Stainless Steel Valves

Stainless steel instrumentation valves are compact SS 316 ball valves used to isolate, divert and vent instrument lines. Vikay supplies 2-way, 3-way and 5-way patterns in female, tube and mixed connections, including panel-mounting and high-pressure versions for gauge, manifold and sample-line service.

Instrumentation ball valves are the isolation points of a measurement loop, at the process take-off, ahead of the gauge, and on the vent and calibration ports.

Vikay's stainless valve range covers 2-way ball valves in female-by-female, tube-by-tube and tube-by-female connections, panel-mounting versions with a threaded front nut for mounting through a gauge board, high-pressure variants for elevated working pressures, 3-way valves for diverting or selecting between two lines, and 5-way valves for gauge and transmitter manifold duty where isolate, equalise, vent and calibrate functions are combined in one body.

Bodies and balls are machined from SS 316 bar to ASTM A276 / A479 with PTFE seats and stem seals as standard, giving a quarter-turn action with a positive stop and a bubble-tight shut-off. Tube connections mate with Vikay's twin-ferrule tube fittings; threaded ends are cut to ASME B1.20.1 (NPT) or ISO forms. Ball valves are for isolation, not throttling, so for fine flow control specify a needle valve. Tell us the connection each side, the pattern and your working pressure and temperature, and we will quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a 5-way instrumentation valve do?

A 5-way manifold valve combines the functions needed to service a differential-pressure transmitter in one body: two process isolation valves, an equalising valve to balance high and low sides during zeroing, and two vent or calibration ports. It replaces a cluster of separate valves and fittings and shortens the impulse lines.

What is a panel-mounting ball valve?

A panel-mounting valve has a threaded front section and locknut so the valve body can be fixed through a hole in a gauge board or enclosure front, with the handle presented on the operator side. The panel carries the valve's weight and the line loads instead of the tubing.

Can these valves be used to throttle flow?

No. A ball valve should be run fully open or fully closed. Partly open, the flow is forced across an edge of the ball and the seat, which erodes the PTFE and leads to a valve that will not shut off tight. Use a needle valve where flow has to be metered.

What temperature and pressure limit applies?

The usual limit is the PTFE seat rather than the SS 316 body: standard PTFE-seated instrumentation ball valves are commonly rated to around 200 degrees C with the pressure rating falling as temperature rises, and high-pressure variants carry their own curve. Give your working conditions on the enquiry and we will confirm against the datasheet.

Do the tube-end valves work with your tube fittings?

Yes. Tube-connection valves are supplied with the same twin-ferrule ends as Vikay's SS 316 tube fittings, so nuts and ferrules match within the joint. Keep body, nut and both ferrules from the same supplier as you would on any twin-ferrule connection.