6/21/22, 3:08 PM Control Valve Sizing – Dwyer Instruments Blog

M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 8 B Y D W Y E R I N S T R U M E N T S

Control Valve Sizing

Control valves are used to change process
conditions such as flow, temperature, level,
Share and pH. A complete control system would
  

include a sensor, controller, positioner or

current to pressure transducer, and control
valve. Globe valves, such as the Dwyer Hi-
Flow™ Series, are a common type of control
valve. In the example shown, a Hi-Flow™
control valve is controlling temperature by
varying the amount of steam or cold water Hi-Flow™ Valve Application
  added to the process.

It is essential to correctly size a control valve for the application so that the process works
effectively and efficiently. A control valve should be selected according to the application
flow requirement, not the line size it is installed in.

All control valves have a rated flow capacity expressed as

the Cv rating. The valve flow coefficient (Cv) is the number
of US gallons per minute of 60 degree Fahrenheit water that
will pass through a fully open valve with a 1 psi pressure
drop. For example, a Hi-Flow™ valve with a Cv rating of
10.75 will pass 10.75 gallons per minute of water with a
pressure drop of 1 psi across the valve.

To select the proper valve for the application, it is necessary Hi-Flow™ Valve Cutaway
to calculate the needed flow capacity (Cv). The necessary
Cv will be dependent upon the pressure drop across the
valve. The greater the pressure drop taken across the valve, the greater the flow through
the valve. The amount of pressure drop which should be taken depends on the specific

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application and the pressure available. The required application Cv is calculated with

different formulas according to the medium type (e.g., liquid, gas, or steam).

For Gas, use the equation shown with Cv dependent upon upstream pressure,
downstream pressure, pressure drop taken, volumetric flow rate needed, temperature,
and specific gravity.

  
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If taking greater than 50% of the upstream pressure for pressure drop, use the shown
simplified equation:
 

Here is an example calculation for a gas application:

For steam, use the equation shown, with Cv dependent upon upstream pressure,
downstream pressure, pressure drop taken, and mass flow rate needed.
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If taking greater than 50% of the upstream pressure for pressure drop, use the shown
simplified equation:
  
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Here is an example calculation for a steam application:

 

For liquid service, the pressure drop must not exceed 50% of the upstream pressure. Use
the equation shown with Cv dependent upon upstream pressure, downstream pressure,
pressure drop taken, volumetric flow rate needed, and specific gravity.

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6/21/22, 3:08 PM Control Valve Sizing – Dwyer Instruments Blog

Here is an example calculation for a liquid application:

  
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Once the required Cv is determined, selection of the proper size control valve can be
obtained by comparing the calculated application required Cv to the Cv values for the Hi-
Flow™ valves. To size properly, it is best to increase the required Cv by 10 to 15% to
account for different operating conditions. In addition, the minimum required controllable
flow should fall within the rangeability of the valve. The rangeability of Hi-Flow™ valves is
50 to 1. For example, if a Hi-Flow™ valve was chosen with a Cv of 10.75, then the
minimum controllable Cv would be 10.75 divided by 50 (a quotient of 0.215).  The Cv
values for the High Flow™ valves are shown on the Dwyer catalog pages and instruction
manuals on our website. Shown below are the Cv values for the Hi-Flow™ valves with full
ports and linear characteristics.

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6/21/22, 3:08 PM Control Valve Sizing – Dwyer Instruments Blog

  
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