List of valves

Updated on Sep 23, 2024

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Valves are quite diverse and may be classified into a number types.

Basic types

Valves can be categorized into the following basic types:

Ball valve, for on/off control without pressure drop, and ideal for quick shut-off, since a 90° turn offers complete shut-off angle, compared to multiple turns required on most manual valves.

Butterfly valve, for flow regulation in large pipe diameters.

Ceramic Disc valve, used mainly in high duty cycle applications or on abrasive fluids. Ceramic disc can also provide Class IV seat leakage

Clapper valve, Used in appliances like the Siamese fire appliance to allow only 1 hose to connected instead of two (the clapper valve blocks the other side from leaking out.

Check valve or non-return valve, allows the fluid to pass in one direction only.

Choke valve, a valve that raises or lowers a solid cylinder which is placed around or inside another cylinder which has holes or slots. Used for high pressure drops found in oil and gas wellheads.

Diaphragm valve, which controls flow by a movement of a diaphragm. Upstream pressure, downstream pressure, or an external source (e.g., pneumatic, hydraulic, etc.) can be used to change the position of the diaphragm.

Gate valve, mainly for on/off control, with low pressure drop.

Globe valve, good for regulating flow.

Knife valve, similar to a gate valve, but usually more compact. Often used for slurries or powders on/off control.

Needle valve for accurate flow control.

Pinch valve, for slurry flow regulation and control.

Piston valve, for regulating fluids that carry solids in suspension.

Plug valve, slim valve for on/off control but with some pressure drop.

Poppet valve, commonly used in piston engines to regulate the fuel mixture intake and exhaust

Spool valve, for hydraulic control

Thermal expansion valve, used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

Pressure Reducing Valve

Sampling valves

Safety valve

Specific types

Aspin valve: a cone-shaped metal part fitted to the cylinder head of an engine

Ball cock: often used as a water level controller (cistern)

Bibcock: provides a connection to a flexible hosepipe

Blast valve: prevents rapid overpressuring in a fallout shelter or a bunker

Boston valve: three-part two-port check valve used on inflatable boats, air mattresses, airbeds etc.; available in two sizes, normal and small

Cock: colloquial term for a small valve or a stopcock

Demand valve: on a diving regulator

Double beat valve

Double check valve

Duckbill valve

Flipper valve

Flow control valve: an application which maintains a variable flow rate through the valve

Heimlich valve: a specific one-way valve used on the end of chest drain tubes to treat a pneumothorax

Foot valve: a check valve on the foot of a suction line to prevent backflow

Four-way valve: was used to control the flow of steam to the cylinder of early double-acting steam engines

Freeze seal/Freeze plug: in which freezing and melting the fluid creates and removes a plug of frozen material acting as the valve

Gas pressure regulator regulates the flow and pressure of a gas

Heart valve: regulates blood flow through the heart in many organisms

Larner–Johnson Valve: needle control valve often in large sizes used in water supply systems

Leaf valve: one-way valve consisting of a diagonal obstruction with an opening covered by a hinged flap

Pilot valve: regulates flow or pressure to other valves

Pinch valve, "beach ball valve": simple, single-part two-port check valve made from soft plastic and molded on to inflatable units such as beach balls, air mattresses, water wings; can be inflated by pump or by mouth.

Plunger valve: To regulate flow while lowering the pressure

Poppet valve and sleeve valve: commonly used in piston engines to regulate the fuel mixture intake and exhaust

Pressure regulator or pressure reducing valve (PRV): reduces pressure to a preset level downstream of the valve

Pressure sustaining valve, or back-pressure regulator: maintains pressure at a preset level upstream of the valve

Presta and Schrader valves are used to hold the air in bicycle tires

Reed valve: consists of two or more flexible materials pressed together along much of their length, but with the influx area open to allow one-way flow, much like a heart valve

Regulator: used in SCUBA diving equipment and in gas cooking equipment to reduce the high pressure gas supply to a lower working pressure

Rocker valve

Rotolock valve

Rotary valves and piston valves: parts of brass instruments used to change their pitch

Rupture disc: a one time use replaceable valve for rapid pressure relief, used to protect piping systems from excessive pressure or vacuum; more reliable than a safety valve

Saddle valve: where allowed, is used to tap a pipe for a low-flow need

Safety valve or relief valve: operates automatically at a set differential pressure to correct a potentially dangerous situation, typically over-pressure

Schrader valve: used to hold the air inside automobile tires

Solenoid valve: an electrically controlled hydraulic or pneumatic valve

Stopcock: restricts or isolates flow through a pipe

Swirl valve: A specially designed Joule-Thompson pressure reduction/expansion valve imparting a centrifugal force upon the discharge stream for improving gas–liquid phase separation

Tap (British English), faucet (American English): the common name for a valve used in homes to regulate water flow

Tesla valve: A form of check valve with no moving parts, invented by Nikola Tesla for use with fluids.

Thermal expansion valve, used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Thermostatic mixing valve

Thermostatic radiator valve

Trap primer: sometimes include other types of valves, or are valves themselves

Vacuum breaker valve: prevents the back-siphonage of contaminated water into pressurized drinkable water supplies

References

List of valves Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

Basic types

Specific types

References