SAMSON

Control valve design aspects

for critical applications
in petrochemical plants

Special print from

„Valve World“
June 2004

By:
Holger Siemers
 Control valve design aspects
for critical applications in
petrochemical plants – part I
By Dipl. Ing. Holger Siemers, SAMSON AG

With three decades of experience in demanding applications, Mr Control valve design and sizing:
Siemers has a deep appreciation of developments and trends in
Part I
sizing control valves. In this paper, he reviews the past, present
1. Accurate sizing & software tools
and future of valve design and sizing, taking all-important issues 2. Energy saving by plant and valve
such as increasing cost pressure and time pressure into account. optimization
3. Debottlenecking: Can the old valve
This paper is presented in two parts: firstly, how to use
do the new job ?
manufacturer independent software to analyze given or
calculated plant parameters in more detail from an overall point Part II
4. Predictable troubles with control valve
of view with a complete power check and optimizing
sizing in case of sub-critical flow
possibilities. Some case studies are also discussed. The second conditions and in case of flashing.
section, scheduled for a future issue, includes information on to 5. Control valve failures & troubleshooting.
6. The hidden valve enemy: Critical outlet
design, size and use severe service control valves with good
velocities need to take priority
performance for long maintenance intervals. Different
philosophies of valve design (plug design), pressure balance Part III
7. Fugitive emissions philosophies for
systems, stem sealing, actuator sizing, cost philosophies for
control valves
“high end” applications are discussed. 8. Actuator sizing philosophies
9. Control valve design and cost philoso-
ership. phies for “high end” applications

The past, present and future of valve End users increasingly complain about mainte-
design and sizing nance costs and the amount of spare parts re-
Control valves - the workhorses of the control quired which are often the highest after-sales valve manufacturer.
loop - mostly have to convert to 1 to 5 kW cost factors. Nowadays, the contradiction Typical for urgent projects is that, to avoid
heat power (the typical pump power in chemi- often arises that consultants are under signifi- penalties, it is taken into account that some
cal plants) and, furthermore, in the HPI sector cant pressure to keep costs low and opt for control valves are destroyed during the start-
to a range between 5 to 200,000 kW heat other priorities: up process even in large projects, whereas
power - the typical power range with high per- lowest cost of investment during a traditional start-up process, a trou-
formance pumps, flow machines or the total just meeting the specification ble-free commissioning is guaranteed by re-
plant power - blocked by flare shut-off valves Just meeting the warranty time placing any critical valves with fittings and
and control valves. From an economical point e-bidding and e-purchasing. flushing the plant beforehand.A tremendous
of view, these valves often operate more or scope of difficulties can influence the project’s
less successfully under high stress load, charac- In the oil and gas market sector, many valves success if planning mistakes are first detected
terized by additional expenditure for noise-re- are high power [�p x flow] converters and in at this stage because the process condition cal-
ducing insulation and devices or maintenance, combination with fluid corrosion and fluid culations were too inaccurate or the control
or should severe problems arise, plant down- contamination the valve body and trim may be valve selection was “quick and dirty.” Ques-
time, i.e. low or high cost of ownership. parts subject to wear.Time is often all-impor- tions that arise here are: “who is responsible
The following priorities concerning valves are tant during the initial phase involving the plan- for plant safety?” and “has e-commerce (e.g. e-
often specified by end users in the HPI sector: ning, bidding and ordering of the control bidding and e-purchasing) taken place too
safety and reliability valves these days. Unfortunately, this results in quickly for severe service control valves or
control quality valves being selected with a tremendous loss in valves with key functions?”The shorter deci-
environmental aspects detail engineering, yet at the same time, the sion time linked to anonymous bidding could
trouble-free life cycles and lowest cost of own- technical responsibility has been shifted to the mean that key valve features such as plant safe-

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 3

Fig. 1: Calculating installed
valve characteristic schemes.
�p versus flow and Flow;
Cv versus travel.

ty, control quality and process long-term tar-

gets are easily bypassed.
From the valve manufacturer’s point of view,
the situation is a challenge with regards to ful-
filling both aspects concerning competitive-
ness and reliability. Many well-known compa-
ny brand names and their valve products are
disappearing or have merged to form large
conglomerates.The process of the “synergy ef-
fect” continues more or less successfully. It
should be clear that the chronicle of plant dis-
asters will never cease, but the risk should not
be allowed to increase because valves intended
for severe service are being sized and selected periences or trial-and-error methods.Typical optimization tool for pipelines and pipe de-
in a “quick and dirty” fashion without involving valve characteristics have to be published as vices (Figure 2a), including material and prop-
time-consuming detail engineering.The ques- stipulated in international standards like the erty database for more than 1,000 substances
tion arises: can a happy medium be found to EN IEC 60534.The individual measurements including hydrocarbons. Ethylene, propylene,
meet the demands of both current and future of the actual valve factors or their approxima- chlorine, natural gas AGA 8 and sixty other in-
interests? tions are stored in in-house software of com- dustrial fluids are calculated very accurately
From experience gained from the increasing petent valve companies. using equations of state developed by the Ruhr
amount of troubleshooting required in petro- Cavitation and flashing combined with the in- University of Bochum (see www.conval.de for
chemical plants and refineries over past few fluence of the valve outlet velocity of pure liq- more details).
years, the conclusion that must be drawn is uid or liquid/vapor phase can cause severe If operating conditions are given with one, two
that it is important to make sure that modern trouble and, in the worst case, cause plant or three operating points the plant system is
lightweight globe and rotary valves are only shutdown. Some experiences in this area are defined in the standardized differential pres-
chosen within their limited range of applica- published in Chapter 6.
tion. In the recent past, only heavy-duty valves Most potential problems can be predicted by
such as high performance cage-guided or top using highly sophisticated software when the
and bottom guided globe valves fitted the total operating limits are known and the load-spe-
Tool for sizing, calculation and optimization of
range of applications. For less severe applica- cific valve characteristics cv, xFz, Fl, xT, Fd are common plant components:
tions these were over-engineered. Pressure to provided by the valve companies.Warning in- • Control valves
• Steam conditioning valves
reduce costs meant that this valve generation dicators can be activated to indicate a point in • Actuator forces
was replaced in the lower application field by a selected system of valves and pipeline where • Differential pressure flow elements
• Restriction orifice plates
lightweight, inexpensive valves. Low and high mechanical overload occurs due too high ve- • Safety relief valves
performance butterfly valves and other quar- locities or forces or where the noise level does • Tank depressurization
• Pressure loss
ter-turn products have been developed for not comply with the stipulated requirements. • Pressure surge
typical market segments. • Pipes:
• Sizing
Rotary plug valves can save costs when they 1. Accurate Sizing & Software Tools • Pipe compensation
replace globe valves, but there is also a risk if The CONVAL® 6 software treats the plant and • Span calculation
• Pipe wall thickness
engineering competence for critical applica- valve sizing parameters from an overall point • Shell-and –tube heat exchanger
tions is missing.Time and effort must be spent of view, issuing dynamic graphics with in- • Condensers
• Pump motor output
measuring new valve products on test rigs be- stalled characteristics concerning flow, power, Supported by vendor independent device databases
fore they can be launched onto the market. gain and outlet velocity as a function of the (control valves, safety relief valves), fluid property
calculation, material databases, …
Operating data limits above test rig possibili- valve coefficient cv value and the valve travel.
ties are often detected by troubleshooting ex- The software is a manufacturer independent Fig. 2a: CONVAL Tool description.

