CONTROL

VALVE

Unit 1: Process Control Loop

Process control loop

Process

Sensor

Transmitter

Controller

Transducer

Control valve

Pressure
Flow
Level
Temperature
pH
dP cell
Capacitance
Radar, Sonic
Magnetic
Resistance
IR/Laser
4-20 mA
1-5 Vdc

PID
Fuzzy logic

4-20 mA
3-15 psig

Linear
Equal percentage

Abdul Aziz Ishak, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (2009)

I/P

Valve

Selection of action
Fail position
Capacity and sizing
Flow characteristic
Gain
Transfer function
Type of valve

Action (A)
Control valve

Most common final control elements

Adjusting the flow that affect the
controlled variables.
Act as a variable restriction in a process
pipe.
The controller output signal positions th
valve, determining the valve position.
The controller output signal is the input
to the valve, and the flow is the output
of the valve

The control valve actuator

.

air pressure actuator is the most common to adjust the

position of control valves
The controller signal m(t) is in percent controller output
(%CO), as opposed to mA or psig
the actuator convert the controller output m(t), into the
valve position, vp(t)
The valve position usually expressed as a fraction varies
between zero and unity.

 When the valve position is zero the

valve is closed and the flow is zero
When the valve is unity the valve is fully
opened and the flow is maximum.
For full range valve actuator, a 1%
change in controller output results 0.01
change in fraction valve position.
Most control valves use a full range
actuator

Control valve action

What do I want to do when energy supply
fails?
When the safest position of the valve is the
closed position
specify a fail-closed (FC) valve
this valve required energy to open and is
also called air-to-open (AO) valve
When the safest position of the valve is the
opened position
specify a fail-open (FO) valve
this valve required energy to close and is
also called air-to-close (AC)

What we want each valves to

do if the electrical or air supply
were fail?

1-fail-closed prevent high

steam flow that could
vaporize all the liquid and
overheat the coil

2 - fail-closed keep the liquid

in the tank

3- fail-open allow the vapor to

flow out and prevent the vapor
pressurized the tank

 The action of the valve determine the sign of

the gain
of the valve
Air-to-open valve has a positive gain
Air to-closed valve has a negative gain
Formula relating valve position to the controlle
output

Control valve capacity and sizing

Purpose of the control valve to regulate the
manipulated flow in the control system.
The flow capacity of the control valve varies
Zero when valve is closed
Maximum when valve is fully opened (fraction
valve position is 1)
Cv is the flow in US gallon per minute (gpm) that
flow through the valve at a pressure drop of 1 psi
across the valve.
Flow capacity of a control valve is determine by its
capacity factor or flow coefficient, Cv

 Cv (capacity factor ) is the flow in US gallon per

minute (gpm) that flow through the valve at a
pressure drop of 1 psi across the valve.
e.g valve with Cv of 25 can deliver 25 gpm of
water when it has a psi pressure drop.
Liquid
-Liquid flow through the valve

Conversion unit
Mass flow , lb/h
=

 Compressible flow (Gas or vapor)

-equation of gas or vapor flow in cubic feed per hour,
at standard conditions ofo one atm and 60 F

 Mass rate through the valve:

w is gas flow in lb/h

Mw is average molecular weight of the
gas
A 3-in Masoneilan valve with full trim has a capacity
factor of 110 gpm/(psi)1/2 when fully opened. The pressure
drop across the valve is 10 psi. Calculate the flow of a gas
with average molecular weight of 35 when the valve inlet
conditions are 100 psig and 100 oF

Gas Mw=35, G=35/29 = 1.207, P1=100+14.7

=114.7 psia, T=100+460 =560 oR, Cf=0.9

Sizing of control valves

Sizing control valve for liquid service

Flow through the valve
Pressure drop across the valve
Specific gravity of the liquid
Sizing control valve for compressible
flow
Flow through the valve
Pressure drop across the valve
Specific gravity of the liquid
Inlet pressure and temperature
Average molecular weight of the
fluid

 For sizing the valve, use the information to

calculate the Cv coefficient
Once the Cv coefficient is known select a
valve that is large enough for the service.
Generally, the calculated Cv falls between
two different valve sizes. Select the larger
valve.
Capacity factor/ flow coefficient =

= flow through the valve at nominal production rate (nom

- obtained from the process steadystate design conditio

pv

= pressure drop across the valve, psi

Gf

=specific gravity of liquid

 The valve coefficient must be greater than the

one calculated from the equation
Ratio of the valve coefficient when the valve is
fully open opened to the valve coefficient at
nominal flow = overcapacity factor of the valve

Calculate the overcapacity factor of the valve,

Cv ,max

Overcapacity
Cvfactor 1.5 for 50% overcapacity
Overcapacity factor 2 for 100% overcapacity

Example
A control valve is to regulate the flow
of steam into a distillation column
reboiler with a design nominal flow of
16,100 lb/h. the supply steam is
saturated at 20 psig. Size the control
valve for a pressure drop of 5 psi and
100% overcapacity

 Answer
the valve pressure is 20+14.7 =34.7 psia, the
molecular weight of steam =18 lb/lbmole, its
specific gravity is G=18/29 =0.621, assuming
Cf =0.8

For 100% overcapacity, the valve coefficient

when fully opened

Exercise
Size a control valve to
regulate the flow of psig
saturated steam to a heater.
The nominal flow is 1200lb/h
and the outlet pressure is 5
psig.
Cf=0.8

Control valve characteristic

The Cv coefficient of a control valve depends on the valve
position.
Varies from zero (when the valve is closed,
vp=0) to a
maximum value, Cv,max (when the valve is fully opened)
The variation in the Cv allows the valve to continuously regulate
the flow
The particular function relating the C v coefficient to the valve
position is known as inherent valve characteristics.
3 common valve characteristics: quick-opening, linear, equal
percentage.

