Development of Control Valves
Jun 20, 2024
1.1 Development and current status of control valves internationally
As early as the ancient Roman period, people began using a copper plug valve in waterways. Throughout the 19th century, control valves developed alongside the development of the steam age. In 1880, Fisher invented a self-operated control valve, currently considered the earliest control valve and pump regulator. Fisher Controls was founded to produce this valve. In 1907, these regulators were used in many power plants in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the early 20th century, control valves were primarily ball types. In 1930, Foxboro's valve samples included products with V-shaped channels and equal percentage flow characteristics. In the 1940s, angle control valves regulated high-pressure media; diaphragm control valves regulated corrosive media, and butterfly valves regulated large-flow media. In the 1950s and 1960s, three-way control valves were primarily used for proportioning appeared. Then, sleeve control valves appeared, which are not only suitable for working conditions with large pressure differences but also alleviate force imbalance, reducing noise in the working environment. In the 1970s, sleeve control valves were widely used in various fields of industrial control.
In the 1980s, Japan's CV3000 series valves and precision small control valves were the greatest contributions of this era. The overall principle and structure of the control valve have not changed. A multi-spring diaphragm actuator was utilized instead of a single-spring pneumatic diaphragm actuator. The main advantage is that the weight and height of the control valve are reduced, giving it good sealing, low cost, high flow capacity, and large pressure difference. Camflex valves emerged. Camflex valves have structural advantages of both ball valves and butterfly valves. With the development of industrial automation, the requirements for valve control accuracy have gradually increased and microprocessors have been widely used; various intelligent electrical valve positioners have emerged.
1.2 The development history of control valves in China
The control valve manufacturing industry in China began relatively late. In the 1960s, China began to imitate various types of valves, then formed a whole series of valve models through standardization. In the early stage of imitation, due to a weak industrial foundation, it was difficult to maintain stable machining. There were serious valve leakages, though they could still meet the industrial control accuracy of the time. With the improvement of automation and large-scale industrial process control of production equipment, accuracy requirements became increasingly stringent.
As China began to introduce large-scale petroleum refining equipment, it also introduced some regulating valves, such as balanced cage sleeve valves and camflex valves. With the introduction of technology, the research, development, and manufacturing of regulating valves in China also opened a new chapter. In the late 1970s, China began to produce camflex valves and other products. In the 1980s, following the pace of reform and opening up, some Chinese control valve manufacturers carried out technical cooperation with well-known foreign valve manufacturers, and China entered the era of Sino-foreign joint venture valve manufacturing. Since then, China’s control valves has significantly improved in terms of categories, quality and stability, such as sleeve valves, cam flex valves, and small-diameter single seated control valves. With the expansion of valve applications, the requirements for actuators also increased. Various electro-hydraulic actuators, cylinder actuator structures, and long-stroke actuators were developed to meet the requirements of special working conditions such as large torque and long stroke.
In 1990, on the basis of introducing and absorbing foreign technology, control valve manufacturers made some innovations of their own. Joint venture valves experienced rapid development and contributed to solving difficult problems in China's control valve field, meeting the requirements for various Chinese working conditions. At the beginning of the 21st century, valve accessories also developed significantly. Intelligent valve positioners were used instead of traditional electrical valve positioners, and they began to be used in some newly built devices in China. The application of intelligent valve positioners has significantly improved the control parameters of valves. Major problems were solved in the development history of control valves.
With the enlarge scale of industrial equipment, the control valve faced problems such as large pressure difference before and after, and a significant increase in flow coefficient. The unbalanced force caused by excessive pressure differences leads to severe valve vibration, shortened service life, significant increases in valve noise, and prominent internal leakages. The unbalanced force of the valve core and valve seat of ordinary single-seat valves increases significantly, and the pressure difference before and after the valve continues to increase, failing to meet stable control requirements. As a result, the sleeve valve with a balanced cage valve core came into being. Due to the increased valve diameter and pressure difference before and after the valve, control valve noise became an important cause of industrial noise pollution. To solve this problem, different valve manufacturers have developed many internal components for valve noise reduction, such as improving the internal flow path of the valve and using labyrinth pressure reducing valve core. To adapt to special working conditions such as high temperature, low temperature, and strictly prohibited leakage in the field of industrial control, valves have been designed with high-temperature and low-temperature elongated covers, bellows seal covers for anti-leakage conditions, and pipe clamp valves, among other specialized types.
The development of the control valve manufacturing industry is a process of continuously improving product quality, saving energy consumption, and further subdividing product types. The control valve has developed alongside the manufacturing industry, and its application in the field of industrial control has become more convenient and stable. Not only are the selection calculations of control valves more in line with actual circulation conditions, but the flow paths within the control valve, the valve core and valve seat materials, and the matching errors of the various components are also becoming significantly convenient for maintenance and assembly, making them increasingly widely used in the industrial field.