4 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 )

21 )

Fig. 3b: Same plant layout, split into three sections to show
pressure losses.

Fig. 3a: Typical plant layout (simplified) in a chemical or

petrochemical plant. Fig. 3c: Input values of the pressure loss plant system.

sure versus flow diagram at the left-hand side 2) Energy saving by plant and valve
(see Figure 1).The inherent cv-characteristic optimization
of any valve as well as all other valve character- The first case study shows many aspects of
istics xFz, Fl, xT, Fd, a.s.o. are stored in a large plant optimizing and presents methods to ob-
valve data base in the form of equations or tain the most important parameters for control
polynomial coefficients. Every valve installed valve sizing at two or, even better, three operat-
characteristic like flow, gain and valve authori- ing points.An exceptional amount of over 50
ty, sound, inlet and outlet velocity, as well as % of power and costs could be saved if plant
cavitation, flashing, and choke flow areas are design, pipes and pipe devices such as control
Special valve manufacturer software is presented in graphic form on the right-hand valves were to be sized more rationally.[1]
available and is mainly used for proprietary side.A dynamic ruler publishes all results in- Lower power consumption of control valves re-
control valve series and their special demands. cluding alarms and hints at any valve travel po- duces the cost of investment by using standard
Programs can store several thousand pieces of
sition.The program combines expert valve siz- valve series without noise abatement devices and
valve data like cv characteristics, noise data
ing with powerful plant optimization and trou- increases the life cycle because of the reduced
and noise correction measurements and
ble shooting. amount of wear of the throttling valve parts.
related functions of valve recovery factors
based on flow lab data. Specific actuator
The software provides a bi-directional COM Saving energy means recalculating our figures
sizing or special sizing methods for mixtures link to spreadsheets and CAE systems ( Figure with a lower start pressure of p0 = 6 bar and
and the flashing outlet conditions are available 2b) as well as in-house valve sizing programs optimizing the pipeline and all the pipe de-
as well as having links to quotations, pricing, (Box 1) which companies can use to store vices.The result is, on the one hand, a change
drawing software and to the production units. valve data e.g. sound measurements, adminis- 1) Reference to CAE interface list
tration of inquiry and quotation systems as 2) e.g. SAMSON valve sizing application

Box 1: In-house valve sizing program well as pricing and drawings. F ile F ile F ile F ile
Excel Export

MAPI Client
PDF Export

CONVAL
(Email)

Native

files

Figure 2b: The

CONVAL
Pressure following CAE
tools provide a
C O M In te rfa c e
bi-directional .N e t In te ro p
a s s e m b ly

interface to
COM

COM
.NET

CONVAL® 6.0:
. N E T C lie n t C O M C lie n t
C O M C lie n t In te rfa c e
A p p lic a tio n A p p lic a tio n
Native link

P ro g a m m in g Excel

Fig. 4: Case study 1 -

lan g u a g e s

Access
C lie n t A p p lic a t io n

pressure/flow
.. .
W ord

diagram with P r o g a m m in g
Vendor
p r o g r a m s (2 )
la n g u a g e s

additional data on . ..
CAE
valve power and gain S y s te m s ( 1 )

characteristic. . ..

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 5

Fig. 5: Valve and control loop optimization with operating conditions from Fig. 6: Valve and control loop optimization with operating conditions
Table 1. Start pressure 10 bar. from Table 2. Start pressure 6 bar.

