When the inlet pressure to a proportional valve is doubled, what happens to the resultant flow?

When the inlet pressure to a proportional valve is doubled, the resultant flow increases by approximately 141%. This relationship stems from the principles of fluid dynamics and the characteristics of proportional valves.

Proportional valves are designed to regulate flow based on the input signal and the pressure differential across the valve. The flow rate through the valve is not linearly proportional to the inlet pressure; instead, it follows a square root relationship. Specifically, flow is proportional to the square root of the pressure difference. Therefore, when the inlet pressure is doubled, the increase in flow rate can be determined by taking the square root of the pressure ratio.

Mathematically, if the initial inlet pressure is P1 and is increased to P2 (where P2 = 2 * P1), the flow rate, Q, can be represented as:

Q ∝ √P

If we denote the flow at the original pressure P1 as Q1, then:

Q1 ∝ √P1

For the doubled pressure P2:

Q2 ∝ √(2 * P1) = √2 * √P1 ≈ 1.414 * Q1

This factor of approximately 1.414 translates to an increase of about 141% compared to the