Pre-selection for industrial process valves
MEDIA GUIDE

Steam Service Valves

A materials-and-temperature duty before anything else.

Steam is a materials-and-temperature duty before anything else: metal seats, graphite packing and thermal-expansion behaviour govern. Above 250 °C avoid wedge gates on isolation (thermal binding — parallel-slide or globe is the documented practice); above 425 °C alloy-steel bodies (WC6/WC9) replace WCB. Drain and warm-up provisions belong in the RFQ.

Service flags: steam duty.

Materials at a glance

MaterialRatingUp to
Carbon steel (ASTM A216 WCB)Excellent425 °C
1.25Cr-0.5Mo alloy steel (ASTM A217 WC6)Excellent593 °C
2.25Cr-1Mo alloy steel (ASTM A217 WC9)Excellent593 °C
Stainless steel 304 (ASTM A351 CF8)Excellent538 °C
Stainless steel 316 (ASTM A351 CF8M)Excellent538 °C

Ratings: Excellent / Good / Conditional / Not recommended, from this site's boundary-and-medium data set. The manufacturer's data sheet for the specific product governs.

What drives the choice

  • Metal seats, graphite packing and thermal-expansion behaviour govern
  • Above 250 °C avoid wedge gates on isolation — thermal binding; parallel-slide or globe is the documented practice
  • Above 425 °C alloy-steel bodies (WC6/WC9) replace WCB
  • Drain and warm-up provisions belong in the RFQ

Where the boundaries sit

  • Superheated-steam duties sit close to the handover lines — the report states which one binds

Related reading

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