October 2011 Volume 11, Issue 4

The Severe Service Journal is published quarterly by the Emerson severe service team and is distributed by email. To subscribe, go to
www.FisherSevereService.com. The Emerson severe service team provides global customers with Fisher® severe service control
valve solutions. Whether it is severe service applications for the power, hydrocarbon, chemical or pulp and paper industry, these
technical experts deliver sound solutions to address critical applications for aerodynamic noise, cavitation and out-gassing issues,
as well as particulate erosion. Please visit our website or contact your local Emerson sales office for more information.

Control Valve Erosion Solutions

Erosion is defined as the gradual reduction and Materials with high chromium and molybdenum content
weakening of control valve bodies or trim components such as Alloy 6 and Ultimet® (Haynes International)
due to severe process conditions including dirty process, generally provide increased resistance to erosion and
flashing, cavitation, and outgassing as described below. wear. Hardened stainless steels including S17400 and
S41000 provide excellent hardness and durability for
• Dirty processes may contain abrasive particulate use as trim materials. For the most severe applications,
such as sand or rust that can “eat away” at control Fisher® control valves can be outfitted with ‘Very Tough’
valve bodies and trim components. These types of Ceramic (VTC) or tungsten carbide trim components,
particulate are common in oil and gas production. which provide superior erosion and wear resistance.
• Flashing occurs when the pressure of a fluid falls below
its vapor pressure, changing from a liquid to a vapor. Emerson Process Management provides several
During this process small vapor cavities form that innovative control valves designed to combat erosion
grind away at the outlet of the control valve and its and provide long-lasting performance. Contact your
trim components. Flashing damage is marked by shiny, local Emerson Process Management sales office for more
smooth gouges in material. information or for a quote.
• Cavitation is very similar to flashing, but with one
exception, the fluid pressure recovers to a pressure
that is above its vapor pressure. This causes the
previously-formed vapor cavities to implode,
producing impinging jets that have the potential to
cause severe erosive damage. This type of damage
is marked by rough gouges in material.
• Outgassing is a very fast, hard-to-predict
phenomenon that occurs when the pressure of
a fluid drops below the saturation pressure of a
dissolved gas. Once this point is reached, the gas
separates from the solution and produces high
velocity, erosive vapor droplets. Outgassing is Fisher® 461 Fisher® Dirty Fisher® Dirty
evident when the liquid and gas exiting the control Sweep-Flo Angle Service Trim Service Trim
valve have dissimilar molecular weights. Valve (DST) for Outgassing
(DST-G)
Proper selection of control valve body and trim
materials is the first step in combating erosion-related
damage and could mean the difference between an
unplanned shutdown and continued operation.
Solution for Mining Industry Seawater Application

Seawater can be a difficult application if control valves INECO coordinated with the Fisher special products
and materials have not been appropriately specified. group, metals and mining industry group, and
manufacturing group in Marshalltown, Iowa, U.S., to
Due to the lack of water in the northern part of Chile, manufacture the highly technical solution and deliver the
a mining operation needed to pump seawater from Fisher large easy-e valves in 26 weeks as requested by the
145 Kilometers away at an elevation of 0 to 2,300 mining operation.
meters above sea level for use in their process. To do
this, they constructed a 38” pipeline that included four Since startup through the date of this publication,
intermediate pump stations with tank level control at the mining operation in northern Chile has been very
each station. satisfied with its installation of Fisher large easy-e valves
in their seawater application.
Butterfly valves and ball valves were selected by the
mining operation for this application because of their
high capacity. They contacted INECO, the Emerson
Process Management local business partner for the
region, and asked for a quotation.

INECO personnel recognized that rotary valves would not

be a good fit for the seawater application with cavitation,
noise, and vibration problems. So after evaluating
different options, INECO quoted a long-term solution
using globe valves instead of the rotary valves. They
submitted a quote that included Fisher® NPS 24x20 large
easy-e™ globe valves with duplex stainless steel bodies
and trim material. These globe valves were four times
higher in price, but the mining operation accepted.