from a DN 3” to a DN 4” pipe system includ- The plant pressure loss calculation of Figure 3 Table 1 lists the different pressures for the nor-
ing the pipe devices. On the other hand, focus- results to the characteristics of up- and down- mal and the more important max. flow rate,
ing on the control valve’s operating point stream pressures; valve power consumption and often the main operating point of process con-
qmax again, the power consumption is re- gain - �q/�s - versus flow shown in Figure 4. trol.The control valve calculation shows a
duced from 60 to 20.3 kW and the total ener-
gy cost from USD 69,445 down to USD
31,203.That equates to an annual savings of Flow Qnorm kg/h Qmax kg/h
roughly USD 38,282.* q [kg/h] 2000 5000
Pressure loss calculation of pipe Case a) Case b) Case a) Case b)
The noise from the control valve is reduced
Section a) p1 bar_abs 10 6 10 6
from 98 dB(A) to 88 dB(A) with the lower
p2 bar_abs 9.937 5.973 9.65 5.866
power consumption.Therefore the cost for the
Power [kWatt] 0.3664 0.257 5.005 3.253
larger pipes and their devices are compensated Optimization of flow meters
for as there is no need for any noise abatement p1 bar_abs 9.937 5.973 9.65 5.866
device in the valve and the maintenance costs p2 bar_abs 9.894 5.916 9.374 5.479
are significantly reduced as well. Power [kWatt] 0.242 0.541 4.21 9.59
The plant layout is simplified in Figure 3a and Pressure loss calculation of pipe
split up into three sections in Figure 3b to Section b) p1 bar_abs 9.894 5.916 9.374 5.479
show the pressure loss of the devices from the p2 bar_abs 9.879 5.873 8.668 5.193
start pressure P0=10 bar_abs. For example, in Power [kWatt] 0.584 0.401 10.83 7.436
Figure 3b, section a refers to the distance be- Examine the pressure differential of the control valve = p2 section b) - p1 section c)
p1 bar_abs 4.3 4.09 5.61 4.48
tween the tank or pump and the flow meter
p2 bar_abs 3.999 4.0 4.02 4
orifice.The next section, section b, takes into
Power [kWatt] 3.9 1.134 45 15.33
consideration the distance between the flow
Operation conditions of the control valve:
meter and the control valve. Finally, section c p1 bar_abs 9.879 5.873 8.668 5.193
represents the distance downstream of the p2 bar_abs 4.3 4.09 5.61 4.48
control valve to the place of production with Control valve sizing and optimisation
the plant end pressure of p_end = 4 bar_abs. Cv - Value 12.37 24.7 40.6 101.2
Figure 3c summarizes all input values of the Sound Pressure 97 90 98 89
pressure loss plant system in this case study for Level SPL dB(A)
a compressible fluid: dry air at a temperature Power [kWatt] 45.4 19.8 59.3 20.3
of 100 °C. Total balance of power and energy and yearly consumption cost
After this preparation, the features of CON- Power [kWatt] 50.49 22.1 124.34 55.91
Energy [kWatth] 403,93 177,04 994,77 447,28
VAL can work out how to obtain optimum
yearly
control valve sizing parameters in less than 30
*without grade of Yearly 15,850 12,368 USD 69,494 31,246 USD
minutes and, moreover, it can optimize con-
electrical effectiveness consumption cost Saving:
trol loop parameters as well as power, energy of the flow machine Approx. 2001 38,295 USD/year
and cost parameters as shown in Figures 5 & 6.
Table 2: Power and energy optimization of a plant Comparison of results with different start-up
*regional average 1999. pressures case a) 10 bar or case b) 6 bar

6 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 power consumption of 60 kWatt and a predict- Rule of thumb for plant designers:
new
ed sound pressure level SPL of 98 dB (A). keep a min. pressure differential for
control valves with equal percentage
�p100
Flow q kg/h 2000 5000 �p 0 old characteristics.
Pressure p1 bar_abs 9.879 8.668
Pressure p2 bar_abs 4.3 5.61 Flow 100 % �p100/ �p 0 = 0.1
Flow 90 % �p 90/ �p 0 = 0.27
Table 1: Control valve optimization from an Flow 80 % �p 80/ �p 0 = 0.42
overall point of view.

3. Debottle-necking: can the old valve

305t/h 380t/h
do the new job?
When looking to increase the productivity of Fig. 9: Case study 2: Old and new upstream pressure line to increase the flow.
an existing plant, engineers have to take con-
trol valves into account.This second case study
for an existing application to control a liquid
medium flow presents the troubleshooting
measures to increase a plant’s productivity to
meet current market demands.
This example looks at an existing 8” cage valve
(Figures 7 and 8) optimized for 85 dB (A) with
an additional multi-hole baffle (Figure 12) and
provides an easy method to obtain new valve
parameters without having to start a new
time-consuming total plant pressure loss cal-

xF

xFz_cage

Fig. 10: Case study 2: Calculation of the cage retained seat valve with max. SPL
[LpAa] > 91 dB(A).

Fig. 7: Case study 2: The old specification data.

Fig. 8: Case study 2: The old 8” cage pressure- Fig. 11: Case study 2: Sizing of the existing cage valve with multi-hole baffle to
balanced control valve. reduce the noise from 91 to 85 dB(A).

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 7

 Fig. 15: Case Study 2: Sound optimisation for < 85 dB(A) noise limit
with the unique AC Trim System and highest xFz characteristic of
control valves today.

culation.At least with just one more powerful pump the new operat-
ing point can be kept controllable. However, severe cavitation in-
creases the noise to 96 dB (A) with the existing control valve.The
unique new development of an anti-cavitation trim “AC Trim System”
can solve cavitation problems and reduce the sound < 85 dB (A)
within the entire control range (see Chapter 5).
Fig. 12: Case study 2: Calculation and construction of downstream The software provides the user with new calculation methods includ-
resistance structures like single and multi-baffles. ing graphic supports to help check the control valve performance as
well as leading to the most economic solution to reduce noise (Fig-
ures 9, 10 and 11).
The question arises: can the existing control valve be updated taking
noise limitation of 85 dB(A) into account ?
The case study is based on a real situation where the productivity had
to be increased, while keeping the noise level (SPL) within the exist-
Fig. 13: Case study 2: CFD optimization of anti-cavitation trim design - ing regulations. If the old DN 8” valve just fulfilled the noise require-
computer flow simulation. Shown is SAMSON’s AC Trim I System ments of 85 dB(A) by using a baffle or silencer, then the solution for
Parabolic plug top and seat guided. Seat and plug CFD optimized. the revised valve presents a real challenge.

The cage retained seat valve has been operating for some five years
without complaints, but cannot be used after debottle-necking to
control 30% more flow because of increasing sound-pressure-level >
95 dB(A).The new pump-impeller increases the power to such a
level that there is no economic solution available with the old valve.
Fortunately the development and research program of SAMSON AG
has presented the unique anti-cavitation AC Trim System.This fulfils
the 85 dB(A) requirement and replaces the existing cage trim design
(Figures 13 and 14).

