A Frac Valve is a large gate valve which works as an isolation valve operating under high pressure from the flowing hydrocarbon streams in a wellbore. These valves are installed on the top of the wellhead on an oil well which is about to be fractured hydraulically. A high-pressure isolation valve fitted to the top of the wellhead on a well that is about to be hydraulically fractured. The frac valve can be closed to isolate the treating equipment from the wellbore.
Frac Valves are ball screw operated (BSO). These valves can be operated with help of actuators with variable drive motors or can be operated manually. They are usually made for large bore applications and installed on the top of the wellbore on a wellhead platform. These valves have bi-directional design which allows flexibility in the direction of flow of hydrocarbon stream. Frac valves are used by specialized well control organizations and are the preferred choice of valves by organizations that perform drilling on shale plays.
All frac valves and accessories should be designed and manufactured as per API 6A specifications.