Guide Vane Control Valve for Stable High-Velocity Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
In control valve designs for high velocity, low pressure drop applications, compacted approach passages lead to the formation of recirculation cells and vortices, reducing effective flow area and causing vibration and flow instability, which complicates the design and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of guide vanes in the approach passage to divide the fluid flow into sub-passages with equal flow resistances, preventing momentum forces from causing flow separation and improving flow distribution, thereby eliminating recirculation cells and vortices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the approach passage is compacted to reduce valve body size and material, then the valve body becomes more compact and cost-effective, but recirculation cells and vortices form in high velocity applications, reducing flow capacity and causing vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The approach passage is divided into multiple sub-passages using guide vanes, which segment the flow path. This segmentation prevents the formation of large recirculation cells and vortices while maintaining a compact overall valve body design, thus resolving the contradiction between compactness and flow capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide vanes are introduced as intermediary elements within the approach passage. These vanes act as mediators that guide the fluid flow smoothly through the compacted passage, preventing flow separation and recirculation while maintaining the reduced valve body size, thereby preserving flow capacity despite the compact design.
2Weight of stationary object
If the approach passage is compacted, then the valve body material is minimized, but flow separation occurs due to abrupt direction changes, reducing effective flow area
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vanes create local flow guidance zones within the compacted approach passage. By providing localized flow direction control at critical points, the vanes prevent flow separation and maintain effective flow area despite the overall compacted passage design and reduced valve body material.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide vanes serve as intermediary structures that mediate between the compacted passage geometry and the fluid flow. They prevent abrupt direction changes from causing flow separation, thus maintaining effective flow area while allowing the valve body material to be minimized through compact design.
3Device complexity
If the approach passage is compacted, then the valve body design is simplified and material is reduced, but vibration and flow instability occur due to recirculation cells
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the approach passage into sub-passages with guide vanes, the design maintains simplicity while preventing the formation of large recirculation cells. This segmentation stabilizes the flow by directing it through controlled paths, eliminating flow instability and vibration despite the compacted design.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide vanes act as intermediary elements that stabilize the flow within the simplified compacted passage design. They prevent flow separation and recirculation, thereby eliminating vibration and flow instability while maintaining the simplified valve body design and reduced material usage.
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
This solution allows for a more compact and cost-effective control valve design with increased flow capacity and reduced vibration, enabling the use of smaller valve bodies and trim while maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
the direction of the fluid flow through the approach passage is turned abruptly, which introduced problems in applications having high inlet velocities and low pressure drops. For these high velocity, low pressure drop applications, recirculation cells or vortices can be introduced near the port due to the abrupt changes of direction of the fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
recirculation cells or vortices can be introduced near the port due to the abrupt changes of direction of the fluid flow, which can reduce the effective flow area of the port
Implementation Method 3
recirculation cells or vortices can be introduced near the port due to the abrupt changes of direction of the fluid flow
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~7
AI summary
A valve body (12) has in inlet (14), an outlet (16), and a port (18) positioned between the inlet and the outlet. An approach passage (30) interconnects the inlet and the port and has a cross-sectional area that is greater than that of the port. One or more guide vanes (40) are positioned within the approach passage and extend longitudinally along at least a portion of the approach passage so that a downstream end (44) of the guide vanes is spaced apart from the port and the guide vanes divide the portion of the approach passage into sub-passages (50, 52) that have equal flow resistances.