Successful debottle-necking after increasing the pump

power (Figure 15)
The new pump impeller increases the plant upstream pressure and
the power and noise as well.The old cage valve now generates 96
dB(A).There is no chance to keep the low noise level with the exist-
Fig. 14: Case Study 2: AC Trim System. The result of flow research (patent ing valve.The new valve with AC Trim System shows no cavitation at
pending) Natural low noise, dirt and vibration insensitive. Top and seat the operating point 380t/h 65 dB(A) and less cavitation < 85 dB(A)
guided low noise parabolic trim, no risk of stroke blocking. in the entire range of control. �

8 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 Control valve design aspects
for critical applications in
petrochemical plants – part II
By Dipl. Ing. Holger Siemers, SAMSON AG

4) Predictable troubles with control

This second section of Mr Holger Siemers article on control valve sizing in case of sub-critical flow
valve design and sizing continues on from part I, which can be conditions
found in the June 2004 issue of Valve World. This section It is well-known that sensitive valve sizing
areas exist with supercritical gases and slightly
presents information on design, size and use of severe service
sub-cooled or non-sub-cooled liquids (flash-
control valves, the kind of troubles that can be predicted with ing).Vapors and gases are calculated with the
control valve sizing as well as suggestions for troubleshooting isentropic exponent k as one of the property
control valve failures. The final section, part III, will be ready values. Some hydrocarbons, e.g. ethylene, are
near or above the “critical points t_ crit. and
and waiting in the upcoming October issue.
p_crit.” during the process.

Critical flow
Predictable
control instability,
if application data are near the
critical
point because of sudden change
of density and isentropic
exponent.

Not
critical flow
Incorrect result:
Cv calc = 81
xT = 0.2
at operating
point
wrong �=1.2
Correct result:

Cv calc= 59
with
� = 5.6 !

Range of � from
p1 = 60 to 70 bar and
t1 from
12 to 16 °C

Fig. 16: Sensitive sizing areas in case of supercritical flow “isentropic

exponent above the critical point” > 2

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 9

The sizing standard IEC 60534 2-1 includes an We would like to introduce this matter with application at the critical point of properties
information table with typical isentropic expo- the help of latest development in precise prop- by using the real isentropic exponent >> 2.
nents used for steam and gas sizing.The total erty calculation, published at the Ruhr Univer- This can have a negative influence on plant
range 1 < k < 2 is well-known for all com- sity of Bochum for more than 60 industrial safety valves and other devices. In the past, de-
pressible fluids. However, it is less-well-known gases and integrated into the vices for supercritical flows were oversized be-
that values 2 < k < 20 exist with supercritical CONVAL“ software. cause the wrong isentropic exponents and
fluids near and above the property critical The third case study shows tremendous sizing “choked flow limits” were used.We are inter-
point. differences in flow calculation for an ethylene ested to start an open discussion on how to de-
fine and handle this phenomenon and on how
to validate it with measurements.
1)*Red area: Planning error:
Loss of control quality at
operating point qmax,
see Fig. 18
Valve authority too small to
control qmax related to: SHELL
DEP 32.36.01.17.-GEN
2)*Red area: Selection error
Flashing with outlet velocities >
60 m/s, risk of mechanical
damage, pipe vibration. Larger
DN is recommended, if control <
Op2
3)Light red area: cavitation start
if xF > xFz
4)Red area: choked flow, max.
cavitation or flashing start,
if xF >Fl²

Fig. 19: Typical damage due to cavitation if

Fig. 17: Example of warning indicators in a hot water application to indicate the onset of cavitation
and flashing at smaller loads. If not controlled below Op2 no risk, if often control smaller loads pressure differential > 20 bar. Feedwater control
< Op2, valve DN too small. valve mismatched for start-up 70 to 1 bar.

*Red area: Planning error leads to reduced

control quality at operating point qmax
Valve authority Vdyn too small to control
qmax: CONVAL red area alarm if:
Vdyn= = dp_q90
Vdyn �p_q90 / �p_0 < 0,27;
/ dp_0 < 0,27;
qmax
qmax> >0,9q_100
0,9q_100

Input of one to three operating points.

Illogical characteristics can be corrected by
picking up an operating point and shifting
the point to the logical place. This helps to
avoid time-consuming plant system
pressure loss calculations. Fig. 20: Damage due
The red area shows here that Op. 1 is near
the max. plant system flow –short circuit to flashing if p2 << pv
performance- and the valve pressure drop and v2 >> 60 m/s.
Fig. 18: Dynamic plant system: – pressure versus flow-
*Red area: Planning error: Loss of control quality at operating point qmax. Valve authority too
small to control qmax. Optimised, following: SHELL DEP 32.36.01.17.-GEN (Design and
Engineering Practise)

1-Butene Diethylether Isohexan Pentane R125

Air Diisopropyl Isopentan Phenol R134a
Ammonia Dipropylether Krypton Propane R141b
Argon Ethane Methane Propylbenzol R142b
Benzene Ethylbenzol Methanol Propylene R143a
Butane Ethylene Natural gas SF6 R152a Fig. 21: Damage due to a rotary plug body due
Carbon Fluorine (AGA8) Toluene R218
to cavitation v2 >> 5 m/s.
monoxide Helium Neon Water R22
Carbon dioxide Heptane Neopentan Xenon R23
Fig. 22:
Chlorine Hexane Nitrogen R11 R32
Damage
Cyclohexane Hydrogen Nitrous oxide R113 R41
Cyclopentan Hydrogensulphi Nonane R12 due to
Cyclopropan de Octane R123 steam
Decane Isobutane Oxygen R124 pressure
letdown
Table 3: Available substances calculated with thermodynamic equations Ma >> 1.

