Gate valves are advantageous as they have:

Gate valves are designed to allow or prevent the flow of liquids or gases in pipelines and are especially advantageous because they offer less pressure drop than most other kinds of valves. This characteristic makes gate valves particularly suitable for applications where a straight-line flow and minimal resistance to flow are crucial.

When a gate valve is fully open, the gate is fully raised out of the flow path, providing a full bore with minimal disruption to the flow. This design results in less turbulence and, consequently, less pressure drop compared to other valve types, such as globe valves or ball valves, which may obstruct the flow path more significantly even when open. The low pressure drop allows systems using gate valves to operate more efficiently, maintaining higher flow rates and reducing energy loss in the process.

In contrast, other options indicate features that do not align with the inherent advantages of gate valves, such as higher failure rates, which can relate more to valve maintenance and operation rather than their design benefits. Additionally, the mention of only slow-opening models does not represent the flexibility and variety available in valve operations, including both slow and fast operation modes for gate valves.