Pipeline fittings — definition and varieties

A pipe fitting is a device that is used to control the flow of working media. Control occurs by changing the cross-section through which the medium passes. These devices are used in pipelines, aggregates and vessels.

Pipeline fittings are divided into subspecies, for example, phase separation, protective, etc. The most used is the shut-off valves.

Types of shut-off valves

Shut-off valves include devices used to completely block the flow of the working medium in the pipeline. It is capable of providing complete tightness. It includes:

• closures;
• gate valves;
• cranes, etc.

Most often they are used in engineering systems — water supply, sewerage, heating, etc.

Closures

The device is a locking or regulating element made in the form of a disk that rotates around its axis perpendicular to the axis of the pipe. Valves are used on large highways and in hydraulic structures.

The shutter is controlled manually or by means of an electric motor. A gearbox is used for manual operation. The gates with electric motors use devices designed for short-term operation in rotary mode. The advantage of electrified gates is that they can stop in any position, which allows them to be used for flow control, and also that they can be controlled remotely.

Gate valves

The most common element of reinforcement. They are devices with a locking body located perpendicular to the flow. They are attached to pipes by means of flanges. An example of such a device is a wedge flanged gate valve with a retractable spindle. The main advantage is the simplicity of the design, the disadvantage is the large size.

Cranes

The main alternative to valves. Ball valves are especially popular, which regulates the medium by rotating a ball around its axis with a hole in the middle. Like other types of fittings, cranes are used by installation organizations, water utilities, industrial enterprises, in power systems, agriculture, public and private structures.