Selection Criteria
Valve characteristics: Linear, equal percentage and quick opening.

What make a control valve becomes linear,

equal percentage or quick opening control
valve?
The amount of flow produced
with respect to steady
increment in stem travel.

 Quick opening
not suitable for regulating flow because most of th variation in the
valve coefficient takes place in the lower third of the valve level
very little variation in coefficient takes place for most of the valve
travel appropriate for relief valves and for on-off control system

 Two chacteristics normally used to regulate

flow are : linear and equal percentage
linear
The function for linear characteristics
Cv (vp)=Cv,max vp
- Produce a coefficient proportional to the valve
opening
- Used when the process is linear and the
pressure drop across the valve do not vary with
flow
- 50% valve position = 50% Cv of its maximum
coefficient

equal percentage
The function for equal percentage characteristics
Cv (vp)=Cv,max vp-1
= rangeability parameter having a
value of 50 or 100
50 is most common

- Produce a exponential function to the valve opening

result in equal relative / percentage increments
- Used when the pressure drop across the valve do not vary
with flow, and with process which the gain decreases
when the flow through the valve increases.
- Exponential function has a property that equal increments
in valve position result in equal relative or percentage
increments in the valve coefficient
- When increasing the valve position by 1% the flow
increases by 1% of its value at the past valve position.

Question

Valve characteristics: Linear, equal percentage and quick opening.

What will be the flowrate when the
indicator shows 0.75?
Quick opening
Flow coef. =
Flowrate =
Linear
Flow coef. =
Flowrate =
Equal percentage
Flow coef. =
Flowrate =

Example
8 gpm

6 gpm

4 gpm

2 gpm

0 gpm

 Valve rangeability
Also called turn down ratio
Ratio of the maximum controllable flow to the
minimum controllable flow.
Measure of the width of operating flows the val
can control
Common way to define the maximum and
minimum flow
at 95 and 5% valve position

Another definition uses 90 and 10% valve

positions

 If the pressure drop across the valve is

independent of flow, the flow through the valve is
proportional to its Cv coefficient.
linear characteristic
Rangeability = 0.95/0.05 = 19
Equal percentage characteristic
Rangeability =-0.005 / -0.95 = 0.9
= 50 , rangeability =33.8
= 100 , rangeability =63.1
Quick opening characteristic
Rangeability = 3 (small range)

Control valve gain and transfer function

Gain
Gain of the valve change in output divided by the
change in the input
Output of valve flow
Input of the valve is the controller output signal (in
percent

Ib/hr or scfh
df
gpm
controllerKoutput)
v
dm %CO

The valve gain obtained from three term

Dependence of the valve position on the controller
output
Dependence of the Flow coefficient, Cv on the valve
dvp dCv df
position
Kv
Dependence of the Flow on
dmthe
dvpflow
dCvcoefficient , Cv

 Dependence of the valve position on

the controller output
Simply the conversion of percent controller
output to fraction valve position

+ve sign for valve fails closed (air-to-open)

-ve sign for valve fails open (air to close)

Dependence of the Flow coefficient, Cv

on the valve position
Linear characteristic

=
- Equal percentage

 Dependence of the Flow on the flow

coefficient , Cv
For liquid service
Constant valve pressure drop

Variable valve pressure drop

Constant valve pressure drop

The gain of a valve with linear characteristic
=

The gain of a valve with equal percentage

characteristic

Variable valve pressure drop

Variable valve pressure drop also known as installed valve characteristics.
This situation occurred when the pressure drop in the line and equipment in series with a valve is
significant compared with the pressure drop across the valve. Thus, the valve pressure drop varies
with the flow through the valve.
The friction coefficient, kL is calculated from the line pressure drop at nominal flow

= frictional pressure drop across the line, fittings, equipment, etc. in

series with the control valve, psi
= constant friction coefficient for the line, fittings, equipment, etc., psi/(gpm) 2

= total pressure

Variable valve pressure drop

The gain of a valve with linear characteristic

The gain of a valve with equal percentage

characteristic

Question 1

Nominal flow of a liquid through a control valve = 480

gpm.
At this flow, the frictional drop in the line is 15 psi.
The total pressure drop available across the valve and
line is 20 psi.
Specific gravity of the liquid is 0.85
a) size the valve for 100% overcapacity
b) find the flow through the valve when it is fully opene
c) calculate the gain through the valve
i) assume it has equal percentage characteristic, = 50
ii) assume it has linear characteristic

d) obtain the rangeability of the valve for both

characteristic (equal percentage and linear)

 Transfer function

Question 2
Using the valve gain obtained
in Question 1,
1. Write the transfer function of
the valve if the time constant of
the valve actuator is 0.3 min
2. Draw the. block diagram of
the valve