A major breakthrough in control valves: fully functional, ultra-lightweight control valves

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Abstract: Analyzing the three major problems of the first-generation control valves—bulkiness, incomplete functionality, and poor reliability—served as a guiding focus for developing new products, leading to the creation of a \"fully functional ultra-lightweight control valve\". As soon as it was introduced, it received high praise and significant attention from users and design institutes. As a new type of product, it will gradually replace the current mainstream products and become the standard for control valves in the next century. Keywords: full functionality ； ultra-light ； Control valves 1. A historical overview of control valves: Long before the 1960s, nine main types of control valves were developed, including single-seat valves, double-seat valves, diaphragm valves, angle valves, butterfly valves, ball valves, three-way valves, sleeve valves, and eccentric rotary valves. However, over the following thirty-odd years, no major advancements were made in these products, let alone any replacements; efforts were mainly focused on improving and refining them. A successful example is the CV3000 from the 1970s, as well as the compact single-seat and sleeve valves produced in China during the 1980s. They are 30% lighter and shorter than older models, but there have been no improvements in terms of functionality and reliability. Therefore, single-seat valves, double-seat valves, and sleeve valves, which only represent the standards of the 1960s to 1970s, remain the dominant types of control valves to this day, which is clearly not in line with the rapid development of automation technology. Therefore, the control valve industry is in urgent need of the emergence of a new generation of products. 2. Main problems existing in current flagship products: To identify potential breakthroughs for control valves, it is necessary to first gain a comprehensive understanding of the problems associated with them. We conducted a special investigation on control valves in 1997, which identified 9 problems in total: 1) They are too bulky, accounting for 3313% ； 2) The wide variety of types causes great inconvenience in use, accounting for 6711% ； 3) Large leaks account for 4215% ； 4) Frequent blockages and slow performance account for 2518% ； 5) Short lifespan accounts for 1317% ； 6) Insufficient thrust, resulting in poor valve sealing – 916% ； 7) Low flow coefficient and narrow control range account for 512% ； 8) Valve leakage accounts for 413% ； 9) Oscillation, vibration, and whistling account for 117%. The occurrence of these problems is undoubtedly related to the valve’s inherent defects, production quality, and usage quality; however, attributing the causes solely to the valve’s inherent defects presents three main issues. 2.1 Heavy weight: Control valves can weigh several dozen kilograms to over a hundred kilograms; in more severe cases, they can weigh hundreds of kilograms or even thousands of kilograms. It causes a great deal of trouble in the transportation, lifting, installation, and maintenance of control valves. 2.2, Functional Imperfection: Functional imperfection inevitably leads to the coexistence of multiple varieties, so as to achieve functional complementarity. It causes considerable inconvenience in the calculation, selection, maintenance, spare parts supply, and factory management of control valves. 2.3 Poor reliability: Poor reliability inevitably leads to problems such as leakage, dripping, blockage, jamming, and poor performance. It causes significant difficulties in the proper operation of the system. 3. Directions for breakthroughs in new products: From the beginning of this century to the present, control valves remain at the level of older models. Based on the aforementioned issues of the old products, we first determined the direction for innovation in the new products. 3.1 Weight reduction: To truly achieve miniaturization, light weight, and integration with instrumentation, the weight should be reduced by 60%–80% compared to the single-seat, double-seat, and sleeve valves that are currently the most common in existing products; it should also be 30%–50% lighter than miniature valves. 3.2 Functional advancements: Replacing numerous products with limited functions with a single multi-functional or fully functional product, in order to **reduce the variety of control valve types and specifications** ； To simplify the application of control valves—such as calculation, selection, plant management, spare parts, etc. 3.3, Breakthroughs in Reliability: Addressing one by one the factors of unreliability in the first-generation products to improve the operational quality of the system. 4. A new type of control valve – a fully functional, ultra-lightweight valve has been developed. After identifying the key areas for improvement in control valves, we focused our efforts on addressing these issues; after more than two years of hard work, we were able to overcome the three major problems associated with the old models: bulkiness, limited functionality, and poor reliability. This led to the creation of the new product. It features three main characteristics. 4.1 Ultra-lightweight: 1) It is easy to see at a glance that this product has a small size and light weight, as can be determined from its appearance. For an intuitive comparison, it is connected with single-seat valves, double-seat valves, and sleeve valves of the same size for easy comparison, as shown in the figure below. 2) Weight comparison: The weights of the fully functional ultra-lightweight valves are compared one by one with those of the currently dominant valve types, namely single-seat valves, double-seat valves, and sleeve valves, according to their specifications (the comparison table is omitted). The comparison result shows that the weight of the pneumatic valve has been reduced by 60% to 70% ； The weight of electric valves has been reduced by 70% to 80%. 4.2, Full Functionality 1) Research and description of the functions of control valves: To achieve functional advancements, it is first necessary to understand the uses of control valves, as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Operating functions of control valves Sequence Number Operating Function Function Description 1 Regulation The main function, which is manifested in five aspects: flow characteristics, adjustable ratio, performance at low opening degrees, Kv value, and response speed 2 Shutoff An indicator of the valve’s internal quality; the lower the internal leakage, the better 3 Overcoming pressure differences Ensures smooth operation of the valve and effective shutoff, and is inseparable from the shutoff function