As the name suggests, sanitary valves are the ones that meet the food and health safety grades. Besides its usual application to control the flow of the fluids, and other matter, it also ensures that the quality of the material flowing through it is not hampered.

Unlike the regular valves, there are no greasy or slime lubricants used in sanitary ones. Thus, making them more suitable for applications in the medical, food, and healthcare industries.

That being said, these are not the only applications of these valves.

Keep reading to know more.

Applications of Sanitary Valves

Unlike other valves, sanitary valves need to ensure no hampering with the quality of the media, as already mentioned. And for this, stainless steel is one of the most preferred materials. Although in some cases plastic and brass are also used in their construction.

For every sanitary valve, the priority is to ensure that there is no bacterial support. For example, the construction should be crevices free and should support minimum diameter requirements to ensure that media does not trap. It could, otherwise, lead to bacterial growth and multiplication.

Keeping these factors in mind, some usual applications of sanitary valves include:

- Milk and dairy industry

- Breweries and soda manufacturing industries

- Sauce manufacturing units

- Pharmaceutical industry

- Cosmetic industry

- Chemical industry, and many more

Types of Sanitary Valves

The most commonly used sanitary valves include:

- Globe type

- Butterfly type

- Pinch type

- Gate type

- Ball type

Out of the aforementioned types of sanitary valves, not all are suitable for all industries. For example, sanitary butterfly valves are usually preferred for pharmaceutical and medical applications. Besides, they are also popular with the food and beverages industry, along with cosmetic industries.

The choice of the valve depends on the purpose that it needs to serve, other than regulating the flow of the media. For example, measurement, throttling, and controlling the speed.

Choosing the Right One for your Process

Since now is the time you must be thinking about choosing a valve for your need, it is vital that you also understand how to choose it.

Understand the material

The first and foremost thing that you ought to do is know which material is the right fit for your needs. Though stainless steel is one of the popular materials, it does not mean that it could serve the purpose you desire.

For instance, if you need a sanitary valve for chemical processing and manufacturing, you must look for inactive or inert materials. Steel can easily react with the chemicals and disturb the quality.

Test the durability

The second thing you ought to understand is the durability of the valve you choose. It is noteworthy that valves, usually, operate at very high pressure. However, the pressure could still vary from media to media, along with the process at sight.

If your application does not involve pressure values higher than 20atm you can choose a plastic valve. Otherwise, you must look for other durable materials.

Evaluating the cost

The last thing you ought to be doing is evaluating the cost of getting and installing the valve. This one is a no-brainer. If the valve costs you more than what you may expect in return from it, then you must go for other alternatives.

Perhaps, for any business costing is one of the most critical factors affecting purchase decisions.

To sum it up, sanitary valves find a wide variety of applications, but mostly within the industries where sanitation and health codes are important.