The Valve Market
Different kinds of valves
There are more than 2,300 valve manufacturers in China, and there are more than 3,500 varieties and more than 40,000 specifications.
Valves used in different situations
(1) Valves for urban construction: low-pressure valves are generally used in urban construction systems, which are currently developing in the direction of environmental protection and energy saving. Environmentally friendly rubber plate valves, balance valves, midline butterfly valves, and metal-sealed butterfly valves are gradually replacing low-pressure iron gate valves. The valves used in domestic urban buildings are mostly balance valves, soft-sealed gate valves and butterfly valves.
(2) Valves for urban heating: In the urban heating system, a lot of metal-sealed butterfly valves, directly buried ball valves, and horizontal balance valves are required. These valves can solve the problem of vertical and horizontal hydraulic imbalance in the pipeline, and achieve the purpose of energy saving and heat balance.
(3) Valves for environmental protection: In the domestic environmental protection system, ball valves, central butterfly valves, soft-sealed gate valves, and exhaust valves used to remove air in the pipeline are mainly used in the water supply system in the domestic environmental protection system, and butterfly valves and soft-sealed gate valves are mainly applied to the sewage treatment system.
(4) Valves for city gas: city gas accounts for 22% of the entire natural gas market, and the valve is used much and there are many types. Ball valves, plug valves, pressure reducing valves and safety valves are mainly used.
(5) Valves for long-distance pipelines: long-distance pipelines are mainly crude oil, finished products and natural pipelines. The most commonly used valves for such pipelines are forged steel three-piece full-bore ball valves, anti-sulfur flat gate valves, safety valves, and check valves.
(6) Valves for the petrochemical plant:
a. Oil refining units: most of the valves required in oil refining units are pipeline valves, including gate valves, safety valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves, butterfly valves, and steam traps, among which, the demand for gate valves accounts for about 80% of the valves. The valves account for 3% to 5% of the total investment of the device.
b. Chemical fiber devices: polyester, acrylic and vinylon belong to chemical fiber products. Ball valves, jacketed ball valves, jacketed globe valves and jacketed gate valves are used for the chemical fiber device.
c. Acrylonitrile devices: valves produced according to API standards are usually used, mainly check valves, gate valves, ball valves, globe valves, steam traps, needle valves, and plug valves. Among them, gate valves account for about 75% of the total valves.
d. Ammonia synthesis devices: different synthesis of ammonia and purification methods result in different processes and different technical performance of the required valve. Now, gate valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves, steam traps, butterfly valves, safety valves, high-temperature and low-temperature valves and others are used for synthesis of ammonia in China. Among them, globe valves account for 53.4% of the total valves used in the device, gate valves 25.1%, steam traps 7.7%, safety valves, regulating valves, low-temperature valves and others 11.4%.
e. Ethylene devices: it is the leading device in the petrochemical industry, which requires many kinds of valves. Gate valves, globe valves and check valves account for the majority, of which gate valves are used more. 6 sets of ethylene plants with an annual output of 660,000 tons are required for the Tenth Five-Year Plan, which requires considerable valves. In addition, ultra-high temperature, lower-temperature and ultra-high pressure valves are needed for large-scale ethylene and high-pressure polyethylene devices.
f. Air separation plant: air separation means air separation. Globe valves, safety valves, check valves, regulating valves, ball valves, butterfly valves and low-temperature valves are often used.
g. Polypropylene devices: propylene is adopted and polymerized into a polymer compound; gate valves, globe valves, check valves, needle valves, ball valves, and steam traps are always used.
There are more than 2,300 valve manufacturers in China, and there are more than 3,500 varieties and more than 40,000 specifications.
Valves used in different situations
(1) Valves for urban construction: low-pressure valves are generally used in urban construction systems, which are currently developing in the direction of environmental protection and energy saving. Environmentally friendly rubber plate valves, balance valves, midline butterfly valves, and metal-sealed butterfly valves are gradually replacing low-pressure iron gate valves. The valves used in domestic urban buildings are mostly balance valves, soft-sealed gate valves and butterfly valves.
(2) Valves for urban heating: In the urban heating system, a lot of metal-sealed butterfly valves, directly buried ball valves, and horizontal balance valves are required. These valves can solve the problem of vertical and horizontal hydraulic imbalance in the pipeline, and achieve the purpose of energy saving and heat balance.
(3) Valves for environmental protection: In the domestic environmental protection system, ball valves, central butterfly valves, soft-sealed gate valves, and exhaust valves used to remove air in the pipeline are mainly used in the water supply system in the domestic environmental protection system, and butterfly valves and soft-sealed gate valves are mainly applied to the sewage treatment system.
(4) Valves for city gas: city gas accounts for 22% of the entire natural gas market, and the valve is used much and there are many types. Ball valves, plug valves, pressure reducing valves and safety valves are mainly used.
(5) Valves for long-distance pipelines: long-distance pipelines are mainly crude oil, finished products and natural pipelines. The most commonly used valves for such pipelines are forged steel three-piece full-bore ball valves, anti-sulfur flat gate valves, safety valves, and check valves.
