作者： sansun01

Our Sanitary Fittings, Stainless Steel Fittings, Sanitary Valves, Sanitary Tubes, Stainless Clamp, Hygienic Fittings, Hygienic Valves include ferrules, clamps, sanitary clamps, tri clamps, tri clover clamps, hose clamp, pipe hangers, unions, elbow, bends, tee, cross, tube cap, reducer, ball valves, check valves, butterfly valves, sight glass, actuators, plug valves, divert valves, tank valves, filling valves, relief valves, sample valves, sample cock valves, upper valves, level valves, test valves, diaphragm valves, flanges, weld nut, pipe unions, gaskets, weld tube, clamp tube, weld fittings, clamp fittings, tube fittings, tri clamp fittings, ASME BPE tubes, ASME BPE Fittings, UltraPure Fittings and Biopharmaceutical Fittings. All meet the exacting demands for safety, reliability, efficiency and hygiene for standard duty in the food, dairy, beverage, brewing, cosmetic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries.
Our Sanitary Fittings, Sanitary Valves, Sanitary tubes, Hygienic Fittings, Hygienic Valves, Tubes, Tri Clamp Fittings with smooth, crevice-free design and corrosion-resistance are available for matt, raw, bright and polished internal surface finishes and comply with DIN 11850, ISO 2037, BS 4825, JIS G 3447 and ASME dimension standards. We provide fast, efficient worldwide delivery of high quality sanitary tubes, sanitary fittings, sanitary valves and Tri Clover Clamp at competitive prices.
Our Sanitary Clamp, Pipe Clamp, Tube Clamp, Tri Clamp, Tri Clover Clamps, Stainless Clamp, Screw Clamp, Hose Clamp, Tube Hanger, Pipe Hanger include the types of 13LAH Single Pin Heavy Duty Clamp, 13MHHM Double Pin Heavy Duty Clamp, 13MHHVM Sch5 Single Pin Heavy Duty Clamp, 13MHP High Pressure Clamp, 13MHHS 3-PC Segmental Clamp, 13IL I-line Clamp, 13ILB Bolted I-Line Clamp, 13IS I-Line Heavy Duty Clamp, Round Tube Hanger, Hex Tube Hanger, …and we have all kinds of Wing Nuts for clamps for choice. A Tri Clamp connection consists of two Ferrules joined by a Clamp with a Gasket. You can buy correct tri clover clamp with your ferrules or you also can use our clamps to match with other standard ferrules.
Our Tube Hangers, Pipe Hangers, Pipe Support Hangers, Tube Support and Pipe Support are available in round shape and hex shape. Our Tube Hangers, Pipe Hangers, Pipe Support Hangers, Tube Support and Pipe Support have three different types for choice which is without weld tube, with weld tube and thread end. Our Tube Hangers, Pipe Hangers, Pipe Support Hangers, Tube Support and Pipe Support can fix with 3A tube, SMS tube, DIN tube, IDF tube, BS tube and ISO Tube. Our Hex Hangers are available with or without half coupling connectors and both grommet style inserts or polypropylene collar type inserts are available. Grommet style hangers have either standard rubber or high temperature Viton grommets. Our Hex Hanger is available in both tube and pipe sizes.
Sansun manufactures a wide range of clamp ferrules in 304, 316 and 316L material in sizes from 1/2″ to 12″. Our Clamp Ferrules Include 3A Ferrules, I-Line Ferrules, ISO Ferrules, DIN Ferrules, SMS Ferrules and Ferrule Adapter, which are all made by Forging or machined from solid bar.
3A Ferrule — 3A ferrules include Short Weld Ferrules, Middle Weld Ferrules, Long Weld Ferrules, Expanding Ferrules, Tank Weld Ferrules, Hose Adapters. All of our 3A Tri Clamp Ferrules could be conformed with 3A-16AMP Blank End Cap, 3A- Tri Clamp and Seal 13PG, 13FG as well as other Adapters.
