Potable Water Valves
I'm designing a potable water tank farm and I'm trying to determine
whether or not the valve I want to use are acceptable. Typically I
design B31.3, 31.4, and 31.8 piping systems so potable water design is
foreign to me.
I know NSF 61 and AWWA have material requirements
for valves. What other codes and standards cover valves for potable
water service?
WRC ( Water Research Council UK ) approved valves, materials
& coatings are a good place to start to determine the correct
selection of valves for potable water.
Typically, 316 stainless steel and certain types of copper alloys are acceptable, along with UPVC and ABS plastics.
Cast
iron bodied valves are acceptable with the correct internal epoxy
coating. Seal materials such as EPDM rubber have to be individually
approved and certified by an approval body such as the WRC to ensure
that the particular 'recipe' for that elastomer is acceptable. Virgin
PTFE is generally accepted as inherently acceptable. But it really
depends in which country you plan to build the plant, as most have the
own local by-laws governing materials for potable water.
Jeffvalve has a good description of your choices, most important (as also illustrated by stanier) is your localization.
Commercially
there is a fierce competition among producers and suppliers to this
type of application, and prices and quality will vary, as well as
troublefree standtime.
Preferred types of valves, and brands will
vary according to sizes, pressures, local regulations and local
competition. (Give more data and get more directadvice regarding brands and types)
You
may well use cast iron or nodular cast iron valves, properly coated
with approved coating and sealings in SS pipelines. I would strongly
recommend price/lifetime comparisons before choice anyway.
Selection between gatevalves and butterflyvalves will depend on size and pressure class.
If butterflyvalves are selected, double eccentric valves should be compared to centric on price/troublefree lifetime basis.
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