Additively Manufactured Valve Trim for Compact Noise-Abating Flow Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flow controls in industrial settings, such as control valves, generate significant aerodynamic noise due to pressure changes, exceeding safe limits and creating hazardous work environments.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates vertically spaced flow paths within valve components that are not typically exposed to flow, increasing pressure-reducing structures' density without increasing dimensions, and utilizing tortuous pathways to maximize pressure drop and reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional single flow path design is used, then valve dimensions can be kept compact, but noise levels exceed safe limits
Solution Approach 1:
The single flow path is divided into multiple vertically spaced flow paths within the valve cage. This segmentation allows the pressure drop to be distributed across multiple smaller pressure reductions rather than one large pressure drop, thereby reducing noise generation while maintaining a compact overall valve structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the vertical dimension by spacing flow paths vertically apart from one another within the valve cage. This three-dimensional arrangement of multiple flow paths increases the density of pressure-reducing structures without increasing the horizontal footprint or overall valve dimensions, effectively reducing noise while maintaining compact size.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If density of pressure-reducing structure is increased, then noise is attenuated to safe levels, but valve dimensions would need to increase
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging flow paths vertically spaced apart within the existing valve cage volume, the invention increases the density of pressure-reducing structures in the vertical dimension without increasing the overall valve component volume. This allows multiple pressure reduction stages to be packed into the same footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple flow paths are nested within the valve cage structure, with each flow path containing tortuous pathways and pressure-reducing features. The flow paths are arranged concentrically and vertically within the cage, maximizing the use of available space without increasing external dimensions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If tortuous pathways are used to maximize pressure drop, then noise is reduced, but fluid velocity may become unreasonable
Solution Approach 1:
The total pressure drop is segmented into multiple smaller pressure drops across different vertically spaced flow paths. This segmentation allows the fluid velocity to be maintained at reasonable levels in each individual flow path while still achieving the required overall pressure reduction, preventing excessive velocity in any single path that would generate noise.
Solution Approach 2:
By distributing flow across multiple vertically spaced paths rather than a single path, the invention maintains more reasonable fluid velocity in each path while achieving the required pressure drop. The vertical spacing allows parallel flow paths that collectively handle the total flow without requiring excessively high velocities in individual paths.
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 approach effectively attenuates noise to safe levels while maintaining reasonable fluid velocity, adhering to noise specifications and standards.
Implementation Method 1
These pathways maximize the percentage of total pressure drop that shearing action and boundary layer turbulence induce in flowing fluids
Implementation Method 2
These pathways maximize the percentage of total pressure drop that shearing action and boundary layer turbulence induce in flowing fluids
Data Source
AI summary
A valve trim that is configured to abate noise in a control valve. These configurations may include a cage with a flow path that has interior and exterior openings. The cage may also have a bore to receive a closure member or “plug.” This plug can travel longitudinally to change parameters of flow through the control valve. In one implementation, the interior and exterior openings are vertically offset or spaced from another along the axis of the bore. In one implementation, the exterior openings are in a section of the cage that is not normally exposed to flow. This feature can increase density of noise-abating features within given dimensions for the cage (or the valve trim itself). Use of additive manufacturing may be useful (or even necessary) to create these parts within certain design envelopes because these techniques can create the unique flow geometry within a unitary or monolithic body. In this way, the valve trim of the present disclosure can maintain, or even reduce, costs of the control valve, while at the same time it can simply the overall construction of the valve device.