BUTTERFLY VALVE

LOSSES
STEPHEN “DREW” FORD
P6.160
13 FEB 2007
 P6.160
• GIVEN: The butterfly valve losses in Fig. 6.19b may be viewed
as a Bernoulli obstruction device, as in Fig. 6.39.

• FIND: First fit the Kmean versus the opening angle in Fig6.19b to
an exponential curve. Then use your curve fit to compute the
“discharge coefficient” of a butterfly valve as a function of the opening
angle. Plot the results and compare them to those for a typical
flowmeter.
 View of the butterfly valve from downstream

Using the  as the degree of the opening for the

variable in out equation.
 Fig 6.19(b)

Using these values as the original K’s

 ASSUMPTIONS

• The velocity through the valve is

different than the velocity in the entire
pipe due to the small silver opening in
the valve.
• Steady
• Incompressible
• Frictionless
• Continuous
 The problem states using Eq. 104 may be helpful.

Q  Vt At (6.104)

Where At is the area of the silver in the valve. This area is

 Found to be (1-cos())

The continuity equation gives us:

Q = ApVp = AtVt
Manipulation of the continuity equation in terms of the
Velocity in the Valve.

Q Q Atotal Vpipe
Vvalve   
Asilver Atotal Asilver (1 cos())
The minor losses in valves can be measured by finding
“the ratio of the head-loss through the device to the velocity
head of the associated piping system.”

hm
K 2 , K is the dimensionless loss coefficient
V 2g
The problem states that using the Velocity through the valve
will give a better K value. So multiplying the original K by a value
of (Vpipe/Vvalve)2 which is a mathematical “1” gives a new equation
for K.

2
hm Vpipe 
K optimal   
Vpipe2 2g Vvalve 

Which yields the new equation for K

 K optimal  K original1 cos()

2
 Finding the curve fit lines of the original K values and plug in
it in to the Koptimal equation. These curve fit equations are:

K1 = 1101.9e-0.0978 (1-cos())2

K2 = 1658.3e-0.1047 (1-cos())2

K3 = 1273.3e-0.1919 (1-cos())2

20o 30o 40o 50o 60o 70o 80o 90o

K1 .567 1.052 1.21 1.05 0.779 0.507 0.301 0.165
K2 0.743 1.29 1.37 1.27 0.775 0.471 0.261 0.134
K3 0.427 0.64 0.59 0.419 0.249 0.131 0.063 0.027

The calculated values of the K of three different manufactures

from the original K values form Fig. 6.19b.
 Butterfly valve losses of 3 different manufactures

3.5

2.5

2 K2
K1
K

1.5 k3

0.5

0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Valve Position (degrees)

The graph of all 3 manufacture’s valves with the new K

values.
 Biomedical Application
Patients who suffer from valvular diseases in the heart may
require replacing the non-functioning valve with an artificial
heart valve. These valves keep the large one-dimensional flow
going. Fluid mechanics plays a large role in designing these
valve replacements, which require minimal pressure drops,
minimize turbulence, reduce stresses, and not create flow
separations in the vicinity of the valve.