Establishing Proper Pressure Drop for Feedwater Flow Control Valves

02/01/2014 | S. Zaheer Akhtar, PE

Feedwater control valves play a critical role in boiler operation. One important
parameter of their design is the pressure drop at the rated condition as well as offdesign conditions. However, conventional methods used for establishing control valve
pressure drop cannot be used at face value without reviewing all plant operating
scenarios.

In power plants with drum-type boilers and constant-speed main boiler feed
pumps, the feedwater control valve (also referred to as the drum level control
valve) provides the means for controlling flow to the boiler. On the other hand, in
power plants equipped with variable-speed turbine-driven main boiler feed
pumps, the feedwater control valves are usually eliminated from the main circuit
but may still be used on the startup circuit with the smaller motor-driven startup
feed pump.
In either application, the feedwater control valve is in critical and severe service.
As such, it must be sized and designed to provide adequate drum level control
and cope with varying drum pressures expected over the range of plant
operating conditions. In this regard, one of the important parameters to be
evaluated is the control valve pressure drop at the rated condition, as well as
during off-design conditions.
The control valve pressure drop needs to be established carefully, as it is a
performance debit resulting from increase in horsepower associated with the
pressure head of the boiler feed pump. Use of variable-speed drives or turbine
drives on the boiler feed pump can avoid this debit by eliminating the control
valve altogether. Boilers designed for sliding pressure operation generally utilize
variable-speed drives or turbine drives not only to eliminate the control valve
penalty but also to take advantage of minimized performance debits at part loads
due to lower pump head. The part-load advantage is not available with fixed
pressure operation, where boiler pressure remains constant and the pump
pressure head must remain high, even at part loads.
This article highlights the various plant operating scenarios that must be
considered while evaluating the control valve pressure drop. It also points to the
fact that the conventional methods used in industry for establishing control valve
pressure drop cannot be used in power plants without reviewing all plant
operating scenarios.

Note that the difference between the boiler feed pump head-flow curve and the
system resistance curve (Figure 1) provides the basis for the pressure drop
available for the drum level control valve. During startup and low-load operation,
when drum pressures are low, the valve may experience severe service due to
high pressure drop. These conditions could lead to valve cavitation and
subsequent destruction of the valve trim along with pipe hammer, which could
lead to piping and piping support damage. It is, therefore, essential that the
sizing and design of the drum level control valve be such that these problems are
avoided. For this purpose, the entire range of service conditions should be
provided on the valve data sheet, as this will enable the valve supplier to make
the correct valve/trim selection.

1. Establishing drum level control valve pressure drop. Courtesy: Bechtel

Power Corp.

Conventional Methods for Establishing Control Valve Pressure Drop

In general industrial applications, control valve pressure drop has commonly been
established by one of the three methods discussed below. However, note that
these methods may not be adequate for feedwater control valve applications,
which require additional evaluation taking into consideration the high static
pressure head involved in pumping feedwater to the boiler.
Traditional Method. This method traces back to the ISA Handbook of Control Valves
by J.W. Hutchison, which provides guidance for control valves in a pumped circuit.
According to this method, the pressure drop should be 33% of the dynamic loss in the
system at rated flow, or 15 psi, whichever is greater. In this context, the dynamic loss
in the system is expected to include the pressure drop of the 100% open control
valve. Other references allow the control valve pressure drop to be 25% to 50% of
the dynamic loss in the system, exclusive of the control valve pressure drop.
Connell Method. In this method, the minimum pressure drop assigned to the control
valve is based on pump discharge pressure, increased frictional pressure drop due to
maximum flow rate, and base pressure drop to account for the fact that even in the
wide open position the control valve generates some pressure drop. The Connell
correlation is expressed in the equation below:

where:
dP is differential pressure,
Ps is the pressure at the beginning of the system (pump discharge),

Qd is the design flow rate in the line,

Qn is the normal flow rate in the line,
e is the differential pressure (dP) across the process equipment at normal flow,
r is the dP across only the piping and valves at normal flow, and
B is the base dP for the control valve.
Minimum Control Valve Pressure Drop Method for Pumped Application. In
this method, attributed to F.C. Yu, the control valve in a pumped application is
assigned a minimum pressure drop at maximum design flow rate and maximum 80%
control valve open position (assuming control valve regulating range is 20% to 80%
valve open position). The control valve opening is then checked at normal flow to
make sure that the opening is not below the minimum 20% open limit. The minimum
pressure drop is 10 to 15 psi greater than the pressure drop at valve full-open
conditions.

