CONTROL VALVE

INTRODUCTION
The Control Valve plays a very important role in the
automatic control of modern plants. Controls like
exchange of energy, reduction of pressure or simply to
fill a tank depends on some form of Final Control
Element to do the job. Final control element may be
considered as the muscle of automatic control. The
furnish the necessary power amplification between the
low energy levels in the controllers and the higher
energy levels needed to perform their function in
controlling flowing fluids.
The control valve is most widely used type of final control
element. The control valve functions as a variable
resistance in the pipeline.It provides a pressure drop by
changing the turbulence in the process fluid.
DEFINITION OF CONTROL VALVE

• Control valve is a device which controls fluid

passing through a restriction by regulating the
travel of stem or plug.

• Regulation of the plug travel can be done by

various methods :- Manually, Pneumatically,
Hydraulically and Electrically operated actuator or
any combination of these operating devices.
 POSITION OF CONTROL VALVE IN
A CONTROL LOOP

TRANSMITTER REC

ORIFICE
Primary
CONTROLLER
element

I/P CONVERTER

CONTROL
VALVE
(Final control Element)
 PARTS OF CONTROL VALVE
1. Actuator
2. Diaphragm
3. Stem Guide
4. Spiral Guide Plate
5. Ball Bearing
6. Multiple Springs
7. Spring Adjustment Screw
8. Yoke
9. Travel Indicator
10. Glands Packing
11,12 Plug
13. Seat rings
14. Bonnet
TRIM: Includes all the parts that are in
flowing contact with the process fluid except
the body, BONNET, and body flanges and gaskets. The plug, seats, stem,
guides, bushings, and cage are some parts of the trim.
CONTROL VALVE FAIL SAFE POSITION
CONTROL VALVE FLOW CHARACTERSTIC
Trim design will affect how the valve capacity changes as the valve
moves through its complete travel. Because of the variation in
trim design, many valves are not linear in nature. THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VALVE CAPACITY AND
VALVE TRAVEL IS KNOWN AS THE FLOW
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VALVE. Valve trims are
specially designed, or characterized, in order to meet the large
variety of control application needs. These curves are based on
CONSTANT PRESSURE DROP across the valve and are called
INHERENT FLOW CHARACTERISTICS..
When valves are installed with a pump, pipes, fittings, and other
process equipment, the pressure drop across the valve will vary
as the plug moves through its travel. When the actual flow in a
system is plotted against valve opening, the curve is called the
INSTALLED FLOW CHARACTERISTIC.
The majority of control applications are valves with linear, equal-percentage, or
modified-flow characteristics.
• Linear - Flow capacity increases linearly
with valve travel. They are used :
# For slow processes
# When more than 40% of the system
pressure drop occurs across the valve
• Equal Percentage -Flow capacity increases
exponentially with valve trim travel, equal
increments of valve travel produce equal
percentage changes in the existing Cv. The
are used :
# For fast processes
# When high rangeability is required
• Quick Opening –
# For On / Off control
# When max. valve capacity must be
obtained quickly.
• Modified Parabolic Characteristic is approximately midway between linear and
equal-percentage characteristics. It provides fine throttling at low flow capacity and
approximately linear characteristics at higher flow capacity.
TYPES OF CONTROL VALVE

There are two basic types of control valves: rotary and

linear.

Linear-motion control valves commonly have globe,

gate, diaphragm, or pinch - type closures.

Rotary-motion valves have ball, butterfly, or plug

closures. Each type of valve has its special generic
features, which may, in a given application, be either
an advantage or a disadvantage.
 Linear Valve Features
• TORTUOUS FLOW
PATH
• LOW RECOVERY
• CAN THROTTLE
SMALL FLOW
RATES
• OFFERS VARIETY OF
SPECIAL TRIM
DESIGNS
• SUITED TO HIGH-
PRESSURE
APPLICATIONS
• USUALLY FLANGED
OR THREADED
• SEPARABLE BONNET
 Rotary Valve Features

• STREAMLINED
FLOW PATH
• HIGH RECOVERY
• MORE CAPACITY
• LESS PACKING
WEAR
• CAN HANDLE
SLURRY AND
ABRASIVES
• FLANGELESS
• INTEGRAL BONNET
• HIGH
RANGEABILITY
 Control Valve Classification
In addition to linear and rotary, control valves are also classified
according to their guiding systems and the types of services they are
used in.
 SINGLE SEATED GLOBE VALVE

ADVANTAGES :
• High Rangeability
• Tight Shutoff
• Frequently used in sizes<2”

