1. Pengenalan
A Knife gate valve is a specialized shut-off valve engineered to provide reliable isolation in systems containing slurry, pulpa, Air kumbahan, and other media with a high solids fraction.
Unlike conventional gate valves, the sharp-edged blade of a knife gate valve is designed to shear through fibrous or abrasive materials.
While relatively simple in construction, their performance depends on precise material selection, robust seat designs, correct actuation, and maintenance best practices.
2. What a Knife Gate Valve Is and When It Is Used
A knife gate valve is a linear motion valve designed primarily for on-off isolation in systems containing liquids with a high percentage of suspended solids.
Unlike standard injap pintu, it employs a sharp-edged blade (knife) that cuts through slurry, pulpa, or fibrous media, ensuring reliable closure even in challenging service conditions.
The valve operates by sliding the gate down into the flow path, where the sharpened edge displaces or shears solids before sealing against the seat.
Apabila dibuka sepenuhnya, the valve provides a nearly unobstructed bore, allowing bulk solids, buburan, or wastewater to pass with minimal pressure drop.

Ciri -ciri utama
- Designed for slurry service: Prevents clogging and bridging in pipelines carrying solids.
- Cost-effective in large sizes: Lighter and simpler compared to ball or globe valves at diameters >DN300.
- Not intended for throttling: Partially open operation accelerates wear and erosion.
- Compact and adaptable: Available in wafer, Lug, or flanged bodies to match piping standards.
When a Knife Gate Valve Is Used
Knife gate valves are selected when:
- The medium contains buburan, pulpa, or fibers that may clog conventional valves.
- Bubble-tight shutoff is not always mandatory, but dependable isolation is required.
- The process involves low to medium pressures (commonly ≤16 bar / 232 psi).
- A cost-efficient solution is needed for large-diameter piping networks.
3. Core Design and Key Components of Knife Gate Valve
The performance and reliability of a knife gate valve are determined by its structural design and the quality of its key components.
While variations exist depending on pressure class, saiz, and industry, most knife gate valves share a common architecture optimized for cutting through solids and achieving dependable isolation.

Badan
- Fungsi: Provides the pressure-containing shell and houses the gate, tempat duduk, and packing system.
- Reka bentuk: Typically wafer-style to minimize weight and installation space, but lug-type and flanged bodies are also available for higher integrity connections.
- Bahan: Cast or fabricated in carbon steel, Keluli tahan karat (304, 316, dupleks), besi mulur, or specialty alloys (Mis., Hastelloy, Titanium) for corrosive or abrasive services.
Pintu gerbang (Knife)
- Fungsi: The flat, sharpened plate that moves linearly to shear solids and block flow.
- Reka bentuk: Beveled or machined sharp edges on the leading side; may be coated with hard chrome, Tungsten Carbide, or ceramic overlays to resist abrasion.
- Varian: Solid knife gates vs. through-conduit gates (designed for full-bore opening and minimal turbulence).
Tempat duduk
- Fungsi: Provides the sealing surface against which the gate closes.
- Jenis:
-
- Resilient seats (EPDM, Nbr, Ptfe) for bubble-tight shutoff at low–medium pressures.
- Tempat duduk logam (Stellite, Keluli tahan karat) for high-temperature, kasar, or corrosive services.
- Replaceable seat rings in severe service designs for extended valve life.
Pembungkusan & Gland
- Fungsi: Prevents external leakage along the gate stem passage.
- Bahan: Grafit, Ptfe, aramid fibers, or hybrid packing sets depending on media temperature and chemistry.
- Enhancements: Lantern rings for lubrication or flushing to prevent media buildup in the stuffing box.
Batang & Stem Nut
- Stem Types:
-
- Rising stem (common in manual designs, clear visual indication of valve position).
- Non-rising stem (compact design for space-constrained installations).
- Stem Nut: Transfers operator torque into linear gate motion; made of bronze or self-lubricating alloys for durability.
Bonnet (Pilihan)
- Open Body (Bonnetless): Standard in slurry service; allows free discharge of media but exposes packing.
