What Kinds Of Valves Used In Steam Pipeline?

A steam pipeline is a system of piping used to transport steam from one place to another.

What Is a Steam Pipeline?

Steam pipelines are commonly used in industrial production, heating, power generation and other fields that require steam. In industrial production, steam is usually used for heating, humidification, drying, driving machinery, etc. In the area of heating, steam can be piped to radiators in buildings to heat rooms. In power plants, the steam is typically used to drive turbines that generate electricity.

Application Field Of Steam Pipeline

Most automation equipment and systems require the use of steam pipelines to provide heat or power. For example, some industrial production facilities such as chemical plants, power stations, paper mills, textile mills, and food processing plants need to use steam pipelines to provide steam to heat or drive various equipment in the production process.

Classification Of Steam Pipelines – According To Pressure

High-Pressure Steam Pipeline

High-pressure steam pipelines are usually used in equipment or processes that require high-temperature and high-pressure steam, such as large power plants, chemical plants, or pulp and paper mills, etc. This piping system requires very strict safety and control measures to ensure the safe transportation and use of steam. High-pressure steam pipelines are usually made of high-strength materials such as alloy steel and stainless steel, and are equipped with various safety valves, thermometers, pressure gauges and other monitoring and control equipment.

Low-Pressure Steam Pipeline

Low-pressure steam pipelines are usually used in equipment or processes that require low-temperature and low-pressure steam, such as building heating and ventilation, sanitary hot water, food processing, etc. This kind of pipeline system is relatively simple, usually using materials such as ordinary carbon steel or stainless steel, and equipped with corresponding control valves and monitoring equipment.

Why Do Steam Pipelines Need Valves?

For automation systems, steam pipelines can also be integrated with automatic control equipment and sensors to achieve automatic control and monitoring.
Use electric actuators or pneumatic actuators to control valves to adjust the flow and temperature of steam, and use temperature sensors and pressure sensors to monitor the temperature and pressure in steam pipelines, etc.

5 Types Of Valves That Can Be Used In Steam Pipelines

Steam pipelines usually need to be equipped with various types of valves to control the flow, pressure and direction of steam. Here are some commonly used valve types:

Globe Valves

Globe valves are one of the most common types of valves that can be used to control the flow and pressure of steam. When the valve is closed, it shuts off the flow of steam completely.

Control Valves

Regulating valves can be used to control the flow and pressure of steam and maintain a constant flow or pressure. It is typically used in applications that require continuous adjustment of steam flow.

Safety Valves

A safety valve is a special valve that opens automatically when the pressure in a pipeline exceeds a safe limit to prevent pipeline rupture or other dangerous events from occurring.

Check Valves

A check valve prevents the steam from flowing backwards in the pipe and maintains one-way flow. This is very important for applications that need to prevent backflow.

Shut-Off Valves

Like ball valve and butterfly valve for controlling the shut-off performance. Helping to transport or cut-off the flow rate.

The above are some commonly used valve types, and the appropriate valve can be selected according to the actual application needs. In addition, attention should be paid to the selection of valve materials with high temperature resistance, pressure resistance and corrosion resistance, and appropriate valve drive methods, such as manual, electric or pneumatic drive, etc. should be selected according to needs.

How To Choose The Right Actuator?

High Temperature Resistance

Since the temperature in the steam transmission pipeline is usually high, the electric actuator or pneumatic actuator should be able to withstand the high temperature environment to avoid damage or burnout of the actuator due to high temperature.

Preservative

The steam in the steam delivery pipeline often contains moisture and other corrosive substances, which may corrode the actuator parts, resulting in actuator damage or performance degradation. Therefore, the actuator material should have strong corrosion resistance.

Dustproof And Waterproof

Since steam pipelines are usually in an industrial production environment, electric or pneumatic actuators should be dustproof and waterproof to ensure long-term reliable operation.

Quick Response

Steam delivery pipelines usually require frequent adjustments, so the actuator should have fast response capabilities so that it can respond to control signals quickly and accurately.

Low Maintenance Cost

Since the steam transmission pipeline is usually a long-distance, large-scale pipeline system, the maintenance cost of the actuator should be as low as possible to avoid the problem of high pipeline maintenance and management costs.

Therefore, for the selection of actuators in steam pipelines, the above requirements need to be considered, and comprehensive evaluation and selection should be carried out according to actual application conditions.

Here is a brief introduction of what is a steam pipeline and the types of valves for a steam pipeline for your reference. If you are in this industry, have anything we could help or any points want to share, feel free to contact us at sales@covnaactuator.com