Modeling and Simulation of Orbit Rising Stem Ball Valve System for Real-Time Health Monitoring and Condition-Based Maintenance

Abstract

Abstract The ORBIT rising stem ball valve is a proven technology for use in applications where zero leakage and frequent cycling operations are demanded. The valve uses a tilt-and-turn design, which eliminates rubbing between sealing surfaces, ensuring reliable, extended-life performance in critical and demanding shutoff applications such as switching valves in molecular sieve systems, high-pressure hydrogenation, and hot oil. Within these applications, a single valve failure can lead to significant downtime, production losses, and unforeseen costs for the end user. Traditionally, maintenance is scheduled at predetermined intervals, which can be costly and conservative. This project is focused on developing a physics-based modeling and simulation approach for condition-based maintenance of the ORBIT valve. Two types of models were used to understand and mimic the ORBIT valve design’s real behavior: finite element method (FEM) and reduced-order models. FEM provided accurate results by considering detailed geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, and nonlinear behavior. The reduced-order model fused first principles and FEM results to reduce the number of costly FEM simulations while providing acceptable accuracy for condition-based monitoring of the ORBIT valve. The reduced-order model was used to establish a baseline condition for each valve and conduct what-if analyses to capture valve behavior under different degraded or failure conditions. Direct comparisons of the reduced-order and FEM models showed that the difference between their outcomes in identifying extracted features was found to be less than 8%. Calibration using a 10 × 8 in API 6D Class 600 ORBIT valve indicated that the model accuracy was within predefined requirements. The FEM and reduced-order models improved the understanding of ORBIT valve systems, providing a foundation for future real-time health monitoring and condition-based maintenance of valves.