"Tips & Tricks” On Control Valves

1. If you are dealing with a corrosive fluid, choose the valve body and
trim material to match the pump casing and impeller.
2. Velocity is the key to handling abrasive materials. Normal city water
velocity is about 7 to 10 F.P.S. (clean liquid). If you have a fluid that
is abrasive, keep the velocity as low as possible - without having the
particles drop out of suspension.
3. Always sense pressure where you want to control it. Many control
valves and pressure regulators do not function properly simply
because they are sensing pressure at one point and being asked to
control it somewhere else.
4. Velocity is the key to handling noise. Noise is energy. When dealing
with high-pressure drop situations try always to keep the velocities
below 0.3 mach. on the inlet pipe, valve body, and outlet pipe.
5. If you use a transducer in a control loop, specify a positioner on the
valve. Otherwise the transducer will rob the actuator of available
thrust, and the valve will leak when it is supposed to shut off.
6. In cavitating fluids - even if the control valve has cavitations trim in it
- be sure to allow a straight run of downstream pipe after the valve. If
there is a pipe "T"or elbow immediately downstream, the flow will
choke out and back up into the valve.
7. If you use a control valve with a bellows seal in it, try to size the valve
so that its normal throttling position is near the bellows "at rest"
position. This will minimize wear on the bellows.
8. Don't use a valve below 10% of flow if at all possible. Even though a
valve may have good rangeability, if the valve is used in an abrasive
or erosive service (steam), it will not hold up unless it has hardened
trim.
9. If a PLC is being used to control the valves in a system, specify the
valves with a linear flow characteristic.
10. If a control valve is started up and fails to respond - or goes to full
open or full closed and stays there - check the controller and reverse
the controller's action.
Troubleshooting
1. Start with the fail mode of the valve.
If the valve fails closed and is leaking...
a) Disconnect the positioner or controller input.
b) If the valve has a hand wheel, check to see that it is backed
out.
c) Check to see if the bench range is correct.
d) Check to see if there is trash in, or damage to, the valve
seat.
2. Next check the positioner.
3. Next check the controller.
Do not rely on the control room to generate signals. Generate your own
with equipment that you know is properly calibrated. Do not assume
anything.
Remember that control valves only do what you tell them to. Many
control valve problems turn out to be a problem somewhere else.