Control, restrict, and stop the flow of fluid through your pipe system as needed with the reliability and simplicity of high-quality plug valves sourced from leading manufacturers.
Ensure Easy and Precise Flow Control with Plug Valves
From food and beverage process control to handling corrosive chemicals and oil and gas byproduct slurries, achieving precise flow control without risking leaks or cross-contamination is essential. There is one type of plug that is so versatile that it can handle everything from steam and gases to highly viscous fluids and semi-solid slurries without compromising ease of use, efficiency, or safety.
American Stainless maintains a vast inventory of plug valves, sourced from the best manufacturers in the industry, to ensure that your project has just the right valve your system needs to control fluid flow and maintain consistent, efficient processes.
What is a plug valve?
A plug valve is a type of flow control mechanism that relies on a plug within the valve body to open or close the flow path. The plug has one or more hollow passageways running sideways through it. Much like a ball valve, when these passageways align with the flow, fluid can pass through, and when the plug is rotated away, the flow is reduced or blocked altogether.
Highly Versatile
Simplicity and effectiveness in their design makes them useful as a form of flow control and stoppage in a wide range of applications. They can handle everything from gases to especially viscous fluids.
Reliable Sealing
The use of tapered or cylindrical plugs within the valve body provides excellent tight shutoff capabilities, as the plugs fit especially snugly into valve seats. This ensures especially reliable protection against fluid leakage.
Ease of Operation
These valves requires minimal effort to operate. Most use a simple quarter-turn mechanism, making these valves especially efficient for systems requiring quick and frequent valve opening and closing.
Exploring Plug Valve Types
There are several types of plug valves commonly used in industrial and commercial flow control systems, each with their own unique features and capabilities to provide sufficient flow control and protect against leaks across a wide range of environmental conditions and fluid media:
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Lubricated Valves
By using a lubricant injected under pressure between the plug and the body seat, these valves minimize friction and provide reliable sealing capabilities in high-pressure applications.
Non-Lubricated Valves
Rather than using a pressurized lubricant to provide sealing capabilities, these valves use a non-metallic sleeve or specialized coating on the plug, reducing maintenance burdens in moderate flow applications.
Eccentric Valves
These valves use an off-center plug that reduces wear and tear on sealing surfaces. They are ideal for flow control in pipe systems that handle slurries and solids.
Expanding Valves
These valves incorporate a mechanism that expands the plug to provide an especially tight seal and ensure zero leakage. They are especially useful for fluid isolation systems.
Choosing the Right Plug Valve Type: What to Know
Plug valves are extremely versatile, but with that versatility comes an even greater need to pick precisely the right type of valve for your system’s unique requirements and operating conditions. Whether to select a lubricated or non-lubricated valve or a valve with an eccentric or expanding plug depends on the flow rate and capacity of your system, the maximum pressure and temperature conditions, and a host of other factors.
Neglecting these critical factors can lead to using plug valves that aren’t suited for your environment—leading to leaks, potential valve failures, and higher maintenance and operational costs.
Flow Rate and Capacity
Pay close attention to the maximum flow rate and flow capacity of the valve you’re interested in. When your valve’s capability to handle fluid flow meets or exceeds the maximum flow rate and capacity of your pipe system, you can ensure it will reliably and consistently control your flow without leakages or failures.
Pressure and Temperature Rating
Each make and model of plug valve has its own maximum pressure and temperature rating based on its material composition and design. This is the most pressure and highest temperature the valve can handle before its ability to perform reliably becomes compromised. Make sure your selected valve is built to handle your environment.
Material Compatibility
Plug valves can handle a variety of material types and densities—everything from steam and other gaseous to extremely viscous fluids and semi-solid slurries. Make sure your chosen valve is built to handle the fluid flowing through your pipe system, especially if your fluids are abrasive or corrosive.
End Connection Compatibility
There are a wide range of ways to connect pipes and valves, including threaded, flanged, or welded connections. Choose valves whose outlets and inlets are the same diameter and use the same type of connections as the pipe systems you are integrating them into. A mismatch makes it significantly harder to prevent leaks or damage.
Industry Standards
Compliance with industry-specific standards and regulations, such as API, ANSI, and ISO, is critical in the selection of plug valves. Ensuring the valves you choose comply with these standards ensures your choice of valves meet your industry’s high standards for reliability and workplace safety.
Attain the Best in Flow Control Solutions with American Stainless & Supply
Making the right choice of plug valves to ensure tight seals and reliable flow control is only half the battle. The other half? Getting the valves your project needs in time to meet your deadlines and stay under-budget.
Serving manufacturing contractors and industrial customers across a vast breadth of sectors throughout the Southeastern US, American Stainless makes full use of a vast inventory of plug valves from the best valve manufacturers to get you the right valve at the right time to ensure the best possible results without missing a single deadline. Our friendly and attentive customer support team has extensive industry experience and can help you choose the perfect flow control solutions. Contact us to get a quote for plug valves and get started today