Can an electric control valve be installed on a gravity-fed pipeline?
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Currently, plans are in place to install electric control valves on the gravity-fed pipeline, which has a total height difference of 4 meters. These valves are used to adjust the opening degree of the pipeline based on the liquid level in the preceding equipment, thereby controlling the flow rate. When using pneumatic control valves in the past, I was aware of the pressure difference, but I’m not sure whether a pressure difference is required for electric control valves I would appreciate the guidance from all of you experts.
Could everyone give some suggestions, please? !
The adjustment precision of electric valves is not satisfactory; pressure difference needs to be taken into account for valves, and the same applies to electric valves. One factor to consider is the torque of the actuator, while another is the flow channel within the valve body. Many pneumatic valves can function under high pressure differences by adjusting the valve core mechanism or similar; you’re only dealing with a height difference of 4 meters here, so such a pressure difference is not significant – it’s less than 1 kilogram
It is definitely necessary, but with your self-priming pipe... well, the pressure difference is practically non-existent; it’s sufficient to use a value that is relatively low. Only the pressure before the valve needs to be calculated, as there is no pressure behind the valve. So, the pressure resulting from a height difference of 4m is the pressure difference. That is, the maximum pressure difference is 39 KPa
It’s because the pressure difference is too small; therefore, I’m asking whether this electric control valve is really suitable for such a low pressure difference. It would be a waste if the valve fails to provide any regulatory effect when used in this scenario