- Enclosed Bonnet: Used where containment of hazardous or pressurized media is critical.
- Yoke / Actuator Mounting Flange: Provides support for handwheel, gear, pneumatik, hidraulik, or electric actuators.
Actuation Options
Knife gate valves can be operated manually or automated depending on process requirements:
- Manual: Handwheel or lever, cost-effective for smaller sizes.
- Gear-operated: Bevel or spur gears for larger diameters requiring torque reduction.
- Pneumatik / Hydraulic Cylinders: Fast operation in slurry pipelines and remote locations.
- Penggerak elektrik: For precise flow control and integration with SCADA/DCS systems.
4. Variants and Special Designs of Knife Gate Valve
Knife gate valves have evolved into a wide range of design variants tailored for different pressure classes, slurry concentrations, dan persekitaran kimia.
While the standard wafer-style knife gate valve remains the most common, specialized configurations ensure reliability across industries such as pulpa & kertas, perlombongan, Air kumbahan, penjanaan kuasa, dan pemprosesan kimia.

Wafer-Type Knife Gate Valve
- Reka bentuk: Features a slim, compact body designed to fit between two pipeline flanges without additional support.
The valve body has a flat profile with no lug holes, reducing weight and cost. The gate slides vertically to shear through media, with elastomer or metal seats providing the seal.
Its short face-to-face dimension makes it suitable for space-constrained piping layouts. - Aplikasi: General-purpose slurry, Air kumbahan, and non-critical shutoff.
- Kelebihan: Kos efektif, senang dipasang, minimal face-to-face dimension.
- Batasan: Cannot be used as an end-of-line valve; requires downstream flange support.
Lug-Type Knife Gate Valve
- Reka bentuk: Constructed with protruding threaded lugs cast or welded onto the body, allowing independent bolting to the flanges on each side.
This provides structural integrity and allows one side of the pipeline to be disconnected while maintaining pressure isolation on the other side.
Lug valves often feature reinforced gate guides for better stability under pressure. - Aplikasi: Sesuai untuk dead-end service or when one side of the pipeline may need removal.
- Kelebihan: Stronger mechanical stability; can isolate a section of the pipeline.
- Batasan: Heavier than wafer-type, slightly more expensive.
Flanged Knife Gate Valve
- Reka bentuk: Incorporates full flanged ends drilled according to ASME, Dari, or JIS standards, ensuring direct compatibility with standard pipeline flanges.
The flanged design provides a more rigid body, distributing stress evenly and preventing misalignment during installation. This type often includes reinforced packing glands for higher pressure ratings. - Aplikasi: High-pressure service, corrosive slurries, and industries with strict flange connection requirements.
- Kelebihan: Excellent sealing against pipeline flanges, reliable under vibration.
- Batasan: Higher weight and cost.
Bi-Directional Knife Gate Valve
- Reka bentuk: Equipped with a symmetrical seat design, typically using elastomer O-rings or dual beveled metal seats on both sides of the gate.
The gate edge is machined to interact with the seat from either direction, allowing tight shutoff regardless of flow orientation.
Some designs use self-cleaning gate edges to remove solid particles during operation. - Aplikasi: Slurry pipelines, where flow direction may change during process cycles.
- Kelebihan: Increased flexibility in system design.
- Batasan: More complex seat arrangement, potentially higher wear.
O-Ring Seated / Resilient Seated Designs
- Reka bentuk: Integrates elastomeric seals (EPDM, Nbr, or PTFE) mounted in grooves within the body or seat ring, which compress against the polished gate surface to achieve a bubble-tight shutoff.
The resilient seat also compensates for minor misalignments and wear. Some models include replaceable seat cartridges for easier maintenance. - Aplikasi: Wastewater treatment, makanan & minuman, or chemical industries requiring bubble-tight shutoff.
- Kelebihan: Superior sealing capability, leakage classes up to ANSI Class VI.
- Batasan: Seat material may degrade under high temperature or abrasive slurries.
Metal-Seated Heavy-Duty Knife Gate Valve
- Reka bentuk: Built with hardened alloy or stainless steel seat rings, sometimes coated with Stellite or tungsten carbide to resist erosion.