I-Line Ferrule — It uses a male and female type connection with a special wing nut or two bolts configuration. This makes alignment easier and has been preferred by beverage industry. I-Line Ferrules include Male I-Line Short Weld Ferrules, Male I-Line Long Weld Ferrules, Female I-Line Short Weld Ferrules, Female I-Line Long Weld Ferrules, Male I-Line Solid End Caps, Female I-Line Solid End Caps.
ISO Ferrule — ISO Ferrules could be conformed with ISO Blank End Cap, Clamp and other Adapters.
DIN Ferrule — DIN Ferrules could be conformed with DIN Blank End Cap, Clamp and other Adapters.
SMS Ferrule — SMS Ferrules could be conformed with SMS Blank End Cap, Clamp and other Adapters.
Ferrule Adapter — It includes Male NPT Adapters to Clamp End, Female NPT Adapters to Clamp End, Male NPT Adapters to Weld End, Female NPT Adapters to Weld End, Tank Weld Ferrules, Tygon Hose Adapters, Rubber Hose Adapters.
The set of Sanitary Unions including hex nut, round nut, welding male and welding liner are available for 3A Unions, DIN Unions – DIN 11851 & DIN 11864, SMS (Swedish specifications) Unions, RJT (Ring Joint Type – BS 4825) Unions, CIP Unions, IDF (International Dairy Federation BS 4825) Unions and Dansk Unions. We can offer seals, gaskets made of nitrile rubber (NBR), fluorine rubber (FBR) and ethylene propylene (EPDM) for each particular process.
3A Unions — The 3A Tri-Clamp Union range provides fittings for a smooth non-contaminating internal pipe work joint for hygienic product manufacture.
RJT Unions — Ring Joint Type Couplings are often referred to as a standard union. They comprise of an ‘O’ ring style gasket which leaves a small crevice where the liner and male part of the union overlap.
IDF Unions — IDF (International Dairy Federation) fittings have a smooth bore with a crevice free design. This makes them suitable for CIP (Clean In Place) technology.
DIN Unions — DIN (Deutsche Industrial Norm) German Standard fittings are used in conjunction with German and other European equipment.
SMS Unions — SMS (Swedish Manufacturing Standard) fittings come complete with a captive seal designed to provide a smooth, crevice-free internal bore.
Sanitary Fittings, Hygienic fittings, Tri Clamp Fittings, Tri Clover Fittings, Clamp Fittings, Tube Fittings in the shapes of Short Elbow 45, Long Elbow 45, Short Elbow 90, Long Elbow 90, Tube Bends, Short Tee, Long Tee, Short Cross, Long Cross, Reducing Tee, Reducing Cross, Concentric Reducer and Eccentric Reducer are available for 3A Weld Fittings, 3A Clamp Fittings, DIN Fittings, SMS Fittings, BS Fittings. Our sanitary flanges and clamp fittings are designed for easy, rapid maintenance. Flanges and clamps with finger nuts are especially suited for processes in which the load on seals is extra high, where the easy checking and replacement of seals is important and where effective cleaning is required. The feature of our Sanitary fittings, Sanitary tubes, Hygienic fittings, Tri clamp fittings, Tri clover Fittings, Clamp Fittings, Tube Fittings are tight tolerances, uniform wall thicknesses with all the angles exact and all tube, bend and tee connections uniform to ensure the greatest possible strength and long service life, as well as problem-free welding and assembly.
Our Sanitary Valves, Hygienic Valves are available for Ball Valves, 3-way Ball Valves, High Purity Ball Valves, Check Valves, Butterfly Valves, Actuator of Butterfly Valves, Sight Glass, Plug Valves, Divert Valves, Tank Valves, Filling Valves, Relief Valves, Sample Valves, Diaphragm Valves, Filter, Pressure Gauges. Automated or manual control is optional. Our Butterfly Valves can be operated by 4 position pull handle, 12 position gripper handle or pneumatic actuator.