10 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 the “Lehrstuhl für Thermodynamik Fakultät
für Maschinenbau der Ruhr-Universität
Bochum”
www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/themo/index-eng.htm
Flow divider STR I

Installation cost saving which results

to poor planning parameters
Detecting planning mistakes: qmax > 0.9
q100, �p at qmax too small. See Figure 18.
Flow divider STR III Silencer with multi-hole baffles Low noise valve, STR III + Silencer

5) Control valve failure and

Fig. 23: The simplified noise abatement system used for compressible fluids. troubleshooting.
Ranging from seat guided V-port to CFD opti-
Predictable troubles with control valve CONVAL calculates real thermodynamic mized trims and their applications.There are
sizing in case of flashing as well as in- flashing conditions with about sixty hydrocar- different solutions to avoid critical sound and
stallation cost saving which results in bons [see Table 3] and recommends the mini- mechanical valve failure (see Figures 19
poor planning parameters mum valve DN to avoid critical outlet veloci- through 22).This section introduces anti-cavi-
Figure 17 shows an example of warning indi- ties.The calculations resemble steam table tation valve trim designs [2] and noise attenua-
cators in a hot water application to indicate the mathematics.This is based on a reliable source,
onset of cavitation and flashing at smaller
loads. If not controlled below Op2 no risk, if 3 2 5 1 4 " w it h S p e c ia l P a r a b o lic P lu g C v s 1 2 0 e q p . ( S e a t d ia m e t e r 1 0 0 m m )
C o m p a r is o n o f T e s t a n d S iz in g R e s u lt s ( p 1 = 7 .5 5 b a r ( a ), p v = 0 .5 1 b a r (a ) )

often control smaller loads <Op2, valve DN 90

I n te r n a l n o is e te s t C v = 8 3
3251 DN 100 PN 40
Sb 100 AC II trim 1990-0293
Seat with 3 integrated baffles 1990-0293
P r e d ic t io n C v = 8 3

too small.
I n te r n a l n o is e te s t C v = 7 5
P r e d ic t io n C v = 7 5
I n te r n a l n o is e te s t C v = 1 6 85
80 P r e d ic t io n C v = 1 6
Aussenmessung kv 54
Aussenmessung kv 40
80 Aussenmessung kv 30 p1=11bar
70 Aussenmessung kv 20
Aussenmessung kv 10
75

LpA,a [dB(A)]
Lpe,a [dB(A)]

60

Low �p at qmax
70

50

High �p at qmin 65

40 60

55
30
0 0 ,1 0 ,2 0 ,3 0 ,4 0 ,5 0 ,6 0 ,7 0 ,8 0 ,9 1 0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1
x F [- ]
xF

AC Trim I System
Application with: Start up point AC Trim II System
Application with:
p1 [bar] 11 11 11
p2 [bar] 4 4 4
Application
Low with:
�p at qmax at qmin. Application with:
High �p at qmax pv [bar] 0.01 0.01 0.01
High �p at qmin Q [m^3/h] 30 108 144
High �p at qmin
Low �p at qmax Low �p at qmax rho [kg/m^3] 835 835 835
kv ges [m^3/h] 10.36 37.3 49.73
High �p at qmin High �p at qmin Lp [dB(A)] < 70 < 70 < 70
xF 0.64 0.64 0.64

Fig. 26: Case history: application with low �p Fig 27: Case history: application with high �p
at qmax and high �p at qmin. at qmax and high �p at qmin.
Troubleshooting for an acetic acid plant, Troubleshooting for a gasoline loading
replaciong a noisy cage valve >> 85 dB(A) at station at a refinery in Hamburg (Germany)
Fig. 24: AC Trim I System. a petrochemical plant in Hull (UK) with an AC with AC Trim II System and the requirement
Trim I System. The requirements were to to reduce SPL > 90 dB(A) to < 70 dB(A) in the
avoid cavitation in the range of control in entire range of control. XFz > 0.75 in the total
High �p at qmax
High �p at qmin case of corrosive fluids. XFz > 0.75 at critical range of control.
min. flow.

Globe valve XFz for valve XFz for valve Resistance to con- Vibration be-
type 75% load << 75% load tamination havior
Parabolic plug 0.25 to 0.35 clearly up to high poor for single-
0.8 guided plugs
Piston-balanced 0.25 to 0.35 up to 0.5 low good
plug with cage
V-port plug 0.25 to 0.35 up to 0.5 high excellent
Perforated plug 0.25 to 0.35 0.25 to 0.35 low good
AC Trim 0.35 to 0.5 clearly up to high good
System 0.85

Table 4: Different trim designs and their advantages and disadvantages in severe service
Fig. 25: AC Trim II System applications.

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 11

tion devices and discuss their advantages and tem , please see Figures 26 and 27. Further, In case of flashing conditions, the average out-
disadvantages as well as their application limits. Table 4 gives an overview of the advantages let velocity has to be calculated for the mix-
Note that too high velocities at the valve mov- and disadvantages of different trim designs. ture of liquid and wet steam or vapour. Severe
ing parts and at valve outlet are mainly pipe vibration and valve damage can be avoid-
responsible for valve failure especially where AC Trim III system multistage design ed if the valve outlet diameter restricts the
corrosive fluids are handled. The AC Trim III System is ideal for liquid outlet velocity to less than 60 m/s (average of
application to avoid cavitaion, wear and noise 0.7 Ma of mixture sonic speed). SAMSON has
SAMSON AG offers under strong limitations (see Figuire 28). Features include top and seat developed equations of state for flashing outlet
of valve outlet velocities and other parameters guided plug, vibration free and dirt-insensi- velocities used in CONVAL for all fluids in
the high performance V-port trim for general tive, with/without pressure balance, pressure Table 3. �
service; flow dividers I and III and downstream dfferential 25 up to 120 bar;AC Trim V Sys- To be continued.
low noise devices for gas and steam pressure tem-5 stages-120 bar < �p <200 bar. Three
letdown. See Figure 23. and five stages in the cv range from Cv =1 (3
If the V-port trim sound pressure level (SPL) is stages) to Cv=116 from DN 1 to DN 6 inch
not acceptable for liquid applications or cavita- in globe and angle type valves are used in case
tion and corrosion must be avoided in general, of severe cavitation problems e.g. high �p to-
the unique AC Trim System is recommended gether with a larger control range qmin to
(see Figures 24 and 25) with top and seat guid- qmax.Typical applications are feed-water
ed plug; it is vibration-free and dirt-insensitive. start-up valves, refinery valves, snow gun
The max. pressure differential 25 to 40 bar de- valves, injection valves, boiler applications,
pends on the fluid properties. For case histo- high pressure letdown service, etc.
ries of troubleshooting with the AC Trim sys-
Fig. 29: Flashing Photo SAMSON AG
6) The hidden valve enemy: Critical
test rig [2]
outlet velocities need to take priority
Beating “quick and dirty” sizing philosophies, if
selecting too small valve DN taking only the 2-phase flow at outlet condition
Thermodynamic throttling process
calculated Cv value into account. High flow
capacity valves (Cv/DN2 ) need to be selected
with care when critical operation conditions
are involved. Rule of thumb to avoid mix
phase flow: in case of pv equal or near to p1
avoid 20xDN any pipe restriction at valve up-
stream, no elbows, no manual valves, no pipe
reducers.
Sensitive sizing areas special valve DN selec-
tion by giving priority to the outlet velocity Fig. 30: The thermodynamic flashing process.
T = temperature; s = entropy; K = critical point.
condition of cavitation and flashing in liquid
application and gas and steam pressure let-
down, taking important piping parameters
Fig. 28: AC Trim III System. into account.

