Numerical Simulation for Performance Characteristics of Plunger Valve | Chaurasiya, Prem Kumar; Khare, Ruchi; Prasad, Vishnu

Plunger valves are commonly used to control fluid flow inside piping systems and are the correct valves to use whenever pressure head or flow rates need to be safely and reliably regulated and controlled. A plunger valve consists of a plunger, which acts as a piston, crank and gear mechanism and an outlet according to the application and operations requirement. As the valve is opened, fluid starts flowing through the valve. The design of valve is characterised by its performance parameter. The detail flow behaviour is important to understand the valve for its efficient design minimizing the losses. The performance characteristics of valve are required for operation at different opening and under different types of flow and critical for individuals planning and installing piping systems involving the valve. Performance parameter common to a plunger valve include pressure drop, loss coefficient, flow coefficient and cavitation coefficient. While these values can usually be obtained experimentally, it is sometimes not feasible or possible to calculate the performance parameter. Another method wherein plunger valve performance parameter can be obtained is flow simulation.