Control valves positioners

The SIF could be implemented using a dedicated pressure transmitter on the reactor and dedicated solenoid-operated valve on the each control valve. The SIF would not allow air to control valve positioners unless the pressure was < 5 Barg. This SIF design was determined to not be sufficiently independent of the initiating cause since it relied on the control valve for isolation. 

Hand jack engaged Control valve positioner ... 

This device operates as a control valve positioner but is also an intelligent device with Hart communications. As shown in the diagram the positioner copies its alarm and testing status into the Safety PLC or into a DCS. 

Various accessories can be suppHed along with the control valves for special situations. Positioners ensure that the valve stem is accurately positioned following small or slowly changing control signals or where unbalanced valve forces exist. Boosters, which are actually pneumatic amplifiers, can increase the speed of response or provide adequate force in high pressure appHcations. Limit switches are sometimes included to provide remote verification that the valve stem has actually moved to a particular position. 

The symbol for the control valve in Fig. 8-47 is for a pneumatic positioning valve without a valve positioner. 

Transducers The ciirrent-to-pressiire transducer (I/P transducer) is a conversion interface that accepts a standard 4-20 rnA input current from the process controller and converts it to a pneumatic output in a standard pneumatic pressure range (normally (),2-L0 bar [3-15 psig] or, less frequently, 0,4-2,0 bar [6-30 p.sig]). The output pressure generated by the transducer is connected directly to the pressure connection on a spring-opposed diaphragm actuator or to the input of a pneumatic valve positioner. 

Valve Positioners The valve positioner, when combined with an appropriate actuator, forms a complete closed-loop valve-position control system. This system makes the valve stem conform to the input signal coming from the process controller in spite of force loads that the actuator may encounter while moving the control valve. Usually, the valve positioner is contained in its own enclosure and is mounted on the control valve. 

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. 

With the exception of the dead-band booster, the application of booster relavs has diminished sornewEat bv the increased use of ciir-rent-to-pressiire transducers, electropneiirnatic positioners, and electronic control svsterns. Transducers and valve positioners serve much the same fiinctionalitv as the booster relav in addition to interfacing with the electronic process controller. 

Digital Field Communications An increasing number of valve-mounted devices are available that support digital communications in addition to, or in place of, the traditional 4—20 mA current signal. These control-valve devices have increased functionality, resulting in reduced setup time, improved control, combined functionality of traditionally separate devices, and control-valve diagnostic capabihty. Digital communications also allow the control system to become completely distributed where, for example, the process PID controller could reside in the valve positioner or in the process transmitter. 

Speed-Control Systems The most common sensing element is mechanical some systems are hydraulic or electronic. For valve positioner they all have a hydrauhc servo as first choice, with an occasional choice of pneumatic for lighter loads. 

A positioner is a device that regulates the supply air pressure to a pneumatic actuator. It does this by comparing the actuator s demanded position with the control valve s actual position. The demanded position is transmitted by a pneumatic or electrical control signal from a controller to the positioner. The pneumatic actuator in Figure 35 is shown in Figure 36 with a controller and positioner added. 

For example, as the control signal increases, a valve inside the positioner admits more supply air to the actuator. As a result, the control valve moves downward. The linkage transmits the valve position information back to the positioner. This forms a small internal feedback loop for the actuator. When the valve reaches the position that correlates to the control signal, the linkage stops supply air flow to the actuator. This causes the actuator to stop. On the other hand, if the control signal decreases, another valve inside the positioner opens and allows the supply air pressure to decrease by venting the supply air. This causes the valve to move upward and open. When the valve has opened to the proper position, the positioner stops venting air from the actuator and stops movement of the control valve. 

Valve positioners are little feedback controllers that sense the actual position of the stem, compare it with the desired position as given by the signal from the controller and adjust the air pressure on the diaphragm to drive the stem to its correct position. Valve positioners can also be used to make valves open and close over various ranges (split-range valves). 

Butterfly control valve with positioner. (Courlesy of Foxboro.)... 

The LDPE production with tubular reactors (see Section 5.1) requires some sophisticated control valves [45]. The let-down valve (Fig. 4.2-6 B) controls the polymerization reaction via the pressure and temperature by a high-speed hydraulic actuator (9) together with an electronic hydraulic transducer. The position of the valve relative to the stem is determined by a high-resolution electronic positioner (7). The cone-shaped end of the valve stem (2), as well as the shrunk valve seat (3) are made from wear-resistant materials (e.g., sintered tungsten carbide) in order to tolerate the high differential pressure of around 3000 bar during the expansion of the polymer at that location. 

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. 

Figure 7.120 is a simplified view of a spring diaphragm actuator. The actuator receives a pneumatic signal from the controller via a booster flow enlarger or a valve positioner and can be adapted in the form of an air-to-open or an air-to-close mechanism. 

Fig. 7.119. Pneumatically operated control valve (a) double-spring actuator with single-ported globe valve (b) exterior view of double-ported control valve with valve-positioner fitted on the side...

The use of a valve positioner is generally beneficial with relatively slow control loops. Fitting a positioner within a fast control loop will decrease the stability of the loop(<6). 

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 same control valve. For example, mounted on the control valve, one may find a current-to-pressure transducer, a valve positioner, a volume booster relay, a solenoid valve, a trip valve, a limit switch, a process controller, and/or a stem position transmitter. Figure 8-80 shows a valve positioner mounted on tne yoke leg of a spring and diaphragm actuator. 

FIG. 8-80 Valve and actuator with valve positioner attached. (Courtesy Fisher Controls International LLC.)... 

TCV = Temperature Control Valve TE = Temperature Element VAV = Variable Air Volume XP = Positioner for Fan Volume Control, such as a Blade Pitch Positioner... 

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