Pneumatic ball valves have learned from the Valve Branch of the China General Machinery Industry Association that in the next 10 years, new valve products for major construction projects such as thermal power, nuclear power, hydropower, large-scale petrochemicals, oil and gas gathering and transportation pipelines, coal liquefaction, and metallurgy will be the focus of development, with the potential to lead the rapid growth of the entire valve market.
Association experts indicate that in the development of these new valve products, emphasis should be placed on the promotion and application of new technology and techniques, such as employing integral welding technology for the development of large-diameter integral ball valves for long-distance pipelines; to enhance the valve sealing surface's corrosion and erosion resistance, some manufacturers have begun using supersonic flame spraying of tungsten carbide, while also focusing on the coating and modification of sealing surfaces with nanomaterials and the development of laser cladding technology. Furthermore, the cobalt-chromium-tungsten plasma wire feeding automatic surfacing welding process, which has been applied in the valve industry for many years, should continue to be promoted to replace manual welding, ensuring the quality of the valve sealing surfaces; to achieve automated control of engineering installation process flows, efforts should be intensified in the development of intelligent electric and hydraulic transmission valve devices; accelerate the research and development of new transmission methods such as magnetic drive, and develop new series of sealed magnetic drive valves to eliminate leakage points between valve stems and packing, making pneumatic ball valves suitable for pipelines handling flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive media, and requiring locking to avoid misoperation.
It is reported that over the next 10 years, China will construct more than 20,000 kilometers of oil pipelines, including cross-border pipelines with Russia and Kazakhstan. Additionally, following the "West-to-East Gas Transmission" project, China will build over 20,000 kilometers of cross-border gas pipelines and branches. These projects will require approximately 20,000 large-diameter pipeline ball valves and medium-to-small diameter ball valves, as well as flat valves. Furthermore, the construction of 10 to 20 million-tonne-scale refineries, along with the new or expanded 800,000 to 1 million-tonne ethylene units, and the approved or pending 500,000 to 600,000 tons/year PTA plants will also contribute to a significant market for the valve industry. The construction of large-scale fertilizer and synthetic ammonia units will also present opportunities for valve manufacturing. Moreover, the direct coal liquefaction process may create a new industry, driven by its high operating temperatures, pressures, and solid particle content, which will place high demands on valves, thus forming a burgeoning market.
