Cover Series: Automation & Control
Predicting cavitation damage
in control valves
While no standard exists, several methods can help operators.
By Jon Monsen, Ph.D., RE., Valin Corporation
iquid choked flow in control vals
results in either flashing, oF more
often, cavitation, The classical
approach to explaining choked flow is by
‘assuming that flow increases linearly with
the square root of pressure drop, AP, until
AP teaches the choked pressure drop,
APchaeg, and then immediately becomes
fully choked with no further increase in
flow, (See the dashed lines in Figure 1.)
The tem used here for the dividing line
between nonchoked flow and choked flow
(aPenee) is the terminology used in the
2012 version of the Intemational Society
‘of Automation (ISA) control vale sizing
equation standard. Prior to that, the divi
ing line was not gven @ name, so valve
‘manufacturers made up names. Some
examples are APatoatie, APtemal, APrax
and APenal. In realty, there is a certain
‘amount of rounding out of the graph at
FLOW, Q
Non-Choked Flow’
AP choked
Figure 1.7
14 | May 2018
the APohoie point, as shown in Figure 1
‘The choking curve shape is influenced
by the vahe orice geomety. As an exam-
ple, see the segment ball valve in Figure
2, which has a significant choking transi-
tion cune. For the segment ball vale, the
choking range has a significant transition
region because of the configuration of the
flow passage. The segment valve has an
imegulary shaped flow atea. The restricted
flow at the nanow ends of the iregulaty
shaped area creates locally higher shear
stresses, which causes cavitation (and
‘eventually choking) to first accur in these
regons. Eventually the entire area will
choke as the pressure drop across the
valve increases. AS a result of the non-
Uniform dstbution of cavitation poten
tial, choking occurs in different locations
inside the vahe at different flow rates. This
ccauses the choking transition region.
Noise, damage 1 Flashing
v
Critical Pressure Ratio Factor
os-025/-
Fe
VAP
In contrast to the segment ball valve,
the globe valve has a very symmetri-
cal flow area, so choking will start at
approximately all points in the flow path
at the same time, resulting in a much
shorter transition region between non-
choked flow and fully choked flow.!
Flow curve complications
No recognized method for calculating
the shape of the rounded portion of
the graph exists, so the ISA equations
plot the dashed lines in Figure 1. For
years the classical approach (dashed
lines) was used for predicting cavitation
damage. The assumption was that if
the actual pressure drop was less than
Perot, there was no cavitation dam-
age and i the actual pressure drop was
greater than APatoiad, then cavitation
damage was present. In recent years,
mast control valve users and manufac-
turers have recognized that operating
too close to the APerled point can
result in unacceptable levels of cavita-
tion damage. It is not uncommon to
find mechanical damage caused by the
vibration that results from cavitation.
The author recalls an instance where
the bolts attaching an actuator to the
valve had loosened to the point that the
actuator flopped around and was about
ready to fall of. In another instance, an
electric motor-operated isolation vale
about 20 feet downstream of a cavitat-
ing valve had failed, The motor capacitor
had failed because of the high vibration,
This flow curve rounding makes predict-
ing damage more complicated than com-
paring the actual pressure drop wth the
calculated choked pressure drop (which
assumes the classical iscussion ofa su
den transition between nonchoked ow
Plow Control‘and choked flow). Noise and damage can
begin before pressure in the main flow
stream at the vena contracta drops to Fr
Py (Fr times the vapor pressure of the liq
Ud). Though many published discussions
(of choked flow, cavitation and flashing talk
about vena contracta pressure dropping
to the vapor pressure, numerous choked
flow tests have shown that pressure at
the vena contracta must drop below the
Upstream vapor pressure for vaporization
to take place in the vena contracta and for
flow to choke, The ISA formula in Figure 1
for Fr gives @ good approximation of how
‘much below the upstream vapor pressure
the vena contracta pressure must drop for
flow to choke.
Cavitation stages
The first stages of cavitation begin when
the average pressure in the main flow
Jet at the vena contracta is stil above
Fr times the vapor pressure of the liq
Lid (see Figure 3). AL points of abrupt
increase in flow area, the streamlines
that are attached to the physical bound-
aries of the valve can separate and when
they do, they form vortices or eddies.
