PT.

Antogus Bona Sere (ABS)

1
 The flow control element of the plug valve, the plug, is a cylinder or a truncated cone with a hole through it. The plug rotates about an
axis that is perpendicular to the hole and to the fluid path. The plug is always in the fluid path. However, when the valve is open the hole
aligns with the fluid path, and the fluid passes straight through it. Because the plug valve is symmetrical, either end can be the fluid inlet,
and thus flow can be from either direction. If the plug is cylindrical, the hole may be rectangular or round. If the plug is a truncated cone,
the hole is usually a trapezoid. The forms of control for which the plug valve is suited are starting and stopping flow and changing flow
direction. Two of basic design of Plug Valves are the lubricated plug valve and the sleeved plug valve.
LUBRICATED PLUG VALVE
 A typical lubricated plug valve is shown in Figure 7-2. The plug is drilled from the top of its integral shaft along its centerline and then
radially from the cylindrical seating surface, intersecting the cen­terline hole. The seating surface is grooved circumferentially and
longitudinally. A sealant injection fitting screwed into the hole at the top of the plug is used with a sealant gun to inject sealant down the
center of the plug, out the radial holes, and into the surface grooves from which it oozes out, filling the narrow clearance between the plug
and body seating surfaces. A small check valve just below the injection fitting prevents the sealant from leaking back out. A spring at the
bottom of the plug presses the top of the plug against a gasket held in the top of the body, preventing external leakage.
 The sealant performs three functions: it forms a renewable seal between the plug and body, preventing internal leakage; it protects the
seating surfaces against corrosion; and it acts as a lubricant, reducing the force required to operate the valve.
 A slightly different design uses sealant to further reduce the operating force. It has a conical plug that is inserted into the body from the
top and held in place with a cover. The lubricant grooves in this plug extend all the way to the bottom of the plug so that sealant fills the
cavity between the bottom of the plug and the body. If sealant is injected immediately before turning the plug, the additional pressure of
the sealant on the bottom of the plug raises the plug slightly, increasing the clearance between the plug and the body and thereby
reducing the turning force.
 Manufacturers of lubricated plug valves offer a selection of sealants to use with different media: air, acids, alkalis, alcohols, water, steam,
petroleum oils and fuels, and so on. Some sealants are more versatile than others; how­ever, no single one is suitable for all fluids.
Sealants must be matched to the fluid to ensure that it does not dissolve the sealant and "wash" it out. This causes the valve to leak and
the plug to seize and gall when turned. Service temperatures for sealants range from about -20°F to 450°F, precluding use of the
lubricated plug valve at temperatures above 450°F. In addition, in some services the sealant could contaminate the process fluid.
 Lubricated plug valves are manufactured in bronze, cast iron, and carbon steel in sizes from 1/2 inch to 36 inches and with the capability
of containing fluids at pressures well over 2,500 psi.
SLEEVED PLUG VALVE
 A sleeved plug valve is shown in Figure 7-3. Rather than using sealant to reduce friction and achieve sealing, a non-metallic sleeve is
locked in recesses in the body.
 The polished, slightly tapered plug acts as a wedge, pressing against the sleeve, and a tight seal is obtained. The plug is forced
against the sleeve by a thrust collar acting through a non-metallic gasket at the top of the plug. The force of the thrust collar can be
increased by tightening several adjusting bolts that pass through the valve cover. The gasket also seats against the integral plug shaft to
prevent external leakage. Sleeve materials are selected from those with low coefficients of friction, reducing the required turning force;
however, the forces are higher than those of the same size lubricated valve. Also, the non-metallic sleeve has temperature limits that are
about the same as the sealant for the lubricated plug valve.
 Sleeved plug valves are manufactured in a wide range of valve materials: cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, and the more exotic
nickel-based alloys. Sizes range from 1/2 inch to 18 inches. Sleeved plug valves can contain fluid pressures up to 1,500 psi. Sleeves are
made primarily of TFE or TFE derivatives. 2
PLUG VALVE PORTS AND PATTERNS
 Plug valves are made with different size port openings, which affect plug and body size. Plug valves with open­ings that have an area
equal to that of the connecting pipe are called 100% ports. These 100% ports can be round, rectangular, or trapezoidal, depending on
the shape of the plug. The 100% round port results in the largest plug valve.
 Its use is preferred where resistance to flow must be kept to a minimum and where the valve is used in a pipeline that is internally
scraped (or pigged). The 100% round port is only available with a cylindrical plug. The 100% rectangular port is shown in Figure 7-2. To
match the opening height, the body flow passages are tapered. The 100% trapezoidal port valve is similar. The 100% port plugs are
supplied in regular pattern bodies, which have the largest end-to-end dimensions of the different body designs.
 The most common plug valves are those with regular ports, which are port openings that vary from 40% to 100% of the connecting pipe
area, depending on valve size. Most openings range from 60% to 70% of the connecting pipe area.
 Regular port plugs are supplied in both regular and short pattern bodies. Short pattern body end-to-end dimensions match the end-to-
end dimensions of the same size gate valve; regular pattern body valves are longer.
 The smallest port opening plugs are found in venturi pattern bodies in which the flow paths of the body taper down from the valve ends
to the plug. Venturi plug port openings are 40% to 50% of the connecting pipe area. Venturi pattern bodies have the same end-to-end
length as the regular pattern. They are used on large valves (6 inches and larger) to reduce size, weight, and operating torque when
higher resistance to flow is acceptable.
APPLICATIONS
 Plug valves are used as stop valves and to change flow direction. Changing flow direction is accomplished with multi-port plug valves.
These will be discussed separately in the next section of this chapter. As a stop valve, the plug valve has the following attributes:
1. It is a simple design, with few parts, and usually may be serviced without removal from the pipeline.
2. It has a smooth, uninterrupted flow path that offers little resistance to flow when open.
3
 3. It is manufactured in a wide range of sizes, pressure classes, and materials. Sizes range from 1/2 inch to 36 inches. Plug
valves can handle fluid pressures from vacuum to over 2,500 psi, and they are made of all available types of valve materials:
bronze, cast iron, steel, and corrosion-resistant alloys.
4. It can be used with all fluids, liquids, gases, and vapors (including steam), whether clean or dirty. Owing to its uninterrupted
flow path, the plug valve is well suited for handling slurries of coal and mineral ores, muds, sewage, and media that cause
scale or precipitates to form. Plug valves are also frequently used in gas transmission pipelines and in oil fields in the
production of crude oil.
5. Its quarter-turn operation and low required operating force make it preferable for applications in which fre­quent operation is
required, and make it easy to actu­ate. The lubricated plug valve typically has a lower required operating force than any other
type of valve of the same size.
6. The seat of a lubricated plug valve can be renewed by the injection of sealant.