The gate edge is sharpened and reinforced to cut through abrasive slurries, while replaceable seat inserts extend service life. Valve bodies are generally reinforced and may include flushing ports to remove solids. - Aplikasi: Perlombongan (tailings, concentrates), loji kuasa (fly ash, bottom ash), and abrasive slurry service.
- Kelebihan: Ketahanan yang tinggi, withstands elevated temperatures (>500 ° C.).
- Batasan: May not achieve bubble-tight shutoff, higher operating torque required.
Through-Gate (Slide Gate) Knife Valves
- Reka bentuk: Designed with a full bore opening that allows the gate to travel completely through the valve body into a recess.
This prevents material buildup inside the body cavity. Often equipped with top flush ports to clean the gate path, making it suitable for sticky or viscous media.
Some designs incorporate self-cleaning scrapers along the gate edges. - Aplikasi: Handling sticky or viscous media such as molasses, tar, or biomass.
- Kelebihan: Reduced clogging, simple linear design.
- Batasan: Requires larger installation space.
Bonneted Knife Gate Valves
- Reka bentuk: Incorporates a sealed bonnet enclosure covering the gate and packing, creating a barrier against process fluid leakage.
Depending on application, the bonnet can be pressure-sealed, vented, or designed with a purging system. This variant is used where environmental safety or operator protection is critical. - Aplikasi: Toxic, hazardous, or high-pressure fluid containment.
- Kelebihan: Prevents media spillage; extends packing life by isolating it from the process.
- Batasan: Lebih mahal; additional weight.
Hopper-Shape Knife Gate Valves (Special for Bulk Handling)
- Reka bentuk: Built with an inclined or V-shaped seat geometry that matches the angle of hoppers or silos.
The design ensures smooth gravity discharge of powders, granules, and bulk solids.
Special coatings (such as PTFE or ceramic) are often applied to reduce sticking. The gate is wider and thicker to handle abrasive dry materials. - Aplikasi: Dry bulk powders, pellets, and granular media (cement, grain, bahan kimia).
- Kelebihan: Prevents bridging and clogging, ensures free-flow discharge.
5. Bahan, Tempat duduk, and Trim Options for Knife Gate Valves
Material selection is the backbone of knife gate valve (KGV) performance and lifecycle economics, especially under abrasive, menghakis, or high-temperature service conditions.
The body, pintu gerbang, tempat duduk, and trim must be carefully matched to process fluid properties to prevent premature wear, kebocoran, atau kegagalan bencana.

Material Selection Table (By Component & Permohonan)
|
Komponen |
Bahan |
Sifat utama |
Suhu maksimum (° C.) |
Ideal Applications |
|
Badan |
Besi tuang (ASTM A126) |
Kos efektif; tensile strength ~275 MPa |
200 |
Low-pressure water, Sistem HVAC, non-abrasive slurries |
|
|
Besi mulur (ASTM A536) |
Kekuatan tinggi (415 MPA); tahan terhadap kesan; elongation ~10% |
300 |
Municipal wastewater, pulpa & kertas, moderate abrasion |
|
|
316L. Keluli tahan karat |
PREN 24–26 (chloride resistance); tegangan 515 MPA |
870 |
Makanan & minuman, air laut, chemical slurries |
|
|
Dupleks 2205 |
PREN 32–35; tegangan 620 MPA; superior abrasion & Rintangan kakisan |
315 |
Offshore mining, high-salinity brines, penyahgaraman |
|
Pintu gerbang (Knife) |
Keluli karbon (A105) |
Tegangan 485 MPA; ekonomik |
425 |
Non-abrasive, mild slurries |
|
|
316L keluli tahan karat |
Rintangan kakisan yang sangat baik; tegangan 485 MPA |
870 |
Pemprosesan kimia, Pharma, food slurries |
|
|
Stellite 6 (Co Alloy) |
Hardness HB 280–320; Pakai & rintangan hakisan |
815 |
Mining tailings, pulpa & paper black liquor |
|
|
Tungsten Carbide-Coated |
