Flow Control Valves Key Terms

Understand flow control valves key terms to make smarter business choices

By Howard Robertson

A flow control valve controls the flow or pressure of fluid in a system. When interacting with industrial valve suppliers, you will need to understand various technical terms.

This guide intends to introduce you to some flow control valves key terms, such as flow rate, viscosity, diaphragm valves and globe valves.

Flow rate (fluid flow rate)

Before selecting a flow control valve, you must define the flow rate for your application. Flow rate is the amount of the system fluid passing through the valve per unit of time.
Try: To understand the definition of flow rate, read through the hydraulic terms glossary at Nova Hydraulics, a reputable company in the field of hydraulic product repairs.

Viscosity

The viscosity of a fluid is its resistance to flow. Viscosity of the system fluid is an important factor for design and selection of a flow control valve.
Try: Valcor Engineering Corporation, a reputable manufacturer of flow control valves, provides a glossary of terms related to industrial valves. In addition, you can also read through the definition of viscosity at Shippensburg Pump Co., Inc., a supplier of various industrial products.

PSI

PSI indicates the system pressure in pounds per square inch. Before selecting a flow control valve, you must make sure that the valve can operate at system pressure for your applications.
Try: Airpower UK, a specialist compressed air company, offers a glossary of technical terms, including PSI. In addition, you can refer to the glossary of technical terms at Prism Flow Products, a reputable supplier of fluid control products.

GPM (Gallons Per Minute)

GPM is the unit of measurement of flow rate. It is the amount of fluid (in gallons) passing through the liquid control valve per minute at certain predefined system pressure.
Try: You can read through the plumbing industry key terms at Plumbing Manufacturers Institute.

Actuator

As the name indicates, the actuator is the valve component that controls the movement of the closure member of the valve. Depending on the application requirement, the actuator of a flow control valve can be activated electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically.
Try: For descriptions of actuator and actuator assembly, read through the process control valve terminology at Emerson Electric Co. (PDF). In addition, Texas Instruments provides the definition of an actuator device.

Diaphragm valves

A diaphragm valve consists of a flexible element (called a diaphragm) that can be controlled using an actuator mechanism. These valves come in two types: weir diaphragm valves and straight through diaphragm valves.
Try: GlobalSpec provides basic information about diaphragm valves and their applications.

Globe valves

A globe valve is another flow control valve used to regulate or throttle fluid flow. Though these valves are most suitable for high pressure applications, their flow coefficients are in a lower range than other flow control valves.
Try: Specialty Valve & Fitting Co., a reputable supplier of industrial valves, provides information about various valves, such as ball valves, gate valves and globe valves.