Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study

Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze a three-way ball valve using computational fluid dynamic simulations in ANSYS Fluent to achieve better flow control and improve the efficiency of the system. The need to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of the fluid management system va...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amol Dhumal, Nitin Ambhore, Gaurav Sanap, Tanmay Patil, Vishal Sanap, Aryan Kadu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Engineering and Applied Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-025-00631-x
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850268899609673728
author Amol Dhumal
Nitin Ambhore
Gaurav Sanap
Tanmay Patil
Vishal Sanap
Aryan Kadu
author_facet Amol Dhumal
Nitin Ambhore
Gaurav Sanap
Tanmay Patil
Vishal Sanap
Aryan Kadu
author_sort Amol Dhumal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze a three-way ball valve using computational fluid dynamic simulations in ANSYS Fluent to achieve better flow control and improve the efficiency of the system. The need to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of the fluid management system valves serves as motivation for this study. Flow analysis of the system includes determining key parameters like flow coefficient (C v ), pressure drop, and velocity distribution. A structured hexahedral mesh with layers of inflation was used to better capture flow behavior along with a grid independence check to ensure the right balance between accuracy and computation cost. Simulations were performed under five boundary conditions: velocity inlet and pressure outlets for the wall and volume to be treated as stationary. Complex interactions within the flow are prominent as significant differences in velocity as well as pressure occur at the junction of the valve. The valve characteristics were defined using C v calculated at different velocities and various positions of the opening of the valve non-linearly correlated to the characteristics. Restrictive path effect on system pressure drop was measured in open and closed paths to assess the impact of restriction features on valve performance. The effects of the dynamic forces of control systems on valve positioning and flow regulation are pointed out as elucidated by the results of management of fluid forces during valve control. This research contributes towards the development of efficient and reliable three-way ball valves, which help in advancements in industrial fluid control systems.
format Article
id doaj-art-c208b8a512e045bcab3453716cc3123a
institution OA Journals
issn 1110-1903
2536-9512
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Journal of Engineering and Applied Science
spelling doaj-art-c208b8a512e045bcab3453716cc3123a2025-08-20T01:53:19ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Engineering and Applied Science1110-19032536-95122025-05-0172111410.1186/s44147-025-00631-xInvestigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based studyAmol Dhumal0Nitin Ambhore1Gaurav Sanap2Tanmay Patil3Vishal Sanap4Aryan Kadu5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Information TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Information TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Information TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Information TechnologyAbstract The objective of this study is to analyze a three-way ball valve using computational fluid dynamic simulations in ANSYS Fluent to achieve better flow control and improve the efficiency of the system. The need to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of the fluid management system valves serves as motivation for this study. Flow analysis of the system includes determining key parameters like flow coefficient (C v ), pressure drop, and velocity distribution. A structured hexahedral mesh with layers of inflation was used to better capture flow behavior along with a grid independence check to ensure the right balance between accuracy and computation cost. Simulations were performed under five boundary conditions: velocity inlet and pressure outlets for the wall and volume to be treated as stationary. Complex interactions within the flow are prominent as significant differences in velocity as well as pressure occur at the junction of the valve. The valve characteristics were defined using C v calculated at different velocities and various positions of the opening of the valve non-linearly correlated to the characteristics. Restrictive path effect on system pressure drop was measured in open and closed paths to assess the impact of restriction features on valve performance. The effects of the dynamic forces of control systems on valve positioning and flow regulation are pointed out as elucidated by the results of management of fluid forces during valve control. This research contributes towards the development of efficient and reliable three-way ball valves, which help in advancements in industrial fluid control systems.https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-025-00631-xThree-way ball valveFlow coefficientPressure dropCFD simulationsk-epsilon modelMeshing
spellingShingle Amol Dhumal
Nitin Ambhore
Gaurav Sanap
Tanmay Patil
Vishal Sanap
Aryan Kadu
Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
Journal of Engineering and Applied Science
Three-way ball valve
Flow coefficient
Pressure drop
CFD simulations
k-epsilon model
Meshing
title Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
title_full Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
title_fullStr Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
title_full_unstemmed Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
title_short Investigating multi-directional flow dynamics in three-way ball valves: a CFD-based study
title_sort investigating multi directional flow dynamics in three way ball valves a cfd based study
topic Three-way ball valve
Flow coefficient
Pressure drop
CFD simulations
k-epsilon model
Meshing
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-025-00631-x
work_keys_str_mv AT amoldhumal investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy
AT nitinambhore investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy
AT gauravsanap investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy
AT tanmaypatil investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy
AT vishalsanap investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy
AT aryankadu investigatingmultidirectionalflowdynamicsinthreewayballvalvesacfdbasedstudy