Flow Analysis of a Novel, Three-Way Cartridge Flow Control Valve

Flow control valves are designed to maintain a constant flow rate regardless of pressure changes. However, standard, two-way design may cause significant energy losses due to the need to maintain high pressure in the supply line. In contrast, the proposed three-way valve allows the required flow rate to be obtained at a supply pressure slightly above the loading pressure. This work included building mathematical and simulation models, conducting numerical simulations in Ansys/Fluent and Matlab/Simulink environments, and verifying the results by initial test bench experiments on a valve prototype. The main contribution provided by the work concerns the proposal of a new valve solution and the estimation of its operational characteristics.

Automated summary

Flow control valves are designed to maintain a constant flow rate irrespective of pressure changes, but the standard two-way design causes energy losses due to maintaining high pressure in the supply line. A proposed three-way valve allows obtaining the required flow rate at a slightly higher supply pressure than the loading pressure. This study involves building mathematical and simulation models, conducting numerical simulations in Ansys/Fluent and Matlab/Simulink, and validating the results through initial test bench experiments on a valve prototype. The main contribution of this study is proposing a new valve solution and estimating its operational characteristics.