Swing Check Valve Characterization and Modeling During Transients

The hydraulic torque on the disk of a swing check valve strongly influences the dynamic valve-fluid interaction. This torque is difficult to quantify. In this study, the hydraulic torque is separated into a torque due to flow around a stationary disk and a torque due to disk rotation. Laboratory tests have been conducted to characterize these components. Numerical simulations of a check valve slam are made and the results compared with measured disk angle and pressure traces. The validity of the hydraulic torque characterization is demonstrated by the close agreement between the simulation results and the measurements.