(6) Valves for the petrochemical plant:
a. Oil refining units: most of the valves required in oil refining units are pipeline valves, including gate valves, safety valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves, butterfly valves, and steam traps, among which, the demand for gate valves accounts for about 80% of the valves. The valves account for 3% to 5% of the total investment of the device.
b. Chemical fiber devices: polyester, acrylic and vinylon belong to chemical fiber products. Ball valves, jacketed ball valves, jacketed globe valves and jacketed gate valves are used for the chemical fiber device.
c. Acrylonitrile devices: valves produced according to API standards are usually used, mainly check valves, gate valves, ball valves, globe valves, steam traps, needle valves, and plug valves. Among them, gate valves account for about 75% of the total valves.
d. Ammonia synthesis devices: different synthesis of ammonia and purification methods result in different processes and different technical performance of the required valve. Now, gate valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves, steam traps, butterfly valves, safety valves, high-temperature and low-temperature valves and others are used for synthesis of ammonia in China. Among them, globe valves account for 53.4% of the total valves used in the device, gate valves 25.1%, steam traps 7.7%, safety valves, regulating valves, low-temperature valves and others 11.4%.
e. Ethylene devices: it is the leading device in the petrochemical industry, which requires many kinds of valves. Gate valves, globe valves and check valves account for the majority, of which gate valves are used more. 6 sets of ethylene plants with an annual output of 660,000 tons are required for the Tenth Five-Year Plan, which requires considerable valves. In addition, ultra-high temperature, lower-temperature and ultra-high pressure valves are needed for large-scale ethylene and high-pressure polyethylene devices.
f. Air separation plant: air separation means air separation. Globe valves, safety valves, check valves, regulating valves, ball valves, butterfly valves and low-temperature valves are often used.
g. Polypropylene devices: propylene is adopted and polymerized into a polymer compound; gate valves, globe valves, check valves, needle valves, ball valves, and steam traps are always used.
(7) Valves for power stations: constructing power stations is developing towards being large-scale, and safety valves, pressure reducing valves, globe valves, gate valves and butterfly valves with large diameters and high pressure are required according to the national "Tenth Five-Year" plan. Other cities can only build units with more than 300,000 kilowatts, except that Inner Mongolia and Guizhou provinces can build units with more than 200,000 kilowatts.
(8) Valves for metallurgy valves: in the metallurgical industry, wear-resistant slurry valves and regulating traps are mainly used. Metal-sealed ball valves, butterfly valves and oxide ball valves, and four-way directional valves are used in the steel-making industry.
(9)Valves for marine platforms: the amount of valves required for marine platforms are also gradually increasing because of the development of offshore oilfield exploitation.
(10) Valves for food and medicine: butterfly valves, stainless steel ball valves, and non-toxic all-plastic ball valves are mainly used in this industry.
The foreign valve market
China's valve market is facing competition from foreign valve manufacturers after joining the WTO, and the amount of valves imported from abroad will increase significantly. At the same time, China's medium and low end valves will be produced more.
API gate valves, globe valves, check valves, ball valves and butterfly valves are valves bought by developed countries.
Gate valves, globe valves, check valves, slab gate valves and ball valves for long-distance pipelines are mainly exported to middle east countries, because oil fields and pipelines are destroyed.
General valves such as globe valves, gate valves and check valves are exported by imported companies abroad.
New valves required in China
The development of valves should focus on national economic construction. China's Tenth Five-Year economic construction focuses on energy, agriculture, environmental protection industry and urban construction, that is to say, the future market of valves is mainly in electric power, petrochemical, fertilizer, environmental protection and urban construction industries. In these industries, the valves that are to be developed or are being trial-produced are as follows:
(9)Valves for marine platforms: the amount of valves required for marine platforms are also gradually increasing because of the development of offshore oilfield exploitation.
(10) Valves for food and medicine: butterfly valves, stainless steel ball valves, and non-toxic all-plastic ball valves are mainly used in this industry.
The foreign valve market
China's valve market is facing competition from foreign valve manufacturers after joining the WTO, and the amount of valves imported from abroad will increase significantly. At the same time, China's medium and low end valves will be produced more.
API gate valves, globe valves, check valves, ball valves and butterfly valves are valves bought by developed countries.
Gate valves, globe valves, check valves, slab gate valves and ball valves for long-distance pipelines are mainly exported to middle east countries, because oil fields and pipelines are destroyed.
General valves such as globe valves, gate valves and check valves are exported by imported companies abroad.
New valves required in China
The development of valves should focus on national economic construction. China's Tenth Five-Year economic construction focuses on energy, agriculture, environmental protection industry and urban construction, that is to say, the future market of valves is mainly in electric power, petrochemical, fertilizer, environmental protection and urban construction industries. In these industries, the valves that are to be developed or are being trial-produced are as follows:
- lHigh-temperature, high-pressure forged pilot gate valves
- lForged steel high-pressure globe valves with large diameters
- lForged steel high-pressure check valves with large diameters
- lMetal sealed, oil sealed AVDCO valves
- lAll-welded full-bore pipeline ball valves
- lLifting rod ball valves
- Emergency cut-off butterfly valves with large diameters
- lFully welded direct buried ball valves
- lHigh-performance butterfly valves (ANS1 B16.104 grade 6, with a lifespan of more than 500,000 times)
- l Pilot-operated safety valves
- lAPI 6A slab gate valves
- lAPI 6A CHOKT2S valves
- lAdjusted traps
- lOpen type soft sealed plug valves for refined oil
- lGate valves and ball valves for deep-sea oil field (subsea below 3000m)
- lHigh-pressure large-diameter top entry ball valves
- lSlurry valves for high-pressure melting of alumina
- l Natural gas conditioning devices
Next: The Selection of Chemical Valves
Previous: Fault Positions of Pneumatic Valves