Valve design KC �pcrit,cav

[bar]
Single-stage globe valves with stellited or hardened valve plug and 0.7 25
seat
Single-stage globe valves with standard materials 0.7 15
Rotary plug valves (with eccentric spherical disk) 0.4 10
Butterfly and ball valves 0.2-0.3 5

Table 5: Recommendations to reduce cavitation erosion [2]. Using table 5 for non-corrosive liquids Fig. 31: Plant shutdown due to “quick and
with cavitation: XF>XFz dirty” sizing with 8 inch rotary plug valve and
• Outlet velocity should not exceed 2m/s to max 5m/s depends on valve design too small DN.
• Low vibration valve plug design like seat, cage or top and bottom guided plugs. Non-subcooled naphtha p1 = pv.
• Low cavitation erosion: �p < KC • (p1-pv) or �p < �pcrit,cav , if �p > KC • (p1-pv) ! The application requires a 12 inch valve to
• Cavitation erosion: �p > KC • (p1-pv) and �p > 25 bar -> multistage globe valves avoid the risk of sonic speed “choked flow” at
(like AC Trim III System) the valve outlet.

12 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 Control valve design aspects
for critical applications in
petrochemical plants – part III
By Dipl. Ing. Holger Siemers, SAMSON AG

7) Fugitive emissions philosophies for �V-Ring design

control valves �PTFE-carbon compound
�Spring loaded
It is interesting to compare the use of the bel- �Min. maintenance
-5
lows seal design versus low emission packing �Low-emission (10 mbar l/sec)
�Temperatures up to 220°C
material.The bellows seal design seems to �Over-tightening of the packing is
have been forgotten in international discus- not possible
sions and published papers, but it is still un- Fig. 32: Standard stuffing box design
beatable as regards its life cycle and tightness Tightness
quality. In the “world of valves” under the re- Core competence
quirements of fugitive emissions approximate- in manufacturing bellows seal:
Depth of the welding seams
ly 5% are control valves.
This means about 95% valves are on-off de- Low-emission packing
vices like gate, cock or ball valves. Most often,
The bellows
they remain static in the open or closed posi- geometry Life cycle
tion. Only a very small percentage are cycled Tightness
or part of a dynamic process. For the majority
of on-off valves that are equipped with bellows
seal, the bellows are designed only for some the dimensions and penetration depth of the welding
thousands cycles. Bellows seal

Control valves can be components of high dy- Fig. 33: Precise production of the bellows
namic processes with most valves controlling geometry seams is assured by testing macro Fig. 7.3 Life cycle comparison Life cycle
to a set point. Hence they move around the sections. Fig. 34: Life cycle comparison
operating point, with the valve stroke moving
Tolerable number of spans for
SAMSON stem tightening elements
Metal Test connection
bellows Pressure switch
100 for alarm signal
seal
Tolerable number of spans in [millions]

SAMSON tests (bellows seal)

Approximation (bellows seal)
PTFE packing
10 Graphite packing

0,1 within less than twenty per cent of the total

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 10
travel.Very occasionally they “sleep”.
Double amplitude [%]
Here, certified fugitive emission packing ma-
Fig. 35: Life cycle comparison in chemical plants with PTFE/graphite packing and bellows seal terial and design is sophisticated, but because

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 13

of the small production volume, expensive. Figure 36 shows a pressure balance cage re- High water volume and velocities are needed
Furthermore, the material loses its predicted tained seat globe valve that was destroyed by for proper dirt cleaning prior to the start-up
life cycle time in hazardous environments, i.e. lack of precautionary measures taken against process.
its sealing quality. dirt or lack of predictive maintenance.The Expensive circumference guided trims as well
Attacks from within the valve, e.g. fluids that pipeline not flushed enough prior to start-up as dirt-sensitive low-noise trims should be in-
contain glue or have diffusing qualities, and and the system lacked dirt filters. Maintenance stalled after the flushing process. For this pur-
from the outside of the valve such as heavy failed after the first body leakage due to the pose, the upstream pipeline should have a spe-
dust or sand, are risks which are much less top flange force being increased and the total cial “dead” t-bend for gathering dirt and parti-
critical when a bellows seal is used. set of seals not being replaced.The retainer cles at the lowest point.
will hit the piston if the expansion due to any The philosophy of the lowest cost of owner-
8) Actuator sizing philosophies temperature differences cannot be balanced ship, which takes control quality and reliability
The key discussion in this chapter centres out by the spiral wound and graphite sealing into account, results in the use of a pressure-
around the “strong actuator force” versus “low system (see Figure 37). balanced design on condition that the
actuator force pressure balance” sizing philoso- Smart positioners with additional sensors can strongest actuator is not available or does not
phy.This chapter also takes into account the take care of “operation friction” by functioning fit in the place of installation because of space
ranking of friction sources with globe valves as a watchdog. problems (see Figures 38 and 39).
and considers how to reduce wear, dirt sensi-
tivity as well as how to balance the initial cost
and the cost of ownership. Sources of high friction and “stick-
slip” effects in globe control valves:
Pressure balance trim design (except dou-
ble-seated valves)
Piston actuators

