Application Of Fire Protection Butterfly Valve

A fire protection butterfly valve is short for a fire signal butterfly valve, which belongs to one kind of fire protection valve.

What is Fire Protection Signal Butterfly Valve?

A signal butterfly valve is a kind of butterfly valve that can show the valve switch state, mainly installed in the fire pipe system, is an indispensable part of high-rise buildings and other pipelines that need to show the valve switch state. In the building construction, the signal butterfly valve needs to be connected with the fire alarm system, because, for the signal butterfly valve, the main role is used in the fire alarm.

Components of Fire Protection Butterfly Valve

Butterfly valves consist of only four main components:

• A body, which houses the disc, stem, and seat
• A disc controls the flow of fluid through the valve
• A stem used to rotate the disc and position the indicator
• A seat, which forms a water-tight seal with the disc when the valve closes

Their simple design makes them a cost-effective choice compared to other types of control valves. Because they are lighter, more compact, and easier to install than their common predecessor, the OS&Y gate valve (“outside stem and yoke” or “outside screw and yoke”), most fire installers now favor using a butterfly valve as the control valve. Nevertheless, OS&Y valves still have both adherents and their place, which you can learn about here.

The components to consider when selecting a butterfly valve depend on the needs of the installer and the type of pipe used. Although they are made with a variety of valve seats, their seats are almost exclusively EPDM rubber-lined in fire protection. EPDM is favored for its resistance to weather, high and low temperatures, various chemicals, and leakage.

How Does a Signal Butterfly Valve Work?

A butterfly valve for fire protection starts stops or throttles the flow of water via the rotation of an internal disc. When the disc is turned parallel to the flow, water can pass through freely. Rotate the disc 90 degrees, and the movement of water into the system piping stops. This thin disc can stay in the water’s path at all times without significantly slowing the movement of water through the valve.

The disc’s rotation is controlled by a handwheel. The handwheel rotates a rod or stem, which turns the disc and simultaneously rotates a position indicator — usually a brightly colored piece sticking out of the valve — that shows the operator which way the disc is facing. This indicator allows for at-a-glance confirmation of whether the valve is opened or closed.

The position indicator plays an important role in keeping fire protection systems operational. Butterfly valves serve as control valves capable of shutting off the water to fire sprinkler or standpipe systems or sections of them. Entire buildings can be left defenseless when a control valve is unintentionally left closed. The position indicator helps fire professionals and facility managers spot a closed valve and re-open it quickly.

Most butterfly valves for fire protection also include electronic tamper switches that communicate with a control panel and send an alarm when the valve’s disc rotates. Often, they include two tamper switches: one for connection to a fire control panel and another for connecting to an auxiliary device, such as a bell or horn.

Features of Fire Protection Valves

A fire valve consists of a valve body, an opening and closing mechanism, and a valve cover. Among them, the fire signal butterfly valve has the advantages of simple structure, reliable sealing, light opening, long service life, and convenient maintenance. Therefore, it is widely used in various pipelines of water supply and drainage systems, building fire protection systems, and especially in fire protection pipelines.

Where to Install a Fire Protection Butterfly Valve

The fire protection butterfly valve is usually installed in two parts: the front end of the horizontal main pipe flow indicator on the floor and the front end of the wet alarm valve in the main pipe.

The function of installing signal butterfly valves in the horizontal main pipe of the floor is to close the valve, open the end of the spraying system and empty the water in the spraying system of the floor for maintenance when the spraying system of the floor needs to be repaired. The second is that no water is allowed in the spraying system. When the butterfly is closed, a signal will be transmitted to the fire alarm system. The fire alarm system receives a monitoring signal (so it is called a signal butterfly valve), which indicates that the fire sprinkler system on this floor is anhydrous and should be repaired quickly.

The signal butterfly valve at the front end of the wet alarm valve has the same function as the butterfly valve in the main pipe of the floor. One is to repair, the other is to indicate that the signal butterfly valve in the sprinkler system is closed and should be repaired as soon as possible.

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