Method Application Examples

Below is the computation used when applying the various methods for determining
the assigned control valve pressure drop for the drum level control valve. Note that
the values are not exactly comparative because each method uses parameters that
are not common to all three methods.
Traditional Method:

Dynamic losses = 75 psi at normal flow

Control valve dP = 33% of dynamic losses, including control valve dP

Therefore, dP / (75 + dP) = 0.33, where dP = 38 psi

Connell Method:

Pump discharge pressure = 3,000 psi.

Base dP for control valve = 11 psi.

Dynamic losses at design flow = 1.2 times normal flow.

Control valve dP = (0.05 x 3,000) + 1.1 x [(1.2)2 1] x 75 +11 = 197 psi.

Minimum Control Valve Pressure Drop Method for Pumped Application:

Obtain valve characteristic curve showing the coefficient of flow (Cv) versus %
valve opening and check Cv at 80% open (for example: Cv = 150 at 80% open).

Using maximum design flowrate (Q) of 2,300 gallons per minute (gpm) and Cv
value at 80% open, calculate the control valve dP as follows: Control valve dP = (Q /
Cv) 2 x specific gravity = (2,300 / 150) 2 x 0.9 = 212 psi. Ideally, this is the pressure
difference, which should be available between the pumps head-flow curve and the
system resistance curve (exclusive of the control valve pressure drop) at the
maximum design flowrate of 2,300 gpm.

Now, using the same valve characteristic curve, select the Cv at minimum
controllable 20% open (for example: Cv = 45 at 20% open).

Assume that the minimum operational flowrate (for example, 800 gpm) will be
handled by the valve at minimum 20% open position, calculate the valve dP as
follows: Control valve dP = (Q / Cv) 2 x specific gravity = (800 / 45) 2 x 0.9 = 284
psi. Ideally, this is the pressure difference, which should be available between the
pumps head-flow curve and the system resistance curve (exclusive of the control
valve pressure drop) at the minimum operational flowrate of 800 gpm.
Note that due to high static head of a boiler feed pump in a power plant application,
the Traditional Method for establishing control valve pressure drop provides a low
pressure drop, which is inadequate for this application. The remaining two methods
(Connell Method and Yus Method, or Minimum Control Valve Pressure Drop Method
for Pumped Application) consider this high static head in the calculation and result in
a more reasonable value. These methods can be used as the first iteration but should
not be used without additional checks. The additional checks should be done to
ensure that the selected valve sizing (Cv and dP) is able to deal with all operating
scenarios with valve opening remaining within the acceptable controlling range of the
valve. For this purpose, it is essential to recognize the various operating scenarios
and functional considerations at the power plant, which impact the control valve dP.

Functional Considerations for

Drum Level Control Valves
The basic functional consideration for a drum level control valve serving a power
boiler is that it should be capable of covering a wide range of operating parameters.
Normal Flow Versus Minimum/Maximum Flow. In a power boiler fitted with a
constant speed motor-driven pump, the drum level control valve should be capable of
handling the required flow during normal plant load as well as that required at
reduced load (including startup).
In addition, the drum level control valve should be capable of handling maximum flow
requirements, which could arise due to a combination of feedwater flows in addition
to the rated flow, such as boiler blowdown, sootblowing, or spray water usage.
If startup or low-load operation results in too severe of a range for one valve, a
second startup control valve may be required to split the service conditions.
Ability to Restore Drum Level. The maximum flow requirement established should
be utilized and checked against the flow requirement when trying to restore drum
level from low level to normal level. In case the drum level drops to around the lowlevel mark and the boiler is operating under full-load conditions, it may not be
possible to restore drum level without reducing load, unless the feedwater system
has been designed for the extra flow capability.
Consider a boiler drum with a 3-minute storage between the normal level and the
low-low level in a plant that is operating at full load. If the drum level dropped to the
low-low level due to transient conditions, in order to restore drum level in a short
period of time (for example, 15 minutes) without decreasing load, the feedwater
pump and the associated control valve will be expected to handle 20% flow above
normal load operation (since 3 minutes x 100% = 15 minutes x 20%). On the same
basis, if the drum level is to be restored over a longer period (for example, 30

