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Control Valve Characteristics Explained

Control valves are used in process control loops to regulate variables like flow, levels, pressure, and temperature. They work by throttling flow to achieve the desired control effect. The relationship between valve opening and flow is known as the flow characteristic, which can be linear, equal percentage, quick opening, or modified parabolic depending on whether the percentage change in flow matches or exceeds the percentage change in valve opening. Each type has different applications like liquid level control, pressure control, or on-off operation.

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12 views2 pages

Control Valve Characteristics Explained

Control valves are used in process control loops to regulate variables like flow, levels, pressure, and temperature. They work by throttling flow to achieve the desired control effect. The relationship between valve opening and flow is known as the flow characteristic, which can be linear, equal percentage, quick opening, or modified parabolic depending on whether the percentage change in flow matches or exceeds the percentage change in valve opening. Each type has different applications like liquid level control, pressure control, or on-off operation.

Uploaded by

Ali
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Control valves are elements used in process control loops to adjust process variables such as

flow, liquid levels, pressure, temperature etc. Control valves essentially consist of a valve and an
actuator, more valve control elements may also be present in certain cases.

These valves achieve the desired controlling effect essentially by throttling the flow.

CONTROL VALVE CHARACTERISTICS

The relationship between the control valve opening (also known as ‘valve travel’) and the flow
through valve is known as the flow characteristic of that valve. An inherent flow characteristic is
the relation between valve opening and flow under constant pressure conditions.

The gain of a valve is defined as the change in flow per unit % change in the valve opening.

 The linear flow characteristic has a constant slope, meaning that valves of this type
have constant gain through complete range of flows. These valves are often used for
liquid level control and certain flow control operations requiring constant gain.
 Equal percentage valves are known by that name because whenever the valve opening is
changed, the percentage change in flow is equal to percentage change in the valve
opening. This means the change in flow proportional to the flow just before the
incremental valve opening is performed. This can also observed in the following figure.
This type of valves is commonly used for pressure control applications. They can be
considered for applications where high variations in pressure drop are expected.
 Quick opening type of valves does not have a specific mathematical definition. These
valves give a large increment in flow for relatively smaller valve opening, as can be
observed in the following figure. These valves usually find use for on-off service
applications.
 Modified parabolic valves lie somewhere between the linear valves and equal
percentage valves. As can be observed in the following figure, they can be used for
throttling at low flow levels and have almost linear characteristics at higher flows.

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