scope:

This part of IEC 60534 defines the testing and reporting of the step response of control valves that are used in throttling closed-loop control applications. A control valve consists of the complete, ready-to-use assembly of the control valve body, the actuator, and any required accessories. The most probable accessory is a valve positioner. The object of this standard is to define how to test, measure, and report control valve response characteristics in an open-loop environment. This information can be used for process control applications to determine how well and how fast the control valve responds to the control valve input signal. This standard does not define the acceptable control valve performance for process control nor does it restrict the selection of control valves for any application. If this standard is used for evaluation or acceptance testing, the parties may agree to documented variations from these requirements. The information using the defined test methods is specifically applicable to closed-loop feedback control but may have some application to open-loop control applications. It does not address valves used in on-off control service. Tests specified in this standard may not be sufficient to measure the performance required for all applications. Not all control valve applications will require this testing.