Brochure

Cavitation is a concern for plant operators and maintenance
personnel because it can reduce plant availability and
profitability. Cavitation not only decreases flow capability
through control valves, but it may also cause material damage,
excessive noise, and excessive vibration.
A wide range of Fisher
®
cavitation-control technologies
are available for clean and dirty service. Included in this
brochure are images of Fisher technologies with descriptions,
specifications, and proven results.
Hydrocarbon and Petrochemical Industries
Hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries are built on reliable
liquid process control. Typical fluids include: crude oil with
multiple chemical compounds and particulate, highly refined
single compounds such as butane, and complex intermediates.
These fluids are transported and processed in a variety of ways.
Applications are driven by pump, reaction, or vertical head.
In all cases, the process equipment must be correctly sized
and selected to attain the best loop control, minimize process
variability, and deliver the best process results.
Cavitation is an unintended occurrence in many of these
processes. Mixture hydrocarbons, such as crude oils, may have
less damage potential than a similar application on water,
but highly refined fluids, such as gasoline blends, can cavitate
with the same damage potential as water. Crude oils often
carry particulate that will plug the small flow passages in some
cavitation-control designs.
Supporting hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries with
cavitation solutions requires a broad range of valve designs
covering clean to dirty fluids, benign to very corrosive fluids,
and flow rates requiring NPS 1 to 48 and larger.
Control Valve Cavitation
2 | Fisher
®
Cavitation-Control Technologies
Power Industry
All power or process steam plants, whether traditional coal
fired, integrated gasification combined cycle, nuclear, or
combined cycle, have the potential to experience cavitation
and its related effects. This is due to the high-pressure water
and pressure drops experienced in applications such as boiler
feedwater startup, pump recirculation, and desuperheater
spraywater. The negative effects of cavitation in these
applications can be effectively combated by utilizing one of
the many Fisher technologies.
Special consideration should be given to the chemistry of
the water as well as the presence of particulate, which is
common in these applications. For example, the use of
R30006/CoCr-A in boiler feedwater may be acceptable
depending on the amount and type of amines present. The
use of anti-cavitation trims should be evaluated based on the
presence of particulate, weld slag, and magnetite. A variety of
trim styles, such as Fisher dirty service trims, are available to
prevent damaging cavitation while passing large particulate.
Process facilities don’t have to be limited by the damaging
effects of cavitation. Emerson Process Management provides
proven, engineered solutions for these applications utilizing
Fisher technologies.
Additional Industries
Process industries such as mining, pulp and paper, life
sciences, and food and beverage experience cavitation
challenges. These industries use steam for motive force or
process heating. Steam generation requires high-pressure
water and involves processes that can cavitate. Fluid control
applications may combine cavitation with: high viscosity,
multi-phase fluid; corrosion; or coking or plugging fluid.
Emerson Process Management has Fisher control valves for
all these challenges, which are similar to those shown in this
brochure but with variations in geometry and materials.
By utilizing local application engineers and experienced design
engineers, Emerson Process Management can deliver a custom
solution for your special application.
View an animation video on cavitation
at www.FisherSevereService.com.