Edwards Vacuum valves - valves for vacuum applications

Whatever the application, Absolute Vacuum supplying Edwards (formerly BOC Edwards) has the right solution to meet your process requirements. Well known for it's innovation in pump design, BOC Edwards applies the same energy and commitment to it's valves. The result is an extensive range of valves, with a choice of actuation methods, materials and size. Materials of construction have been uncompromisingly selected for performance in high vacuum.

Confidence in BOC Edwards valves begins early in the design process. We use techniques such as Finite Element Analysis to optimise design of the valve. An arduous testing program in our environmental testing laboratory prior to release to production ensures that every valve we supply will meet the needs of your application. Once in production, all valves are subject to stringent quality control and are individually tested with a helium mass spectrometer leak detector.

Bellows sealed pipeline valves are manufactured with 100% grease free 'O' rings exposed to vacuum delivering unrivalled low contamination levels.

Edwards Vacuum Valve Selection Guide

When you design a vacuum system, your choice of valves will be determined by the need for certain parameters. Our Vacuum valve selection table summarises the essential performance data of the BOC Edwards vacuum valves. When you choose a valve for your vacuum system, consider all of the parameters listed in the left hand column of the table as described below.

The choice is manual, solenoid or pneumatic, which will be determined by your system design and what facilities are available to the machine.

This is the maximum leak rate for the valve overall and across the seat, and the choice of valve will be determined by the vacuum operating level in your system.

Vacuum valves have a differing ability to remain leak tight in 'dirty' vacuum systems. If your system generates or contains dust or other particulates, choose a valve with a high tolerence.

Choose a valve which complements the size of your vacuum pipeline. To maintain high pumping speeds and throughputs, do not reduce the size of your pipeline to accommodate a smaller valve.

If cost is the limiting factor in your system design, look for the valves with the lowest cost which gives you the maximum performance.

Both the maximum and minimum pressure rating are important, particularly if the vacuum system is occasionally pressurised to above atmospheric pressure.

Depending on the location of the valve, you may need either an in-line or right angle valve.

This is important if you intend to bake your system or if it operates at high temperature.

The mean time to failure is important for solenoid and pneumatic valves in rapid cycle duties, or where you have extended maintenance intervals.

Choose a high conductance valve when high flow or throughput conditions exist or when pump-down time is important

You may need local or remote indication f valve position as part of your control system.

Valves are available in stainless steel for those applications that process corrosive gases.

Edwards (formerly BOC Edwards) Vacuum Valves: Vacuum valve data summary
Parameter	Bellows Sealed Aluminium	Bellows Sealed St St	'O' Ring Sealed Aluminium	Soft-start	Diaphragm Sealed	Ball Valves	Backing Roughing Valves	Gate Valves	Industrial Swing Valves	Quarter Swing Valves	Air Admittance Valves	Needle Valves
Actuation*	m, e, p	m, e, p	p	p	m	m	m, p	m, p	m, p	m, p	m, e	m
Leak Tightness	<1 x 10-9/ <7.5 x 10 -10	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-6 <8 x 10-7	<1 x 10-6 <1 x 10-7	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-3 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-9 <8 x 10-10	<1 x 10-7 <8 x 10-8	<1 x 10-7 <8 x 10-8
Dirty System tolerance**	3	3	4	3	5	5	3	5	5	2	1	1
Sizes (NW)	10, 16, 25, 40	10, 16, 25, 40, 50	10, 16, 25, 40	25, 40	10, 16, 25, 40	16, 25, 40, 50	10, 25	40,50, ISO, ANSI and CF	ASA, ANSI	ISO: 63, 100, 160, 250	5 (SC), 10	10
Relative Cost	medium	medium	low	medium	low	low	medium	Medium - high	medium	medium	low	Medium - high
Pressure***	2100 – 1x10 -9	2100 – 1x10-9/ 1575 - 7.5 x 10-10	2100 – 1x10-9/ 1575 - 7.5 x 10-10	2100 – 1x10-9/ 1575 - 7.5 x 10-10	9000** 1x10-5/ 7500	5000 1x10-6/ 5000 1x10-7	2100 – 1x10-8/ 1575 - 8 x 10-10	2000 – 1x10-9/ 750 - 1 x 10-10	5000 1x10-2/ 2250 1x10-3	3000 1x10-9/ 2250 8x10-10	1000 1x10-7	2100 1x10-6 5000 1x10-7
Port config	Right angle in-line	Right angle in-line	Right angle in-line	in-line	in-line	in-line	3 way	in-line	in-line	In-line	Right angle(m) in-line (e)	Right angle
Max baking Temp (°C)	100	100	100	100	60	100	Not required	200 (valve closed)	100	200	70	70
Life MTTF***	5000000	5000000 & 100000	5000000 & 100000	5000000	-	30000	100000	100000 / 30000	30000	15000	10000	-
Relative Conductance	medium	medium	medium	medium	Low	High	Low	Very good	Good	Good	n/a	n/a
Position Indication	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes
Rapid/controlled closure	Rapid (e, p) Controlled (m)	Rapid (e, p) Controlled (m)	Rapid	Rapid	Controlled	Controlled	Rapid (p) Controlled (m)	Rapid, damped (p) Controlled (m)	Either	Either	Rapid (p) Controlled (m)	n/a
Corrosion resistant	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	no

*m = manual; e = solenoid;p = pneumatic

** Scale is 1 – 5; tolerance higher than 1 indicates an increasing ability to tolerate dirty systems

*** Above atmospheric pressure, use Co-Seal or trapped 'O' ring

Vacuum valves: Edwards (formely known as BOC Edwards) vacuum valves

Edwards (formerly BOC Edwards) Valves for Vacuum Systems

Complete Range

Edwards Vacuum Valve Selection Guide

Edwards Solenoid Operation Isolation Valves

Edwards Soft-start isolation valve

Edwards SP Speedivalve diaphragm isolation valve

Edwards QSB Quarter swing butterfly valves

Edwards Industrial butterfly valves

Edwards Pneumatic bellows sealed isolation valve

Edwards Pneumatic 'O' ring sealed isolation valve

Edwards Gate valve

Edwards Air admittance valve

Edwards IBV ball valves