Valve

How it is used

One of the first words new engineers hear on site. Valves are opened, closed, throttled, isolated, locked and leak-tested. Common types are gate, globe, ball, butterfly and check valves; 'block valve' and 'isolation valve' are used for shut-off duty.

Example sentences

1. Close the inlet valve and drain the filter before you open it.

2. A check valve on the discharge stops backflow when the pump trips.

Common collocations

• isolation valve
• check valve
• open a valve
• close a valve
• valve position

Related terms

• control valveAn automatic valve that opens and closes in small steps on a signal from a controller, so that flow, pressure, level or temperature stays at the setpoint.
• relief valveA spring-loaded valve that opens by itself when the pressure in a vessel or pipe goes above a set limit, releasing fluid to protect the equipment from bursting.
• pumpA machine that moves a liquid through pipes by adding pressure to it. Most plant pumps are centrifugal; others are positive displacement types such as gear or diaphragm pumps.
• lockout/tagoutA safety procedure that isolates equipment from all energy sources and locks and labels the isolation points, so nobody can start it while people are working on it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• valve · Mechanical Engineering

More terms: Fluid Flow, Pumps and Piping

• flow rate
• pressure drop
• viscosity
• Reynolds number
• compressor
• cavitation
• NPSH
• laminar flow