A Parametric Study of Hydrodynamic Cavitation Inside Globe Valves

Abstract

Hydrodynamic cavitation that occurs inside valves not only increases the energy consumption burden of the whole piping system but also leads to severe damages to the valve body and the piping system with a large economic loss. In this paper, in order to reduce the hydrodynamic cavitation inside globe valves, effects of valve body geometrical parameters including bending radius, deviation distance, and arc curvature linked to in/export parts on hydrodynamic cavitation are investigated by using a cavitation model. To begin with, the numerical model is compared with similar works to check its accuracy. Then, the cavitation index and the total vapor volume are predicted. The results show that vapor primarily appears around the valve seat and connecting downstream pipes. The hydrodynamic cavitation does not occur under a small inlet velocity, a large bending radius, and a large deviation distance. Cavitation intensity decreases with the increase of the bending radius, the deviation distance, and the arc curvature linked to in/export parts. This indicates that valve geometrical parameters should be chosen as large as possible, while the maximal fluid velocity should be limited. This work is of significance for hydrodynamic cavitation or globe valve design.