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Flow Analysis of Butterfly Valve Using CFD

Arun Azad1, Deepak Baranwal2, Rajeev Arya3, Nilesh Diwakar4
1

PG Research scholar Department of Mechanical Engineering TIEIT, Bhopal

2
Research scholar Department of Civil Engineering MANIT, Bhopal
3
Professor & Dean PG Department of Mechanical Engineering TIEIT, Bhopal
4
Professor & HOD Department of Mechanical Engineering TIEIT Bhopal

Abstract: Butterfly valves are widely used in hydro power plants to regulate and control the flow

through hydraulic turbines. Thats why it is important to design the valve in such a way that it can give
best performance so that optimum efficiency can be achieved in hydraulic power plants. Conventionally
that the models of large size valves are straight in the laboratory to determine their performance
characteristics. This is a time consuming and costly process. High computing facility along with the use
of numerical techniques can give the solution to any fluid flow problem in a lesser time. In this research
work flow analysis through butterfly valve with aspect ratio 1/3 has been performed using
computational software. For modelling the valve ICEM CFD 12 has been used. Valve characteristics
such as flow coefficient and head loss coefficient has been determined using CFX 12 for different valve
opening angle as 30,60,75, and 90 (taking 90as full opening of the valve) for incompressible fluid.
Value of head loss coefficient obtained from numerical analysis has been compared with the
experimental results.
Key Words: Butterfly valve, CFD flow analysis, simulation, valve opening.

I. Introduction
Butterfly valve is very versatile component for use both as shut off and throttling valve in water
system. Butterfly valve has simple mechanical assembly, and a small flow resistance in a fully open position,
butterfly valves provide a relatively high flow capacity. They are the best suited for relatively low pressure flow.
Generally, the fluid friction coefficient is low and also the build up is usually minimum because of the Butterfly
valve is operated with a quarter turn (like the ball valve). Manual Operation may be through lever or gear. The
position of the disc is noted by an indicator on the gearbox or from the position of the handle. The first attempt
at collecting and collating the published data concerning butterfly valves was probably made by Cohn in 1951.
Experimental studies on butterfly valve flow characteristics have been conducted by Addy et al in 1985.The
results of numerical simulation of flow characteristics including both velocity and pressure calculations are
presented in literature. Study on hydrodynamic torque of the butterfly valve has been conducted by Morris and
Dutton in 1989.

II. Technical Requirements Of Butterfly Valve

Main purpose of the valves installed ahead of turbine is to close the penstock while the turbine is not in
operating condition. Valve must possess high degree of reliability and durable strength at closed position so that
trouble free operation can take place. It should also ensure the possibility of carrying out repair works, revisions
of turbines, pumps, pressure penstock and at the same time to create lowest resistance to flow. Valve must close
at velocity of water occurring during emergency cases (rupture of penstock or runway speed of
turbine).Maximum time for closure of the valve when it is installed before the turbine pump is 13 minutes and
depends upon the permissible time of operation of generator at run way speed and motor of the pump in
generator regime. If the valve is installed at the beginning of the penstock, then its closure time will be in the
range of 30120 seconds. Time of closing of valve on sluice and irrigation schemes is determined from the
operational conditions of these constructions. Minimum time of emergency closure is determined as per
permissible value of hydraulic impact on penstock. Operation of spherical and b.f. valve is depend upon the
extreme positions of the rotating part while in case of cylindrical valve it is accomplished at any position
including extreme positions for regulating discharge of liquid through them is zero to maximum possible
discharge. Servomotors of various designs are used to rotate the rotating element, by mechanical or electro
mechanical drive.

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Flow Analysis Of Butterfly Valve Using Cfd

III. Objective
Butterfly valves are required to have high performance characteristics and better precision as they are
used as shut off valves. The characteristics of a valve i.e. head loss characteristic, torque characteristics and
force characteristics of butterfly valve is determined conventionally through tests. If the test valve is of large
size, scale model of valve is tested to determine its characteristics. Analysis of flow characteristic
experimentally is a hectic and not very precise work. Exact theoretical analysis of flow through complex
geometry is very difficult with the use of high speed computers, and the numerical techniques, the flow analysis
can be made using CFD.Thats why flow analysis is to be performed using simulation software. Objective of
this research work is to determine head loss coefficient and flow coefficient, for different valve opening and
discharge value. At present almost every industry is using software for analysis, Butterfly valves are used in
various power plants, so it has wide scope, this research work will be beneficial for all those industries that are
using butterfly valve. Computational fluid dynamics is a tool to carry out numerical flow simulation for
predicting the flow behaviour within a specific domain by numerical solution of governing equations to
acceptable accuracy. Computational fluid dynamics is becoming very useful approach for engineering design
and analysis because of improved numerical method and at the same time, it saves time and energy of
experimental work. In this thesis, flow simulation has been carried out for double disc butterfly valve using
Ansys ICEM CFD and CFX. The geometric modelling is done for four angular position of valve disk to assess
the head loss and discharge coefficients Characteristics of valve.

