Check valves in submersible pumps open and close repeatedly as the pump operates, which may cause problems that could damage the valve element.
Until now, the time-consuming process of endurance testing has been the only way to confirm the strength and fatigue characteristics of the valve element. Also, methods for upgrading valve elements involved modifying the shape and then checking it with endurance testing.
Flow pattern during opening and closing of check valve
Because fluid-structure coupling analysis that considers the motion and deformation of the valve element requires a two-way coupling of CFD and FEA, very little research has been conducted to date.
However, with the improvements in calculator functions of recent years and advances in analytical software functions, we are drawing closer to a level that will enable us to address these problems.
Here, we conducted two-way FSI on the check valves of submersible pumps by linking up Abaqus, a high-end structural analysis software, and StarCCM+, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software.
These calculations were hindered by the instability of the flow analysis at the instants of full closure and opening of the valve.
We were able to perform the calculations by adjusting the mesh quality and devising ways to pass the boundary conditions from each other's calculation results between CFD and FEA.
Expertise in the performance of FSI obtained through this research can be applied to a wide range of fields.
Stress distribution on valve element