Control Valve Performance Requirements

The increasing demand for product quality and uniformity means that greater and
greater attention is being placed on the process control equipment and its
performance. The control valve assembly (the final control element) is a very
critical part of a successful process control system because this is where process
control is actually implemented. Undesirable behavior of control valves is the
single biggest contributor to poor control loop performance and destabilization of
process operations.

In order to optimize process control performance, therefore, the proper control

valve assembly needs to be specified, installed, and maintained. The following
specification is provided as a guide for selecting the correct control valve
assembly based on performance. It is important to

Definitions:
Dead Band - The range through which the control input signal may be varied,
upon reversal of direction, without initiating an observable change in valve
output.

Dead Time (Td) - The interval of time between initiation of an input signal change
and the start of an observable process response.

Step Resolution - The minimum step change in input signal to which the control
valve assembly will respond while moving in the same direction.

Step Response Time (T86) - The time after an input signal step change until the
output has reached 86% of the final steady state value. Includes dead time, Td.

Minimum Step Size Required (MSSR) - Different applications require different

capability of the control valve selected. Selection of a control valve is dependent
on the "fineness" of control that is required for a given process. The minimum
size of control step required is an initial consideration that should be made for
control valves. The following values of MSSR (as a % of total range) should be
considered for this specification:

 Nominalc
ontr
ol……<2.0%
 Fi
necontr
ol………. .
.<1.
0%
 Ver
yFinecontr
ol….
.<0.
5%

If a value of MSSR is not specified or not, the default values will be 2.0% for
butterfly valves, 1.0% for rotary plug and ball valves1; and 0.5% for sliding stem
valves and high performance ball/plug valves.
EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT –FISHER CONTROLS 1
Control Valve Dynamic Performance Discussion -2005
Acceptance Criteria:

 The maximum dead band of the control valve assembly allowable:

Nominal Fine Very Fine

1.0% 0.5% 0.25%

If dead band of the control valve assembly is not specified, the default for
butterfly valves will > 1.0%2, the default for rotary plug and ball valve products will
be < 1.0%3 and the default for sliding stem products will be 0.5% or less.

 The maximum allowable Td (in seconds) of the control valve assembly:

(For modulating control valve assemblies in flow, differential pressure, or

pressure control loops)

Valve Size (inches) Nominal Fine Very Fine

0 - 2" 0.5 0.25 0.1
> 2" up to 6" 0.75 0.5 0.25
> 6" up to 12" 1.0 0.75 0.5

(For modulating control valve assemblies in temperature, level, hand, or

analytical control loops)

Valve Size (inches) Nominal Fine Very Fine

0 - 2" 0.75 0.5 0.25
> 2" up to 6" 1.0 0.75 0.5
> 6" up to 12" 1.5 1.0 0.75

 The maximum allowable T86 (in seconds) of the control valve assembly:

(For modulating control valve assemblies in flow, differential pressure, or

pressure control loops)

Valve Size (inches) Nominal Fine Very Fine

0 - 2" 2.0 1.0 0.50
> 2" up to 6" 3.0 2.0 1.0
> 6" up to 12" 4.0 3.0 2.0

EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT –FISHER CONTROLS 2

Control Valve Dynamic Performance Discussion -2005
(For modulating control valve assemblies in temperature, level, hand, or
analytical control loops)

Valve Size (inches) Nominal Fine Very Fine

0 - 2" 4.0 2.5 1.5
> 2" up to 6" 5.0 4.0 2.5
> 6" up to 12" 6.0 5.0 4.0

Other Considerations

Control valves are generally sized for a given plant capacity. Often allowance is
made for future throughput increases as well as including a safety margin. This
often results in control valves being oversized for a particular application.

In addition, the flow characteristic of most control valves is non-linear over the
range of the valve. When the valve is installed, the resulting process gain of the
loop is variable and changes with operating point. It is important that installed
gain sizing be considered in the specification of control valve assemblies. The
size and style of control valve needs to be selected that results in a process gain
of the control loop at a nominal value of 1% (% of transmitter span / % controller
output) with a range of 0.5% to 2.0%.

Generally, butterfly style control valves have a very narrow control range when
applied. If good process control is required over a wide range of valve openings,
high performance rotary (segmented ball or plug) valves and globe valves with
appropriate digital controllers should be specified.

Reference:

ANSI/ISA-75.25.01-2000 - Test Procedure for Control Valve Response

Measurement from Step Inputs.

1
for high performance segmented ball valves and plug valves designed for good
process control, an MSSR of 0.5% should be used.
2
some high performance butterfly valves are capable of a dead band of less than
1.0% if properly applied.
3
for high performance segmented ball valves and plug valve designed for good
process control, dead band of 0.5% or less should be used.

EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT –FISHER CONTROLS 3

Control Valve Dynamic Performance Discussion -2005