minutes), then the feedwater pump and the associated control valve would need to
handle only 10% flow above normal load operation. This additional surge capability is
built into the control valve normally operating at 80% of full travel and the pumps
design point being above the 100% operating point.
Boiler Makeup During High Drum Pressure Condition (Pressure Safety Valve
Discharging). The ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, section I, paragraph PG-61.1
requires that the source of feeding shall be capable of supplying water to the boiler
at a pressure of 3% higher than the highest setting of any safety valve. Under the
conditions mentioned in the code, the increase in drum pressure reduces the
pressure drop available to the drum level control valve. This reduces the feed flow to
the drum, and the control valve is required to open further to compensate, if
possible.
If the control valve is already fully open and unable to compensate for the flow
reduction, then care should be taken that the reduced flow rate does not decrease to
a point where it falls below the pumps minimum flow recirculation point; otherwise,
all flow will be diverted to recirculation, and no flow will reach the boiler drum. Such a
condition is unacceptable, as it would violate the ASME code requirement

A Graphic Example
These design conditions and the control valve pressure drop variation can be well
represented on a graph similar to the generic one shown in Figure 1, which includes
the boiler feed pump (constant speed) head-flow curve, system resistance curve, and
the control valve pressure drop (dPcv).
As flow increases, the available pressure drop across the control valve decreases. As
a result, the control valve opening increases. The increase in control valve opening is,
however, restricted to around 80% to 85% (due to controllability considerations), and
the corresponding Cv establishes the maximum flow capability of the control valve.
Figure 1 also shows that as the pressure head increases due to high drum pressure
(highest set pressure of pressure safety valve plus 3%), the system resistance line
moves upward and cuts back on the available pressure drop across the control valve.
At this point, the control valve opening increases, reducing the valve dP to
compensate for the increase in pressure head.
The result is that the operating point moves to the left side of the head-flow curve. At
this point, it is important that the control valve opening remains within its operating
range; otherwise, the drum level may not be controllable. It is also critical that this
operating point falls on the right hand side of the minimum recirculation flow line;
otherwise, the entire flow through the feedwater pump will go toward recirculation,
and no flow will reach the drum.

Specific Design Considerations

Some of the specific operating cases and functionalities of the drum level control
valve that also need to be considered are discussed below.
Combined Cycle (2 x 2 x 1) Plant Operating in Single Train (1 x 1 x 1). In the
case of a 2 x 2 x 1 plantassuming one high-pressure/intermediate-pressure (HP/IP)
boiler feedwater pump per heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)the HP pressure
could operate at 135 bar. However, this HP pressure could decrease significantly to
85 bar during 1 x 1 x 1 operation (50% steam turbine load). Under these conditions,
the pump continues to operate along the pump characteristic curve, but due to lower
pressure in the drum, the control valve closes and has to take a high-pressure drop.
The control valve pressure drop could be as high as five to six times the normal
pressure drop. At this point, the question to be addressed is whether the control

