Process Control Valves & Actuators

What are the Goals?

By the end of this Process Control Valves & Actuators training course, participants should be able to:

• Comprehend valve operation
• Understand and appreciate assorted common valve types
• Size and select the correct valve set (including actuators), suited to each specific application
• Choose suitable positioners, based on prevailing conditions
• Use multiple techniques to tune a valve-controlled process

Who is this Training Course for?

It is irrelevant whether delegate valve knowledge and experience ranges from novice to advanced. The training course starts from first principles, and builds up, with the emphasis on delegate participation. Instructor guidance is delivered on a personal level, and delegates are encouraged to ask as many questions as necessary.

This Process Control Valves & Actuators training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Instrumentation, electrical, mechanical, process and maintenance engineers, specialists and staff
• Management
• Design teams
• Budgeting and financial staff
• Team leaders, supervisors and foremen

Daily Agenda

Day One: Introduction and Theory

• Control valve purpose and principles
• Flow conditions and pressure drops inside a valve
• Control valve and actuator signals
• Types of flow, Reynold numbers, vortices, gas vs liquid flow, Cv, Choked flow, etc.
• Cavitation and flashing
• Valve classification, associated hardware and an introduction to valve types 

Day Two: Valve Specifics, Characteristics and Sizing

• Continuation of valve types
• Valve selection and valves in P&IDs
• Valve leakage
• Valve characteristics (including equal percentage, linear, etc.)
• The relationship between inherent versus installed characteristics
• Calculations pertaining to valve sizing for a liquid application 

Day Three: Actuators, Positioners, Trims, Maintenance and Safety

• Valve sizing, using software
• Actuators, and the choices available
• Valve positioners
• Cavitation and noise control
• Valve installation and maintenance
• Pressure relief and SIS valves 

Day Four: Process Control Using Control Valves

• Introduction to process control
• The PID controller
• Open-loop tuning
• Closed-loop tuning
• Trial & error tuning (open and closed loop) 

Day Five: Optimum Control, Using Control Valves

• Valves in cascade loops
• Valves in ratio loops
• Valves in non-linear loops
• Valves in loops with long time delays
• Valves used in conjunction with PLCs
• New innovations in control valve technology