Our BPE Fittings, Biopharmaceutical Fittings, Pharmaceutical Fittings, Biotech Fittings, BPE Valves, BPE Tubes, UltraPure Fittings include 90 Elbow Weld (BPE DT-7), 45 Elbow Weld (BPE DT-8), Tee Weld (BPE DT-9), Cross Weld (BPE DT-9), Reducing Tee Weld (BPE DT-10), Concentric Reducer Weld (BPE DT-11), Eccentric Reducer Weld (BPE DT-11), 90 Elbow Weld/Clamp (BPE DT-12), 45 Elbow Weld/Clamp (BPE DT-13), Short Outlet Reducing Tee Weld/Clamp (BPE DT-14), Equal Outlet Tee Weld/Clamp (BPE DT-15), 90 Clamp Elbow (BPE DT-16), 45 Clamp Elbow (BPE DT-17), Clamp Tee (BPE DT-18), Clamp Cross (BPE DT-18), Reducing Tee Clamp End (BPE DT-19), Clamp Reducing Tee (BPE DT-20), Concentric Reducer Clamp End (BPE DT-21), Eccentric Reducer Clamp End (BPE DT-21), AWF Weld Ferrule (BPE DT-22), 180 U-Joint Weld End (BPE DT-23), 180 Clamp Joint (BPE DT-24), Short Outlet Run Tee (BPE DT-25), Concentric Reducer Clamp/Weld (BPE DT-26), Short Outlet Tee Clamp End (BPE DT-27), Instrument Tee Weld/Clamp (BPE DT-28, DT-29), Solid End Cap, Hose Adapter, Sample Valves, Diaphragm Valves. The surface finish of our BPE components is available for mechanically polish, electropolish and also unpolish. All our BPE components are made from stainless steel 316L with low Sulphur between 0.005% ~ 0.017% according to ASME BioProcessing Equipment (ASME BPE) standard, meeting quality requirements for consistent and excellent weldability.
Our Wine Unions and Wine Valves including Macon Blank Nut 4 slots, Macon Liner, Macon Male, Macon Nut 4 Slots, Ball Valves, Butterfly Valves, Sample Cock Valves, Upper Valves, Level Valves and Test Valves, are mainly used in wine, beer, brewing processes. Our Wine Butterfly valve, Macon Butterfly valve body could be offered with Weld end, Male end, female end, Flange end. Further, our Sample Cock Valve (Upper Valve / Level Valve / Test Valve/ Sample Cock Valve) are applied to use in dairy industry, wine-marketing industry and machinery industry.
Sansun can offer EPDM, Neoprene (Buna), Viton, Silicone, PTFE (Teflon) gaskets, tri clover gaskets and other materials are available to comply with clients’ request. EPDM, Neoprene (Buna), Viton, Silicone, PTFE (Teflon) gaskets have different properties, working temperature, acid resistance, alkali resistance, petroleum oil resistance, vegetable oil Resistance, abrasion resistance, compression set and are suitable for many applications in such as food, dairy, beverage, meat processing, chemical, and many other industries.
We are Stainless Steel manufacturer, Pipe Fitting manufacturer, Fittings manufacturer, Sanitary manufacturer, Valves manufacturer, Clamp manufacturer, China manufacturer, China supplier and China factory because we are manufacturing in China our Sanitary Fittings, Hygienic Fittings, Clamp Fittings, Tube Fittings, BPE Fittings, Tri Clamp Fittings, Sanitary Valves and Sanitary Tubes , which are all made in Taiwan. Welcome to buy from China our Sanitary Fittings, Sanitary Tubes and Sanitary Valves. We are also China manufacturer, China supplier, China factory, China wholesale and China exporter because we are manufacturing in China our Sanitary Fittings, Hygienic Fittings, Clamp Fittings, Tube Fittings, BPE Fittings, Tri Clamp Fittings, Sanitary Valves and Sanitary Tubes, which are made in China too. Also welcome to buy from China our Sanitary fittings, Sanitary tubes and Sanitary valves

