How to Select the Right Control Valve Flow Characteristic

Selecting the right control valve characteristic is crucial if you want to get the right performance from the control valve in any given application. To help in the selection process, we present some guidelines in the tables below. Bear in mind however, that there will be occasional exceptions to most of these guidelines, and that a positive recommendation is possible only by means of a complete dynamic analysis of the particular application.

It is generally helpful and advisable to investigate each control valve application by checking for the system pressure drops and the installed characteristics as this will assist in understanding the overall control loop performance to be obtained from the valve in order to select the right valve characteristics.

Frequently flow, level, pressure and temperature applications are encountered and dealt with every year by many engineers in design companies and in the valve manufacturers. To be able to select the right control valve characteristics for these applications, the tables below give useful guidelines.

(a) Pressure Control Systems

Valve Characteristics for Pressure Control Systems

(b) Liquid Level Control Systems

Valve Characteristics for Flow Rate Control Systems

(c) Flow Rate Control Systems

Valve Characteristics for Flow Rate Control Systems

(d) Miscellaneous Systems

Valve Characteristics for Miscellaneous Systems