Control valves applications

Solenoid Valves The electric solenoid valve has tw o output states. Wlien sufficient electric current is supplied to the coil, an internal armature moves against a spring to an extreme position. This motion causes an attached pneumatic or hvdraiilic valve to operate. Wlien current is removed, the spring returns the armature and the attached solenoid valve to the deenergized position. An intermediate pilot stage is sometimes used when additional force is required to operate the main solenoid valve. Generallv, solenoid valves are used to pressurize or vent the actuator casing for on/off control-valve application and safetv shutdown applications. 

Figure 10-14 Guidelines for control valve applications. (From Fisher Controls, 1987.)...

Most instruments and control devices are of a standardized off-the-shelf design, which complies with one or more national standards. In certain cases, for instance flow measurement orifice plates or control valves, application calculations are necessary, but these are in general in a standardized format. Loop diagrams also tend to follow various standard formats, according to application. In summary, most of this work can be handled in a systematic way, leaning heavily on databanks of item design data and application software. 

Pneumatic Controllers The pneumatic controller is an automatic controller that uses pneumatic pressure as a power source and generates a single pneumatic output pressure. The pneumatic controller is used in single-loop control applications and is often installed on the control valve or on an adjacent pipestand or wall in close proximity to the control valve and/or measurement transmitter. Pneumatic controllers are used in areas where it would be hazardous to use electronic equipment, in locations without power, in situations where maintenance personnel are more familiar with pneumatic controllers, or in applications where replacement with modern electronic controls has not been justified. 

A control valve consists ot a valve, an actuator, and possiblv one or more valve-control devices. The valves discussed in this section are applicable to throttling control (i.e, vviiere tlovv through the valve is regulated to anv desired amount betvv een maximum and minimum limits). Other valves such as check, isolation, and relict valves are addressed in the next subsection. As defined, control valves are automatic control devices that modify the tliiid tlovv rate as specified bv the controller. 

Valve-Control Deviee.s Devices mounted on the control valve that interface various forms of input signals, monitor and transmit valve position, or modify valve response are valve-control devices. In some applications, several auxiliary devices are used together on the... 

Positioner Application Positioners are widelv used on pneumatic valve actuators, VIore often than not, thev provide improved process-loop control because thev reduce valve-related nonlinearitv, Dvnarnicallv, positioners maintain their abilitv to improve control-valve performance for sinusoidal input frequencies up to about one half of the positioner bandwidth. At input frequencies greater than this, the attenuation in the positioner amplifier netvv ork gets large, and valve nonlinearitv begins to affect final control-element performance more significantlv. Because of this, the most successful use of the positioner occurs when the positioner-response bandwidth is greater than twice that of the most dominant time lag in the process loop. 

Certified testing and approval for control-valve devices used in hazardous locations is normally procured by the manufacturer of the device. The manufacturer often goes to a third party laboratory for testing and certification. Applicable approval standards are available from CSA, CENELEC, EM, SAA, and UL. 

Valve Application Technology Functional requirements and the properties of the controlled fluid determine which valve and actuator types are best for a specific apphcation. If demands are modest and no unique valve features are required, the valve-design style selection may be determined solely by cost. If so, general-purpose globe or angle valves provide exceptional value, especially in sizes less than 3-inch NFS and hence are very popular. Beyond type selection, there are many other valve specifications that must be determined properly in order to ultimately yield-improved process control. 

For FCC applications, a rigorous analysis typically involves transient evaluations of expander coupling failures, generator load drops, compressor and surge system operation, and control valve malfunctions. The results of these evaluations permit optimum selection of control valves and control strategies. 

The control valves have a full-stroke actuating time of 600 msec thus, in 6 msec the valves are actuated through 1 % of their full stroke. Only controllers with a TPET of less than 3 msec are able to meet the strict requirements of this application. 

The Cv Concept. From a quantitative standpoint, steam loss can be estimated through the application of the C, concept. A familiar term in control valve technology, C, expresses the flow capability of a fluid-controlling device—in this case, a steam trap. A large C,. means a high flow rate a low C, means a low flow rate. 

When analyzing such individual control valve failures, one should consider the action of other control valves in the system. In the first two cases above, credit may be taken, where applicable for the reduction in pressure of a high-pressure source due to net inventory depletion during the period that the downstream equipment pressure is rising to relieving pressure. However, the pressure relieving facilities must be sized to handle the calculated peak flow conditions. 

