Check valve

A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve, reflux valve, retention valve or one-way valve is a valve that normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction.Hastelloy check valvesStainless steel wafer check valveInconel check valveInside view of a tilting disc inconel check valveFlanged nozzle inconel check valve or axial check valveThis Siamese clappered inlet allows one or two inputs into a deluge gun.Inside hastelloy check valve, wafer configurationLarge carbon steel swing check valveDisc for an alloy check valve also known as axial check valveWafer check valvePlastic Check Valve A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve, reflux valve, retention valve or one-way valve is a valve that normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction. Check valves are two-port valves, meaning they have two openings in the body, one for fluid to enter and the other for fluid to leave. There are various types of check valves used in a wide variety of applications. Check valves are often part of common household items. Although they are available in a wide range of sizes and costs, check valves generally are very small, simple, or inexpensive. Check valves work automatically and most are not controlled by a person or any external control; accordingly, most do not have any valve handle or stem. The bodies (external shells) of most check valves are made of plastic or metal. An important concept in check valves is the cracking pressure which is the minimum differential upstream pressure between inlet and outlet at which the valve will operate. Typically the check valve is designed for and can therefore be specified for a specific cracking pressure. Heart valves are essentially inlet and outlet check valves for the heart ventricles, since the ventricles act as pumps. Cracking pressure — Refers to the minimum pressure differential needed between the inlet and outlet of the valve at which the first indication of flow occurs (steady stream of bubbles). Cracking pressure is also known as unseating head (pressure) or opening pressure . Reseal pressure — Refers to the pressure differential between the inlet and outlet of the valve during the closing process of the CV, at which there shall be no visible leak rate. Reseal pressure is also known as sealing pressure, seating head (pressure) or closing pressure . Back pressure — a pressure higher at the outlet of a fitting than that at the inlet or a point upstream A ball check valve is a check valve in which the closing member, the movable part to block the flow, is a ball. In some ball check valves, the ball is spring-loaded to help keep it shut. For those designs without a spring, reverse flow is required to move the ball toward the seat and create a seal. The interior surface of the main seats of ball check valves are more or less conically-tapered to guide the ball into the seat and form a positive seal when stopping reverse flow. Ball check valves are often very small, simple, and cheap. They are commonly used in liquid or gel minipump dispenser spigots, spray devices, some rubber bulbs for pumping air, etc., manual air pumps and some other pumps, and refillable dispensing syringes. Although the balls are most often made of metal, they can be made of other materials; in some specialized cases out of highly durable or inert materials, such as sapphire. High pressure HPLC pumps and similar applications commonly use small inlet and outlet ball check valves with balls of (artificial) ruby and seats made of sapphire or both ball and seat of ruby, for both hardness and chemical resistance. After prolonged use, such check valves can eventually wear out or the seat can develop a crack, requiring replacement. Therefore, such valves are made to be replaceable, sometimes placed in a small plastic body tightly-fitted inside a metal fitting which can withstand high pressure and which is screwed into the pump head.