valve remains within the regulating range when it closes and experiences the high dP
during 1 x 1 x 1 operating conditions. If at this high dP the control valve is out of
regulating range, then a different base dP for the control valve must be selected.
Combined Cycle Bypass Spray Operation. On a steam turbine trip, the HRSG
steam is bypassed (usually 70% to 100%) and the bypass sprays are placed in
service. The HPcold reheat (CRH) bypass valve spray water is often taken from the
IP section of the HP/IP pump. However, in some cases, the IP section spray water
pressure may not be high enough, and the spray water is taken from the HP
discharge section of the pump. In either case, the spray water requirements enhance
the flow capacity of the HP or IP section of the pump, depending on the location of
the takeoff spray water line.
Consider the case of added capacity when spray water is taken from the HP
discharge section and assume that the HP section flow has to be upgraded by 20% to
include the bypass spray water flow. This 20% additional capacity can be considered
as spare during normal operation and can be utilized, if required, for drum level
makeup (from low level to normal level), for example, in a 15-minute time period.
Therefore, the drum level control valve should be suitable for handling the 20%
additional flow with a significantly reduced pressure drop as projected by the
difference between the pump curve and the system resistance curve. In other words,
under these conditions the control valve will open wide but must remain within the
regulating range of the control valve.
Combined Cycle Part-Load Operation at 75% Load. In the case of part-load
operation with combustion turbine generators at 75%, the HP feedwater flow can
decrease to around 60% of normal flow while the system head could decrease by
around 75% to 80% (due to lower HP steam outlet pressure). With a constant speed
feed pump, the lower feedwater flow along with the drop in system head requires the
control valve to absorb the additional pressure drop and, as a result, the control valve
tends to close. The extent of valve closure should be verified to ensure that the
control valve remains within the controlling range under these conditions.
Valve Pressure Drop and Cavitation. High-pressure drop across the control valve
(especially that experienced during commissioning and startup) can lead to
cavitation, which can destroy the valve trim in a short period of time (within a few
days of operation). Therefore, power stations have typically used a two-valve
arrangement working in split range operation. The smaller sized valve (with anticavitation trim) is used for startup conditions, while the other, larger valve (without
anti-cavitation trim or minimal anti-cavitation trim) is used for higher-load operation.
Alternatively, a single valve with a characterized disc stack can be used to handle the
wide range of operation. The bottom of the trim provides low Cv values and provides
anti-cavitation features, but at higher valve openings the anti-cavitation features
decrease and resemble a standard trim.
Pre-operational Procedure. Note that before commissioning the boiler there are
several pre-operational procedures, such as boiler fill, chemical cleaning, passivation,
steam blow, and startup. For each step, the boiler drum must be supplied with
feedwater, and this procedure should be clearly established up front.
Usually, the boiler is filled using the boiler fill pump because low drum pressure and
low feedwater flow is outside the range of the feedwater control valve. But some of
the other pre-operational steps may require the use of the startup feed pump
(usually provided when using turbine-driven feedwater pumps) and its associated
drum level control valve. If the drum level control valve is to be used under these
circumstances, it will be subjected to high pressure drop due to low drum pressures
during the pre-operational process and startup.

It is important that these cases be indicated on the valve data sheet to enable the
valve vendor to provide the correct valve suitable for handling high pressure drops
and any expected cavitation at low valve openings.
As an example, the commissioning startup on some subcritical boilers requires boiler
passivation to be conducted by filling the boiler with feedwater and chemicals and
increasing drum pressure in steps from 0 barg to 50 barg. This pressure level exceeds
the capability of the boiler fill pump; therefore, the startup feed pump may be
required for this operation. Such an operation imposes a high pressure drop across
the drum level control valve, which should be specified accordingly.
Supercritical Boilers. Supercritical boilers do not utilize the conventional boiler
drum used in subcritical boilers. Instead, they have once-through flow through the
tubes, except at startup, when the boiler circulation pump is in operation along with
makeup flow from the startup (motor-driven) feed pump and its associated control
valve.

A Graphic Example
These design conditions and the control valve pressure drop variation can be well
represented on a graph similar to the generic one shown in Figure 1, which includes
the boiler feed pump (constant speed) head-flow curve, system resistance curve, and
the control valve pressure drop (dPcv).
As flow increases, the available pressure drop across the control valve decreases. As
a result, the control valve opening increases. The increase in control valve opening is,
however, restricted to around 80% to 85% (due to controllability considerations), and
the corresponding Cv establishes the maximum flow capability of the control valve.
Figure 1 also shows that as the pressure head increases due to high drum pressure
(highest set pressure of pressure safety valve plus 3%), the system resistance line
moves upward and cuts back on the available pressure drop across the control valve.
At this point, the control valve opening increases, reducing the valve dP to
compensate for the increase in pressure head.
The result is that the operating point moves to the left side of the head-flow curve. At
this point, it is important that the control valve opening remains within its operating
range; otherwise, the drum level may not be controllable. It is also critical that this
operating point falls on the right hand side of the minimum recirculation flow line;
otherwise, the entire flow through the feedwater pump will go toward recirculation,
and no flow will reach the drum.

