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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Fluid Mechanics, Pumps and Valves

Valve

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/vælv/nounCore term

In mechanical engineering, valve means: A device that starts, stops or controls the flow of a liquid or gas in a pipe by opening, closing or partly blocking the passage.

In Turkish: vana, valf, supap

How it is used

Used everywhere in piping, HVAC, hydraulics and process plants. Valves are opened, closed and throttled. Common types are ball, gate, globe, butterfly, check and pressure relief valves. A control valve is moved automatically by an actuator.

Example sentences

  1. Close the isolation valves on both sides before you remove the pump.

  2. A check valve on the discharge line stops the water from flowing back.

Common collocations

  • ball valve
  • check valve
  • isolation valve
  • control valve
  • open the valve
  • pressureThe force with which a liquid or gas pushes on each unit of area. It is measured in pascals, bar or psi.
  • flow rateThe amount of fluid that passes a point in a given time, given as a volume (for example m³/h or L/min) or as a mass (kg/s).
  • pumpA machine that moves liquid through pipes by adding energy to it, raising its pressure or lifting it to a higher level.
  • pressure dropThe loss of pressure as a fluid flows through a pipe, filter, valve or other component, caused by friction and by changes in direction or cross-section.
  • sealA part that stops liquid, gas or dirt from leaking between two surfaces, especially where one part moves, such as a rotating shaft or a sliding piston rod.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: Fluid Mechanics, Pumps and Valves

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