A comprehensive review of cavitation in valves: mechanical heart valves and control valves

Abstract

Valves are widely used in various working conditions for their flow control functions, and the cavitation inside valves has been investigated owing to its harm to the valve itself and the connecting downstream parts. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the progress that has been achieved in the past years about cavitation in valves including both mechanical heart valves and control valves. The review is divided in the following parts, namely the location where there is a high possibility of the occurrence of cavitation, the parameters that affect cavitation intensity, and the methods to minimize cavitation intensity. It should be noticed that although simulation has been widely used, advanced experiments are still needed in order to obtain accurate analysis of cavitation in valves and the cavitation model still needs to be improved.