Shut-off valves are designed to safely stop or continue the flow of hazardous fluids or external gases. They are used to block compressed air in an industrial automation process or isolate sub-systems when not in use. A shut-off valve has many names. Some common names are a lockout valve, cut-off valve, a shutdown valve, an emergency shutdown valve, a ball valve, or an exhausting ball valve.

Shut off valve as part of the valve family

The shut-off valve is part of the large valve family. Among the valve family, we have thermostatic valves (temperature control valves), pressure valves, solenoid valves, instrument valves, ball valves and more. A valve is an instrument or biological object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially blocking various passages. That’s how to define the valve in basic.

Why would you use Shut off valve?

Most often used as a safety-related function, using a shut-off valve as part of an air preparation unit can save time and money and is considered best practice. Shut-off valves allow for easier servicing of equipment without affecting the rest of the system by quickly stopping air from reaching part of the application in use. Simple to operate, they can be used in the event of a risk to safety, or equipment failure or in order to carry out maintenance. Some shut-off valves can be lockable in the closed position and are tamper-proof with the use of a padlock, while others in the IMI Norgren range meet the lock-out, tag-out (LOTO) system requirements, where a machine cannot be restarted until repair work is carried out.

Selection of a Shut-off Valve

Based on the application there are various types of shut-off valves. So, the selection of the appropriate shut-off valve is not easy. Various parameters need to be considered while selecting the shut-off valve for a specific service and operation. The important factors to consider are:

• Type of application
• Pressure Rating
• Size and weight
• Temperature and Pressure
• Range
• Working Environment
• Port size, position, and type
• Material Body

 Types of Shut-off Valves

Shutoff valves are categorized based on various parameters like working, configuration, application, etc. Depending on the turning of the handle there are two types of shut-off valves:

• Multi-turn shut-off valve
• Quarter-turn shut-off valve

Depending on configuration shut-off valve types are:

• Straight shutoff valve
• Angle shut-off valve

Again, depending on the applications they are popularly categorized as

• Water shut-off valve
• Gas shut-off valve
• Fuel shut-off valve, etc

Various materials are used to manufacture shut-off valves based on fluid service compatibility. Common shut-off valve materials are Brass, Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Alloy Steel, etc. For low-pressure temperature applications in the water industry plastic or polypropylene, valves are used.

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