Severe Service Valves - : Common Problems and Their Solutions

Australasian Boilers & HRSG Users Group Conference,
Oct 30 – Nov 2 2019, Brisbane, Australia
Severe Service Valves –

Common Problems and Their Solutions
Sanjay V. Sherikar, Principal Engineer

Nihon KOSO Co., Ltd.
Topics
 The need to discuss this subject
 Common valve problems in severe service
 Problem sources
 Solutions/ Strategies
©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

Koso is global
Company history
50+ years of quality valve & control components supply
 1965: Business established as control valve manufacturing
company in Japan
 1979: Established manufacturing company in Korea
 1986: DRAG® technology license with Control Components Inc. (USA)
 1993: Acquired Rexa Inc. electro-hydraulic actuators, USA
 2001: Established Koso manufacturing in India
 2005: Acquired Kent Introl choke & control valves, UK
 2007: Established sales offices in France, Russia, UAE, etc.
 2010: Acquired Yoneki Valve, gate valves, Japan
 2014: Established new factory in Nasik India and new foundry in Wuxi China
 2018: Acquired Parcol (Italy)
 2019: 1500+ employees; 1,100,000 installed valves & controls
The need to discuss this subject
 Control valve problems continue to plague many power
stations
 Most of these valve problems are in severe service
applications
 Valve-related losses typically result in 1 – 5 %
performance penalty in steam plants
 Heat Rate
 Loss in MW-capacity
 Production loss, MW-hrs
 Other invisible losses

Common Problem in Severe Service Valves

Common severe service problems
Pipe Trim and

Vibration Body Wear
Downstream
Noise Piping Erosion
High
Poor
Maintenance
Control
Cost
System Lost
Shutdown Production

Source of Problems
 The root causes in the case of severe service valves

generally can be traced to one (or more) of the following:
 Specification/ Selection
 Sizing/ Design
 Assembly/ Set-up/ Calibration
 Operation/ Control
 Maintenance

Damage From Cavitation

Trim and Actuator damage
 Truly eliminating valve problems

requires an adequate understanding
of the underlying physics

Out-of-date solutions & fixes
 Harder materials
 Heavier pipe walls
 Downstream diffusers
 Acoustic lagging
 Silencers
 Housing around valve
 Added piping structural support
 Continuous repair or replacement
11 ©2017 KOSO. All rights

reserved
Industry experience
 Incorrect selection is a major contributor to problems
in severe service valves:
 Excessive fluid velocity/ kinetic energy in the flow-path
 Cavitation (liquids)
 High vibration and noise
 Premature erosion in the valve
 Leakage when shut
 Insufficient actuator capability
 Leakage when shut
 Poor control

Pressure reduction in control valves
Throttling causes velocity at the vena contracta (point of
constriction) to increase ⇒ a consequent decrease in pressure
locally.
P1
PRESSURE Vvc
PRESSURE
RECOVERY
VELOCITY P2
V1
V2
Pvc

Liquid service, cavitation condition
Vvc
P1
PRESSURE
vibration, erosion,
noise threshold PRESSURE
RECOVERY
VELOCITY P2
V1
V2
VAPOR PRESSURE
Pvc

Control valve Selection & Sizing
 "Control Valves - Practical

Guides for Measurement and
Control”, Guy Borden, Jr., © 1998
 Provides excellent guidelines for
sizing & selecting severe service
control valves.
 Key elements
 Control of Trim exit velocity
(kinetic energy)
 Shutoff thrust loads of leak-
tightness when shut

Criteria for control valve trim exit velocity
Kinetic Energy Equivalent Water

Service Conditions Criteria Velocity
psi kPa ft/s m/s
Continuous Service, Single-phase Fluids 70 480 100 30
Cavitating and Multi-phase Fluid Flow 40 275 75 23
Vibration-sensitive System 11 75 40 12
Trim outlet kinetic energy criteria :

ρ = valve trim exit fluid density
V = valve trim exit fluid velocity
gc = gravitational constant
EXCESSIVE VELOCITY HEAD WILL RESULT IN UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF VIBRATION AND

NOISE, AND PRE-MATURE EROSION IN THE VALVE

Velocity at the trim outlet, not valve outlet
Trim Outlet Valve Outlet

Velocity Velocity
(correct) (not correct)
Velocity control principle
P1
ΔP
P2
Multi-stage pressure Single stage pressure

drop drop

Velocity control valve
P1
PRESSURE
vibration, erosion,
noise threshold
VELOCITY V2
V1
P2
VAPOR PRESSURE

Velocity control principle

Achieving Multi-stage Pressure Drop
 A tortuous flow-path consisting of a series of 90º turns

 Divides high pressure drop into many small steps and
controls fluid velocity

Velocity control disk stack
Stacked
Disks
End
Plate
Seat
Gaskets Seat
Ring

Velocity control valve assembly

Achieving Fine Control of Process
 Fineness of process control depends on

 Valve trim characteristics
 Actuator resolution
 Control logic
 Stable response to signal changes
 Reaching the new position in response to a signal
change without hunting
 Quick response to small signal changes
 Critical for many applications – needs to be addressed
to prevent hunting

