Evaluation of cavitation phenomena in three-way globe valve through computational analysis and visualization test

Area of Science:

• Fluid Dynamics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Acoustics

Background:

• Three-way valves control fluid direction but suffer from irregular flow due to complex internal geometry.
• Irregular flow can lead to cavitation, causing mechanical damage and hindering precise flow control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate localized cavitation around the bottom plug of a three-way valve using CFD analysis.
• To quantify cavitation using the percentage of cavitation (POC) derived from vapor volume fraction (VVF).
• To optimize the valve plug design to mitigate cavitation and its detrimental effects.

Main Methods:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was employed to simulate fluid flow and cavitation.
• The Percentage of Cavitation (POC) was calculated using VVF (VVF > 0.5) divided by the cavitation danger zone volume.
• Flow visualization experiments were conducted, quantifying POC using the image gradients method.

Main Results:

• The initial CFD analysis indicated a POC of 34.90%, a level susceptible to mechanical damage.
• Size optimization of the bottom plug's waist and tail regions successfully reduced the POC by 19.06%.
• Experimental results closely matched the CFD analysis, validating the simulation's accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The optimized three-way valve design significantly reduces cavitation, enhancing fluid flow control.
• CFD analysis is a reliable tool for predicting and mitigating cavitation in valve systems.
• The study demonstrates a viable method for preventing mechanical damage caused by cavitation in three-way valves.