No single article could explain the entire world of process piping and fittings.  It is a huge matrix of pipe schedules, ID dimensions, OD dimensions and materials of construction, not to mention the various flange and threaded end options.  This post will try to come to grips with the world of sanitary process piping.  Sanitary process piping and fittings (also known as hygienic piping or high purity piping) is used almost exclusively in the food, beverage, biopharmaceutical and personal care industries.

Sanitary fittings and tubing (catagorized also as hygienic fittings and tubing) were developed and are used because they are cleanable; either by dismantling a system and manually cleaning it or using a CIP (clean in place) process. They limit entrapment areas where bacteria could form or harbor. They are also corrosion resistant.

Listed below are the common characteristics of sanitary piping.

• All sanitary piping is measured in tube OD.  If you are holding a sanitary fitting in your hand, measure the outside diameter of the tube section of the fitting.  That is the correct size, not what the face of the end fittings measures.
• You can buy fittings and tubing in sizes ranging from ½ through 12”.  ½”-4” are the most commonly available sizes.
• The wall thickness of sizes ½”-3” is 0.065” (16Ga)
• The wall thickness of 4” is 0.083” (14Ga)
• The wall thickness of 6” is 0.109” (12Ga)
• The wall thickness of sizes 10” and 12” is 0.120”
• Most sanitary fittings are either 304 or 316L stainless steel.  More noble alloys such as AL6XN, Titanium and Hastelloy are available in limited quantities and sizes.
• The quality of the surface finish is categorized by its Ra.  Ra is determined by taking the average distance between the peaks and valleys on the metal surface.  It is normally measured in micro inches.  The minimum Ra measurement needed to render a fitting as “sanitary” is 32.  Many industries such as the biopharmaceutical industry require tubing to be the 15-20Ra range.
• Sanitary fittings do not have any pockets, threads, or tight radii.  The radii of sanitary elbows has been standardized.  The radius of a sanitary elbow is 1 ½ time the OD of the tube. Thus a 1” elbow has a 1 ½” radius, a 2” elbow has a 3” radius, etc.
• The most prevalent sanitary fitting end connection offerings are buttweld and sanitary clamp.  A sanitary clamp joint consists of two, gender neutral fittings with a sanitary gasket in between, all head together by a clamp.  There is a host of other lesser known sanitary connection systems including, bevel seat, John Perry, I Line and Q Line. You can see pictures and or drawings of the various sanitary fittings types on our website.

SANSUN, después de haber consolidado sus alianzas estratégicas con empresas Europeas y

Americanas, se pone a sus órdenes para ofrecer las mejores soluciones para el funcionamiento

de sus plantas de la Industria de Alimentos, Farmacéutica, Citrícolas, Vinícola, de Bebidas ,

Cosméticas y Químicas.

En SANSUN tenemos la estructura necesaria y experiencia para ofrecerle toda la gama de

productos y servicios que necesita en sus plantas, desde la venta de productos de acero

inoxidable,

hasta el desarrollo de la ingeniería necesaria para llevar a cabo sus instalaciones sanitarias.

Somos fabricantes de Válvulas Sanitarias,conexiones sanitarias, bombas sanitarias,

triblenders sanitarias,tubería sanitarias, mangueras sanitarias,

En SANSUN todos nuestros productos están aprobados por organismos internacionales como lo

son:

3 A SANITARY STANDARDS “ORGANISMO SANITARIO AMERICANO”

ASME BPE SF1 y ASME BPE SF4

FDA

ASTM A270

EHEDG “ORGANISMO SANITARIO EUROPEO”

Lo anterior está documentado en los certificados de calidad que entregamos cuando realizamos

una venta.

Incluso nuestra tubería y conexiones superan los requerimientos sanitarios que establecen que

se realizará un pulido de 180 GRITT. El Pulido del material es superior a los 240 ó 320 GRITT.

Conexiones Clamp

Conexiones Triclamp

Conexiones Sanitarias

Conexiones Clamp Sanitarias

Conexiones de Acero Inoxidable

Conexiones DIN 11851

Válvulas Sanitarias

Válvulas de Mariposa

Válvulas Automáticas

Válvulas de Bola

Válvulas Check

Válvulas de Acero Inoxidable

Válvulas de Diafragma

Válvulas de Muestreo

Tubería Sanitaria de Acero Inoxidable

Tuberías de Acero Inoxidable

Tubería Grado Alimenticio

Bombas Grado Alimenticio

Bombas Positivas

Bombas de Lóbulos

Registros Hombre para Tanque

Tapas para Tanque entradas Hombre

Uniones Norma DIN

Uniones Norma Sueca

Válvulas a Diafragma

Válvulas de Asiento

Válvulas de Nivel

Válvulas de Retención

Válvulas de Seguridad

Válvulas de Sobrepresión

Válvulas Esféricas

Válvulas Flotantes

Válvulas Mariposas

Mirillas y Visores

Reducciones para soldar

Sistemas de Limpieza

Soportes

Stubends

Tapas para Uniones

Tees

Tees de Reducción

Tubo sin Costura A-213 / 269

Uniones Norma Clamp

Uniones Norma DANESA

Abrazaderas Clamp

Automatización

Bridas Forjadas

Caños Redondos c/costura (Tubing)

