Experimental and Numerical Study on the Dynamic and Flow Characteristics of a Reciprocating Pump Valve

Abstract

The structure and dynamics of a reciprocating pump liquid end affect the volumetric efficiency and net positive suction head. To match the kinematics with theoretical parameters, reciprocating pump valve motion and flow visualization tests and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed on a wing-guided bevel discharge valve in a horizontal quintuple single-acting reciprocating pump. The valve motion test results showed that the maximum pump valve displacement and the pump valve opening and closing durations were approximately 8.3 mm, 29 ms, and 38 ms, respectively. The corresponding flow visualization test results were 11.4 mm, 9.5 ms, and 35.5 ms. The valve closing durations obtained from the valve motion and flow visualization tests are approximately twice as high as the U-Adolph prediction. The maximum displacement obtained from the valve motion test is consistent with the U-Adolph prediction. Three-dimensional CFD analyses were performed to investigate the flow states, pressure, and velocity characteristics of the discharge valve opening. Finally, the proposed method was applied to develop a new horizontal quintuple single-acting reciprocating pump with a rated flow rate of 1250 L/min and pressure of 40 MPa. This developed pump exhibited good performance and excellent reliability.