The blade slides in a narrow wafer-style body, so the valve is short and light compared with a conventional gate valve. It is built for pulp and paper stock, mining slurry, wastewater sludge and dry bulk solids, where a wedge gate would jam. Pressure ratings are low, many designs seal in one direction only, and packing around the blade is the usual leak point.
Knife gate on the stock chest outlet is leaking out the packing again, somebody tighten it before it makes a mess.
Also heard as
- knife gate
Related terms
Gate valve
A multi-turn isolation valve that lifts a flat or wedge-shaped gate clear of the flow path to open.
Pinch valve
A valve that shuts off flow by squeezing a flexible rubber sleeve closed, either mechanically or with air pressure.
Packing
Compressible rings packed around a valve stem to stop process fluid leaking out to atmosphere.
Wafer
A thin valve body clamped between two pipe flanges by long bolts passing outside it.