A brief explanation as this article is more focused on the section of Full or Reduced bore type of valves.
Full bore Valve :-
The I.D of the Valve is equal to the ID of the Pipe.
Reduced Bore Valve :-
The I.D of the valve is smaller than the ID of the pipe.
Refer below picture to get more clarity
Few Factors to be considered before choosing it
1. Is PIG going to be used for cleaning of pipe
Pig kind of a ball or bullet with diameter of the pipe is used to clean pipes where clogging or other such problems occur. If that is the case then reduced bore will cause the PIG to get stuck in it and cant be used .
Below is a pic showing insertion of a PIG
Courtesy of Pipepigs
2. Going the “Piping way”
It is difficult to sometimes get confirmation whether Pig would be used or not etc. so as Basis to move ahead we could check what piping dept. is taking in that line for their manual On-Off valves .
3. Service as deciding factor
One approach is for Utility Services like water etc we can save costs and go for reduced bore but for line where process fluid will be used full bore valves could be selected
4. The Customer is the King
Many a times it is in the Client design basis, Example – few clients I have worked with wanted Full bore regardless of the service. But this is ok if it is EPCM project but when it’s a LSTK project every decision counts in money.
5. Pressure drop consideration
In reduced bore pressure drop is a concern that must also be taken in consideration while selecting though the pressure drop is not high it could have an impact
Hope this helps !
Share with me if you know more factors to be taken into consideration. I would be glad to know ! 🙂
Thanks for Reading !!!!
Author : Asad Shaikh
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here as your definition the Full bore valve means that The I.D of the Valve is equal to the ID of the Pipe，But according to API 6D section 4.4.2，“Full-opening valves shall be unobstructed in the fully opened position and shall have an internal minimumcircular opening of the closure member and seat as specified in Table 1.”，sometimes the ID of valve bore dosen’t match the ID of connected pipe.
Please feel free to enlighten me on how to understand this.