VALVE

Unit 1: Process Control Loop

Process control loop

Pressure
Flow
Level
Process Temperature
pH

dP cell
Capacitance
I/P
Sensor Radar, Sonic
Magnetic
Resistance
IR/Laser

4-20 mA
Transmitter 1-5 Vdc

Controller PID
Fuzzy logic

4-20 mA
Transducer 3-15 psig

Linear
Control valve Equal percentage

© Abdul Aziz Ishak, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (2009)

 Valve
• Selection of action
• Fail position
• Capacity and sizing
• Flow characteristic
• Gain
• Transfer function
• Type of valve
 Action (A)
Control valve
• Most common final control elements
• Adjusting the flow that affect the controlled
variables.
• Act as a variable restriction in a process pipe.
• The controller output signal positions the valve,
determining the valve position.
• The controller output signal is the input to the
valve, and the flow is the output of the valve
 Introduction

• Purpose
to regulate flow of any phase (liquid, gas, fluid
and mixed phases) that could pass through it.
At the moment, solid phase (such as sand,
flour, sugar) is not possible.

• Chemical process applications

>80% of final control element found in chem.
proc. ind.

• Symbols

=
 Construction

Actuator

Body

Seat Plug
The control valve actuator

• air pressure actuator is the most common to adjust the position of

control valves
• The controller signal m(t) is in percent controller output (%CO), as
opposed to mA or psig
• the actuator convert the controller output m(t), into the valve
position, vp(t)
• The valve position usually expressed as a fraction –varies between
zero and unity.
• When the valve position is zero – the valve is closed and
the flow is zero
• When the valve is unity –the valve is fully opened and the
flow is maximum.
• For full range valve actuator, a 1% change in controller
output results 0.01 change in fraction valve position.
• Most control valves use a full range actuator
Control valve action
• What do I want to do when energy supply fails?
• When the safest position of the valve is the closed
position
–specify a ‘fail-closed’ (FC) valve
–this valve required energy to open and is also called ‘air-
to-open’ (ATO) valve
• When the safest position of the valve is the
opened position
–specify a ‘fail-open’ (FO) valve
–this valve required energy to close and is also called ‘air-
to-close’ (ATC)
 Selection Criteria
Valve action: ATO vs. ATC
 Air-to-closed (ATC) or Fail open (FO).  Air-to-open (ATO) or Fail closed (FC). Use to
Use to allow flow of fluid during loss of prevent flow when no pneumatic air supply.
pneumatic air supply. This action may This action may prevent hazardous chemical or
save overheating of temperature related flammable fluid from endangering lives.
processes such as catalyst heating or
heating of polimerization process.

compare

compare
compare
compare
 • What we want each valves to do if the
3 electrical or air supply were fail?

• 1-fail-closed –prevent high steam flow

that could vaporize all the liquid and
overheat the coil

• 2 - fail-closed – keep the liquid in the

1
tank

• 3- fail-open – allow the vapor to flow

out and prevent the vapor pressurized
2
the tank
• The action of the valve determine the sign of the
gain of the valve
• Air-to-open valve has a positive gain
• Air to-closed valve has a negative gain
• Formula relating valve position to the controller
output
 Exercise
– If 10 psig is sent to the control valve, what is the
valve position?
• For air-to-close system
• For air-to-open system