Sources of lower friction and

“stick-slip” effects in globe control
valves:
Stem sealing: graphite packing Fig 38:A less dirt-sensitive pressure-balanced
Stem sealing: fugitive emission packing plug design, with a rigid, sturdy, one-seal
system design and screwed-in seat.
Stem sealing: bellows seal packing +
PTFE packing
Stem sealing: PTFE packing

Sources of lowest friction effects in

globe control valves:
Unbalanced trim design
Pneumatic diaphragm actuators

Fig. 36 Damage on pressure balance cage Reliability and safety first

retained seat globe valve. The “lowest cost of ownership” philosophy
looks for strong actuator sizing without pres-
spiral wound and graphite
sure balance. Believing the process medium is
sealing system
clean is often wishful thinking. Proper installa-
es:
tion, including pipe-cleaning before the con-
trol valves are installed does not guarantee that
ves: the closed pipe system will be free of dirt and
solids on start-up.
As a precaution against dirt the following is
recommended: use and maintain steam traps
in proper function, temporary dirt filters dur- Fig. 39: Pneumatic diaphragm actuators, up to
ing commissioning are recommended until an effective diaphragm area of 5600 cm2, can
Fig. 37: Cage retained seat pressure balance max. load for the operating process is reached. offer a maximum initial spring force of 120 KN.
trim (4 seal design). Extend the time period for pipeline flushing. Photo shows also the author of this paper.

14 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 9) Control valve design and cost properly commissioned. Maintenance can de- and shutdown to atmosphere, the leak rate
philosophies for “high end” applica- velop into an important cost factor. amounts to 32.16 kg/hr = 772kg/day = 278
tions Rotary plug valves, butterfly control valves ton/year. If the product cost amounts to USD
In the past decades, upstream oil and gas ex- and ball control valves in valve sizes up to DN 1.20/kg, for example, the loss would be about
ploring processes and downstream hydrocar- 3000 and pressure ratings up to Class 2500 USD 300,000/year.
bon processing projects, involving refineries, equipped with standardized connections for The cage-retained seat design was developed
methanol plants, LNG storage, and transport the largest actuator and designed for the high- many decades ago at a very early stage in the
etc., have been expanding to provide higher est shutdown pressures are a good opportunity development of the oil and gas exploring and
flow capacities.The increasing demand for de- to save money in those “high end” applications. refining industries.As this traditional design
bottle-necking of existing plants and for dou- Today, demand for very low leak rates met by has remained largely unchanged, it is unable to
bling productivity of new plants are challeng- Class V acc. to IEC 534 Part 4 (metal-to-metal meet the economical and technical require-
ing plant and design engineers to look for eco- seating) are continuously increasing in com- ments placed on modern valves today (see Fig-
nomical solutions.The objective is to recycle parison with the traditional leak rate met by ure 40). Some traditional cage-style valve
and save–and not to double– energy consump- Class IV which is defined to be less than manufacturers are launching new products
tion, in order to meet more stringent environ- 0.01% of the nominal Cv 100 coefficient.To with screwed-in seats, but a proven sizing and
mental regulations. Further objectives are to achieve Class V sealing effectiveness using stan- sales philosophy remains paramount in ensur-
considerably reduce interior and exterior leak dard globe valves is a challenge for any valve ing an optimized balance between initial cost
rates, sound emission, as well as operating cost manufacturer, to achieve this leak class using a and cost of ownership.
and cost incurred by unpredictable shutdowns. pressure-balanced design is even a greater
This calls for larger control valves, which challenge and to achieve this leak class for
should have lowest seat leak rates without pressure-balanced valves at temperatures
higher sensitiveness against dirt. greater than 200 °C will increase the cost of
Traditional cage-balanced globe valves operate ownership and the risk of failures.The new
properly if the fluid does not contain any dirt considerably lower leak rates of Class V re-
or solids and if temperature fluctuations as quire the fine tuning of the tolerance system,
well as piping forces do not attack the sophisti- increasing the sensitivity to dirt and tempera-
cated tolerance system of the balanced design. ture fluctuations.
But in larger nominal sizes they can lead to ex- Today end users are becoming aware that larg-
treme initial and operating cost. Failures like er cage-style valves require a high number of
poor control from increasing friction parame- expensive spare parts. For example, when as- Pressure-balanced, axial
ters as well as jamming and blocking can result suming an 8 inch globe flare valve with flow valve
if dirt filters, steam traps, pipe force compen- cv=775, Class IV trim = 0.01% Cv, hydrocar- This perforated trim design is
not suitable for the existing
sation devices, etc, are not installed or im- bon fluid as process medium, 362 psig, 392 °F, process conditions.

Fig 41: Insufficient commissioning and poor

cleaning and flushing of the pipeline.

In contrast to larger cage-balanced globe

valves, which pose cost problems when used in
high-end applications, rotary plug valves, high-
performance double eccentric butterfly valves
and triple eccentric butterfly valves used in se-
vere service applications, as well as ball valves
also available in a low-noise design are eco-
nomical and reliable solutions without loss of
performance.
In the past decades, these butterfly valves have
developed from a single to a double eccentric
design in order to improve control quality by
reducing the breakaway torque.Though the
sealing elements became highly sophisticated,
they could not achieve Class V sealing effec-
tiveness on a long-term basis under severe op-
erating conditions e.g. high temperature fluc-
Fig. 40:To believe that the fluid is clean is often wishful thinking. tuations.

