A ball valve consists of a floating ball with a hole running through it. When the valve is activated, the hole is aligned in a way that blocks, partially blocks or completely opens the flow of liquid or gas. There are several benefits to using ball valves, including the tight seal, which is ideal for applications involving gas flow. They are often used in high-pressure liquid or gas lines that are less than 6 inches in diameter. Ball valves offer almost no resistance when turning them, even if the supply side is creating high pressure. Some designs provide no drops in pressure. Most ball valves can operate in temperatures between -30℃ to 230℃.Butterfly valves are a lightweight valve that comes in one- and two-piece designs, named after their resemblance to the wings of a butterfly.

In the two-piece design version of these valves, the sections fold inward to allow full flow and lie flat when closed. In a one-piece design, a disk is mounted on a shaft that rotates around the pipe. Activating the valve turns the disk to fully open or block the flow of gas or liquid through the valve. Butterfly valves are usually one of two types: lug and wafer valves. These two types mainly differ in their installation designs.These valves are typically less expensive in terms of materials and maintenance. They are also lighter than ball valves and are faster to open and close. They are often used in large-scale projects, such as municipal water systems and sewers.

Applications that require the control of flow from a body of water often use butterfly valves. If flow loss is not an issue, then butterfly valves are excellent for controlling flow and pressure. Another benefit of butterfly valves is that they are smaller than ball valves, which is useful for projects that need to minimize space.The primary difference between the valves lies in their effect on flow. In butterfly valves, part of the disk interferes with the flow, creating a drop in pressure. For applications where consistent or high pressure is needed, this, of course, is a disadvantage. The pressure change can also make the valve difficult to operate due to the incoming pressure from the supply side.

A bypass valve could be needed to balance out the pressure before a butterfly valve can work appropriately. Alternatively, the ball valve offers 100 percent flow with its design. It can be used for projects where higher pressure is needed.Another consideration is the size of the application. Due to their design, ball valves typically become less cost-effective at around 6 inches in diameter. At that point, butterfly valves generally are the more economical choice. They are lighter and tend to be more affordable. These characteristics make them great for large-scale projects where flow control is less of a concern. Plus, butterfly valves don’t trap fluids like a ball valve can, so a butterfly valve may be better for applications in food production, where residues can create health hazards.