A magnetic field due to an electric current can be turned on and off simply by turning the current on and off. A piece of iron attached to the end of a spring having the other end fixed can be moved with a magnetic field and returned to its initial position by the spring. The iron piece can then be used to actuate a switch or move a lever on a valve. Applications of this principle include electrically controlled valves in a washing machine and an electrically controlled switch for the starter in an automobile. 

Prove the burner throughput control valves to be in the low fire position (where applicable). 

The choice of a suitable temperature or pressure control valve for steam application will depend on the supply side pressure, the downstream pressure, and the flow rate of steam to be passed. In the case of temperature control valves the first of these is usually known and the third can be calculated, but the appropriate pressure drop through the valve is often to be decided. Sometimes the maker s rating of a heater will specify that it transfers heat at a certain rate when supplied with steam at a certain pressure. This pressure is then the pressure downstream of the control valve, and the valve may be selected on this basis. 

Although most fluid power motors are capable of providing rotary motion in either direction, some applications require rotation in only one direction. In these applications, one port of the motor is connected to the system pressure line and the other port to the return line. The flow of fluid to the motor is controlled by a flow control valve, a two-way directional control valve or by starting and stopping the power supply. Varying the rate of fluid flow to the motor may control the speed of the motor. 

In most fluid power systems, the motor is required to provide actuating power in either direction. In these applications, the ports are referred to as working ports, alternating as inlet and outlet ports. Either a four-way directional control valve or a variable-displacement pump usually controls the flow to the motor. 

Four different types of tasks are performed by automation. Two involve the sequencing of valves and pumps Involved 1n the setup and completion of the designed experiment through the operation of the test and hydraulic fluid systems. The other tasks involve the control of the temperature bath and data collection. To perform these tasks, a1r-actuated solenoids and optically coupled sol Id-state relays are used. These devices are controlled by an electrical circuit consisting of the device connected 1n series with a power supply and a channel on the actuator card In the HP 3497. The power supply 1s either 24 VDC for use with the solenoids or 5 VDC for the solid-state relays. The actuator output channel acts as a simple on/off switch which allows power to be supplied to the solenoid or relay when closed. The logic of the circuit 1s controlled by application programs running on the local HP 1000. 

In this chapter we will illustrate and analyze some of the more common methods for measuring flow rate in conduits, including the pitot tube, venturi, nozzle, and orifice meters. This is by no means intended to be a comprehensive or exhaustive treatment, however, as there are a great many other devices in use for measuring flow rate, such as turbine, vane, Coriolis, ultrasonic, and magnetic flow meters, just to name a few. The examples considered here demonstrate the application of the fundamental conservation principles to the analysis of several of the most common devices. We also consider control valves in this chapter, because they are frequently employed in conjunction with the measurement of flow rate to provide a means of controlling flow. 

In this chapter we will study control equipment, controller performance, controller tuning, and general control-systems design concepts. Some of the questions that wc will explore are how do we decide what kind of control valve to use what type of sensor can be used and what are some of the pitfalls that you should be aware of that can give faulty signals what type of controller should we select for a given application and how do we tune the controller. 

Derivative aetion can be used on either the error signal (SP — PM) or just the process measurement (PM). If it is on the error signal, step changes in set-point will produce large bumps in the control valve. Therefore, in most process control applications, the derivative action is applied only to the PM signal as it enters the controller. The P and I action is then applied to the difference between the setpoint and the output signal from the derivative unit (see Fig. 7.12). 

One important application of pneumatic transmission is in the operation of diaphragm actuators. These are the elements generally employed to drive the spindles of control valves (Section 7.22.3) and, if hard-wired transmission systems are employed, require devices which convert electric current into air pressure or air flowrate, i.e. electropneumatic (E/P) converters. The basic construction of a typical E/P converter is illustrated in Fig. 6.77. A coil is suspended in a magnetic field in such a way that when a current is passed through the coil it rotates. This rotation is sensed by a flapper/nozzle system (Section 7.22.1). The nozzle is supplied with air via a restrictor and its back pressure actuates a pneumatic relay. The output from the latter is applied to the feedback bellows and also acts as output from the E/P converter. Electropneumatic valve positioners employ the same principle of operation. 

Gain Scheduling Adaptive Control is a special application of this procedure. For example we may have a control valve whose characteristic (input signal/valve stem position relationship) is non-linear. In this case, the valve stem position would be measured in order to obtain the gain of the valve (the appropriate relationship must be known) and the valve gain is used then to adjust the gain of the controller. If the auxiliary variable relationships are more complicated then it may be necessary to employ a Programmed Adaptive Control procedure. 

Intelligent control valves have found increasing application in processes which involve high-value materials and high labour costs such that their higher price can be justified. 

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