Full Bore Ball Valves vs. Reduced Bore Ball Valves

July 28th 2022

The Ball valve is one of quarter-turn valves. Various designs of ball valves could meet different requirements. In this article, we would like to introduce the difference between full bore ball valves and reduced bore ball valves.

Full Bore Ball Valves

Full bore ball valves (full port ball valves) open completely, which create an unobstructed path for gases or liquid being pumped through a tube or pipe. The width of the flow channel in a full bore ball valve is equal all through from the inlet to the outlet.

API 6D and API 608 are some of the full bore sizes that are published by the same organization. There are some very slight differences regarding their bore size requirements.Full bore ball valves range from pressure classes that are limited between 150 to 600, and this includes valve dimensions like API 608 and API 6D. The biggest ones can reach all the way to 2500.The minimum bore size for a full bore ball valve should be API 6D.

Reduced Bore Ball Valves

Full Bore Ball Valves vs. Reduced Bore Ball Valves

A reduced bore ball valve is a type of ball valve with ball bore diameter less than the pipe diameter. The internal parts of the reduced bore ball valve are wider for the flow compared to the path diameter, while the actual diameter of the actual flow path is approximately one specification smaller than the conventional parameters. Most reduced bore holes start from API 6D all the way up to API 608, with some being described as double reduced bore valves.

Comparison

1. Installation

Install a reduced bore ball valve is much easier with a smaller volume as it has fewer requirements. And it is much lighter  compared with the full bore valve.

Full bore ball valve is 30% heavier and generally has a bigger volume than reduced bore ball valve. This makes the reduced ball valve more ideal for reducing the load in the pipelines as well as bringing down the cost of transportation.

2. Cost

The cost of a reduced bore ball valveis lower than full bore ball valve, and this comes down to performance and size. The full bore can handle bigger tasks under the circumstance of without collapsing. On the other hand, reduced bore valves are smaller. And although they are also made using quality materials, they cannot handle the same level of work that full bore valves do.

3. Nature of Work

Full bore valves are able to handle highly viscous media. It would have problems being transported from one point to another that were handled by other types of valves. This is the kind of valve that you will never miss in an oil refinery plant. Reduced bore valves, on the other hand, are designed for handling lighter mediums like paraffin which can move quickly even when there’s some resistance in the system.

4. Size

Full bore valves are way bigger than reduced bore valves known from the size, the volume, and the weight. Full bore valves go into slightly wider tubes and pipes, while reduced bore valves go into smaller ones.

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