What is the criteria used when selecting a ball or globe valve in the piping system of propane bulk storage installation? Such valves would be 2", 2-1/2" and 3" size fitted in the liquid and vapor transfer lines (loading and unloading). Forged Steel ValvesIf you had said "the choice between ball, gate, and plug valves seems to be a matter of opinion or availability" this would have been a reasonable question, but the valves you mentioned have very different purposes. Filter to be frankly ,  a ball valve is intended for service and should not normally be throttled .because of the terrible throttle chractaristics .A globe valve is designed for throttling .If a particular line should always be fully open or fully shut, then a ball valve is often a very good choice (the further choice between a floating ball and a trunnion ball depends on the process).Bellow Seal ValvesAutomatic Control Valves  A valve to control flow within a stream should have good throttling characteristics--if the required position changes frequently then a regulator is a better choice, but if it changes infrequently then a manual globe valve can occasionally be the best choice.If you are just speaking about isolating valves (on-off) the globe valve is at a disadvantage on almost every parameter.  Convenience: Globe valve requires 4 or 5 turns of the handwheel to open or close.  Ball valve: 90-degrees.  (Ball valves were initially developed for USNavy.  Tactical advantage to being able to yank a valve shut while at a dead run, vs having to stop and grind away at a handwheel.) Somebody over-eager to close a ball valve may yank it shut too quickly and cause liquid-hammer.
 In fairness: Larger ball valves need a gear-operator. Position of a ball valve is easy to read. Lever is aligned with the pipe when the valve is open. Position indication of a globe valve is on a small plate inside the yoke.  

Environmental: Rising stem in globe valve drags packing particles out, and environmental dirt in,  every time the valve is cycled.  ALso if you figure 4 turns to Needle Valves open, globe valve packing sees 16 times the wear on each stroke.  Ball valve packing stays tighter-longer. Oil pumpsInstallation: Globe valve is taller and heavier  and usually longer F-F, than a ball valve of the same size.

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