What Is a Sanitary Valve?
The term ‘sanitary’ refers to cleanliness and is crucial in fields where hygiene is paramount, such as in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Sanitary piping is commonly used in these fields. Unlike piping in typical chemical plants, sanitary piping is designed to minimize liquid accumulation and has smoother surfaces.
In addition to sanitary piping, there are naturally sanitary valves as well.
Uses of Sanitary Valves
Sanitary products are characterized by their ease of disassembly. Because of this feature, they are often used in fields where they are disassembled for thorough cleaning. This is why they are used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics fields mentioned above.
For example, in the food field, finished products delivered to us must not contain any germs. Sanitary products are essential to protect consumer health.
Principle of Sanitary Valves
Sanitary valves can be broadly divided into two types: sanitary ball valves and sanitary butterfly valves.
Sanitary ball valves have a spherical valve plug. It opens and closes by rotating 90 degrees with the operation of a handle.
Sanitary butterfly valves have a disk-shaped valve disc. Operated by rotating the valve 90 degrees with a handle, the same as the sanitary ball valve, it can also use the middle opening position. Therefore, the flow rate can be adjusted. The thin valve body also allows for lightweight and compact operation.
Sanitary valves also offer significant advantages in terms of sanitation. Commonly used ball and butterfly valves have joints or rubber seats in their wetted parts. When liquid flows through them, it remains around these joints and seat rubbers. This residual liquid can promote bacterial growth and potentially cause odor issues with the rubber components.