When And Why To Use a Sanitary Grade Valve

Figure 1: Stainless steel pipes and valves in the food industry

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Sanitary grade valves prevent contamination and ensure high hygiene standards in industries prioritizing cleanliness, such as the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors. This article explores the key design features and applications of sanitary grade valves.

Table of contents

What is a sanitary grade valve?

Sanitary grade valves are built for applications demanding exceptional hygiene and cleanliness standards. Their primary function is safeguarding against cross-contamination, product spoilage, and the associated health risks from unhygienic environments. These valves can be actuated manually, pneumatically, electrically, or hydraulically. They can work with gasses, liquids, and liquids with suspended solids.

Features

• Superior hygiene standards: Sanitary grade valves are built to meet strict hygiene standards. Their smooth surfaces and sanitary seals minimize the risk of product contamination, ensuring the integrity and safety of the fluid being processed.
• Traceability: In some industries, such as pharmaceuticals, it's important to have complete traceability (the ability to track a product's history, origin, materials, and movement throughout its lifecycle) of all components, including valves. Certain manufacturers provide this information for their sanitary grade valves, which users can request while purchasing.
• SIP and CIP compatibility: Sanitary grade valves are designed to be compatible with SIP (Steam-in-Place) and CIP (Clean-in-Place) processes. SIP involves exposing the valve to high-temperature steam to sterilize it. CIP utilizes cleaning solutions and circulation to remove contaminants. The design and materials of sanitary grade valves allow them to withstand these rigorous cleaning and sterilization procedures without compromising their integrity.
• Easy cleaning and maintenance: Sanitary grade valves are designed for easy cleaning and maintenance.
  • Sanitary grade valves can be easily dismantled for cleaning. Some can even be cleaned without disassembly using the CIP technique.
  • The smooth surfaces allow for a thorough cleaning, minimizing the risk of bacterial growth.
  • Their construction enables quick and efficient maintenance, reducing downtime and ensuring optimal performance.
• Compliance with regulatory standards: Sanitary grade valves should comply with standards such as 3A, FDA , and EHEDG.
• Versatile options: There are various types of sanitary grade valves, including butterfly valve, ball valve, diaphragm valve, check valves or pressure relief valves, each with its own specific uses and advantages.

Design features

Sanitary grade valves are designed to minimize dead spaces (areas where fluids stagnate) leading to bacterial growth or product contamination. These valves often feature streamlined bodies, flush-mounted connections, and the absence of crevices or internal pockets that can trap fluid and contaminants.

• Material selection: Material selection is important in sanitary grade valves to ensure resistance to corrosion, ease of cleaning using the SIP and CIP techniques, compatibility with substances they contact, and high-temperature resistance. The materials should withstand high temperatures in sterilization methods like autoclaving or steam cleaning.
  • Choosing the right materials, such as stainless steel, alloys, or FDA-approved polymers, helps maintain the valves' hygienic properties and prevents contamination risks.
• Surface finish: The internal surfaces of sanitary grade valves are often polished to a high degree of smoothness to prevent the adhesion of particles and bacteria. They have specific surface-finish requirements to ensure optimal hygiene. These standards, such as the Ra (Roughness Average) value, specify the level of smoothness and cleanliness required for the valve's surface. A lower Ra value indicates a smoother surface, easier to clean, and less prone to bacterial adhesion.
• Sealing: Sanitary grade valves utilize high-quality seals to prevent any potential contamination. These seals are usually made from silicone, EPDM, or Viton, which are resistant to high temperatures and corrosion.
• Electropolishing: Electropolishing involves immersing the valve in an electrolyte bath and applying an electric current to remove surface imperfections and enhance corrosion resistance. Electropolished surfaces are smoother, more contamination-resistant, and easier to clean.
• Tri-clamp connections: Sanitary grade valves often use tri-clamp connections, also known as tri-clover or tri-clover fittings. These connections provide a secure and hygienic seal between two components, such as a valve and a pipe or a valve and a tank. Tri-clamp fittings are easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean, making them popular in industries requiring frequent sterilization.
• Welding techniques: Sanitary grade valves often employ specialized welding techniques, such as orbital welding or sanitary TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. These techniques provide precise and consistent welds without introducing contaminants, ensuring the integrity and hygienic properties of the valve.