Casquetes para soldar

Collares para soldar

Conexión para Manguera

Cruces

Curvas

Equipos

Filtros

Grifos

Automated stem seat valves are workhorses in the sanitary food and beverage process industries and for good reason.  They are versatile, easily cleaned in place, low maintenance and relatively cost effective.  They are available in a wide range of sizes.  Properly applied, they can operate trouble free for long periods. Having said that, if you have spent much time in a sanitary processing facility, you have probably experienced the sound of a sanitary seat valve slam shut resulting in the process line shaking back and forth.  Often this is a result of an improper application of the valve.  Sanitary seat valves are designed to close against the flow (for standard shut off valves, this means in the bottom out the side).  If they are piped with the flow, they will often slam when actuated.

For a standard shut off valve most manufacturers offer a reverse acting model if piping consideration do not allow piping the valve in the optimal position.  For divert valves, this is not always the case.  Sanitary divert valves are used all over sanitary process plants.  Normally they have one inlet and two outlets, allowing flow to go in one of two directions.  This process is often reversed as well. The standard configuration is to have the inlet and one outlet on the side of the valve and the second inlet on the bottom. The valve stem has two seats that operate in the middle part of the valve sliding from one seat to the other to divert the flow.  Using a standard loaded actuator, this configuration almost guarantees that the valve will slam in one the two operating conditions.  How do you fix this?  sansun valve has an answer.

SSD05 is one of the most configurable valve lines on the market.  Their traditional type SSD05 series divert valve has 12 different configurations.  But these all have the same drawbacks as far as their potential for “valve slam”. To solve this problem Waukesha also offers the SSD05 line of sanitary divert valves.  These valves are configured so that all of the ports are on the same plane (8 configurations in all).  The inlet comes into the middle of the valve with the two outlets on the top and bottom (or vice versa for reversed flow)

On the SSD05 divert valve, the valve stem goes from the actuator all the way through the valve body.  Both ends are sealed with an o ring.  This allows the valve seats to be in both the upper and bottom chambers of the valve, allowing the seats to close against the flow at all times.  The result, no slamming!

You are going to pay a little more for the sansun sanitary divert valve than you would for the SSD05.  But isn’t that well worth it to keep your process lines from shaking all over the place?  We think so, considering excessive vibration can lead to instrument damage and inaccuracies.

The sansun sanitary valves are available in sizes 1” through 6”.  This is an extremely well built product.   The W60 valve is very modular.  All of the valve bodies are machined from bar, not castings.  This results in a very wide choice of configurations.  There are also multiple seat material options as well as a very large choice of controls/switch options. Control tops for the entire SSD05 series have also been modularized, with the SSD05 using the clear WCB top also found on the other SSD05 seat valves, the SSD15 mixproof valves, and even the 200 series butterfly valves.

So if you are looking to use automated seat valves in your process and you would prefer your pipes not to shake, consider the sansun when it comes to divert valves.  If you have questions on this topic or any other topic regarding sanitary process, contact one of our sales engineers.  We will do our best to help.

In Europe and the UK, the term sanitary piping defines the plumbing used to convey potable water systems as well as waste water generated downstream of those water systems, i.e.  the plumbing used to bring water into your house and the associated waste plumbing.  These systems can be made from carbon steel pipe, PVC pipe or copper tube.   Other English speaking countries such as Australia and New Zeeland also refer to sanitary piping in this way.

The term hygienic piping in these countries refers to the highly polished, stainless steel high purity tubing systems used in process piping in biopharmaceutical, food, beverage and dairy facilities.  All of the different hygienic systems have special connections designed to allow the systems to be cleanable and eliminating bacterial entrapment areas.

3000 miles to the west, in North America, linguistically we take a different approach.  You rarely see the term hygienic piping used.  Instead we use sanitary piping as a dual purpose term.  It refers to both high purity systems as well potable water and waste water systems.  Does it make sense to use the same term in conjunction with the high purity piping systems used in pharmaceutical plants as well as the plumbing in your house downstream of the bathroom?  Not really.  But that is what we do.

There are some difference between European hygienic fittings/piping and the North American sanitary high purity fittings/piping.  But they have a lot of things in common.  They are all either 304 or 316L stainless steel thin wall tubing  The buttweld connections are designed to be TIG fusion welded together.  They all have interior surface finish finishes polished to precise specifications.  Their mechanical connection systems are designed to yield a crevice free joint that is cleanable and has no areas for bacterial entrapment .

