Energy-saving control valves: the direction of low energy consumption development

Energy conservation, reducing energy consumption, and improving energy efficiency are key development directions for control valves. The following are the main development directions:

1. Using control valves with low pressure drop ratios. This reduces the proportion of pressure drop contributed by the control valve in the entire system, thereby lowering energy consumption. Therefore, designing control valves with low pressure drop ratios is one development direction. Another direction is to use low-impedance control valves, such as butterfly valves or eccentric rotary valves.

2. Using self-acting control valves: For example, directly using the pressure of the medium after the valve to form a self-acting control system, and using the energy of the controlled medium to achieve pressure control after the valve.

3. Using control valves with electric actuators. Pneumatic actuators require a certain level of air pressure throughout the entire operation of the control valve. Although amplifiers with low consumption can be used, the cumulative air consumption remains significant over time. Electric actuators only require power supply when adjusting the valve opening and can cease power supply once the desired opening is achieved. Therefore, from an energy-saving perspective, electric actuators have a clear advantage over pneumatic actuators.

4. Use piezoelectric control valves. In intelligent electrical valve positioners, piezoelectric valves only consume air when the output signal increases.

5. Use valve cores with balanced structures to reduce the thrust or torque of the actuator, reduce the size of the diaphragm chamber, and lower energy requirements.

6. Replace control valves with variable frequency speed control technology. In applications with high pressure drop ratios where energy consumption is significant, variable frequency speed control technology can be adopted. By using a variable frequency drive to adjust the speed of related rotating equipment, energy consumption can be reduced.

Environmental protection: Environmental pollution has become a public hazard. The primary sources of environmental pollution from control valves are valve noise and valve leakage. Among these, valve noise pollution is particularly severe.

1. Reduce control valve noise. Develop various methods to reduce control valve noise, including design optimisation from the control valve flow path to the internal components, analysis of noise sources, and measures to reduce noise. Key approaches include designing noise-reducing control valves and noise-reducing valve internal components; reasonably distributing pressure drop; and implementing external noise-reduction measures, such as adding insulation or using silencers.

2. Reducing atmospheric pollution caused by control valves. Atmospheric pollution caused by control valves refers to leaks such as ‘leaking,’ ‘spilling,’ ‘dripping,’ and ‘leaking.’ These leaks not only result in waste of materials or products but also pollute the atmospheric environment. In some cases, they may even cause personal injuries or equipment explosions. Therefore, developing control valve packing structures and types, as well as control valve seals, will be an important research topic for control valves in the future.

The development of high-tech sciences such as computer science, control theory, and automated instrumentation has driven the advancement of control valves. For example, the development of fieldbus control valves and intelligent valve positioners, as well as the implementation of digital communication in control valves. The development of control valves has also driven advancements in other scientific and technological fields, such as research into corrosion-resistant materials, methods to reduce and mitigate noise, and fluid dynamics. With the advancement of fieldbus technology, control valves will become more open, intelligent, and reliable. They will work in conjunction with other industrial automation instruments and computer control devices to enhance the functionality of industrial production process control, improve control precision, and achieve more significant control effects, thereby playing a more important role in China's modernisation efforts.