Effect of valve core shapes on cavitation flow through a sleeve regulating valve

Cavitation occurring in a sleeve regulating valve not only increases the energy waste of the whole piping system but also causes severe and costly damage to the valve body and the piping system. In this paper, in order to reduce the cavitation inside the sleeve regulating valve, the effects of different valve core shapes, including flat bottom, ellipsoid, circular truncated cone, and cylinder, on cavitation are investigated by using a cavitation model. The pressure, velocity, and vapor volume fraction distribution in the regulating valve are obtained and compared for different valve core shapes and valve core displacements. The total vapor volumes are also predicted and compared. The results show that vapor primarily appears in the gap between the sleeve and the valve core surface. The cavitation intensities for the ellipsoid and cylinder valve cores are greater than those for the other two valve cores. With the increase of the valve core displacement, the total vapor volumes for all four valve core shapes first increase and then decrease. This work is of significance for the optimization and design of sleeve regulating valves.