Computational fluid dynamics application for determining flow characteristics of valves

The valves used in different fields of industry are the most indispensable elements of the flow control. The expectations of the users differ from one another according to the aim of the usage like having a longer lifeline, supporting a more sensitive flow control and having a minimum resistance to flow if necessary; that?s why, the engineers improve the existing valves and look for new models.Nowadays, computers are the greatest helpers of engineers. Computer support in the analysis of difficult problems like solving flow problems is a big facility. After drawing a valve in three dimensional with computers, the working conditions of valves can be analyzed using finite element method and computational fluid dynamics codes. The results of the changes in the geometry can be observed without producing a prototype via this analysis.In this study, the flow characteristic curves of the ball and butterfly types of valves, which are widely used in industry, are analyzed by ANSYS CFX and the results are compared with the catalogue data of the valve producing firms.