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 15

SAMSON AG and its associated companies
VETEC, PFEIFFER, and LEUSCH offer ad-
vanced technologies with unique design fea-
tures for various severe requirements: e.g. abra-
sive and contaminated fluids, high shutdown
pressures, lowest interior and exterior leak
rates, quick-action, on-off, and control func-
tions, as well as expensive alloys like Monel,
Hastelloy, titanium, zirconium, duplex, etc. Fig A: Option: the two exchangeable sealing Fig B: Exchangeable sealing element at valve
On option, the triple eccentric design of LTR elements are available as spare parts. body In case of seat damage the disk has to
43 series, is available with an increased range- be changed.
ability of 1 to 100 and in a low-noise and anti-
cavitation version. (See Figures 44 and 45.)
The triple eccentric butterfly valve series of-
fers exchangeable seat elements, laminated
and full metal rings optimized for low break-
away torques and is able to achieve the sealing
effectiveness class V (metal-to-metal seating)
on a long-term basis. In case of seat damage,
both seat elements can be easily replaced. Fig. D: Low-noise butterfly valve versions
Fig. C: Special baffle ring used to increase can reduce the sound pressure level by
Principle of triple eccentric seat design the rangeability > 1:100 about 15 dB(A)
(cone/cone).
In case of temperature fluctuations, the disk Fig. 44: LTR 43 options for special demands
balances the material expansion by moving
slightly to a new sealing line. (See Figure 42.)
Acquiring the expertise necessary to manufac-
ture a highly sophisticated triple eccentric
valve takes many years

Fig. A: Low-noise versions: Single multi-hole Fig. B: Five-stage multi-hole inline silencer for
disk for sound reduction by 5 -7 dB(A) at sound reduction by 7-10 dB(A) at qmax (set
qmax (set point control). point control).

Fig. 42: LTR 43 triple eccentric design

(cone/cone)

Fig. D: Three-stage multi-hole inline silencer

Fig. C: Multi-stage multi-hole inline silencer for sound reduction by 10 –15 dB(A) at qmin
for sound reduction by 10 –15 dB(A) at qmin (start up) and downstream silencer for sound
(start up). reduction at qmax..

Fig. 45: LTR 43 low-noise versions for liquid applications. The design illustrated in Figure C combined
Fig. 43 LTR 43 triple eccentric seat ring with a downstream silencer in Figure D improves the anti-cavitation characteristic in the entire control
manufactured by LEUSCH to achieve a range. Economical Class V and low noise solution, if no suitable globe valve is available.
rangeability of 1 to 100.

16 www.valve-world.net Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004

 Low-noise ball valves can be used if no eco- Non-pressure-balanced globe control valves engineered expertly for critical applications,
nomical globe valve solution is available and are the first choice to ensure plant reliability in such as cavitation and flashing, taking the influ-
sound reduction > 15 dB(A) to 25 dB(A) is re- most applications.The low-noise features of ence of reducers and lower limits of critical
quired (see Figures 46 and 47).Typical applica- globe valves are unbeatable in term of sound outlet velocities into account.
tions include: reduction by up to 40 dB(A) in comparison The new triple eccentric butterfly valve tech-
TM
Flow control for loading arms in terminals with low-noise rotary valves, which only nology and low-noise cage-ball valve design
Pump discharge or start up system achieve a sound reduction by up to 25 dB(A). can meet customer needs even in “high end”
Partial throttling, transmission line and by-pass From a cost-saving point of view (investment applications where no globe valve solutions are
Anti-surge; surge relief and maintenance costs) globe valve solutions available.
Depressurization, equalization, venting, blow of large DN can easily lead to a cost explosion. Triple eccentric control butterfly valves are
down switching High-capacity rotary valves are more cost ef- available in sizes up to DN 3000 and in pres-
Cavity (Taverne) loading and unloading fective if smaller valve sizes are chosen within sure ratings up to Class 2500. Using powerful
Demand of double flow direction e.g. off- an acceptable range of non-critical outlet ve- quarter-turn actuators, high shutdown pres-
shore platform shipping; low noise pressure locities. sures can be achieved within Class V in a wide
swinging application PSA. Rotary valves must be selected carefully and temperature range.
In contrast to the traditional cage
globe valves, the new high-per-
formance butterfly/ball valve
program is a promising solution
to cutting cost for projects in the
HPI market. �

Literature
1. Baumann H. Control Valve
Primer, -Chapter Saving Energy-
ISBN 1-55617-323-7.
2. Dr. Kiesbauer J.: Control valves
for critical applications.
100 Hydrocarbon Processing, June
80 2000
Valve World Conference 2002,
60
Advanced Conference
Cv

40
Programme P2002, Maastricht,
20
Netherlands.
0 3. Dipl. Ing. Siemers H.: Valve
0 20 40 60 80 100

% OPENING
World Conference 2002,
Advanced Conference
Fig. 46: Low-noise ball valves, ball titanium and titanium oxide coated Programme P2003, Maastricht,
Netherlands.

TM
Fig. 47: Cage ball valve design for
sound pressure reduction by up to 25
dB(A). Features include low noise anti-
surge control ball valve with
downstream silencer; Cv > 1000; Leak
class V (metal-to-metal seating);
stroking time opening < 1 second; TM
Cage ball , Trademark
sound reduction up to 25 dB(A). Pibiviesse Spa, Nerviano, MI, Italy

Special print from „Valve World“, June 2004 www.valve-world.net 17

 2004-09 DR · WA 142 EN

SAMSON CONTROLS INC. · 4111 Cedar Boulevard · Baytown · Texas · USA · 77520-8588
Tel. (281) 383-3677 · Telefax (281) 383-3690 · www.samsoncontrols.com
SAMSON CONTROLS INC. · 1-105 Riviera Drive · Markham · Ontario · Canada · L3R 5J7
Tel. (905) 474-0354 · Telefax (905) 474-0998 · www.samsoncontrols.com