DISADVANTAGES :
• Unbalanced design usually
requires large actuator
• Low pressure recovery
characteristics
 DOUBLE SEATED GLOBE VALVE

ADVANTAGES :
• High flow capacity compared to single
seated globe valve of same size
• High Rangeability
• Balanced Design requires smaller
actuator
• Frequently used in sizes > 2”
DISADVANTAGES :
• Relatively high leakage rate.
• Low pressure recovery characteristics.
• Erosion may occur due to leakage
characteristics
 THREE WAY GLOBE VALVE

ADVANTAGES :
• Good for blending & diverting
applications.
• Can replace 2 two way valve in certain
application
• Frequently used for temperature control
systems at heat exchangers.

DISADVANTAGES :
• Can not control total flow
• May requires different size ports
 ANGLE VALVE BODY

ADVANTAGES :
• Good control characteristics
• High Rangeability
• Tight shutoff
• Minimizes erosion problems
• Good for flashing services

DISADVANTAGES :
• Normally made in sizes 2” &
above.
 SAUNDERS (DIAPHRAGM) VALVE
ADVANTAGES :
• High capacity
• Low cost
• Good for slurries
• Provides tight shut off if pressure is
low
DISADVANTAGES :
• Poor control characteristics
• Low rangeability
• Short diaphragm life
• Slow response speed
 BUTTERFLY VLAVE

ADVANTAGES :
• High Capacity
• Economical specially in larger size
• Low pressure drop.
• Does not permit sediment buildup-
Good for slurries services

DISADVANTAGES :
• Operating torque is high- Requires
large actuator
• Tight shutoff depends on use of
resilient seat which is temperature
dependant.
 BALL VALVE

ADVANTAGES :
• High Capacity
• Good control characteristics
• Good Rangeability
• Good for Slurry services

DISADVANTAGES :
• Limited operating pressure
• Not good for high pressure drop
 PINCH VALVE
ADVANTAGES :
• High capacity
• Economical
• Good for slurries
• Flowing medium does not contact
working parts
DISADVANTAGES :
• Poor control characteristics
• Not good for high pressure drop
application
 MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION
OF CONTROL VALVE
The most common materials for valve body are iron, bronze,
carbon steel and alloy steels.
Stainless Steel 316 is most commonly used material for valve
plugs, seats & stems.
Monel, Hastelloy , Aluminum and plastics are used when
corrosion is a problem.
Stellite No. 6, 440 C Stainless steel , Colmony No.6 and
carbides are used in erosive services requiring the use of
Hardened Trim.
 COMMONLY USED TERMS
RELATED TO CONTROL VALVE
RANGEABILITY :
Rangeability of the Control Valve can be defined as the Ratio of maximum
controllable flow to the minimum controllable flow .
FLOW COEFFICIENT (Cv):
Flow Coefficient can be defined as Gallons per minute of water flow at room
temp. which will pass through the flow restriction with pressure drop of one
psi and temperature 60 deg F .

Where q = Vol. Flow (Gallons / minute)

Cv = q G G = Specific Gravity
P P = Diff. Pressure across the valve
EROSION :
A wearing action on valve trim and body
resulting from high velocity of fluids and fluids containing
solid particles. Erosion occurred in steam service, in
flashing service, and where high pressure drops occur
across valve body .

CORROSION :
It is chemical reaction between valve body
material and fluids carrying in it and causes deterioration
of valve material.
 CAVITATION & FLASHING :

If the speed over the

valve is high enough, the pressure in
the liquid drop to a level where the
fluid may start bubble or flash. The
pressure recovers sufficiently and the
bubbles collapse upon themselves.

Cavitation may be noisy but is

usually of low intensity and low
frequency.

This situation is extremely

destructive and may wear out the trim
and body parts of the valve in short
time.
HOW TO AVOID CAVITATION :

Cavitation can be avoided by using more than one control

valve or more convenient a multistage control valve.
The "vena contracta" is much lower for a single stage
valve than a multi stage valve. Depending on the pressure drop and the
temperature of the fluid its possible to avoid cavitation conditions using
more than one stage.
SEAT LEAKAGE CLASSIFICATION
There is no such thing as "Bubble Tight." Control valves are designed
to throttle. However, this is not a perfect world, and control valves are
also usually expected to provide some type of shut-off capability. A
control valve's ability to shut off has to do with many factors. The type
of valves for instance. A double-seated control valve will usually have
very poor shut-off capability. The guiding, seat material, actuator
thrust, pressure drop, and the type of fluid can all play a part in how
well a particular control valve shuts off.

