A valve
assembly includes a valve body and a
valve actuator which is releasably engageable with the valve body. The valve body has an
internal cavity within which a valve member is located, and a
valve stem is interconnected with the valve body and is accessible from the exterior of the valve body. The valve body further includes a mounting member, and the
valve actuator is selectively engageable with the mounting member. The
valve actuator includes a latch member which is movable between a latching position and a release position. The mounting member includes a slot, and the latch member has a blocking member that is received within the slot when the latch member is in its latching position, to prevent removal of the valve
actuator from the valve body. The latch member is manually movable to a release position, in which the blocking member is removed from the slot in the mounting member to enable the valve
actuator to be disengaged from the mounting member. The valve
actuator includes a motor which drives a gear
assembly for selectively imparting rotation to the valve member. The motor is secured to a mounting member such as a mounting plate. The mounting plate includes one or more walls that are exposed to the exterior of the valve actuator, such that heat from operation of the motor is conducted via the mounting plate away from the motor to the one or more walls for dissipation into the surrounding environment.