Specification

API/CE/ASME Compliant Stainless Steel CF8 Flanged Soft Seal Ball Valve with Worm Gear Operation for Global Industrial Flow Control

I. Product Overview

This stainless steel CF8 flanged soft seal ball valve is engineered to meet stringent international standards, including API, CE, and ASME, making it suitable for global industrial flow control applications. Constructed from CF8 stainless steel (equivalent to 304 stainless steel), it features a worm gear-driven mechanism for precise operation and a soft-sealed design to ensure bubble-tight shutoff. Its flanged connection aligns with global pipeline standards, while corrosion-resistant materials and robust construction enable reliable performance across diverse media—water, oil, gas, and mild chemicals. Ideal for Multinational oil，chemical, and municipal projects, this valve integrates seamlessly into systems requiring compliance with international norms, delivering consistent performance under varying pressure and temperature conditions.

II. Key Attributes and Specification Parameters

Basic Attributes

Structure Design: Three-piece flanged ball valve with a floating ball and worm gear actuation. The ball floats between two seats, utilizing line pressure to enhance sealing contact. The worm gearbox provides a high reduction ratio, ensuring low-torque operation even for large-diameter valves, in line with API 6D requirements for operational efficiency.

Body Material: CF8 stainless steel (ASTM A351 CF8 per ASME BPVC Section II), a corrosion-resistant alloy with 18-20% chromium and 8-11% nickel. This material meets ASME material standards for chemical compatibility and mechanical strength (tensile strength ≥515MPa, elongation ≥40%), suitable for aggressive and ambient environments.

Sealing System: PTFE soft seals conforming to API 607 fire safety standards. The seats feature encapsulated PTFE rings, preventing extrusion under pressure while maintaining chemical resistance (compatible with pH 4–10 media). Metal backup seals ensure secondary containment, meeting CE PED 2014/68/EU safety requirements.

Pressure Rating: Class 150 to Class 300 (PN16 to PN40), compliant with ASME B16.34 pressure-temperature ratings, suitable for medium-pressure systems in oil, gas, and chemical processing.

Temperature Range: -20℃ to 150℃ with PTFE seals (expanding to 200℃ with modified PTFE), adhering to ASME B16.34 temperature limits for CF8 materials.

Nominal Diameter Range: DN50 to DN300 (2″ to 12″), with bore sizes matching ASME B16.34 dimensions to ensure full-port flow efficiency.

Connection Type: Flanged ends per ASME B16.5 (Class 150/300) and API 605, featuring drilled bolt circles for compatibility with global pipeline flanges. Raised face (RF) flange design ensures proper gasket seating per ASME standards.

Operation Mode: Worm gear operation with handwheel, providing self-locking functionality per API 6D. The gearbox is rated for 10,000+ cycles, with torque output optimized to meet ASME B16.34 actuation requirements.

Media Compatibility: Certified for water, crude oil, refined petroleum, natural gas (sweet), LPG, and mild chemicals, meeting API 600 compatibility guidelines for general industrial use.

Design Standards: Fully compliant with API 6D (pipeline ball valves), ASME B16.34 (valves—flanged, threaded, and welding end), and CE PED 2014/68/EU (pressure equipment directive), ensuring global market access.

Product Overview

III. Product Features

This API/CE/ASME compliant ball valve integrates advanced engineering with international standards compliance:

Multi-Standard Compliance: Conforms to API, ASME, and CE norms, eliminating regulatory barriers in global projects. Compliance with API 6D ensures suitability for pipeline applications, while ASME B16.34 alignment guarantees dimensional compatibility with international systems.

Worm Gear Precision: The gearbox meets API 6D actuation requirements, reducing operating torque by 50:1 to enable effortless manual operation. Self-locking design prevents backdriving, a critical safety feature for high-pressure systems per CE PED.

PTFE Seal Performance: PTFE seats achieve API 598 Class VI leakage rates (near-zero leakage), with fire-safe design per API 607 ensuring seal integrity during high-temperature events. This dual functionality meets both environmental and safety standards.

