Evaluation of steady flow torques and pressure losses in a rotary flow control valve by means of computational fluid dynamics

TLDR: In this paper, a rotary hydraulic flow control valve has been presented for high flow rate fluid power systems. But the proposed design enables utilisation of single-stage valves in power hydraulics operating at high flow rates regimes.

About: This article is published in International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow.The article was published on 2017-04-01 and is currently open access. It has received 38 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Flow control valve & Flow coefficient.

Figures

Fig. 5. Mesh of fluid subdomain. Blue cells are fluid domain, grey cells are partial cells, boundary between solid and fluid matter.

Fig. 6. Grid independence study results.

Fig. 17. Velocity distributions and velocity vector fields for different spool positions: a) 20°, b) 40°, c) 60°, d) 80°. Measurement of the jet angle graphically.

Fig. 8. Openings of the fixed sleeve (left profile) and the moving spool (right profile): (a) the valve is closed, spool’s angular position is φ = 0°; (b) crosshatched region – single orifice’s opening area at spool’s position φ = 30°; (c) the valve is fully open at spool’s angular position φ = φmax = 90°.

Fig. 7. Orifice outflow scheme.

Fig. 1. Graphical, schematic representation of the developed valve.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What are the contributions mentioned in the paper "Evaluation of steady flow torques and pressure losses in a rotary flow control valve by means of computational fluid dynamics" ?

In this paper, a novel design of a rotary hydraulic flow control valve has been presented for high flow rate fluid power systems. This study represents a special case of an independent metering concept applied to the design of power hydraulic systems with direct proportional valve control operating at flow rates above 150 litres per minute. Magnitudes of these values prove that by minimising the number of spool ’ s mobile metering surfaces it is possible to reduce the flow-generated forces in the new generation of hydraulic valves proposed in this study. The suggested design enables utilisation of single-stage valves in power hydraulics operating at high flow rates regimes. A spool driver and auxiliary mechanisms of the proposed valve design were discussed and selection criteria were suggested. The derived calculation formulas can predict metering characteristics, values of steady flow torques and jet angles for the specified design and geometry of the suggested valve.