3D Dynamic Simulation of a Flow Force

Compensated Pressure Relief Valve

Giorgio Altare and Massimo Rundo

POLITECNICO DI TORINO - Italy

Micaela Olivetti
OMIQ s.r.l. - Italy

ASME 2016 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition

Phoenix, November 16, 2016

 Summary

• Introduction: flow forces in poppet valves

• CFD model in PumpLinx of a relief valve

• Experimental facility

• Analysis of the results

• Tuning of a 0D model in LMS Amesim

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 Flow forces in poppet valves

Pressure relief valve

Pressure setting
(opening of flow area)

F
pset 
S
Flow rate Fluid velocity
Density

Change of fluid momentum  Flow force Ffl    Q  v  cos 

(closing force)

 The regulated pressure increases with the flow rate

(undesired behaviour)

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 Flow force compensation

Backwards deviation

 Net opening force

 Compensation of the
spring force increment

VALVE UNDER STUDY

Fluid deflector

Radial outlet IN

 Ideally the flow force is null

deflector
OUT
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 Mesh construction (PumpLinx )

Calculated poppet lift sliding

cylinder
(moveable mesh)

Types of grids:
• Fixed
• Sliding (integral with the poppet)
• Deformable (3 types of surface)

• Valve end: fixed surface

 locked nodes

• Valve: mobile surface

 nodes anchored on the
valve end
surface and sliding with it
fixed deformable valve
• Cylinder: fixed surface
 nodes slide along the
cylinder generatrixes Boundary Flow rate at inlet
conditions Atmospheric pressure at outlet
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 Main model features
• Finite volume method
• Unstructured body-fitted Cartesian grids
• Connection through mismatched grid interfaces (MGI)
• identification of overlapped surfaces
• area treated as internal interface and updated every time step

Governing equations:
• Turbulence model standard k-ε
• Wall treatment: standard Wall Function
• Cavitation and aeration modules (Equilibrium dissolved gas)
• No dynamics in air solution/dissolution processes

Numerics:
• Spatial scheme: 1st order upwind
• Temporal scheme: 1st order
• Pressure-velocity coupling: Simple-S

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 Mesh refinement

Mesh density in the 15

minimum flow area
Lift: 1 mm
Pressure with Flow: 50 L/min
imposed poppet lift

Pressure with
calculated
very fine fine
B poppet lift
1
2.8 106
A Configuration analysed
2
1: A & B coarse grid
medium 2: A & B medium grid 4 5
3
3: A medium – B fine grid
4: A medium – B very fine
coarse 5: A & B very fine grid

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 Experimental facility

HE

FM
F2

Valve with
RQ2: two-port flow control valve transducers
FM: turbine flow meter
P1 (100 bar) & P2 (20 bar): pressure transducers Determination of
F1 & F2: oil filters Flow (Q) - pressure (p)
HE: water-oil heat exchanger
steady-state curve

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 Steady-state curves

Ideal valve  vertical line

(regulated pressure not
function of flow rate)

Real valve without deflector

Regulated pressure increases
with flow rate Q (flow force effect)

Ffl    Q  v  cos 

Real valve with deflector

The flow force is compensated,
above all at high pressure

3 different pressure setting

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 Velocity and pressure fields

Flow rate 40 L/min

Setting 75 bar

Cavitation model
Gas volume fraction

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 Influence of deflector angle

45°  0° Pset =

p
Deflector force increases with:
• The rim angle
• The pressure setting
(higher fluid velocity)

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 Lumped parameter model (LMS Amesim)
Good results with CFD … but also need of fast a running model
Parametric model with loop-up table for flow force compensation

poppet lift signal • 3D map in Matlab

mass & • 20x20 square matrix
clearance active surface
endstops • linear interpolation in Amesim

CFD model

Force [N]
flow source Flow rate
conical poppet flow rate signal Poppet lift
[L/min]
[mm]

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 Validation of the tuned 0D model

The Q-p curves are contrasted

with the experimental data

 Acceptable behaviour
for a 0D model

Negligible CPU time

Prediction of regulated pressure in a different operating condition:

Pressure setting 30 bar – flow rate 30 L/min
 Difference between 0D – 3D model: 0.33 bar

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 Conclusion

A quite novel application of PumpLinx has been analyzed

• The method for constructing the moveable mesh has been found
• The correct evaluation of the deflector force requires a good cell
refinement along the entire jet path
• The cavitation model must be active to avoid negative pressures
• Max error in pressure evaluation 2.5 bar at 70 bar (3.5 %)
• The geometry of the deflector rim plays a fundamental role
• In the 0D model the construction and the interpolation of the map
force is crucial (force very sensitive to poppet position)

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 Politecnico di Torino

Fluid Power Research Laboratory

www.fprl.polito.it