What is a Fluid Valve?

A fluid valve is a device implemented in any piping system that contains liquid material that is backed by the power of pressure. Fluid valves especially are often implemented within a piping system as a means of adding a safety measure to the system. This is especially important in instances where the piping system holds a substantial amount of pressure or when the materials being passed through the system may be considered dangerous or harmful. Valves that are used within a piping system are often used as a means of regulation, however, there are many different designs for valves that are implemented for different purposes.

A fluid valve is an operational piece within a piping system. This means there are moving parts within the fluid valve that either open or close the valve. It either allows or prevents the flow of the material through the piping system. Controlling the fluid valve may be as simple as the turning of a crank that opens and closes the valve, or valves can be operated electronically from a remote station and open and close automatically. Fluid valves may also have gauges on them that are set to restrict the flow of materials through them to either a certain pressure or to a designated amount of flow per period of time.

Added as an isolation method, there is usually more than just a few fluid valves located at designated points within a system. That way, a problem detected within a system can be narrowed down by location through the use of fluid valves to close off sections. This is often done to diagnose a blockage or a leak within a piping system so that the affected area may be isolated and appropriately repaired. In fact, this isolation technique is one of the most common purposes for fluid valves to serve within pressurized systems, both as a maintenance measure and a safety precaution in systems that transfer hazardous materials from one point to another.

Any time a fluid valve is utilized within a piping system, there are most likely gauges and flow meters utilized in the same system. In many cases, these gauges and meters are used as the devices that give information to the system operator or maintenance technician. They are used whenever a section of the system either needs to be isolated or adjusted to maintain pressure consistency throughout the system.