Achieving Fine Control of Process
 Trim
 Cv versus stroke characterization
 Gain
 Change in gain
 Stroke length
(“Velocity control” trims generally have longer strokes
which is beneficial)
 Hydraulically balanced trim responds better to
transients (compared to unbalanced trim)

Achieving long-term tight shutoff
 Shutoff class required depends on the application

 Class IV is typically the minimum required for severe
service valves (e.g. drum level control valves)
 Class V or MSS SP-61 is required in some applications
(e.g. turbine bypass, spraywater control, BFP Recirc)
 Tight shutoff has to be repeatable, reliable and long-
term
 Sealing surfaces must be protected from premature
damage … solution is “velocity control”
 Requires high thrust for seating, for example:
300 PLI for class IV (PLI = Pounds per Lineal Inch)
500 PLI for class IV
1000 PLI for MSS SP-61 (for DP < 3000 psi-d)
Solutions/ Strategies

Source of Problems
 The root causes in the case of severe service valves

generally can be traced to one (or more) of:
 Specification/ Selection
 Sizing/ Design
 Assembly/ Set-up/ Calibration
 Operation/ Control
 Maintenance

Begin with a good specification
 A good specification is the first step towards ensuring

good performance in the field.
 Adequate definition of the operating envelope –
 Enough pressure drop for control
 minimum flow, normal and maximum
 Minimal overcapacity - no more than what is absolutely
required
 Overcapacity is not required in some applications
 Correctly sized inlet and outlet pipes
 Use valve rating appropriate for the application

New Valves
 Define specific desirable features in the specification

 Angle vs Globe body
 Based on application, piping layout … etc.
 Quick-change trim (for ease of maintenance)
 No welded-in or screwed-in seat rings
 Bolted bonnet (for ease of maintenance)
 Actuator type
 Orientation (vertical is for ease of maintenance)
 …

Existing valves –
 Eliminate root cause of the problems
 Use the current/ actual operating conditions
 Valve body sub-assembly
 Modify/ upgrade or replace (internals)
 New valve
 Actuator/ controls
 Modify/ upgrade or replace
 New actuator
 System (outside of the valve envelope)
 Make modification as required

Assembly/ Set-up/ Calibration
 Follow good engineering practices
 Cleanliness of the working fluid, air supply, and during
assembly and re-assembly
 Follow Installation/ Operations Manuals from the OEM
 Use OEM parts (or, from a party that has a strong
technology foundation)
 Ensure that the full actuator thrust acts on the seat
when the valve is shut
 Use of competent staff to handle the specific equipment
 Training

Operation & Control

 Operation of the valve close to the seat should be
avoided – the valve should be modified or replaced if
necessary in such cases
 Seek expert advice if frequent operator intervention is
required for control
 Maintain a periodic monitoring routine for performance
evaluation – use OEM or other outside expert advice
 Flag any abnormal behavior … early intervention can
help avoid bigger problems later
 Training

Maintenance
 Ensure cleanliness during assembly and re-assembly,
and of the air supply
 Follow Installation/ Operations Manuals from the OEM
 Use OEM parts (or, from a well-established source that
is recognized for severe service valve technology)
 Use of competent/ trained technicians to handle the
specific equipment
 Establish a periodic monitoring routine for performance
evaluation
 Training

Summary
 Severe service valve problems can be avoided.
 Requires the necessary due diligence from the
specification stage to attention once in service.
 When problems occur, they are worth solving and can

be solved.
 Requires proper identification of the root causes
 Eliminating the root causes
 Training at every level is important for preventing

severe service valve problems
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Australasian Boilers & HRSG Users Group Conference,

Oct 30 – Nov 2 2019, Brisbane, Australia

Severe Service Valves –

Sanjay V. Sherikar, Principal Engineer

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

Pipe Trim and

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 The root causes in the case of severe service valves

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 Truly eliminating valve problems

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

11 ©2017 KOSO. All rights

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 "Control Valves - Practical

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

Kinetic Energy Equivalent Water

Cavitating and Multi-phase Fluid Flow 40 275 75 23

Trim outlet kinetic energy criteria :

EXCESSIVE VELOCITY HEAD WILL RESULT IN UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF VIBRATION AND

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

Trim Outlet Valve Outlet

Multi-stage pressure Single stage pressure

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 A tortuous flow-path consisting of a series of 90º turns

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 Fineness of process control depends on

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 Shutoff class required depends on the application

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 The root causes in the case of severe service valves

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 A good specification is the first step towards ensuring

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 Define specific desirable features in the specification

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 Follow good engineering practices

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

©2019 - KOSO. All rights reserved.

 When problems occur, they are worth solving and can

 Training at every level is important for preventing

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