Simulating Flow in a Ball Valve Assembly

Isometric view of the ball valve assembly.

Boundary conditions of the volume extracted model.

Background

This is an assignment for my ME-441 Computer Simulation and Analysis class. In the Computer Simulation and Analysis class ANSYS Workbench and Discovery AIM were used extensively to simulate. Instructions were provided, and sometimes the models, either from Creo Parametric or SolidWorks, were provided as well. Some assignments however need the objects to be modelled from scratch or modified before hand.

The assignment

There are two different assignments involved when simulating the flow through the ball valve assembly. In this assignment, a ball valve assembly undergoes a flow simulation using ANSYS AIM Fluid Flow. The fluid used in this simulation is water. The water enters the inlet at a mass flow rate of 0.5 kg/s and exits the outlet at 0 Pa.

When editing the assembly's geometry the volume of the inside of the pipe is extracted. Likewise, the rest of the body is suppressed expect for the extracted volume, leaving behind the three cylinders seen on the left. When meshing the pipes a boundary layer is applied to the cylindrical faces of the pipes and the four flat faces of the pipes in the center. A face sizing is also applied at the same flat faces in the center.

Boundary conditions include an inlet, outlet, and wall. From an isometric view, the inlet is applied at the back-left circular face of the pipe. The outlet is applied at the front-right circular face. The wall is every face that hasn't been selected.

Results

The results of this assignment includes an unvalued streamline, the velocity values in vector, banded on a horizontal slice plane, and streamline, a pressure value banded on a horizontal slice plane, the sum of the mass flow rate at the outlet, and the average pressure at the inlet and outlet.

Streamline of the fluid flow through the ball valve Assembly.

Velocity vector of the ball valve assembly.

Velocity magnitude contour of the ball valve assembly.

Velocity magnitude streamline of the ball valve assembly.

Pressure contour of the ball valve assembly.

Mass flow rate at the outlet.

Average pressure at the inlet.

Average pressure at the outlet.

Isometric view of the ball valve assembly with a Y-connector.

Boundary conditions of the volume extracted model.

The assignment

In this assignment, the same ball valve assembly undergoes a flow simulation using ANSYS AIM Fluid Flow. This time however, the outlet is a Y-connector instead of the single-pipe used in the first assignment. Like the first assignment, the water enters the inlet at 0.5 kg/s and exits at both outlets at 0 Pa. The outlet on the left is designated "outlet 1", while the outlet on the right is "outlet 2". The editing, meshing, and boundary conditions of this assembly follows the same process as the first.

Results

Like the first assignment, the results of this assignment includes an unvalued streamline, the velocity values in vector, banded on a horizontal slice plane, and streamline, a pressure value banded on a horizontal slice plane. However, because of the additional outlet involved the sum of the mass flow rate at the inlet and both outlets, maximum total pressure at the inlet and both outlets, maximum velocity at both outlets, and the pressure drop between the inlet and outlet 1 and 2 were also included.