Last June, Jon Martínez Moraiz and David Martín Ortega, Mechanical Engineering undergraduates at the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC), presented their End of Degree Projects in the Department of Fluid Mechanics, based on the fluid dynamic study of check valves in ITC pumps using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques.
David’s work focused on the simulation of the 62-806 valve used in the medium flow Dostec 40 pumps. The study describes the fluid-dynamic behaviour of this type of valve for different substances with different viscosities (water, salt water, different concentrations of glycerines), analyzing their hydraulic performance as well as the influence of the internal design on its fluid-dynamic behaviour and therefore on its performance.
Jon’s study was similar, but this time with 60-859 type valves, also used in Dostec 40 pumps but for smaller flows. It should be pointed out that the dynamic study using FSI (Fluid Structure Interaction) techniques in order to assess how the fluid-dynamic effects such as pressure, friction or the weight of the moving parts of the valve determine the movement dynamics of the closure element and, thus, the ability to open and close the valve to achieve the prescribed dosages.
In addition, both David and Jon have developed apps designed to facilitate the recalculation process during the modification of the design parameters, separating the definition of variables from the calculation engine which operates on dedicated remote servers.
We wish to congratulate them from ITC for their magnificent work and thank them for their contribution in increasing knowledge about such an important element in a dosing machine as its check valves. Our thanks also to the team of the EEBE Fluid Mechanics Department, with whom we have been collaborating for years, for providing us with this opportunity.