Butterfly Valve Flow Straightening Ribs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional butterfly valves face challenges in increasing air flow rate at full open position without increasing bore diameter, leading to flow turbulence and pressure loss, which affects gas mileage and engine performance.
Innovation Solution
A butterfly valve design featuring a plate-like valve element with a tapered section and flow straightening ribs or grooves that gradually decrease in thickness and angle, ensuring parallel airflow and reducing turbulence, thereby enhancing flow rate and reducing pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the bore diameter of the throttle valve is increased to increase the flow rate at full open position, then the flow rate of air allowed to pass through the bore increases, but the idle flow rate of air increases as well, deteriorating gas mileage
Solution Approach 1:
The valve element is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thinner at the outer edge and thicker near the valve shaft. This local variation in geometry allows optimization of flow characteristics at different radial positions, enabling increased full open flow rate while maintaining low idle flow rate through controlled flow patterns
2Productivity
If a conventional butterfly valve with uniform thickness valve element is used, then the structure is simple, but the flow line changes sharply around the valve shaft causing turbulence and decreased flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The valve element thickness parameter is changed radially, being thinner at the outer edge and thicker near the valve shaft. This parameter variation smooths the flow line changes around the valve shaft, reducing turbulence and increasing the effective flow rate through improved flow characteristics
3Productivity
If the valve element has a curved surface with constant curvature radius, then the surface is streamlined, but it causes surface flow of fluid flowing radially outwardly which is not parallel to the flow passage, causing pressure loss
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the valve element have different thickness characteristics - thinner at the outer edge and thicker near the valve shaft. This local quality variation controls the flow pattern to maintain parallel flow with the passage axis, preventing radial surface flow and associated pressure losses
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design increases the flow rate by up to 9.9% compared to conventional products, minimizing turbulence and pressure loss, thus improving engine performance and gas mileage.
Implementation Method 1
the valve element includes at least a flow straightening surface providing a section that gradually decreases in thickness from the valve shaft toward an outer edge
Data Source
AI summary
A butterfly valve comprises a valve shaft placed across a flow passage and a plate-like valve element provided on the valve shaft so as to be rotatable about the valve shaft to regulate a flow rate of fluid in the flow passage. The valve element has a section that gradually decreases in thickness from the valve shaft toward an outer edge in a direction nearly perpendicular to the valve shaft. The valve element further includes a plurality of inclined surfaces on each side so that the corresponding inclined surfaces on both sides of the valve element are identical in section in a direction parallel to the valve shaft. The valve element is provided on each side with a plurality of flow straightening ribs each extending in a direction perpendicular to the valve shaft and inclining along each inclined surface.