Pneumatic Heating Jacket Ball Valves

Full Jacket Design (Oversized Flanges)

The outer jacket encompasses the entire valve body from flange to flange with zero thermal cold spots (DN15 to DN200 / 1/2" to 8"). Connection flanges are oversized by one nominal pipe size (e.g., 2" internal bore with 3" flanges) to allow full clearance for pipeline bolt insertion.

• Continuous thermal coverage eliminates media freezing at the flange neck
• Jacket connection ports: 1/2" to 1" female NPT or ASME flanged ports
• Ideal for high-solidification fluids: asphalt, coal tar, bitumen, and molten sulfur

Semi-Jacket Drop-In Replacement

The heating jacket covers only the central cavity of the valve body, maintaining standard ASME B16.10 face-to-face dimensions and standard flange drillings. Designed as a direct drop-in replacement for compact skid spaces where oversized pipe flanges cannot be accommodated.

• 1:1 direct replacement without altering existing pipeline flange spacing
• Cost-effective thermal preservation for medium-viscosity resins and oils
• Compact profile reduces overall valve assembly weight and footprint

Zero Cold-Spot Thermal Circulation

Full-welded jacket chamber guarantees continuous thermal circulation around the ball, seat rings, and stem housing. Eliminates cold spots that cause viscous media to solidify and seize the ball during idle operating shifts.

Thermal Stand-Off Bracket Column

Equipped with an extended high-temperature bonnet stand-off and convective cooling fins. Isolates high pipeline temperatures (up to 350°C), protecting pneumatic actuator Viton seals and pilot solenoid coils from thermal burnout.

Cavity Over-Pressure Relief Hole

When trapped media inside the valve cavity is continuously heated, extreme hydraulic thermal expansion can crush valve seats. DELCO precision-drills an upstream pressure-balancing hole in the ball to vent cavity over-pressure safely into the line.

Spring-Return Emergency Dump Class

In asphalt storage terminals and polymer reactors, loss of utility power requires instant line isolation or emergency gravity dumping. Spring-return pneumatic actuators trigger full stroke in under 0.8 seconds without electricity.

High-Temp PEEK & Metal Seats

Configured with virgin PEEK seats (up to 250°C) or Stellite hard-faced metal-to-metal seating (up to 350°C+). Maintains low operating torque and tight Class V/VI shut-off without seat softening under continuous heating.

Dual Independent Pressure Testing

Both the core valve body and the welded heating jacket undergo separate 100% hydrostatic shell testing at 1.5 times design pressure per API 598. Completely eliminates cross-contamination risk between heating steam and process chemicals.

1. Why do full heating jacket ball valves require oversized pipe flanges?

Because a full heating jacket completely envelops the valve body and extends right to the back of the flange faces, the outer diameter of the jacket pipe is larger than the nominal valve bore. To allow standard flange bolts to pass through without interfering with the welded jacket shell, connection flanges are manufactured one size larger (e.g., a DN50 / 2" bore valve uses DN80 / 3" connection flanges). Pipe matching must follow the oversized flange dimensions.

2. How is the pneumatic actuator protected from conductive heat up to 350°C?

Standard pneumatic actuator NBR seals have a maximum temperature limit of 80°C. DELCO integrates an engineered thermal stand-off bracket column (100mm to 150mm extension) equipped with convective heat-dissipation fins between the valve ISO 5211 top pad and the actuator. Additionally, high-temperature Viton (FKM) actuator internal O-rings are utilized, ensuring dependable cycling in extreme thermal environments.

3. What is the risk of trapped media thermal expansion, and how is it resolved?

When a jacketed ball valve closes, liquid media remains trapped inside the ball cavity. As continuous heat from the steam jacket transfers into this confined space, thermal expansion causes extreme hydraulic pressure spikes capable of crushing valve seats or deforming the ball. DELCO solves this by precision-drilling a cavity pressure relief hole on the upstream side of the ball, venting expansion forces safely into the pipeline.

4. Why is spring-return pneumatic actuation preferred for bitumen loading skids?

Bitumen and asphalt truck loading stations carry severe fire and spill risks. In the event of a plant power loss, fire alarm trip, or emergency stop button depression, spring-return pneumatic actuators snap the valve shut in under 1 second without requiring auxiliary battery banks or electrical circuits, providing instantaneous, fail-safe spill prevention.