Effects of Cavitation on Vibration of Sleeve Control Valve

Control valves are critical components in fluid industrial systems. They are installed on pressure pipes, responsible for flow and pressure regulating. In applications such as nuclear power, thermal power generation, and aviation, these valves often suffer significant pressure differences, which can cause them to cavitate. Cavitation is a phenomenon of vapor formation induced by pressure change in liquid, and it often leads to the intense valve vibrations, which can adversely affect the stability and safety of the system. Therefore, understanding the interaction between cavitation and vibration in control valves is essential for ensuring system reliability. This study chooses a sleeve control valve with throttling windows designed for nuclear power field. An experimental approach was used to measure valve vibrations under various pressure conditions. The inlet pressure was kept constant at 300 kPa, while the outlet pressure was reduced to create different pressure drops. This is because the possibility of cavitation rises with the increase in pressure differences. Vibration signals under various pressure conditions were recorded by vibration acceleration sensors, and the Root Mean Square (RMS) values were calculated to quantify vibration intensity. The results show that when the pressure differences keep rising, vibration intensity sharply increases under certain pressure conditions, coinciding with cavitation bubble collapse inside the valve. Several experimental tests at different valve openings confirmed the results. To further explore the relationship between cavitation and vibration, simulations were conducted under the same experimental conditions. The vapor volume fraction and vapor distribution in the valve under the experimental conditions are obtained. The simulations were validated by experimental results about the flow rate. The simulation results show a clear link between cavitation and the increases in vibration intensity. With the formation of the cavitation bubbles, vibration intensity increases sharply. Conversely, when vibrations increase steadily, cavitation bubbles have likely reached saturation. This result directly shows that the sharp increase in vibration is related to the cavitation process in the sleeve control valve. The study also found that cavitation-induced vibrations are significantly stronger than those caused by regular fluid flow. These findings provide evidence for the research on the causes of vibration in sleeve control valves. The results are of significance for future efforts to reduce cavitation and vibrations in sleeve control valves with throttling windows, improving the stability and safety of industrial systems.