Hardness HV 1200–1600; extreme abrasion resistance |
650 |
Coal ash, cement, aggregate slurries |
Tempat duduk |
EPDM |
Elastic, good for water, mild acids; FDA safe |
120 |
Air yang boleh diminum, municipal wastewater |
|
|
Ptfe |
FDA-compliant; resists strong acids & pelarut |
260 |
Makanan & Pharma, chemical industries |
|
|
Stellite 6 |
Lelasan- & temperature-resistant |
815 |
High-temp fly ash, abrasive slurry handling |
|
|
Logam-ke-logam (316L. / Dupleks) |
Kekuatan tinggi; withstands cutting solids |
870 |
Severe duty pipelines, perlombongan, dredging |
|
Potong / Batang & Pembungkusan |
17-4Ph tahan karat |
Kekuatan tinggi (UTS ~1000 MPa), precipitation-hardened |
400 |
High-cycle automation, abrasive slurries |
|
|
Graphite Packing |
Geseran rendah (µ ≈ 0.15); Kestabilan terma |
650 |
High-temperature steam, corrosive gases |
|
|
PTFE Packing |
Kimia tidak aktif, low wear |
260 |
Makanan, Pharma, Reaktor kimia |
6. Performance Characteristics & Operating Limits
Knife gate valves are designed with specialized operating envelopes that differ significantly from conventional gate or globe valves.

|
Parameter |
Soft-Seated Knife Gate Valve |
Metal-Seated Knife Gate Valve |
|
Penilaian Tekanan |
PN10–25 (150–375 psi) |
PN25–100 (375–1450 psi) |
|
Julat suhu |
-20°C to 150°C (EPDM, Nbr) |
-20°C to 815°C (Stellite, Tungsten Carbide) |
|
Kelas kebocoran (ISO 5208) |
A–B (gelembung-ketat) |
D–E (controlled leakage acceptable) |
|
Pekali aliran (Cv, DN200) |
320-420 |
280–380 |
|
Typical Bore Sizes |
DN50–DN1200 |
DN80–DN2000 |
|
Actuation Options |
Manual, pneumatik, elektrik |
Hydraulic, pneumatik, elektrik |
|
Hayat perkhidmatan (tipikal) |
1-5 tahun (depending on slurry abrasiveness) |
3-10 tahun (abrasive/high-temp duty) |
|
Ideal Applications |
Air, Air kumbahan, food-grade slurries |
Mining tailings, high-temp ash, corrosive slurries |
7. Typical Industry Applications of Knife Gate Valves
Knife Gate Valves (KGVs) are designed for handling slurries, cecair likat, and bulk solids.
Their straight-through flow path, sharp gate edge, and robust sealing make them ideal for applications where clogging or erosion is a concern.

|
Industri |
Typical Media |
Jenis injap / Bahan |
Application Notes |
|
Perlombongan & Pemprosesan mineral |
Ore slurries, tailings, coal slurry |
Metal-seated (Dupleks 2205, Stellite-coated gate) |
Handles abrasive media, hayat perkhidmatan yang panjang, often actuated with hydraulic cylinders for large DN |
|
Pulpa & Paper |
Wood pulp, paper stock, chemical slurries |
Metal-seated or soft-seated (316L ss, EPDM) |
Smooth gate prevents clogging; valves often in batch or continuous flow lines |
|
Rawatan Air Sisa |
Sewage, sludge, grit |
Lembut duduk (EPDM, Ptfe) |
Kos efektif, tahan kakisan, mudah dijaga; low-pressure applications |
|
Kuasa & Tenaga |
Fly ash, bottom ash, penyejukan air |
Metal-seated (Stellite/Tungsten Carbide) |
Withstands high temperature and abrasive conditions in boiler ash removal |
Pemprosesan kimia |
Corrosive slurries, acidic suspensions |
316L or Duplex SS with PTFE/Stellite seats |
Resistant to chemical attack; soft-seated KGVs allow leak-tight shutoff for process control |
|
Makanan & Minuman |
Fruit pulps, molasses, viscous syrups |
Food-grade EPDM/PTFE soft-seated |
Compliance with FDA standards; Mudah dibersihkan, minimal product retention |
|
Pembinaan / Infrastructure |
Pasir, cement, concrete slurry |
Ductile Iron or Carbon Steel with metal seat |
Handles heavy solids in pumping or batching operations; often large DN sizes |
8. Comparison with Similar Valves
Knife Gate Valves (KGVs) are often compared with injap pintu, injap bola, and plug valves, as all can serve as isolation or shut-off devices.
