Global Butterfly Valves Market: Applications, Recent Trends, & COVID-19 Impact

A butterfly valve is a device that controls the flow of materials inside pipes of huge diameters by the quarter-turn rotation of a disc. It was originally used where a tight closure was not essential. However, with years, these valves have been produced with significantly tight seals made up of elastomeric or rubber materials that offer better shut off like other types of valves. Butterfly valves are usually used in narrow spaces.

A butterfly valve is likely to be low-cost as compared to gate valves as they need less material and less civil works. It is also easy to operate in case of unstable water pressures as the disc pivots around an axis on or near the pipe axis. Therefore, butterfly valves are nowadays greatly used in water supply systems. Apart from this, there are various applications of butterfly valves, which is increasing their demand on a global level.

What are Different Applications of Butterfly Valves?

A butterfly valve can be used in a broad array of application areas. It offers great performance in huge capacity water applications as well as slurry applications. Some of the usual applications of butterfly valves are in following areas:

• Cooling water, gas, air, fire protection etc.
• Slurry and similar services
• Vacuum services
• High-pressure and high-temperature water and steam facilities
• Compressed gas or air applications

Another significant area where butterfly valves are greatly used is the oil and gas industry.  In this industry, there are huge wells which require deeper pipelines; this makes it necessary to adopt specialized and essential tools in the oil and gas sector. According to a report by Research Dive, the global butterfly valves market is projected to hit $14,108.3 million in the 2021–2028 timeframe, at a CAGR of 5.9%. The global market is foreseen to experience exponential growth owing to the development of various industrial infrastructure projects, rising use of electricity in manufacturing procedures, and growing need for automation in industrial processes.

Why is the Global Butterfly Valves Market Flourishing?

Growing advancements in the oil and gas industry seem to open doors to promising opportunities for the butterfly valves market. World’s developing regions including Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, are likely to open up a lucrative environment for the global butterfly valve industry, guaranteeing continuous expansion in line with the oil and gas industry’s evolution. Moreover, the development of new oil and gas reservoirs in Africa is projected to considerably offer a helping hand to cater the global oil needs. An additional factor thrusting the demand for butterfly valves is the huge investments in factories and pipelines in the oil and gas sector. All these aspects are projected to significantly boost the growth of the butterfly valves industry in the coming years.

Recent Trends in the Global Butterfly Valves Market

Several players in the market, such as Flowserve Corporation, Emerson Electric Co., Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Velan Inc, Cameron International, Alfa-Laval Corporate AB, Crane Co., Weir Group, KSB Group, and AVK Group, are profoundly investing in various developments related to butterfly valves. They are undertaking various activities, such as new product development, adoption of new technologies, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and many more, to obtain a robust position in the industry. For instance,

• In April 2020, Flomatic, a diversified valve manufacturer of water valves & waste water valves, launched a new model—Sylax 3 Lug style and wafer style butterfly valves.
• In April 2021, GF Piping Systems, the global expert for the safe and reliable transportation of water, chemicals and gases, launched Butterfly Valve 565, which is a wholesome solution for the water sector and is capable of resolving all of the usual issues customers have been suffering with metal valves.
• In June 2021, Festo, a global player and an independent family-owned company with companies in 61 countries, launched the online KVZA butterfly-valve configurator. The new configurator can lower overhead by accelerating and streamlining procurement of manual and automated butterfly valves.
• In June 2021, Neles, a well-known flow control solutions and services provider to the process industries, announced to introduce a novel multipurpose butterfly valve product range that allows stress-free valve configuration for an extensive range of applications in various industrial process.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Butterfly Valves Market

The abrupt rise of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has made a severe impact on the growth of the global butterfly valves market. The closure of oil and gas industries and disruption in supply chains of butterfly valve manufacturing industries are negatively affecting the market growth. However, as the pandemic situation is relaxing, the demand for butterfly values is expected to surge with the reopening of industrial sectors.