The KVS value: How to define and calculate
Whether in the chemical and petrochemical industries, in food production or in power plants and refineries: Control valves, be they 2-way or 3-way valves, are installed in a wide variety of plants. They are used to control any kind of flow, e.g. of liquids, steam or gas. For optimum control behavior, the design and dimensions of a valve must be precisely determined. The KVS value is one of the most important parameters for this.
The KV-value = Flow coefficient
The KV-value of a valve describes the flow rate of liquid or gas at a pressure drop of one bar. This value is also called flow factor or flow coefficient.
An example (with water flow):
If you want to determine the KV value of a simple valve manually, you regulate the pressure reducer at the installation down to one bar. The valve to be tested is mounted directly behind the pressure reducer. The outflowing water is now collected and the volume determined.
Important: Not only the volume, but also the time in which, for example, ten liters of water flow out of the valve is critical.
In detail, this means that if ten liters of water have flowed out after about 20 seconds, there would be a much higher KV value than if the volume had only run out after 30 seconds. To be more precise, a pressure drop at the valve of one bar would fill a ten-liter bucket in 20 seconds. Converted to one hour, this results in a volume of 1,800 l/h or 1.8 m3/h.
In summary: The KV value is independent of the nominal size and describes the volume flow rate of a liquid through a component in m3/h at a pressure drop of one bar.
The KVS-value
The pressure loss of valves in the open state is calculated via the valve coefficient KVS. It refers specifically to the series and the valve type and varies depending on the manufacturer. The KVS value corresponds to the water flow through an open valve (in m³/h), at a pressure difference of 1 bar and a water temperature of 5 - 30 °C.
Good to know: When sizing a flow valve, a design reserve of 20 - 30 % should be added to the KVS value.
Calculation of the KV value for gases
When calculating the KV value for gaseous media, a distinction is made between a subcritical and a supercritical flow condition.
Subcritical is given when the flow rate depends on p1 (= abs. pressure upstream of the valve) and p2 (abs. pressure downstream of the valve). In a supercritical condition, the flow rate depends only on p1, given by the narrowest point in the valve.
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