A valve is a device that regulates the flow of a fluid (gases, fluidized solids, slurries, or liquids) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed separately.Valves are also found in the human body. For example there are several which control the flow of blood in the chambers of the heart and maintain the correct pumping action (see heart valve article).Valves are used in a variety of applications including industrial, military, commercial, residential, and transportation.Oil and gas, power generation, mining, water reticulation, sewerage and chemical manufacturing would constitute the majority of valves used by industry.Plumbing valves are the most obvious in everyday life, taps for hot and cold water, gas control valves on cookers and barbecues, small valves fitted to washing machines and dishwashers, and safety devices fitted to hot water systems are all examples of valves.

Valves may be operated manually, either by a hand wheel, lever or pedal. Valves may also be automatic, driven by changes in pressure, temperature or flow. These changes may act upon a diaphram or a piston which in turn activates the valve, examples of this type of valve found commonly are safety valves fitted to hot water systems or steam boilers.More complex control systems using valves requiring automatic control based on an external input (i.e., regulating flow through a pipe to a changing set point) require an actuator. An actuator will stroke the valve depending on its input and set-up, allowing the valve to be positioned accurately, and allowing control over a variety of requirements.Valves are also found in the Otto cycle (internal combustion) engines driven by a camshaft, lifters and or push rods where they play a major role in engine cycle control.
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1st Valve World Asia Steering Committee meeting

The upcoming Valve World Asia Conference, which will be held in Shanghai on 17 and 18 October 2007, has received a good number of papers proposals on control valves. Approximately 20 Steering Committee members from all over the world came to Shanghai (on 14 March) for a meeting to evaluate all the paper proposals and to decide upon the conference and workshop programme. The outcome was that we selected 20 presentations for 5 parallel sessions. These sessions will cover v not only control valves but also fugitive emission/sealing, design/applications, maintenance/reliability and last but certainly not least casting. In addition a number of end-users such as Sinopec, Shell, Bayer, Dow Chemical and ExxonMobil have committed themselves to do plenary presentations on end-user experiences with different types of valves in different fields of applications.

Additionally, a workshop on Procurement and Supply Chain Integrity will be part of the programme. The Exhibition, which will be organised in parallel, is already fully booked. The organisers expect that the two-day event, which will be hosted at the Shanghai International Convention Center at Pudong, near to the famous Pearl Tower, will attract about 5000 visitors. So, overall it promises to become an interesting conference & expo which, as usual, will also feature some networking events including a welcome cocktail reception, a conference dinner and (for the first time now also in Shanghai) a partner programme.
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World Industrial Valves and Actuators Markets

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled World Industrial Valves and Actuators Markets provides an overview of the market dynamics and revenue forecasts, along with a complete analysis of key market drivers, restraints and trends that are affecting valve and actuator manufacturers. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: quarter-turn valves, multi-turn valves, self-acting and control valves and actuators. The research also includes analyses based on different regions across various end-user sectors including oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical, power generation, water and wastewater, pulp and paper, metal and mining and other industries.

Plant Automation to Drive Market Expansion
The world valves and actuators market will experience steady growth over the long term. Increasing demand across various regions is driving market expansion. North America remains the largest market with respect to consumption, while Asia leads in terms of growth rates. Regulations pertaining to emission levels are boosting market potential. The biggest challenge facing the market is the ability of suppliers to augment manufacturing capacity in order to meet the current levels of consumer demand. Furthermore, in a highly fragmented market, suppliers confront the issue of setting competitive pricing standards, particularly in the lower end of the market. In the high end of the market, reliability will be key to fostering strong relations with end users. While retrofitting of products will represent a potential revenue generator in mature markets, the growing interest in plant automation will turn the focus on quarter-turn valve products, as they are easy to automate. The heightened interest in plant automation to reduce downtime and boost productivity will contribute significantly to market growth.
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Bay Valve acquires Crane’s Benica, CA Service Center.

Bay Valve acquires Crane’s Benicia, CA Service center, expanding the Bay Valve Martinez location with an additional 26,000 sq ft of shop space! The Crane location comes complete with National Board code stamps, test stands and machining capabilities witch includes a 72" VTL and 10 additional employees.December, 2007 Bay Valve Billings obtains “VR” code stamp.Bay Valve Billings Montana installs boiler and test vessels to obtain the first national Board "VR" code stamp in the state.Summer 2007 Bay Valve Denver moves.Bay Valve Denver moves to a larger improved facility and renews their National Board and ASME certificates. Bay Valve Salt Lake City moves.Bay Valve Salt Lake City moves to a larger facility with over 25.000 Sqft of paved and fenced yard space and renews their VR and ASME certificates.

Spring 2007
Bay Valve Billings Montana provides the solution for difficult FCC Catalyst application with T-900 Tribaloy.
A major refinery was having poor life from recently constructed FCC unit catalyst valves due to the abrasive service conditions. Bay Valve Billings provided Tribaloy T-900 trim (52-55C Rockwell) on the wear surfaces to extend the service life of the valves. Additional modifications to the purge system are planned to insure catalyst fines are swept from the critical seating areas of the valves.Process Products and Controls has a new VP of Sales.Mark Peterson has joined Process Products and Controls as VP of Sales and Marketing. Mark is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Mark previously worked for Unit Process / Bray Valve.
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Pneumatic valves improve industrial dispensing

Low-cost, simple pneumatic dispensing machines improve the application of single part adhesives, coatings, sealants and inks in a controlled and repeatable operation.Intertronics said that the simple pneumatic dispensing machine is generally low-cost and almost ubiquitous.These machines improve the application of materials like single part adhesives, coatings, sealants and inks, by introducing acontrolled and repeatable process.Health and safety benefits include less mess, less exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals and fewer RSI issues.These systems work by filling an industrial syringe or barrel with the liquid material.Pulses of air then push the liquid out of the other end, usually through a dispensing needle or tip.The quantity dispensed can be varied by the size of the needle orifice (from as small as 0.15mm), the pressure applied and the time of the air pulse triggered by footswitch, finger switch or automation.

They may be hand-held or mounted on positioning robots or rotary tables.Less than 1% variance is often easily achievable, and 0.1% not uncommon.Digital timers further improve accuracy.Dispensing valve - for industrial liquid dispensing, pneumatically controlled valves are robust, accurate, can be cycled quickly and in many cases can be implemented at low cost with the following benefits.Increased accuracy - critical applications in areas such as microelectronics or medical devices requiring higher levels of accuracy and repeatability, validation and fine tolerances.Challenging materials can be handled, e g, cyanoacrylate adhesives (very low viscosity) and thermally conductive RTV silicone adhesives (very high viscosity).Volume - the largest dispensing barrels are typically 55ml in volume.