The rotational velocity in the eddies can
be high enough that the local pressure
inside an eddy drops below the vapor
pressure and vapor bubbles form. AS
the eddy’s rotational velocity decreases,
the pressure surrounding the vapor
bubbles increases and the bubbles col:
lapse. Vortices also form in the shear
layer adjacent to the main jet where
high-velocity gradients exist, and these
ate also potential sources for cavitation.
This level of cavitation has the poten
tial for generating noise and causing
damage even before the flow cune
starts to deviate from a straight line.
As the pressure drop across the vaNe
increases, the velocity atthe vena contrac:
ta increases and the pressure at the vena
contracta drops to FrPv (see Figure 4).
The flow through a control vale
depends on the pressure atthe vena con-
Uwacta, Since its impossible for the pres-
sure at the vena contracta to be less than
Fr times the vapor pressure of the liquid,
the flow becomes choked; that is, futher
decreases in downstream pressure do not
wwrwflowrcontrolnotwork.com
‘Segment ball
Nen-symmetrcal
low ares
Long ehoting wansiton
y Go
then spreads
Po entire flow area
as AP increases
Globe
Symmetrea!
short transition
Figure 2. Geometry of te
ye ofice influences
length ofthe ten
Choking starts:
symmetrically
High velocity
Liquid jet
Eddies
Low velocity Separation region with
region
high velocity gradients
Eddies create localized pressure reduction and
recovery
+ Localized cavitation
— Vena contracta pressure still above F, Py
— Flow is not choked
~ Potential for noise and damage
Figure 3. cavtavon ca
aa a x Ke et
ten ae:
Vena contracta pressure drops to F; Py
+ Vapor bubbles form at the vena contracta
— Pressure at vena contracta determines flow
— Pressure at vena contracta cannot be less than F; Py
—Flow chokes
~ Severe cavitation damage very likely
Figure 4, Vena contr
‘cause the flow to increase further.
Operating a valve at or beyond the
choked point calculated from Fi
(perotes) is almost sure to result in
excessive noise and cavitation damage.
Cavitation damage prediction
The concem with cavitation is twofold:
the potential for high noise lev-
cls and the potential for valve dam:
age, Several reliable methods exist
for predicting valve noise, including
pressure ops to Fi,
‘methods published by the Intemational
Electrotechnical Commission, the ISA
and the German VDMA. No standard
exists for predicting cavitation damage.
‘Some valve manufacturers predict the
beginning of cavitation damage by defin-
ing an incipient damage pressure drop,
\which this author wil call APD, using a
Ke factor (see formula in Figure 5).
Initially, vaNe manufacturers. defined
AP and Ke as the point at which
the actual flow curve deviates from a
May 2018 | 18FS
Oo
QI
z
1 [Penokea = FL2(Ps — Fr Py)
t
ET APin = Ko (Pr Py)
i! Ke=1I6mnp
Increasing Koa! | Bee
Decreasing Gy
stright line by 2 percent. It was later deter:
‘mined that this was not necessary coine
ont with the beginning of damage, Some
manufacturers now evaluate actual appli-
cation experience with cavitation damage
‘and assign what are, hopefully, meaningful
values of Ke to valves. One manufacturer
uses a Ke for its stem-guided globe valves
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VAP
that is equal to 0.7, which it claims does
2 good job of predicting the point at which
damage begins.
Other manufacturers, based on the
recommended practice ISA-RP75.23—
1995, Considerations for Evaluating
Control Vale Cavitation, use sigma (a)
to represent various levels of cavitation,
ae
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‘They use values of or» (the manufacturer's,
recommended minimum value of sigma
for a patticular valve). Sigma is defined
5 (Pa ~ PX) / AP. om and Ke ate recip.
rocals of each other and convey similar
information, though the recommended
practice includes additional parameters.
Higher values of Ke values move the point
Of incipient damage closer to Pte,
where lower values of ane do the same.
Fi. is not a cavitation parameter but a
choked flow parameter. Its only use is to
determine the theoretical choked flow point
based on the assumption that the choked
flow point, APexiea, is the intersection of
the two straight dashed lines shown in
Figures 1 and 4 in red and green. Using Fi
‘8 a cavitation parameter wil likely esuit in
Unacceptable levels of cavitation damage.
Cavitation method history
The method for predicting cavitation dam-
age with which the author is most familiar
and that has been used with success for
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