Although the ball valve was invented in the 1950’s it is more used today than ever before in history. This valve made of a simple ball with a hole in it has found wide spread applications in the chemical, petroleum refining, paper making, water treatment plants, and many other industries.

The engineering beauty of ball valves and control valves from their simplicity. A ball with a hole in the middle sits inside passage way that fluid or air from passing through. When the ball is turned so its hole is in line with the pipe the fluid passes though, however when it is turned so the hole does not line up with the pipe the movement of fluid is stopped. This simple design allows ball valves to withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees and pressures of up to 700 bars making them ideal for most industrial uses and easy to repair. The whole mechanism can easily be controlled by a handle outside the valve that can be turned 90 degrees.

Ball valves come in a large variety. There sizes range from as small as half of a centimeter to is much is 30 centimeters. They also come in five different body styles: split body, single body, top entry, three-piece body, and wielded. Despite the variety in ball valves, all ball valves work in much the same way.