What are the differences between butterfly valve and gate valve?

Butterfly valves and gate valves both belong to the category of quarter-turn valves and are commonly used in various industries for regulating and controlling fluid and gas flow. However, they have distinct differences in terms of design, operation, and application.

Design: 

Butterfly valves consist of a circular disc or plate that rotates around a central axis to control the flow through the valve. They are available in wafer, lug, and double flanged designs and offer a compact and lightweight solution for low-pressure applications. 

Gate valves consist of a flat or wedge-shaped gate that moves perpendicular to the flow to open or close the valve. They are available in rising and non-rising stem designs and offer a more robust solution for high-pressure and high-temperature applications.

Operation: 

Butterfly valves operate by turning the handle or actuator to rotate the disc and control the flow. They require less torque to operate and offer a fast response time, making them suitable for frequent operation. 

Gate valves operate by turning the handle or actuator to raise or lower the gate to control the flow. They require more torque to operate and offer a slower response time, making them suitable for applications where throttling is not required.

1. How to act.

For gate valves with stable performance on the market, the valve stem drives the valve plate to make vertical movement up and down to open and close the valve. This unique operation mode can ensure that all water flows are cut off in time to achieve better shutoff effect; The butterfly valve can be opened and closed through the rotary movement of the valve plate, so as to maintain the requirement of rapid opening and closing.

2. Use effect.

The gate valve can ensure better sealing effect when in use, after all, the valve plate can be connected to the corresponding rail; The butterfly valve has certain water flow regulation function, which can be used for quick opening and closing, but its sealing performance is far lower than that of the gate valve.

3. Use direction.

The professional gate valve products have good use effect and excellent sealing performance, and can be used in some occasions with high sealing requirements; The butterfly valve is small and can be used in places with limited installation space. After all, the performance of gate valve and butterfly valve is quite different.