to separate. This could potentially lead to buildups that will affect the required flow in the pipes. With a full bore ball valve, minimum pressure drop, cavitation, and consistent flow rate are guaranteed.
A reduced bore has a smaller diameter than the pipe and lighter compared to the full bore. It has a straight flow passage and provides flow restrictions that could cause a pressure drop. It is widely used in processes where pressure drop, material features, and flow turbulence are not an issue.
• Blow-out Proof Stem
Having a blow-out proof stem helps eliminate risks of accidents during live operation. The stem of floating ball valve is designed with an integral T-type shoulder for protection against an accidental blow-out. This means the stem is isolated from the valve body. When the ball valve is receiving high pressure, the stem housing will keep the stem in place, preventing it from blowing out.
• Anti-static Device
The anti-static device is an essential add-on to prevent fire and other accidents. Our floating ball valve uses a static-conduction spring between the ball and the stem, and the stem and the bonnet. This prevents static electricity, which could lead to igniting flammable process media.
• Fire-safe Design
SIO floating ball valves are equipped with a double-proof fire design to ensure safe and efficient operations.
A. External Leakage Prevention
All possible external leakage points are made with a primary O-ring seal and secondary graphite packing or gasket seal. These points are found between the stem and body, and the body and adapter. Even when fire damages the primary O-ring, the secondary graphite gasket seal will secure the process medium and prevent external leakage.
B. Internal Leakage Prevention
When fire damages the primary soft seat seal, the upstream pressure will push the ball downstream against the secondary metal seat lip. This is to shut off the process medium and prevent internal leakage through the valve bore.
Top Mounting
The top mounting pad guarantees proper alignment of the actuator to the upper stem for reduced side loading during service. All SIO floating ball valves are designed and manufactured with a certified ISO 5211 top mounting pad. For sizes 2” and larger cast floating ball valves, the actuator can be directly mounted on the valve.
Environment-friendly Valve
The ISO 15848-certified fugitive emission-suppressing design ensures the low-emission performance of the full sealing of our floating ball valves. This verifies that our ball valves operate with zero leakage, significantly minimizing the problems of fugitive emissions.
How Does a Floating Ball Valve Work
Like the other ball valve types, floating ball valve has a spherical disc (ball) to open and shut media flow. It is an industry standard for shut-off applications due to their guaranteed tight sealing even after years of service. It has a compact design, which allows easy and quick operation of the valve.
The ball inside the ball valve has a hole, which either allows or obstructs process media flow. When the hole is aligned with the two ends of the valve, media flow goes through freely. When it is in a different position, like perpendicular to the valve ends, the passage flow is restricted. In a floating ball valve, the ball is suspended in the flowing media. It is held in position by the compression of the two seats against it.
The shaft is attached at the top of the ball, which allows an open and closed position through a 90-degree movement. The ball receives pressure through the movement of the shaft, allowing it to be pressed against the ball seats.
Applications for Floating Ball Valves
• Chemical Industries
Chemical industries require positive sealing and zero leakage. Like chlorine processing plants, they deal with harmful chemicals, which could lead to hazardous accidents even in the smallest leaks. SIO floating ball valves guarantee that there is absolutely no leakage. They are also made from materials that have excellent resistance to corrosion and abrasion. This ensures safety, reliability, and longer service life to our ball valves.
• Oil and Gas Industries
The oil and gas industries involve an array of industrial applications, such as hydrocarbon processing, oil refinement, gas production and more. All of these applications require a positive shut-off. The floating mechanism of a floating ball valve guarantees positive sealing as it is influenced by the system pressure.
Oil and gas industrial applications usually involve high pressures. SIO floating ball valves are equipped with a blow-out proof stem that prevents the stem from flying or blowing out when the valve is receiving too much pressure. This helps in maintaining the working conditions of the ball valve.
• Food and Beverage Industries
Food and beverage industries are particular when it comes to the sterility of operations. With SIO floating ball valves, sanitation and smooth operations are guaranteed. The entire operation of these industries is crucial to their end products. Floating ball valves will provide reliable sealing that guarantees no unnecessary mixing and contamination will happen to the process media.
• Hydrocarbon Applications
A floating ball valve is designed to withstand the environment of hydrocarbon processing applications. These services will usually involve different characteristics of the media flow. Some of these may include aggressive contaminants which may cause corrosion and abrasion. SIO ball valves are made with durable materials like stainless steel and carbon steel to withstand such conditions.
• Petrochemical Industries
Our standard floating ball valve design is supplied with a certified fire-safe design and anti-static device. Petrochemical industries deal with different chemical compounds, some of which may be flammable. The anti-static device eliminates the risks of accidental fire caused by static charges igniting the flammable process fluid. The fire-safe design will protect the flammable process media by controlling internal leakage and preventing external leakage.
Floating ball valve is a type of ball valve that is not held in position by a trunnion and only adheres to the stem. This causes the ball to sometimes float downstream, allowing it to press against the seat and
The top mounting pad guarantees proper alignment of the actuator to the upper stem for reduced side loading during service. All SIO floating ball valves are designed and manufactured with a certified ISO 5211 top mounting pad. For sizes 2” and larger cast floating ball valves, the actuator can be directly mounted on the valve.
