Written by Aaditya Ruiker
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Simulation of Swing Check Valve using Autonomous Valve CFD
By
Aaditya Ruiker
Written by Prathamesh Badadal
Check valves are used to protect critical equipment in a pipeline from flow reversal.
This is crucial in cases of pumps and compressors where backflow can damage internal
parts. These are automatically operated owing to the pressure difference between the
upstream and downstream sides of the valve. These open with forward flow and close
against the reverse flow, thus no need for actuators or operators. These are also called
non-return valves.
An interesting application is where the check valve connects primary and secondary
systems of the pipeline, and they avoid the backflow in case of a pressure surge in the
secondary systems.
A type of check valve is: Swing check valve
Figure 1: Swing Check Valve
Understanding the Swing Check Valve
The valve closure member consists of a valve disc which is connected to a hinge/shaft
with a lever. Another arrangement is the lever and an external spring which is used in
high-pressure flow applications. In this the valve closure member swings about a hinge
or shaft which is outside the seat. The forward flow pushes the disc away from the seat
while the reverse flow causes the disc closure. As compared to other types of check
valves swing check valves give the lowest pressure drop.
To elaborate :
Valve closure element: Disc
Valve closure mechanism:
a) Lever connected to a hinge
b) A lever connected with an external spring
It’s advantages are :
a) Low-Pressure drop
b) Easy to maintain
It’s disadvantage is that it cannot be used in the pulsating type of flows.
About the simulations
The simulation was performed with the objective of obtaining the flow performance
coefficients of DN100 swing check valve. The angle of opening varies from 10 degree
to 45 degree of opening. The class of the valve is 150. As shown below is the image of
the flow lines of the swing check valve at maximum opening. The maximum gross Cv is
547 with corresponding coefficient of hydrodynamic torque -1.2196 and pressure
drop 0.69 bar. Below let’s have a look at some visualization of the results.
Figure 2: Velocity contour for particular opening of the Swing Check Valve
Figure 3: Pressure contour for particular opening of the Swing Check Valve
Figure 4: Streamlines for particular opening of the Swing Check Valve.
Animation of Swing Check Valve operation.
The animation reveals the variation in velocity of the flow with change in opening conditions.
To know more about the simulation visit :
Simulation of Swing Check Valve using Autonomous Valve CFD
Comments
Recent posts
