Rotary Valve

Rotary valves are essential components in a wide range of industrial processes, enabling precise control and regulation of granular, powder, and fluid materials between chambers with different pressure or flow conditions. These valves operate by rotating a vaned rotor inside a tightly fitted housing, allowing measured material flow while maintaining pressure differentials — a critical function in pneumatic conveying and dust control systems.

Key Features

Key features and benefits of these valves.
1

Key Features

Rotary valves provide accurate, controlled discharge of powders, granules, and bulk solids. This ensures reliable flow rates for batching, dosing, or continuous processing.
2

Key Features

They maintain a tight airlock between different pressure zones in pneumatic systems. This prevents air loss and protects downstream equipment from contamination.
3

Key Features

Available in cast iron, stainless steel, or coated finishes to suit demanding or sanitary environments. Easily disassembled for cleaning, inspection, or rotor replacement.

Ball Valves – Rotary Shut-Off Control with Full Bore Flow

Ball valves are a type of rotary valve that use a rotating spherical closure to allow or block flow. When the handle is turned 90 degrees, the ball rotates within the valve body to align its bore with the pipeline, enabling full-bore, unobstructed flow. This simple yet effective design provides excellent sealing performance, minimal pressure drop, and quick on/off operation. Ball valves are widely used across industries for isolating liquids, gases, and slurries, especially where tight shut-off and durability are essential. Available in two-way, three-way, and multi-port configurations, they are suitable for both manual and automated systems.

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Butterfly Valves – Lightweight Rotary Flow Control

Ball valves are a type of rotary valve that use a rotating spherical closure to allow or block flow. When the handle is turned 90 degrees, the ball rotates within the valve body to align its bore with the pipeline, enabling full-bore, unobstructed flow. This simple yet effective design provides excellent sealing performance, minimal pressure drop, and quick on/off operation. Ball valves are widely used across industries for isolating liquids, gases, and slurries, especially where tight shut-off and durability are essential. Available in two-way, three-way, and multi-port configurations, they are suitable for both manual and automated systems.

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Why Rotary Valves Are Important

Rotary valves are fundamental components in bulk material handling and pneumatic conveying systems. Their precise metering capability ensures that material is delivered in consistent, controlled volumes — a critical factor for maintaining accurate process conditions, preventing overflows, and ensuring uniform mixing or dosing. Without this regulation, production lines would face irregular flow patterns, material blockages, and costly inefficiencies that disrupt operations.

More than just a flow device, rotary valves also serve as pressure-sealing mechanisms, effectively isolating different sections of a system. This airlock function is vital in pneumatic setups, where pressure loss can lead to significant energy waste and compromised system performance. Additionally, by preventing backflow and cross-contamination between chambers, rotary valves help protect product integrity and maintain hygiene — particularly important in sensitive industries like food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

When fitted with appropriate drive systems and materials, they provide long service life, minimal downtime, and smooth integration into automated process lines.

Common Applications for Rotary Valves

  • Pneumatic Conveying Systems: Feeding powders or granules into pressurised air systems.

  • Dust Collection Units: Discharging material from cyclones and bag filters into bins or hoppers.

  • Food & Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Metering sugar, flour, milk powder, or fine granules in hygienic processing lines.

  • Cement and Aggregate Plants: Handling abrasive materials like cement dust or crushed lime.

  • Chemical & Plastics Industries: Dosing resin pellets, granules, or dry additives in manufacturing processes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rotary valves are used to regulate the flow of powders, granules, and liquids between process areas while maintaining airlock or pressure differential.

It works by rotating a vaned rotor inside a sealed housing to transfer material from one compartment to another in fixed volumes.

Common materials include cast iron, stainless steel, and aluminium, often with coatings like hard chrome, nickel, or Teflon for enhanced wear and hygiene.

Yes, food-safe rotary valves made from FDA-compliant stainless steel are widely used in the food and pharma industries.

The two main types are drop-through and blow-through rotary valves, each suited to different material handling systems.

Yes, regular inspection and lubrication help ensure long-term performance, especially in abrasive or high-volume environments.

Absolutely. They are often fitted with electric or pneumatic drives and integrated into PLC systems for automated control.

It depends on the material flow rate, pressure differential, and application type — consult our team for the best recommendation.

Yes, models are available for explosive dust environments, complete with certified motors and static discharge paths.

Choosing the right internal finish and regular cleaning access are key. Optional self-cleaning designs are also available.

Food, cement, chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, and biomass industries are some of the top users.

Wear is typically caused by abrasive materials, high-speed operation, or inadequate clearances. Using wear-resistant coatings, proper rotor selection, and regular maintenance can significantly extend service life.

FAQ

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Rotary Valve