There are actually six different seat leakage classifications as defined by

ANSI/FCI 70-2-1976.
But most common are: CLASS IV and CLASS VI.
CLASS IV is also known as METAL TO METAL.
CLASS VI is known as a SOFT SEAT classification. SOFT SEAT
VALVES are those where either the plug or seat or both are made
from some kind of composition material such as Teflon.
Class I. Identical to Class II, III, and IV in construction and design intent, but no
actual shop test is made.
Class II. Intended for double-port or balanced singe-port valves with a metal piston
ring seal and metal-to-metal seats. Air or water at 45 to 60 psig is the test
fluid. Allowable leakage is 0.5% of the rated full open capacity.
Class III. Intended for the same types of valves as in Class II. Allowable leakage is
limited to 0.1% of rated valve capacity.
Class IV. Intended for single-port and balanced single-port valves with extra-tight
piston seals and metal-to-metal seats. Leakage rate is limited to 0.01% of
rated valve capacity.
Class V. Intended for the same types of valves as Class IV. The test fluid is water
at 100 psig or operating pressure. Leakage allowed is limited to 5 X 10
ml per minute per inch of orifice diameter per psi differential.
Class VI. Intended for resilient-seating valves. The test fluid is air or nitrogen.
Pressure is the lesser of 50 psig or operating pressure. The leakage limit
depends on valve size and ranges from 0.15 to 6.75 ml per minute for
valve sizes 1 through 8 inches.
CONTROL VALVE ACCESSORIES

• Air Pressure Regulator

• Valve Positioner
• I/P Converter
• Booster Relay
• Ratio Relay
• Reversing Relay
• Lock up relay
• Hand Wheels
• Limit Switch
• Solenoid Valve
 Air Pressure Regulator

The most common accessory

for a control valve is the
air set or air filter cum
pressure regulator. It is
designed to furnish
reduced air supply pressure
to the valve positioner
ranging from 1.4 kg/cm² or
more. The filter portion in
the regulator removes the
particulate matter large
enough to clog instrument
nozzle and orifices.
 VALVE POSITIONER
A valve positioner is basically a relay that
senses both an instrument signal and a
valve stem position. Its primary function
is to ensure that the valve plug position is
always directly proportional to its
controller output signal. For example if the
positioner receives a 35% signal, it will
supply sufficient pressure to the actuator to
cause it to stroke 35% of its travel. It is
used to split range valves, to reverse the
signal to a valve, to overcome friction
forces within a valve on high-pressure
drop application and on application
requiring fast, accurate control. It is
normally mounted on the control valve.
 I / P CONVERTOR

The electro-pneumatic
(I/P) signal converter is
used as a linking
component between
electric or electronic and
pneumatic systems. It
converts standard electric
signal 4-20mA into the
standard pneumatic signal
of 0.2 kg/cm² to 1.0
kg/cm² or 3-15 psi.
 BOOSTER RELAY
The “Booster relay” is used to
increase the volume of the signal to
overcome the time lay due to large
volume of the actuator of the control
valve or due to large distance
between the transmitter and receiver
instrument. With this the speed of
transmission is improved. The
amplifying pilot provides a gain of
one so that out put pressure is the
same as the input pressure. The
booster relay is simply inserted in
the output line. Its advantage derives
from the large part of the pilot valve
so that the large flow of air is
allowed when change of pressure
takes place.
 REVERSING RELAY

Reversing relays are used

when the action from
controller need to be
reversed. For example,
split range valve may be
operated from a controller
where one valve is air to
open while the other is air
to close. A reversing relay
can be used on one of the
valves to achieve the
desired action.
 LOCKUP RELAY
Certain application may required a diaphragm control valve to
remain in its last controlled position in the event of air supply
pressure failure. This purpose is achieved by incorporating lock
valve in the air output line from valve positioner to actuator of
that valve.

HANDWHEEL
Hand wheel may be supplied for manual
operation of control valves for emergency
use, during start up or in the event of the
air failure. They are used infrequently &
primarily in critical services or when block
& bypass valves are not provided.
 LIMIT SWITCH

A switch that
activates when
the position of a
device crosses a
given physical
limit.
 SOLENOID VALVE
A Solenoid valve is an
electromagnetic
device, which moves a
plunger up or down
when a current is
passed through a coil
that surrounds the
plunger.

2/2 way normally closed solenoid valve 3/2 way normally closed solenoid valve