As early as the ancient Roman period, people began using a copper plug valve in waterways. Throughout the 19th century, control valves developed alongside the development of the steam age. In 1880, Fisher invented a self-operated control valve, currently considered the earliest control valve and pump regulator. Fisher Controls was founded to produce this valve. In 1907, these regulators were used in many power plants in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the early 20th century, control valves were primarily ball types. In 1930, Foxboro's valve samples included products with V-shaped channels and equal percentage flow characteristics. In the 1940s, angle control valves regulated high-pressure media; diaphragm control valves regulated corrosive media, and butterfly valves regulated large-flow media. In the 1950s and 1960s, three-way control valves were primarily used for proportioning appeared. Then, sleeve control valves appeared, which are not only suitable for working conditions with large pressure differences but also alleviate force imbalance, reducing noise in the working environment. In the 1970s, sleeve control valves were widely used in various fields of industrial control.
In the 1980s, Japan's CV3000 series valves and precision small control valves were the greatest contributions of this era. The overall principle and structure of the control valve have not changed. A multi-spring diaphragm actuator was utilized instead of a single-spring pneumatic diaphragm actuator. The main advantage is that the weight and height of the control valve are reduced, giving it good sealing, low cost, high flow capacity, and large pressure difference. Camflex valves emerged. Camflex valves have structural advantages of both ball valves and butterfly valves. With the development of industrial automation, the requirements for valve control accuracy have gradually increased and microprocessors have been widely used; various intelligent electrical valve positioners have emerged.
1.2 The development history of control valves in China
The control valve manufacturing industry in China began relatively late. In the 1960s, China began to imitate various types of valves, then formed a whole series of valve models through standardization. In the early stage of imitation, due to a weak industrial foundation, it was difficult to maintain stable machining. There were serious valve leakages, though they could still meet the industrial control accuracy of the time. With the improvement of automation and large-scale industrial process control of production equipment, accuracy requirements became increasingly stringent.
As China began to introduce large-scale petroleum refining equipment, it also introduced some regulating valves, such as balanced cage sleeve valves and camflex valves. With the introduction of technology, the research, development, and manufacturing of regulating valves in China also opened a new chapter. In the late 1970s, China began to produce camflex valves and other products. In the 1980s, following the pace of reform and opening up, some Chinese control valve manufacturers carried out technical cooperation with well-known foreign valve manufacturers, and China entered the era of Sino-foreign joint venture valve manufacturing. Since then, China’s control valves has significantly improved in terms of categories, quality and stability, such as sleeve valves, cam flex valves, and small-diameter single seated control valves. With the expansion of valve applications, the requirements for actuators also increased. Various electro-hydraulic actuators, cylinder actuator structures, and long-stroke actuators were developed to meet the requirements of special working conditions such as large torque and long stroke.
In 1990, on the basis of introducing and absorbing foreign technology, control valve manufacturers made some innovations of their own. Joint venture valves experienced rapid development and contributed to solving difficult problems in China's control valve field, meeting the requirements for various Chinese working conditions. At the beginning of the 21st century, valve accessories also developed significantly. Intelligent valve positioners were used instead of traditional electrical valve positioners, and they began to be used in some newly built devices in China. The application of intelligent valve positioners has significantly improved the control parameters of valves. Major problems were solved in the development history of control valves.
With the enlarge scale of industrial equipment, the control valve faced problems such as large pressure difference before and after, and a significant increase in flow coefficient. The unbalanced force caused by excessive pressure differences leads to severe valve vibration, shortened service life, significant increases in valve noise, and prominent internal leakages. The unbalanced force of the valve core and valve seat of ordinary single-seat valves increases significantly, and the pressure difference before and after the valve continues to increase, failing to meet stable control requirements. As a result, the sleeve valve with a balanced cage valve core came into being. Due to the increased valve diameter and pressure difference before and after the valve, control valve noise became an important cause of industrial noise pollution. To solve this problem, different valve manufacturers have developed many internal components for valve noise reduction, such as improving the internal flow path of the valve and using labyrinth pressure reducing valve core. To adapt to special working conditions such as high temperature, low temperature, and strictly prohibited leakage in the field of industrial control, valves have been designed with high-temperature and low-temperature elongated covers, bellows seal covers for anti-leakage conditions, and pipe clamp valves, among other specialized types.
The development of the control valve manufacturing industry is a process of continuously improving product quality, saving energy consumption, and further subdividing product types. The control valve has developed alongside the manufacturing industry, and its application in the field of industrial control has become more convenient and stable. Not only are the selection calculations of control valves more in line with actual circulation conditions, but the flow paths within the control valve, the valve core and valve seat materials, and the matching errors of the various components are also becoming significantly convenient for maintenance and assembly, making them increasingly widely used in the industrial field.