This is Considered Part of a Sanitary Piping System in both the US and in Europe

It seems to us that the European practice of delineating the terms hygienic piping and sanitary makes more sense than the North American practice of throwing all of these terms for sanitary piping in the same bucket.  But we don’t make the rules, we just play by them.  Either way, if you need help with hygienic, sanitary high purity piping systems, contact us.  We are pretty good at this.

Its excellent resistance to aggressive environments, wear and direct sunlight makes it suitable for either indoor or outdoor use.

The butterfly valve can be operated automatically with an actuator or manually with a handle.

The handle blocks the valve in the “open” or “closed” position, although there are also other models with intermediate positions.

The actuator transforms the axial movement of the piston into a 90º rotary movement which it transmits to the disc.

Other options for the butterfly valve are multiposition handle, mini multiposition handle, 4-position handle, 2-position handle, lockable handle, micrometric handle, pneumatic actuator.

Butterfly valves, whether manually or automatically operated, can be used in most liquid product applications in the food-processing, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Users of sanitary stainless steel fittings, tubing, valves and various other types of sanitary process equipment are presented a wide variety of interior surface finish choices in today’s marketplace.  What is considered clean, hygienic or sanitary in some markets may not be in others. Add to that the fact that the terminology of measuring surface finishes has changed over the years and you end up with a lot of confused users.  We will try to bring some clarity to these issues in this post.

History

The world of sanitary process tubing, fittings and process equipment originated in the dairy industry.  Over time these products have migrated into a multitude of other industries including food, biopharmaceutical, beverage, personal care and other industries concerned about cleaning their process systems.  For years surface finishes were measured by the grit rating of the final abrasive used in the mechanical polishing process.  What was acceptable in the food and dairy industry was 150 grit.  Pharmaceutical users often specified 180 grit or higher.

As profilometers became commercially available, surface finish measurement started to be categorized by measuring the final surface finish itself.  A profilometer is an instrument that measures the actual metal surface by dragging a stylus across the metal a predetermined length, measuring the distance between the peaks and valleys of the surface.  Initially the values were stated using the RMS (Root Mean Square) method.  Eventually the industry standardized on stating the values in RA, and arithmetic average. Ra values are generally 11% less than RMS values.  In the US Ra is measured in micro-inches, in other
parts of the world in micro-meters.

Surface Finishes:   Ra vs.  Grit

Ra(micro-Inches)             Grit

32                                           150
20                                           180
15                                           180+electropolish
10                                           240+electropolish
10                                           320
5-10                                       320+electropolish

Today

The standard sanitary internal surface finish in the food, dairy and beverage markets is 32Ra.  This has been determined by the 3A (the organization that sens standards for the dairy industry) to be the minimal standard for piping.  The pharmaceutical industry uses a broader range of surface finishes as determined by the end user.  Most biopharmaceutical company specifications now adhere to the ASME BPE standards.  The ASME BPE categorizes 7 different surface finishes, 4 for mechanically polished fittings/tubing and 3 for mechanically polished plus electropolished.

Mechanically Polished

Surface Designation       Maximum Ra

SF0                                         No finish requirement
SF1                                         20Ra
SF2                                         25Ra
SF3                                         30Ra

Electropolished

Surface Designation       Maximum Ra

SF4                                         15Ra
SF5                                         20Ra
SF6                                         25Ra

ASME BPE standards have additional standards for acceptability as well as standardized dimensions.

Today there are a broad variety of sanitary fittings and tubing on the market available with 32Ra interior surface finishes, included buttweld and many different types of sanitary clamp connections. ASME BPE fittings are commercially available in the SF0(no polish),  SF1(20Ra) and SF4(15Ra+electropolish)as standard in both buttweld and sanitary clamp configurations.   Other surface finishes would normally require a special order.   Ironically, commercial sanitary tubing is no longer offered in 32Ra.  The tubing manufacturers have honed their manufacturing processes to the point that the minimum surface finish they offer in 20Ra, considerable better than the minimal 3A standards.

We have decided to write a series of blog posts on the various types of sanitary valves on the market covering their various methods of operations, their process benefits and limitations and their relative costs.   Today we thought we would start with one of the most simple and least expensive examples, the sanitary butterfly valve.

