Three-Dimensional Flow Characteristics in the Downstream Region of a Butterfly-Type Valve Used in Air-Conditioning Systems

Abstract

Oil-film flow visualizations and three-dimensional flow measurements have been conducted in the downstream region of a butterfly-type valve used in air-conditioning systems, with the variation of a disk open angle. The flow visualizations in the flow symmetry plane show that there are a pair of counter-rotating separation/recirculation zones as wall as two jet-like near-wall flows. These flow disturbances are strongly depends on the disk open angle. Based on the flow visualization, a qualitative flow model is suggested in the near-field and downstream region of the valve disk. For a small disk open angle, the mean velocities and turbulent intensities have relatively small values in the near-field of the valve disk, but they do not show uniform distributions even in some downstream region. With an increment of the disk open angle, mean velocity variations and turbulent intensities are greatly increased in the immediate downstream region, but uniform distributions are quickly resumed as departing from the valve disk. The mass flow rate remains nearly constant for the disk open angles less than 30 degrees, meanwhile it strongly depends on the disk open angles between 45 and 75 degrees. The pressure loss is found to be about zero for the disk open angles less than 45 degrees, but is substantially increased for those larger than 75 degrees.