Specific Design Considerations

Some of the specific operating cases and functionalities of the drum level control
valve that also need to be considered are discussed below.
Combined Cycle (2 x 2 x 1) Plant Operating in Single Train (1 x 1 x 1). In the
case of a 2 x 2 x 1 plantassuming one high-pressure/intermediate-pressure (HP/IP)
boiler feedwater pump per heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)the HP pressure
could operate at 135 bar. However, this HP pressure could decrease significantly to
85 bar during 1 x 1 x 1 operation (50% steam turbine load). Under these conditions,
the pump continues to operate along the pump characteristic curve, but due to lower
pressure in the drum, the control valve closes and has to take a high-pressure drop.
The control valve pressure drop could be as high as five to six times the normal
pressure drop. At this point, the question to be addressed is whether the control
valve remains within the regulating range when it closes and experiences the high dP
during 1 x 1 x 1 operating conditions. If at this high dP the control valve is out of
regulating range, then a different base dP for the control valve must be selected.

Combined Cycle Bypass Spray Operation. On a steam turbine trip, the HRSG
steam is bypassed (usually 70% to 100%) and the bypass sprays are placed in
service. The HPcold reheat (CRH) bypass valve spray water is often taken from the
IP section of the HP/IP pump. However, in some cases, the IP section spray water
pressure may not be high enough, and the spray water is taken from the HP
discharge section of the pump. In either case, the spray water requirements enhance
the flow capacity of the HP or IP section of the pump, depending on the location of
the takeoff spray water line.
Consider the case of added capacity when spray water is taken from the HP
discharge section and assume that the HP section flow has to be upgraded by 20% to
include the bypass spray water flow. This 20% additional capacity can be considered
as spare during normal operation and can be utilized, if required, for drum level
makeup (from low level to normal level), for example, in a 15-minute time period.
Therefore, the drum level control valve should be suitable for handling the 20%
additional flow with a significantly reduced pressure drop as projected by the
difference between the pump curve and the system resistance curve. In other words,
under these conditions the control valve will open wide but must remain within the
regulating range of the control valve.
Combined Cycle Part-Load Operation at 75% Load. In the case of part-load
operation with combustion turbine generators at 75%, the HP feedwater flow can
decrease to around 60% of normal flow while the system head could decrease by
around 75% to 80% (due to lower HP steam outlet pressure). With a constant speed
feed pump, the lower feedwater flow along with the drop in system head requires the
control valve to absorb the additional pressure drop and, as a result, the control valve
tends to close. The extent of valve closure should be verified to ensure that the
control valve remains within the controlling range under these conditions.
Valve Pressure Drop and Cavitation. High-pressure drop across the control valve
(especially that experienced during commissioning and startup) can lead to
cavitation, which can destroy the valve trim in a short period of time (within a few
days of operation). Therefore, power stations have typically used a two-valve
arrangement working in split range operation. The smaller sized valve (with anticavitation trim) is used for startup conditions, while the other, larger valve (without
anti-cavitation trim or minimal anti-cavitation trim) is used for higher-load operation.
Alternatively, a single valve with a characterized disc stack can be used to handle the
wide range of operation. The bottom of the trim provides low Cv values and provides
anti-cavitation features, but at higher valve openings the anti-cavitation features
decrease and resemble a standard trim.
Pre-operational Procedure. Note that before commissioning the boiler there are
several pre-operational procedures, such as boiler fill, chemical cleaning, passivation,
steam blow, and startup. For each step, the boiler drum must be supplied with
feedwater, and this procedure should be clearly established up front.
Usually, the boiler is filled using the boiler fill pump because low drum pressure and
low feedwater flow is outside the range of the feedwater control valve. But some of
the other pre-operational steps may require the use of the startup feed pump
(usually provided when using turbine-driven feedwater pumps) and its associated
drum level control valve. If the drum level control valve is to be used under these
circumstances, it will be subjected to high pressure drop due to low drum pressures
during the pre-operational process and startup.
It is important that these cases be indicated on the valve data sheet to enable the
valve vendor to provide the correct valve suitable for handling high pressure drops
and any expected cavitation at low valve openings.

As an example, the commissioning startup on some subcritical boilers requires boiler

passivation to be conducted by filling the boiler with feedwater and chemicals and
increasing drum pressure in steps from 0 barg to 50 barg. This pressure level exceeds
the capability of the boiler fill pump; therefore, the startup feed pump may be
required for this operation. Such an operation imposes a high pressure drop across
the drum level control valve, which should be specified accordingly.
Supercritical Boilers. Supercritical boilers do not utilize the conventional boiler
drum used in subcritical boilers. Instead, they have once-through flow through the
tubes, except at startup, when the boiler circulation pump is in operation along with
makeup flow from the startup (motor-driven) feed pump and its associated control
valve.