What Are The Different Types Of Cryogenic Valves?

Cryogenic valves are industrial control valves applicable to -40°C to -253°C. Mainly used in liquefied natural gas, liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, ethylene and other cryogenic fluid systems. Depending on the structure, function and application scenarios, cryogenic valves can be classified into the following main types:
1.By Structural Form
Cryogenic ball valve
Features: Spin ball can be opened or closed at 90 degrees, short travel time, quick opening and closing, easy operation.
Structure: The long-necked bonnet design to protect packing from hypothermia; common materials for valve body and bonnet include LCB (-46°C), LC3 (-101°C), CF8 (-196°C), etc.
Purpose: Suitable for storage tanks tank, LNG transport truck and other cryogenic medium pipelines which need to be opened and closed quickly.
Cryogenic gate valve
Features: The gate and valve seat form a tight cover and control the opening and closing of media by rotating the valve stem to lift the gate.
Advantages: small fluid resistance, small erosion of sealing cover by medium, saving force on opening and closing, not limited by medium flow.
Structure: Flexible gate design with pressure vents on the inlet side to prevent abnormal uplift; valve body materials includes stainless steel clad cobalt based carbide.
Uses: Suitable for large caliber cryogenic pipe, such as ethylene plants, air separation equipment, etc..
Low Cryogenic stop Valve
Features: Disc moving along valve seat center line, disc and seat cover for truncating or adjusting.
Strengths: reliable sealing performance, short opening and closing journey, suitable for flow regulation.
Structure: Stem axis perpendicular to the valve seat sealing surface, long neck cover design, discs of stainless steel or carbide.
Uses: Suitable for low temperature liquid storage and transportation system, such as liquefied natural gas storage tanks, tank trucks, etc.
Cryogenic butterfly valve
Features: butterfly disc adopts rotary control media flow, simple structure, small size and light weight.
Structure: long neck valve body design, butterfly disc stainless steel or nickel alloy, sealing surface is covered with hard alloy.
Application: Suitable for large caliber cryogenic media such as petrochemical tailpipe separation equipment and liquid oxygen storage tanks.
Low Temperature check valve
Features: the valve disc deadweight or spring force to achieve one-way flow control to prevent media backflow.
Structure: Disc is made of stainless steel or carbide, spring is made of cryo-resistant material and valve body design to prevent media from freezing.
Usage: Suitable for low temperature system which need to prevent media backflow, such as LNG pump outlet, compressor inlet outlet, etc..
Cryothrottle
Features: By changing the gap between the valve core and valve seat to control the media flow, achieve precise throttling.
Structure: valve core is made a needle-shaped or conical design stainless steel or carbide and the seat cover is welded with cobalt base alloy.
Purpose: Suitable for flow regulation of low temperature media such as air separation equipment and liquid oxygen production equipment.
Low Temperature Pressure Relief Valve
Features: By adjusting the opening of the valve core opening to change the medium pressure, achieve stable pressure reduction.
Structure: The body is made of low temperature carbon steel or stainless steel, valve core and valve seat are made of hard alloy, with pressure spring and pressure guide pipe.
Application: Suitable for pressure control LNG gasification station, liquid nitrogen storage tank and other low temperature media.
ii. By functional extension
Cryogenic safety valve
Features: When system pressure exceeds the set value, automatically open, discharge excess media, prevent equipment damage.
Structure: Spring or guide design, made of low temperature stainless steel, sealed cover welded with hard alloy.
Application: Suitable for safety protection of LNG storage tanks, liquid oxygen bulb tank and other cryogenic pressure vessels.
Cryogenic solenoid valve
Features: Remote automatic control by electromagnetic valve opening and closing.
Structure: valve body material is stainless steel, the electromagnetic coil is designed to withstand low temperature, and the sealing cover is made of soft or hard seal structure.
Purpose: Suitable for automatic control system of cryogenic medium such as LNG filling station and liquid nitrogen production equipment.
Cryogenic electric regulating valve
Features: Valve cores driven by electric actuator to achieve accurate regulation of media flow and pressure.
Structure: The body is stainless steel, valve core and valve seat are made of hard carbide, equipped with intelligent control system to support remote monitoring.
Purpose: It is suitable for intelligent control system of cryogenic medium such as air separation equipment and petrochemical tail gas separation equipment.
3. By Pressure Class
Pressure levels in cryogenic valves usually include:
150Lb, 300Lb, 600Lb, 900Lb, 1500Lb (45MPa), suitable levels can be selected according to system pressure requirements.
4. By Connection Type
cryogenic valves are connected in the following forms:
Flange type, welding type, threaded type, can choose the appropriate form according to the requirements of pipeline installation.