Modeling of movement-induced and flow-induced fluid forces in fast switching valves

Fast switching fluid power valves set strict requirements on performance, size and energy efficiency and simulation models are therefore needed to obtain good designs of such components. The valve moving member is subject to fluid forces depending on the valve flow rate and movement of the valve member itself. These fluid forces may be accurately simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, but such models suffer from being computationally expensive and is not suited for optimization routines. In this paper, a computationally inexpensive method for modeling the fluid forces is proposed, which includes both the flow-induced fluid forces and the movement-induced fluid forces resulting from movement of the valve moving member. The movement-induced fluid force model is based on a known solution to the linearized Navier-Stokes equations. A method for accurately simulating the flow-pressure relationship of a switching valve based on CFD results is presented along with the fluid force model, to constitute a complete valve fluid model. The parameters needed for the proposed model are determined based on CFD analyses, and the process of finding these parameters are described based on a reference valve design. Simulated results of the total fluid force are presented showing the movement-induced fluid force to be significant for a reference application. The model form established is useful for valve designers during development and for accurate operation simulation.