To address the energy dissipation and cavitation problems of traditional sleeve valves, a novel vortex-type sleeve valve structure was proposed. Research shows that the vortex-type sleeve valve offers better energy dissipation and reduces cavitation, with the best results achieved at a 30° tangential angle at the slot opening.
The sealing structure between the sleeve and valve plug has evolved from double hard sealing surfaces to inlaying non-metallic or elastic metal materials, such as support rings, sealing rings, spring-loaded sealing rings, and metal C-rings with graphite, in the upper part of the valve plug, thus widening the operating temperature range. The sleeve opening shape has also been improved, such as through-hole sleeves for noise reduction and stepped sleeves for cavitation resistance, to adapt to more demanding operating conditions. The rated flow coefficient (Cv value) can be increased by increasing the volume of the central cavity in the valve body, widening the sleeve opening, or creating a narrow slot at the bottom of the sleeve.
The new balanced sleeve control valve uses a PTFE balanced sealing seat, but the operating temperature is required not to exceed 150℃. Simultaneously, the clearance between the sleeve and the valve disc can be relatively large to reduce mutual jamming during temperature changes.
Full-function ultra-lightweight control valves are gradually replacing traditional sleeve valves in applications with strict leakage requirements, large pressure differentials, and unclean media, especially for DN≥50. They offer advantages such as low leakage, large pressure differentials, suitability for unclean media, and light weight.