Fluid Flow Through Valves

PT.
Antogus Bona Sere (ABS)
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 There are two distinct aspects to fluid flow through valves. First, there is the effect of the position of the flow control element on the flow
rate through the valve when it is partially open. Second, there is the resistance to fluid flow of the valve when it is completely open.
VALVE FLOW CHARACTERISTICS
 The flow characteristic of a valve is the relationship between the position of its flow control element and the rate of fluid flow through the
valve. Therefore, the flow characteristic is determined by the type and design of the valve.
 Inherent valve flow characteristics are determined by flow tests in which the decrease in pressure across the valve is kept constant. The
test results are plotted as curves on graphs in which flow control element position and flow rate are shown as percentages of their
maximums. Figure 11-1 is a plot of the three common valve flow characteristics: quick-opening, linear, and equal percentage. The quick-
opening characteristic produces large changes in flow rate at the start of flow control element travel, and then progressively smaller
changes until the valve is completely open. The linear characteristic produces changes in flow rate that are directly proportional to flow
control element position for the full range of flow control element travel. With the equal percentage characteristics, equal increments of
flow control element travel produce equal percentage changes in flow rate. Stated another way: the change in flow rate is proportional to
the flow rate at the start of the change.
 To illustrate the equal percentage characteristic, consider the equal percentage flow characteristics curve in Figure 11-1. The curve
shows that changing the flow control element position from 40% open to 60% open (a 20% increment) produces a change in flow rate
from 12% of maximum to 24% of maximum a 100% increase. Changing the flow control element position from 60% open to 80% open
(also a 20% increment) produces a change in flow rate from 24% of maximum to 48% of maximum again, a 100% increase.
 The flow characteristic exhibited by a valve when it is in a pipeline (known as the installed flow characteristic) deviates somewhat from
the inherent characteristics shown, because decrease in pressure across the valve varies with flow and other changes in the piping
system. In general, the closer the valve is to being fully open, the less effect its flow control element position has on flow rate.
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 Valves exhibiting the linear flow characteristic and the equal percentage flow characteristic are preferred for use in flow regulation
(called throttling) applications. With these characteristics, reasonably accurate predictions of flow rate can be made from flow control
element position overall, or at least for most of the entire range of flow control element travel. Of the valves used in throttling service,
the globe valve has a linear characteristic, the lined butterfly valve has an equal percentage characteristic, and high-performance
butterfly and diaphragm valves have characteristics that fall between the linear and equal percentage characteristics.
 The quick-opening flow characteristic is found on valves used primarily as stop valves, such as gate and ball valves.
VALVE FLOW RESISTANCE

At the beginning of this chapter it was noted that the resistance to flow of a valve is one component of the total resistance to flow in a
pipeline. In Chapters 2-8, references have been made to the resistance to flow of the different types and designs of valves. In this
section we show how such resistance to flow can be quantified and make some comparisons of flow resistance between different
valve types.
The fluid flowing through a piping system loses energy because of following effects:
 Pipe friction, which is a function of the inner surface roughness of the pipe, pipe size, and
fluid properties.
 Changes in flow direction caused by elbows, returns, and tees.
 Changes in pipe cross-section caused by reducers.
 Obstructions to flow caused by valves, strainers, and so on.
Loss of energy is manifested by a decrease in fluid pressure. Fluid pressure is usually expressed as pounds per square inch (psi)
or as feet of "head." A foot of head exerts a pressure equal to that produced by the weight of a column of the flowing fluid one foot
high. Pressure and head are related by the equation
Piping designers often use head to express pressure because it is easy to incorporate the changes in elevation that a typical piping
system goes through.
Using head, decrease in fluid pressure caused by pipe friction can be expressed by the equation
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 Research has shown that the friction factor is a function of the inner surface roughness and diameter of the pipe, and of the fluid
velocity, density, and viscosity. Graphs developed to show the relationships among these variables are used to determine the friction
factor in a particular case.
 Equation (2) is valid for all fluids, both incompressible (e.g., water and oil) and compressible (e.g., steam and gases). Because of
changes in the fluid density of compressible fluids, however, when the change in the decrease of pressure exceeds 40% of the inlet
pressure, more complex equations incorporating fluid density corrections are required.
Also using head, decrease in pressure caused by valves, obstructions, changes in flow direction, and changes in pipe
crosssection can be expressed by the equation
where K is a dimensionless resistance coefficient. The Valve Resistance Coefficient is a function of valve geometry and therefore is
constant for all conditions of flow. The Resistance Coefficient varies somewhat with the size of the valve owing to unavoidable changes
in geometry. However, because that variation is much less than the variation between valve types and designs, for comparison
purposes, the resistance coefficient will be considered to be constant for all sizes. Comparing Equations (2) and (3), it can be seen that
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Consequently, by using an appropriate friction factor, Equation (5) can be used to calculate the length of straight pipe of the
appropriate diameter that would be equivalent to any valve for which a resistance coefficient has been determined.
 It has been found convenient for some types of valves, particularly those used in throttling applications, to express flow
characteristics in terms of the Flow Coefficient Cv. The flow coefficient of a valve is defined as the volume of water at 60°F, in
gallons per minute (gpm), that will flow through the valve at a decrease in pressure of 1 psi across the valve. The volume of flow
for other fluids and other pressure differentials can be found by using the equation
By using this equation the Flow Coefficient can also be used to calculate the decrease in pressure across the valve for different
volumes of flow and for fluids other than water. By using Equations (1), (3), and (6) and the relationship
where A is the flow passage area in square feet, it can be shown that valve Flow Coefficients and Resistance Coefficients are
related by the equations
From these equations we see that the larger the Resistance Coefficient, the smaller the Flow Coefficient, and vice versa.
Valve manufacturers conduct flow resistance tests on their products and publish the results in their catalogs. The results are
presented in one of the forms discussed previously: Resistance Coefficient, equivalent pipe length, or Flow Coefficient. These data
are used by piping designers when determining the best size for a piping system, and by others in cases in which the flow rate or
the decrease in pressure across a valve is a consideration in selecting the appropriate valve for a particular application. By using
Equations (4), (5), (8), and (9), data from different manufacturers in the different forms can be converted to a single form to enable
comparison.
 Typical values of Resistance Coefficients, equivalent lengths, and Flow Coefficients for some of the different valve types are listed
in Tables 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3. It should be remembered when examining these data that they are based on fully open valves.
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 Note that the values in Tables 11-1 to 11-3 are not exactly the same as they would be if only the equations presented above were
used to calculate them. Actual manufacturers' published values have been used wherever possible. Also, differences in design from
one manufacturer to another can cause variations in resistance values for a specific valve type. Regardless of the source of the
values shown above, they are of appropriate magnitude to enable reasonable comparison between valve types.

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PT.

Antogus Bona Sere (ABS)

VALVE FLOW RESISTANCE

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