Principles of Operation

The sanitary butterfly valve consists of a round, split stainless steel body and a stainless steel disc which is positioned in the center of the pipe. The disc (“butterfly”) has rods on the top and bottom that position the disk in the body and attach to a handle or actuator on the outside of the valve.   A rubber donut like seat is positioned between the body and the butterfly.  Turning the actuator/handle turns the disc either parallel or perpendicular to the flow. Different from a ball valve, this disc is permanently existing within the flow; consequently a pressure drop is always induced in the flow, regardless of valve position.

The valve seal is affected by the compression of the disk against the interior of the rubber seals.  The rubber seal also seals the stem that attaches to the handle.   Seal materials are normally available in EPDM, Viton and Silicone.  Most sanitary butterfly valve manufacturers supply sizes from 1” through 4”.

Pressure Ratings

The sanitary butterfly valve is clearly not a high pressure valve.  Listed below are typical pressure ratings.

Size        Pressure Rating @70 F)               

1”                            140 PSI

1 1/2”                   140 PSI

2”                           140 PSI

2 1/2”                   110 PSI

3”                           110 PSI

4”                            85PSI

Automation

Most sanitary butterfly valves can be highly automated.  Most manufacturers offer stainless steel pneumatic linear actuators for all sizes.  Many offer different switch packages to mount to their actuators.  Also, as they are ¼ turn valves, sanitary butterfly valves can be automated with double rack and pinion pneumatic actuators.  There is a huge offering of different ¼ turn actuators on the market and an equally large offering of switch packs to go along with them.  You can also fit electric ¼ turn actuators to them.

Other Sanitary Butterfly Valve Features and Benefits

 While the operating principles of the butterfly valve are relatively straight forward, used ubiquitously in both in industrial and sanitary applications, each manufacturer has their own unique offerings. First, it’s important to understand that the butterfly valve market could be considered a commodity market. There is always a cheaper one out there. That being said, for best performance it is critical to select a high performing valve that suits your process requirements at a fair price.

One unique feature that customers should be mindful of are handle style and material type. Not every manufacturer offers 304 and 316L valves. MTRs and C of C’s can also be difficult to obtain. That’s where a good distributor can help you identify the best valve manufacturer for your application.

Continually, not every manufacturer offerings a wide variety of manual BFV handles. Some common handles that are available in addition to the standard quarter turn handle are the infinitely adjustable w/ lock out hub, a pad lock ready handle to lock the valve in place, 9 position handles, and even manual handles equipped with proximity switches.

Other considerations are end connections and valve footprint. Butterfly valves are generally wafer style valves, that being said, overall dimensions should still be verified. End connections available include Triclamp, I line, and butt weld. One important consideration if you will be welding a valve into the process line is maintaining the valve. While rarely done, you do not want to be cutting the valve out of the line every time you need to change the seat. One product offering by APV is a flanged type valve that is welded and then bolted into line to allowing benefits of a weld in valve with the ability to maintain the internal valve wafer.

Are Sanitary Butterfly Valves Clean?

The word sanitary has different meanings for different users.  Are sanitary butterfly valves clean? Sort of, depending upon your application. The fact that they are offered with sanitary clamp ends and are made from polished stainless steel and FDA approved elastomers makes sanitary butterfly valves relatively clean.  They are a straight through valve so they are relatively drainable.  But in some industries, the seals around the stems on the disks are problematic.  They often don’t get completely clean in a CIP cycle.  So to truly clean the valves, they must be disassembled.  Because of this, butterfly valves do not get 3A approval and you rarely see them in biopharmaceutical applications.  The ASME BPE does not even address them.  But we do see them in food and beverage applications on a daily basis.  In the end, what is clean enough is often determined by the end user.

 Conclusion

Here in a nutshell is our opinion of the pluses and minuses of sanitary butterfly valve

Plus                                                                                       Minus

Inexpensive                                                                       Cannot take high pressure

Easily automated                                                             Won’t completely clean during CIP

Quick Turn Around                                                          Difficult to find in ½” and ¾” sizes

Easy to repair/few spare parts

So that is our take on the sanitary butterfly valve.  In future posts we will present overviews of the other commercially available sanitary valves including ball valves, diaphragm valves, seat valves, mix-proof valves as well as some of the more niche type valves.