Analysis of flow structure inside a spool type pressure regulating valve

The flow process inside a pressure regulating valve has been investigated using a computational fluid dynamic approach. The Navier–Stokes equation along with appropriate turbulent closure has been solved for this purpose in the compressible flow regime using FLUENT package. Investigations of the flow through valve at different valve opening and different pressure drop are presented. The standard k–ε model of turbulence was found to predict higher levels of turbulent kinetic energy and hence the realizable variant of k–ε model was adopted for turbulence closure. Within the operating zone, it is found that two-dimensional axi-symmetric formulation can capture the gross flow parameters quite well. However, for complete realization of the turbulent field, three dimensional analyses assume importance. The realizable k–ε model was found to be an attractive option for turbulence modeling.

► Transport process inside a pressure regulating valve has been simulated for industrial applications.
► 2-D axi-symmetric formulation found to capture the gross flow characteristics quite well.
► Complete realization of the turbulent field requires three dimensional analyses.
► The realizable k–ε model against the original k–ε model is better option for turbulence modeling.