5 control valve

selection criteria every processor

should consider

Successful control valve sizing and selection depends on knowing

the actual process conditions in which the valve is to be installed. This
information is rarely available firsthand. The more assumptions one has
to make on flow conditions, the less accurate the control valve sizing is
going to be.

Neles experts at your service

Steven Hocurscak
Product manager, Control valves
steven.hocurscak@neles.com

Fortunately, when a few flow conditions are known, control For all valve types travel for minimum flows should be above
valve sizing software such as Neles Nelprof can model the 20 percent open to avoid erosion of the trim, especially if that
behavior of a given control valve within its entire flow range. minimum flow rate will be seen on a regular basis. If the flow
Expert sizing software leads the user through a sequence rate is for a startup case for example, and the valve will not
of data inputs, which guides the user to the optimal control experience this flow case on a regular basis, but rather a few
valve sizing. Here are 5 control valve selection criteria every times a year, it is okay to utilize the valve controlling below
processor should consider: 20% open.
Most rotary style valves you can accurately control down to
5% open in this scenario. Butterfly and linear style valves are

1.
the exception, with these valve style going down to 10% open.
It is important to stress the valve can not operate at these
Optimal travel lower opening angles below 20% for extended periods of time
as the media velocity will erode your valve trim.

When a valve is sized correctly, the range of operation will

2.
correspond well to the control range of the valve. Optimal
travel depends on the valve type. For rotary control valve
products such as segmented ball valves, eccentric plug 1/2 the pipeline size rule
valves, ball and butterfly valves, travel at normal flow should
fall within 50 to 70 percent opening angle. Travel at maximum
flow should fall below 90 percent, with the exception of This typically applies more to a rotary control valve than a
butterfly valves that should not be operated above 80% open. linear control valve. Because rotary valves typically have
For linear control valves such as straight or angle body globe more Cv than rising stem valves, it’s not uncommon to have
valves, travel at normal operating conditions should fall a control valve smaller than the pipe size. To avoid valve
between 40 to 60 percent opening angle. Travel for maximum damage caused by piping stresses, the valve size should
flow should not exceed 80% open. not be less than half of the diameter of the pipeline.
When the valve size that best fits the flow conditions is Neles Nelprof is one of the very few expert control valve
smaller than half of the pipeline, first consider reduced sizing software on the market today that will provide a gain
capacity trim rather than a smaller valve. For example, curve for a control valve sizing. It’s important to remember
eccentric plug style valves have reductions available as well gain curves are more accurate when multiple flow cases
as globe style valve. Also, though a costly option, adding are given. If only one flow case is given, an estimated
Neles Q-Trim to a Neles R-series valve can reduce its process model is utilized which may not exactly match the
capacity and help push the opening angles up into a usable customer’s model.
range.
While installing a valve that is less than ½ the pipeline size is

4.
possible, additional supports around the valve would be
suggested to help minimize piping stresses on the valve
flanges. Flow velocity & erosion

3.
Erosion damage is closely tied to the velocity of the media.
This damage is typically seen first on your valve trim but
Installed gain curve can also affect the body and downstream piping. The
erosion damage is only amplified with the presence of
particulate (erosive media), or flashing conditions.
The installed gain curve indicates how the control valve will Maintaining a proper velocity, especially when the media is
perform under the given process conditions. A high gain erosive or flashing, is important for extending your valve
means small changes in valve position will produce large life.
changes in flow, therefore casing the process to overshoot.
• Try to maintain opening angles greater than 20
Low gain means large changes in valve position will
percent open on all flow conditions.
produce small changes in flow, causing the process to
behave sluggishly. • If media is erosive or flashing moving to a larger valve
should be considered as the added surface area will
help minimize erosion, as well as lower velocities.
As of the publishing of this article, our current velocity limits
are as follows:
Liquids
Velocity is measured in ft/s or m/s
• Continuous duty
• Butterfly valves 23 ft/s (7 m/s)
• All other valves 32 ft/s (10 m/s)
• Infrequent Duty
• Butterfly valves 27 ft/s (8.5 m/s)
• All other valves 39 ft/s (12 m/s)
• Gas / Vapors:
Figure 1. A constant gain line at 1.0 within the control range would be Mach numbers represent the relationship between the
ideal. For best results, gain should be between 0.5 to 3.0,
velocity of the media vs the speed of sound
and the ratio of maximum to minimum gain should be 2.0.
• 0.5 Mach for continuous control (1/2 the speed of
sound)
• 0.7 Mach for infrequent duty (for example, flaring and
venting applications)

Figure 2. Installed gain curve

5. Noise
Aerodynamic noise (noise generated from gases or steam) When the vapor bubbles collapse, the violent implosion
is strongly related to exit velocity of the media. The concern forms what is known as a microjet.
is mechanical damage of the valve assembly with • This jet breaks through the surface of the bubble and
aerodynamic noise, damage of valve, actuator, or directs the force of the collapse into one direction
accessory components from intense vibration. Government
• The force of this microjet is typically in the millions of
regulations typically limit noise to 85 dBA if a person will be
psi
near the noise source for eight hours or more, however it’s
unrealistic to think every valve will perform to that noise • The combination of concentrated energy (shock
level, especially since a lot of control valves are not in waves) and directional energy (microjets) makes a
heavily populated work environments. Keep noise levels collapsing vapor bubble potentially very destructive.
below 110 dBA to prevent mechanical damage to your
assembly.
Hydrodynamic noise is used to predict cavitation intensity.
Cavitation occurs when the pressure inside the valve drops
below the vapor pressure of the liquid, causing the liquid to
vaporize (boil). When the pressure recovers above the
vapor pressure, the gas bubbles implode. This cycle is
called cavitation, and this can be damaging to the valve for
two reasons, shock waves and microjets.

Figure 4. From bubbles to microjets.

Manufacturers often have different opinions about

cavitation and gauging it’s intensity, however it’s also
accepted that if you want to eliminate damage you must
lower noise down to an acceptable level (which in turn
means lowering the intensity of the cavitation). For specific
noise recommendations please review your specific valve
sizing software for noise levels applicable to your specific
size valve. As of the publication of this article, our current
hydrodynamic noise recommendations in Nelprof are:
• 85 dBA sizes up to 6” (150 mm )
• 90 dBA sizes 8”-14” (200-350 mm)
Figure 3. Cavitation occurs when the pressure inside the valve drops • 95 dBA sizes 16“ (400 mm) and larger
below the vapor pressure of the liquid, allowing the liquid to turn into a
gas..

Shock waves are caused by collisions among the

surrounding liquid molecules that are rushing in to fill the
void cause by the collapsing bubble.

• The faster the surrounding water collides the greater

its energy
• The life span of a collapsing bubble is about three
milliseconds
• The larger the vapor bubble the greater the mass of
liquid that will collide
• Together these factors contribute to the kinetic
energy of the shock wave, mass and velocity
(KE=1/2mv2). Effects of shock waves include vibration
and noise
• Intense vibration can cause mechanical damage to a
valve assembly

To the extent the information contained in this article makes claims regarding operating results to be achieved, performance levels, or other qualitative or quantitative
results, please be aware that the results reported upon are not achievable in all circumstances. Actual results may vary as specific site conditions are unique.