 Plug valves have drawbacks. The regular pattern body valve is large from end-to-end and takes up more pipeline space than does
the same size gate valve, especially in very large sizes. Both the lubricated and the sleeved valve design have temperature
limitations owing to the allowable service temperatures of sealants and non-metallic sleeve materials. In addition, unlike other valve
types, the lubricated plug valve requires periodic maintenance or an additional step before operating the injection of sealant. If the
sealant is not renewed periodically, fluids may dissolve it and wash it from the plug face, causing seizing and galling between the
plug and the body when the plug is turned.

MULTI-PORT PLUG VALVES

 The plug valve is one of two valve types that can be used to change fluid flow direction. (The ball valve is the other.)
 All three designs discussed in this chapter can be modified to be multi-port valves. To accomplish this modification, both the body
and the plug are changed from those in the standard plug valve. One or two end connections are added to the sides of the body,
and the plug has either an additional flow passage that is perpendicular to and inter­sects the normal passage, or two nonintersecting
flow pas­sages that do not go all the way through the plug but turn 90° and exit it. With the sleeved plug valve, it is also pos­sible to
add a connection at the body to work in conjunc­tion with a flow passage in the plug that starts at the bottom and then turns 90° to
exit at the seating surface of the plug. Multi-port valves are designated by the number of body openings (called ways) and the
number of plug openings (called ports). In multi-port valves, plug rotation is not limited to 90° but may be a full 360°.
 There are many combinations of ways, ports, and plug rotation that produce different schemes of change in flow direction.
 Multi-port plug valves are useful in many installations and allow for simpler and more compact piping. This results in a savings in
valve, pipe, and pipe fitting costs, and the cost of labor for installation. These valves also add convenience and safety to operations.
Operating one valve can simultaneously disconnect one process and connect another. The risks of overlooking the opening or
closing of one valve of several and the serious possible consequences are avoided.
 Multi-port plug valves are used in such applications as blending fluids, diverting fluid from one destination to another; switching
between parallel pieces of equipment, such as pumps and filters; and sequencing between different processes. These applications
are shown schematically in Figure 7-5. The valve shown in the blending application is a three-way, three-port valve. The plug is in
the center position, and fluid-supply tanks, Tank 1 and Tank 2, are connected to the process. Turning the plug 90° clockwise or
counterclockwise connects only Tank 1 or Tank 2 to the process.

4
 The valve shown in the diverting application is a three-way, two-port valve. The fluid-supply tank is connected only to Process 1. If the
plug is turned 90° clockwise, the tank is connected only to Process 2. In the switching application, two three-way, two-port valves are
used. The fluid passes through Unit 1, which may be a pump, a filter, and so on. Turning the inlet valve 90° clockwise and the outlet
valve 90° counterclockwise causes the fluid to flow through Unit 2 and disconnects Unit 1 for cleaning or repair. In the sequencing
application, two four-way, four-port valves are used. The fluid passes first through Process 2 and then through Process 1. By turning
both valves clockwise (or counter clockwise), the fluid passes through Process 1, then Process 2. In the switching and sequencing
applications, the valves may be coupled so that both plugs can be moved simultaneously.
 When applying multi-port valves, it is recommended that they be installed so that the plug is between the pressure-inlet body opening
and any body opening that is closed off. This is called a positive position. With the plug in a positive position, fluid pressure tends to
push the plug against the closed port and assists in sealing the port. If the valve is installed so that fluid pressure is in a closed body
opening and against the surface of the plug (called a negative position), the fluid pressure tends to push the plug away from the
closed opening. When the valve is used with the plug in the negative position, only moderate pressures are recommended.
Furthermore, a tight shut-off is not ensured. In general, multi-port plug valves are intended for directional control only and are not
effective in sealing high differential pressures between ports.