Your Emerson Process Management sales office

understands severe service problems and can provide
solutions to control them; even the most unusual of
problems can be solved.
Erosion/Corrosion Phenomena

Erosion/corrosion are high-velocity process conditions in Generally, erosion/corrosion can be controlled by

which a metal’s protective, passive layer is “washed off” changing the materials of construction to ones that are
the surface, allowing the base material to corrode. The more corrosion resistant and compatible with the fluid.
synergistic effect results in very high rates of attack. An example of this would be replacing a carbon steel
body with 316SST.
Erosion/corrosion are common phenomena that can
occur in nearly any industry where corrosive fluids are Other times, changes to the control valve design may
present and are flowing with some velocity. Thin pipes, produce the best results. This is commonly seen when
blown out elbows, and eroded control valve bodies are upgrading a Fisher® Cavitrol™ III trim set to utilize
often the result. Protected Inside Seat technology. With this design
change, the seating surface is moved to the inside of the
Various industries refer to these problems with different plug where it is protected from the high velocities that
terms but the cause and the solution are generally the can occur in between the plug and cage. The outcome
same. For instance, in the power industry, erosion/ is long-term shutoff without the damaging effects of
corrosion are often referred to as Flow Accelerated erosion/corrosion.
Corrosion (FAC). FAC is a common problem due to
improper water chemistry that results in magnetite-related Whatever the cause of your erosion/corrosion issues,
issues in control valve bodies, piping, and boiler tubes. Emerson Process Management has the expertise and
solutions to solve your difficult problems.
In control valves, erosion/corrosion problems are
exhibited in a variety of ways. Sometimes, valve bodies
are washed away as can been seen in Figures 1 and 2.
Other times, problems result in trim damage as seen in
Figure 3.

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Valve Trim Erosion Eliminated in Level Control Valve

A stabilizer feed drum inlet level control valve was

causing frequent disruption to a refinery’s operation
and impacting efficiency due to severe erosion of the
valve trim.

Before oil can be shipped from an offshore platform for

sale or for production, impurities such as water and gas
must be removed by means of a separator. During this
process the oil is floated on top of a column of water,
which is controlled by a level control valve, allowing the
oil to runoff into another section of the separator to be
collected by a second level control valve. Level control away from the valve body and trim components greatly
valves in this type of application can be exposed to the reduces the risk of damaging erosion caused by flashing.
effects of severe flashing, outgassing, and associated
erosion and vibration. The overall rugged design of the Fisher V500 rotary
control valve helps to ensure optimal resistance to
The refinery approached Emerson Process Management erosion. The valve body in this application was coated
for a solution to address their problems with valve trim with calcium carbide and the plug made from ‘very
erosion. Emerson Process Management evaluated the tough’ ceramic. The innovative eccentric shape of the
application and recommended using an NPS 2 Fisher® plug also allows for minimal contact with the seat ring,
V500 rotary control valve with a reverse direction of flow resulting in reduced friction and wear.
and a chrome carbide internal body coating to prevent
valve body and trim erosion. Since installation through the date of this publication,
the Fisher V500 rotary control valve has operated
The Fisher V500 rotary control valve allows the process smoothly without significant trim erosion, as previously
to move directly through the valve in a straight-through experienced with the original valve.
flow path, which locates the vena contracta safely
downstream of the valve. Locating the vena contracta For more information on severe service solutions, visit
www.FisherSevereService.com.

The Severe Service Journal is published quarterly by the Emerson severe service team and is distributed by email.
To subscribe, go to www.FisherSevereService.com.

© Fisher Controls International LLC 2011 All Rights Reserved.

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The contents of this publication are presented for informational purposes only, and while every effort has
Emerson Process Management been made to ensure their accuracy they are not to be construed as warranties or guarantees, express
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