CF8 Durability: ASME-certified CF8 stainless steel resists pitting, crevice corrosion, and oxidation, exceeding carbon steel performance in coastal, marine, and chemical environments. Passivation treatment enhances the chromium oxide layer, extending service life.

Flanged Connection Reliability: ASME B16.5 flanges ensure uniform pressure distribution, reducing gasket stress compared to threaded connections. This design minimizes leakage risks in cyclic pressure applications, a key API 6D requirement.

Full-Port Efficiency: Bore size matches pipeline diameter (per ASME B16.34), minimizing pressure drop and energy loss. This feature is critical for API 6D pipeline systems where flow efficiency directly impacts operational costs.

Maintenance-Friendly Design: Modular construction allows seal replacement without removing the valve from the line, aligning with API 6D maintenance guidelines. The worm gearbox is factory-lubricated for life, reducing upkeep requirements.

IV. Manufacturing Process

Production adheres to API Q1 quality management standards and ASME manufacturing protocols:

Material Validation: CF8 stainless steel undergoes spectroscopic analysis to verify chemical composition (per ASME A351), with mechanical testing (tensile, impact) ensuring compliance. PTFE seals are tested for purity and thermal stability to meet API 607 criteria.

Precision Casting: Investment casting (lost wax process) produces valve bodies with dimensional accuracy (±0.05mm), meeting ASME B16.34 tolerances. Ultrasonic testing detects internal defects, critical for API 6D pressure-containing components.

CNC Machining: Ball surfaces are ground to Ra ≤0.8μm finish, ensuring proper seating with PTFE seals. Flange faces are machined to ASME B16.5 flatness standards (≤0.1mm/m) for gasket compatibility.

Assembly and Calibration: Worm gears are hardened and lapped to ensure smooth operation, with torque testing to verify API 6D actuation limits. Seats are compressed to 70% of original thickness to guarantee initial sealing contact.

Third-Party Certification Testing: Each valve undergoes API 598 testing:

- Shell test: 1.5×Class pressure (hydrostatic) to validate body integrity.

- Seat test: 1.1×Class pressure (gas/water) to confirm Class VI leakage rates.

- Fire test: API 607 compliance verified via 30-minute 750℃ exposure, ensuring post-fire sealing.

Valve Details

V. Product Advantages

Compliance with global standards translates to tangible operational benefits:

Global Market Access: API/ASME/CE certification enables deployment in North America, Europe, and Asia, eliminating the need for region-specific modifications in multinational projects.

Enhanced Safety: CE PED compliance ensures adherence to EU pressure equipment safety norms, while API 607 fire safety rating minimizes hazard risks in flammable environments.

Interoperability: ASME B16.5 flanges and API 6D dimensions ensure compatibility with existing international pipeline systems, reducing retrofitting costs.

Long-Term Reliability: CF8 stainless steel and API-certified seals resist corrosion and wear, extending service life to 15+ years in typical applications—reducing lifecycle costs.

Operational Efficiency: Full-port design and low torque operation lower energy consumption, aligning with API 6D guidelines for pipeline efficiency.

Audit-Ready Documentation: Comprehensive certification packages (API monogram, ASME U stamp, CE declaration) simplify project audits and regulatory inspections.

Application

VI. Product Applications

This multi-standard valve excels in globally regulated industries:

Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems: Compliant with API 6D, it controls crude oil, natural gas, and refined product flow in cross-border pipelines, where international standard alignment is mandatory.

Chemical Processing: ASME B16.34 and CE PED compliance make it suitable for multinational chemical plants handling mild acids, solvents, and process fluids.

Municipal Water (Global Projects): Used in World Bank or EBRD-funded water treatment plants, where API/ASME standards ensure compatibility with imported equipment.

Marine and Offshore: CF8 corrosion resistance and API 6D certification suit coastal and offshore applications, including port facilities and offshore platforms.