STANDARD VS REGULAR PORT 1

[GSOPIPE]

What is the difference in a "Standard" port and a "Regular" port? "Full Port" I understand. For example:
Apollo Ball Valve 70 series (70-105-01) is a "standard port", the 32 Series (32-105-01) says its a "regular port". I can't find info there, so I'm posting here. THANKS!!!

 

[zdas04]

The terms "Standard Port", "Reduced Port", and "Regular Port" are interchangeable and they all mean "Not Full Port".

Marketers in this incredibly competitive market are doing anything they can to cause a conversation where they can extol the virtues of their valves. Sometimes it backfires (i.e., if I find a web site vauge I close the web browser and go somewhere else, other folks have more patience and will call, it probably balances).

David

 

[fwcatr]

What zdas04 stated about the marketers is very true. Don't get caught up in the jargon used for valves, be sure to size the proper valve based on the pipe line dimensions, pressures, and flow rates you need.

I checked the Apollo site, and the site does show dimensions for the ports if you dig a little deeper. If I was reading right, the 70-105 had a 22.098 mm port and the 32-105 had a 19.05 mm port.

Regards,
Fred

 

[GSOPIPE]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your help. My customers do too!

Melissa

 

[JimCasey]

Zdas04 was right about the market being competitive. We run into the Wal-Marting of the marketplace all the time. That's why almost all the manufacturing is outsourced to third-world countries, now. Too many customers don't care what they get as long as it's cheap.

A "regular port" valve actualy causes very little restriction to the flow and it is substantially less expensive than a full port valve with the same connection size. Also a regular port valve requires less torque to turn so you use a smaller, less expensive actuator if the valve is to be automated. That is not to say that regular port valves are cheap. They may have any number of features that tailor them for success in certain applications.

There are times when you NEED a full port valve. If you are using it to isolate a probe insertion into a hot tap, or if you intend to pig the line, for example. Almost never is a full-port valve justified merely on the basis of flow restriction.

If all you (or your purchasing clerk) cares about is price, just specify a x-inch ball valve and you will get a cheap, commodity-grade valve that may actually work for 5 or 6 cycles. And in fact, a lot of ball valves are installed and forgotten and may only be cycled 5 times in thir entire service life. If quality matters, specify the features that will ensure the success of the valve in your application. The rest of zdas04's remark causes me a little concern. Valves are NOT all the same and specifying engineers are not all fully familiar with the features and benefits of the products. Marketing guys ARE hired to write hot copy to get your attention so you will see how their valves are different from the other guys' valves. Sometimes these differences really really matter. Sometimes it's OK to let your purchasing clerk buy the cheapest thing he can scrounge from the reject bin at Lowe's. But there are times you NEED <pick a feature>. Sometimes people's lives depend upon the specifying engineer sorting through the market and speaking with sales representatives to find the product that will provide the greatest assurance of safety. Or if could be other features that are significant for a specific application. If that wasn't true there would be no need for the Engineering tips forum...

 

[zdas04]

JimCasey,
I don't disagree with you at all. The second part of my post is talking about marketing behaviour, not valve performance. I'm certainly not saying that each manufacturer's valves don't have something that sets them apart from the rest and may need some "extolling".

I know that I've rejected good valves because I couldn't get answers to my questions without going farther than a web page. I've also found some very good valves from web pages, and decided to buy them before I ever talked to a salesman (that makes the sales call really easy).

When I started in this business, my predecessor always specified "#### 4-inch ball valves", and got what he deserved. As I was trying to fix some valves that had leaked through, I assumed that all 16-inch valves would be built to API specs and any ANSI 300 valve would fit in the holes, I didn't see any reason to measure the installed valve. Shame on me, the replacement valve was built to API specs and was 4-inches too short to fit where the generic non-API valve came out. We discovered that with the system blown down and the old valve on the ground. It was the barrel-isolation valve on a pig launcher and there really wasn't an easy way to fix it (we ended up cutting the barrel and adding a 4-inch pup and dealing with some concrete supports) what a mess. At that point I made it my mission to never spec generic valves again. Now I give the purchasing guy a manufacturer, model, and all required parameters to get the valve that will work for now and the future.

David