Analysis of Energy Loss on a Tunable Check Valve through the Numerical Simulation

The article presents a study of the flow through a tunable check valve used as a hydraulic lock in a system with an actuator. Special attention is given to energy losses of the liquid stream in the poppet gap. In the first stage of the research, CFD methods were used to determine the speed and pressure distributions for the fixed values of the input flow rate and the poppet position. The values of the jet angle and pressures determined based on the CFD results were used to build a simulation model of the entire hydraulic system in Matlab/Simulink environment. The influence of the spring parameters pressing the poppet against the valve seat on the pressure drop and thus on the amount of energy lost was investigated. In particular, the spring stiffness and initial tension were studied. The obtained results were used to develop guidelines for constructing a valve prototype. Finally, the results of simulation tests were verified based on the actual valve characteristic obtained on a test bench.

Automated summary

The article presents a study on the flow through a tunable check valve in a system with an actuator, focusing on energy losses in the poppet gap. CFD methods were used to determine speed and pressure distributions, and a simulation model was created to analyze the entire hydraulic system. The study investigated the influence of spring parameters on pressure drop and energy loss, and developed guidelines for valve prototype construction. Simulation test results were verified based on actual valve characteristics.