Disadvantage

The cost of sanitary grade valves may be higher than standard valves due to their specialized design, materials, and compliance with industry standards. However, the long-term benefits often outweigh the initial investment.

Applications

Sanitary grade valves find applications in various industries, including:

• Water treatment and purification: Sanitary valves are used in water treatment plants to control water flow, ensuring clean and safe drinking water for communities.
• Food and beverage: In food and beverage processing, sanitary valves are essential to maintain hygiene and prevent contamination while producing beverages, dairy products, sauces, and other consumables.
• Pharmaceutical and biotech: Sanitary valves play a crucial role in pharmaceutical and biotech processes, where maintaining the purity and sterility of fluids is vital for drug production and research.
• Cosmetics and personal care products: The cosmetics and personal care industry relies on sanitary valves to precisely control ingredients during the production of lotions, creams, and other personal care products.
• Chemical and petrochemical: Sanitary valves are used in chemical and petrochemical processes, where corrosive or hazardous fluids must be controlled with maximum safety and cleanliness.

FAQs

What is a sanitary valve?

A sanitary grade valve is specialized for hygienic industries (e.g., food, pharmaceuticals) to prevent contamination and ensure easy cleaning.

What are the different types of sanitary valves?

Sanitary valve types include ball, check, butterfly, needle, plug, and pressure relief valves.

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Sanitary ball valves are among those common sanitary valves available in the market. In simple words, it works by taking a quarter turn to regulate the water flow. This valve consists of a spherical disc and that is why it is usually known as a ball valve. It has a ball-like structure with a hole in the center. When this hole and both the ends of the valve are in the same line, it allows the liquid to flow.

On the contrary, when we do not want the liquid to pass through the valve, we change the position of the sphere at a right angle to the passageway. Sanitary ball valves are particularly useful when we wish to completely shut off the flow of liquid. Shut off valve installed in your main line is just an example of this situation. As a result, these valves are ideal for applications where a fully closed or fully open arrangement is necessary. However, one should not opt for these valves if the application requires fine-tuning of the water flow.

Check valve, gate valve, globe valve, air relief valve, butterfly valve are some examples of other types of sanitary valves. Now, an important question here is why one should go for a sanitary ball valve when there are so many other types of valves to choose from. The answer is that this valve has a number of benefits over others. The life span of these valves is longer and they are more cost-effective due to the simple and strong structure they have.

Ball valves work very well even in conditions of high pressure, high volume, and high temperature. More attractively, the operation and maintenance of these devices are quite easy. Many companies offer some additional facilities as well. For example, you can get a ball valve with the ability to check the unintended operation of the valve. To get an idea of which way the water is moving, you may ask for directional nameplates.

When making a buying decision, pay as much attention as possible to the trouble-free and safe operation. That is why the total system design should be considered so that no problem occurs in the future. If you need one for a specific purpose then choose a special or custom valve instead of a ready-made valve. Some of the points to keep in mind are low operating torque, maximum flow design, panel mounting, two or three-way flow models, leak-tight seals in extreme pressure conditions, and availability of electric and pneumatic actuators.

Manufacturers of sanitary ball valves use different materials according to the requirement of the application. Some of the examples include brass, carbon steel, stainless steel, and dome special alloys besides alloy 400. Temperature adjustment capacity ranges between 65 degrees and 850 degrees Fahrenheit. Some products are available with a working pressure of up to fifteen thousand psig. Similarly, the flow coefficient can go up to 130. However, if you feel that products available in the market are not able to meet your specific needs, contact the supplier and discuss with them to check their ability of customization. Remember, be professional and order in bulk.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of sanitary ball valve supplier. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.