CONTROL VALVES

INTRODUCTION

Control valves are valves used to control conditions such as flow, pressure, temperature, and liquid level by fully or partially opening or closing in response to signals received from controllers that compare a "set point" to a "process variable" whose value is provided by sensors that monitor changes in such conditions. The opening or closing of control valves is usually done automatically by electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators. Positioners are used to control the opening or closing of the actuator based on electric, or pneumatic signals. These control signals, traditionally based on 3-15psi (0.2-1.0bar), more common now are 4-20mA signals for industry.
CONTROL VALVE An automatic control valve consists of a valve body and an actuator. The actuator is controlled by a pneumatic or electric signal from a remote point changing the rate of medium flow passing through the valve. VALVE COMPONENTS Actuator - That part of an automatic control valve which causes the valve stem to move. Body - That part of an automatic control valve in which the flowing medium is contained. Plug - The moveable part of the valve that makes contact with the valve seat when the valve is closed, and which varies the area controlling the flow. The three most common types of control valve plugs are contoured, V-port, and quick opening. A contoured plug controls flow by a shaped end. and is usually end-guided at the top or bottom (or both) of the valve body. A V-port plug has a cylinder (called a skirt) which rides up and down in the scat ring. The skirt guides the plug, and by virtue

of shaped openings in the skirt, varies the flow area. Quick-opening plugs are machined to provide maximum flow quickly when the plug lifts from its seat. These plugs can be either end-guided or guided by wings riding in the seat ring. Disc - That part of the plug that contacts the scat and seals off the fluid flow. Valve plugs are sometimes built so that the part of the plug contacting the seat is replaceable. This type of plug is known as the Renewable Disc type. A common example is an ordinary hot water faucet in the kitchen sink. The renewable discs are usually made of a composition material softer than metal. Many valves having all metal or nonrenewable discs have to be "ground in" to restore a damaged seating surface. The term "disc" is sometimes used to refer to the combination of plug and disc. Guide - That part of the valve plug that keeps the plug aligned with the valve scat. Top or bottom guides on a valve plug are usually located so they do not influence flow but merely accomplish the centering function. Valve guides often have the added function of determining the valve flow characteristic. These are known as skirt guides and usually have notches or Vs cut into them to characterize flow. Port - This term refers to the flow-controlling opening between the seat and the disc when the valve is wide open. It does not refer to body size or end connection size. Standard valve ports are the sizes normally used in the valves. Valves with reduced ports have flow contequal to a smaller valve with a standard port. Example: A one-inch valve with 3/4-inch reduced port size usually has the same flowcontrolling area as a 3/4 inch valve with standard port size. Trim - Trim consists of all parts of a valve that are in contact with the flowing medium but are not part of the valve shell or casting. Thus, plugs, seats, discs, stems, packing rings, etc. are all trim components. The term "trim" is usually used in connection with trim materials.

Types of control valves

Multi-turn valve (linear motion valves): The closure member has a linear displacement generally by turning its threaded stem several times.This operation is slow, but it gives accuracy

and stability to position the closure member, which is necessary in some control valves. Types of valves: Gate valve, Globe valve, Fixed cone valve, Needle valve and Pinch valve. GLOBE VALVE
A globe valve is a type of valve used for regulating flow in a pipeline, consisting of a movable disk-type element and a stationary ring seat in a generally spherical body. Globe valves are named for their spherical body shape with the two halves of the body being separated by an internal baffle. This has an opening that forms a seat onto which a movable plug can be screwed in to close (or shut) the valve. The plug is also called a disc or disk. In globe valves, the plug is connected to a stem which is operated by screw action using a handwheel in manual valves. Typically, automated globe valves use smooth stems rather thanthreaded and are opened and closed by an actuator assembly. Globe valves are used for applications requiring throttling and frequent operation. For example, globe valves or valves with a similar mechanism may be used as sampling valves, which are normally shut except when liquid samples are being taken. Since the baffle restricts flow, they're not recommended where full, unobstructed flow is required.

