Numerical Investigation of a Globe Control Valve and Estimating its Loss Coefficient at Different Opening States

Abstract

One of the most important components of fluid transmission systems is a control valve located in the pipelines of oil, gas, etc. The primary purpose of this valve is to control the rate of fluid flow passing through it under pressure changes and the most important issue is to investigate the flow’s characteristics in order to achieve a proper geometry to control the flow rate and pressure as desired. The valves used in pipelines add to the overall head loss of the system. Therefore, valves with proper geometry can reduce these minor losses and finally decrease total energy losses. In this paper, a globe control valve is modeled and then numerically investigated to extract its functional relation, which relates pressure ratio to inlet Reynolds number, and estimate its loss coefficient at the valve’s different opening states which have not been addressed completely before and can be beneficial for the selection and usage of globe valves under certain conditions. According to the results, it is found that pressure ratio and loss coefficient are functions of inlet velocity and the valve’s opening state’s percentage, which are directly related to the valve’s geometry. When the valve opens, the rate of change in pressure ratio and loss coefficient are very sharp. Gradually, this rate decreases and the results tend to the final value at the valve’s fully opened state.