In the power battery industry, thermal oil and steam systems serve as critical heat supply sources for the entire production line. As essential control components within these thermal energy systems, valves—specifically their sealing reliability and regulation precision—directly influence both system operational stability and temperature control performance.
A variety of valves are utilized in the power battery industry, each performing specific functions to ensure the stable operation of thermal energy systems.
Bellows-Sealed Valves
Bellows-sealed valves employ a multi-layer stainless steel bellows structure, effectively mitigating the risk of external leakage caused by medium permeation—a common challenge when handling thermal oil at high temperatures. Thermal oil systems typically operate between 200°C and 350°C; while conventional packing seals tend to degrade under prolonged exposure to such high temperatures, the dual-sealing design of bellows-sealed valves offers superior reliability and reduces the need for ongoing maintenance.
Ball Valves
Ball valves are primarily used for pipeline isolation, switching, and flow control. Their full-bore design eliminates “dead zones” (stagnant areas), and when combined with controlled, gradual opening and closing, they prevent the accumulation or clogging of media. This supports long-term, continuous, and trouble-free production, helping to avoid the significant financial losses associated with unplanned downtime.
Furthermore, the transport of highly viscous slurries and particle-laden media—common in lithium-ion battery manufacturing—can easily cause conventional valves to jam or clog. Ball valves featuring a V-port (V-shaped) trim design significantly reduce the retention and buildup of viscous fluids. This design also facilitates the smooth passage of solid particles, structurally preventing them from becoming lodged in the valve trim.
Control Valves
Control valves are responsible for regulating steam flow. The production of power batteries demands extreme precision; even a minor deviation in flow rate can directly impact battery performance. Equipped with high-resolution smart positioners, these control valves offer millisecond-level step response times and highly linear flow characteristics across their entire 1%–100% operating range. In the coating process, for example, this enables the surface density of electrode sheets to be maintained within a fluctuation range of ±1%, preventing variations in battery capacity that would otherwise result from inconsistent slurry flow.
Safety Valves
Safety valves automatically relieve pressure when a system becomes overpressurized, ensuring the safe operation of equipment. Serving as a final physical safety barrier, these valves—applicable across the entire spectrum, from individual battery cells and production line fluid systems to complete vehicle or energy storage systems—precisely meet the lithium-ion battery industry’s core safety requirements: “zero explosions” and “high reliability.” They are, therefore, an indispensable component within the safety architecture of power batteries.
VMV has accumulated extensive operational data and deep expertise in valve selection. Regardless of the specific requirements, we consistently base our approach on actual operating conditions to provide our clients with highly reliable valve solutions.
