Vortex Valve Trim Reduces Erosion in Severe Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing severe service valves in power industries and oil and gas wells suffer from rapid erosion due to contaminants like solid particles or liquid droplets, particularly in tortuous and expansion/contraction type valves, leading to complex maintenance issues and reduced lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A valve trim design featuring a vortex chamber with tangentially offset inlet passages and a 90-degree bend, which reduces fluid energy and minimizes particle collisions with the passage walls, combined with ceramic materials for enhanced wear resistance, to decrease erosion and maintain system simplicity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If tortuous passages with multiple 90 degree turns are used for pressure reduction, then pressure control is achieved, but particle collision with passage walls accelerates erosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces tortuous passages with sharp 90-degree turns with a curved flowpath that guides fluid and particles through a smooth arc. This curvature eliminates abrupt directional changes, preventing particles from colliding with passage walls at high angles while still achieving the required pressure reduction through the controlled change in flow direction.
2Stress or pressure
If expansion/contraction passages are used for pressure reduction, then pressure control is achieved, but accelerated particle collision with passage walls increases erosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expansion/contraction passages with a curved flowpath that maintains relatively constant passage cross-section while achieving pressure reduction through the curved trajectory. This eliminates the acceleration and deceleration cycles that occur in expansion/contraction designs, keeping particle velocities more consistent and reducing collision energy with passage walls.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If separators are placed upstream of the choke valve to remove particles, then erosion is reduced, but system complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the particle separation function from a separate upstream separator device and integrates it directly into the valve body through the curved flowpath design. The valve itself becomes the erosion protection mechanism, eliminating the need for external separators and simplifying the overall system while maintaining erosion reduction benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the choke valve multi-functional by combining pressure reduction control with particle separation/erosion protection in a single device. The curved flowpath simultaneously achieves pressure control and protects against erosion, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing system complexity.
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 effectively reduces erosion by decelerating particles within the vortex chamber, prolonging the valve's lifespan and simplifying maintenance by minimizing particle-induced wear, while maintaining efficient pressure reduction.
Implementation Method 1
As the fluid flows mutually impinge, particles in each fluid flow give up a large amount of their energy as they decelerate and then accelerate as they enter a flow in a different direction. The reduced energy of individual particles results in reduced erosion of the walls of the flowpath should they impinge thereon.
Implementation Method 2
The vortex has a lower pressure at its centre and it is in the lower pressure area of the vortex that the fluid flow exits resulting in a pressure drop across the flowpaths.
Implementation Method 3
The 90 degree bend creates a resistance to flow and by placing one inline in the inlet passage prior to the vortex chamber the pressure within the vortex chamber is further reduced thereby further decreasing erosion within the vortex chamber.
Data Source
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AI summary
A valve having a trim comprising a plurality of a vortex flowpaths (201), each flowpath comprising a central vortex chamber (202) and having three tangential inlet passages (203, 204, 205) is provided. As the fluid flows through the inlet passages (203, 204, 205) and enters the vortex chamber (202) the flows start to turn and impinge upon one another, i.e. the flow entering via inlet passage (203) will impinge upon the flow entering via inlet (204), the flow entering inlet (204) will impinge on the flow entering inlet (205) and the flow entering inlet (205) will impinge on the flow entering inlet (203). As the flow entering the vortex chamber impinges on another fluid flow as opposed to a wall of the flowpath the vortex can be used to create a flowpath with reduced erosion. The flow from the inlets (203, 204, 205) combine in a radial flow within the vortex chamber (202) and exit via the outlet (206) which is substantially axial to the vortex chamber.