Understanding their differences helps engineers choose the optimal valve for a given service.
|
Jenis injap |
Laluan aliran & Reka bentuk |
Kekuatan |
Batasan |
Kes penggunaan terbaik |
|
Injap pintu pisau (KGV) |
Straight-through; sharp gate cuts through solids |
Handles slurries, viscous or abrasive fluids; penurunan tekanan rendah; large bore |
Not ideal for throttling; limited pressure rating in soft-seated versions |
Mining tailings, pulpa & kertas, Air kumbahan, power ash lines |
|
Injap pintu |
Rising or non-rising wedge; linear motion |
Shutoff ketat; suitable for high pressure and temperature; kos efektif |
Slow operation; can jam with solids; difficult to maintain in abrasive media |
Water mains, garisan wap, minyak & Talian paip gas |
|
Spherical plug; quarter-turn rotary motion |
Fast actuation; excellent seal; suitable for moderate pressure & clean fluids |
Not suitable for abrasive slurries; larger diameters increase torque |
Chemical process lines, Talian paip gas, Sistem HVAC |
|
|
Tapered or cylindrical plug; rotary motion |
Simple design; compact; good for frequent operation |
Abrasive solids may erode plug and seat; limited sealing options |
Low-pressure liquids, clean or slightly viscous fluids |
|
|
Sudut Periksa injap |
Combines flow direction control with a 90° turn |
Prevents backflow; reduces water hammer; compact layout |
Not suitable for thick slurries; may require frequent maintenance |
Pump discharge lines, process piping requiring compact routing |
Wawasan Utama:
- Slurry Handling: KGVs outperform gate and ball valves in abrasive or fibrous media due to the sharp gate edge and unobstructed flow path.
- High-Pressure & Clean Fluids: Gate valves and ball valves excel in high-pressure water, wap, or gas applications.
- Pendikit & Modulating: Ball and plug valves are better suited for flow control; KGVs are primarily for on/off service.
- Pertimbangan pemasangan: KGVs often require larger faces and longer stroke for large diameters but simplify maintenance in slurry pipelines with easy-access packing and gate replacement.
9. Kesimpulan
Knife gate valves are not general-purpose valves, but they are indispensable for slurry, pulpa, Air kumbahan, and bulk solid applications.
Their unique design — a sharp gate cutting through solids — makes them highly effective where other valves fail.
With the right combination of body material, Reka bentuk tempat duduk, penggerak, dan amalan penyelenggaraan, knife gate valves deliver reliable service life and cost efficiency.
Soalan Lazim
Can knife gate valves handle high-pressure applications?
Most KGVs are rated for ANSI Class 150–300 (285–740 psi). Specialized high-pressure KGVs (Kelas 600, 1,440 psi) are available for oil & gas slurries but are more expensive—they use thicker bodies, reinforced seats, and high-torque actuators.
What material is best for a knife gate valve in abrasive mining slurries?
Gunakan a dupleks 2205 badan (corrosion/abrasion resistance), tungsten carbide-coated gate (hardness HV 1200–1600), dan Stellite 6 tempat duduk (rintangan hakisan).
This combination extends service life to 3–5 years in mining tailings, vs. 6–12 months for carbon steel/EPDM.
Can knife gate valves be used for bi-directional flow?
Yes—bi-directional KGVs have two seats (one on each side of the gate) and can seal against flow from either direction.
They are ideal for systems where flow direction reverses (Mis., wastewater treatment tanks).
Unidirectional KGVs (one seat) can only seal against upstream flow—install them in the correct orientation to avoid leakage.