GATE VALVE
The gate valve, also known as a sluice valve, is a valve that opens by lifting a round or rectangular gate/wedge out of the path of the fluid. The distinct feature of a gate valve is the sealing surfaces between the gate and seats are planar, so gate valves are often used when a straight-line flow of fluid and minimum restriction is desired. The gate faces can form a wedge shape or they can be parallel. Gate valves are primarily used to permit or prevent the flow of liquids, but typical gate valves shouldn't be used for regulating flow, unless they are specifically designed for that purpose. Because of their ability to cut through liquids, gate valves are often used in the petroleum industry. For extremely thick fluids, a specialty valve often known as a knife valve is used to cut through the liquid. On opening the gate valve, the flow path is enlarged in a highly nonlinear manner with respect to percent of opening. This means that flow rate does not change evenly with stem travel. Also, a partially open gate disk tends to vibrate from the fluid flow. Most of the flow change occurs near shutoff with a relatively high fluid velocity causing disk and seat wear and eventual leakage if used to regulate flow. Typical gate valves are designed to be fully opened or closed. When fully open, the typical gate valve has no obstruction in the flow path, resulting in very low frictionloss.

 Quarter-turn valve (rotary valve): The closure member as well its shaft turn 0-90; from the fully-open position to the fully-closed position. They are quick opening/closure valves. Types of valves: Ball valve, Butterfly valve, Plug valve, Spherical valve. BALL VALVE

A ball valve is a valve with a spherical disc, the part of the valve which controls the flow through it. The sphere has a hole, or port, through the middle so that when the port is in line with both ends of the valve, flow will occur. When the valve is closed, the hole is perpendicular to the ends of the valve, and flow is blocked. The handle or lever will be in line with the port position letting you "see" the valve's position. The ball valve, along with the butterfly valve and plug valve, are part of the family of quarter turn valves. Ball valves are durable and usually work to achieve perfect shutoff even after years of disuse. They are therefore an excellent choice for shutoff applications (and are often preferred to globe valves and gate valves for this purpose). They do not offer the fine control that may be necessary in throttling applications but are sometimes used for this purpose. Ball valves are used extensively in industrial applications because they are very versatile, supporting pressures up to 1000 bar and temperatures up to 482F

(250C). Sizes typically range from 0.2 to 11.81 inches (0.5 cm to 30 cm). They are easy to repair and operate. The body of ball valves may be made of metal, plastic or metal with a ceramic center. The ball is often chrome plated to make it more durable

BUTTERFLY VALVE
A butterfly valve is from a family of valves called quarter-turn valves. The "butterfly" is a metal disc mounted on a rod. When the valve is closed, the disc is turned so that it completely blocks off the passageway. When the valve is fully open, the disc is rotated a quarter turn so that it allows an almost unrestricted passage of the fluid. The valve may also be opened incrementally to throttle flow. A butterfly valve is a valve which can be used for isolating or regulating flow. The closing mechanism takes the form of a disk. Operation is similar to that of a ball valve, which allows for quick shut off. Butterfly valves are generally favored because they are lower in cost to other valve designs as well as being lighter in weight, meaning less support is required. The disc is positioned in the center of the pipe, passing through the disc is a rod connected to an actuator on the outside of the valve. Rotating the actuator turns the disc either parallel or perpendicular to the flow. Unlike a ball valve, the disc is always present within the flow, therefore a pressure drop is always induced in the flow, regardless of valve position.

The relationship between control valve capacity and valve stem travel is known as the Flow Characteristic of the Control Valve Trim design of the valve affects how the control 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. Valve trims are instead designed, or characterized, in order to meet the large variety of control application needs. Many control loops have inherent non linearity's, which may be possible to compensate selecting the control valve trim.

Inherent Control Valve Flow Characteristics The most common characteristics are shown in the figure above. The percent of flow through the valve is plotted against valve stem position. The curves shown are typical of those available from valve manufacturers. These curves are based on constant pressure drop across the valve and are called inherent flow characteristics.

Linear - flow capacity increases linearly with valve travel.

Equal percentage - flow capacity increases exponentially with valve trim travel. Equal increments of valve travel produce equal percentage changes in the existing Cv. A 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. Quick opening provides large changes in flow for very small changes in lift. It usually has too high a valve gain for use in modulating control. So it is limited to on-off service, such as sequential operation in either batch or semi-continuous processes. Hyperbolic Square Root

The majority of control applications are valves with linear, equal-percentage, or modified-flow characteristics.

CONTROL VALVE APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES Applications: Anti-Surge Blowdown Letdown Attemperator spray control Spillback Turbine Bypass Feedwater Slurry Sour Water Oxigen Services: Corrosive High Pressure Severe Cryogenic Erosive Toxic

Unit Depressurizatio General Process