IV. Computational Fluid Dynamics

CFD is a computational technology that enables to study the dynamics of matters that flows. CFD is
predicting what will happen, quantitatively, when fluids flow even with the complications of simultaneous flow
of heat, mass transfer, phase change, chemical reaction, mechanical movement, stresses in and displacement of
immersed or surrounding solids. CFD include expressions for the conservation of mass, momentum, pressure,
species and turbulence. NavierStokes equation given by Claude Louis Marie Henry Navier and the George
Gabriel Stokes. Which defines any singlephase fluid flow, is the fundamental bases of all CFD problems.CFD
software is based on sets of very complex nonlinear mathematical expressions that define the fundamental
equations of fluid flow, heat andmaterials transport? These equations are solved iteratively using complex
computer algorithms embedded within CFD software. Outputs from CFD software can be viewed graphically in
colour plots of velocity vectors, contours of pressure, lines of constant flow field properties, or as "hard"
numerical data and XY plots. In CFD it is possible to directly solve the NavierStokes equations for laminar
flows and for turbulent flows when all the relevant length scales can be resolved by the grid (a direct numerical
simulation). In general however, the range of length scales appropriate to the problem is larger than even today's
massively parallel computers can model. In these cases, turbulent flow simulations require the introduction of a
turbulence model. Large eddy simulations (LES) and the Reynoldsaveraged NavierStokes equations (RANS)
formulation, with the k model or the Reynolds stress model, are two techniques for dealing with these scales.
V. Boundary Conditions
Here inlet, outlet and other boundary conditions are defined. In this analysis in pipe domain inlet and
outlet boundaries has been created and subjected to various Conditions.
1. Inlet boundary condition
In this location is selected as inlet of the pipe, flow is subsonic, mass flow rate has been set different for
different opening angles. Flow direction is normal to the boundary and turbulence is set at medium (intensity
=5%)
2. Outlet boundary condition
In this location is selected as outlet of the pipe, flow is subsonic, average static pressure has been taken as 1 atm.

VI. Velocity Distribution

Fig.1 streamlines of flow through butterfly valve at 30opening.

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Flow Analysis Of Butterfly Valve Using Cfd

Fig.2 streamlines of flow through butterfly valve at 60opening.

Fig.3 streamline of flow through butterfly valve at 75opening.

Fig.4 streamline of flow through butterfly valve at 90opening

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Flow Analysis Of Butterfly Valve Using Cfd

VII. Pressure Distribution

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Flow Analysis Of Butterfly Valve Using Cfd

VIII. Result

IX. Conclusion
During this research work, analysis of flow through Butterfly valve has been done to determine the
performance characteristics by CFD analysis and based on the simulation results, following conclusions are
drawn:

Velocity at upstream as well as downstream is increasing with the increase in opening angle.
Streamlines at the downstream side of the door is becoming uniform with the increase in opening angle.
This indicates that the disturbances are reduced for higher valve opening angle.
Total pressure at upstream is decreasing while at downstream side of the door it is increasing with the
opening angle. This indicates that the pressure imbalance is reducing on the two sides of the door with
increase in angle of opening.
Streamlines at the cross section of the pipe shows that vortices are shifting towards downward direction
and becoming clearly visible with increase in opening angle.
At small angle of opening, there are vortices formed behind the door. The turbulence in the flow is also
high. These are causing large form drag and a high amount of total loss. Relative loss coefficient is
decreasing, thats why head loss coefficient is increasing with the increase in valve opening angle. It
shows that head loss coefficient is a strong function of opening angle .
Flow coefficient is increasing with the valve opening and having maximum value 0.1630 for fully open
condition .
Numerical results are matching with the experimental results very closely, thus conforming the present
CFD analysis .

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