Application of Constant Flow Rate Control Valve in Pump Discharge Regulation
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 7
Abstract
Accurate volumetric water delivery is key to fairly distributing water in pressurized systems. Discharge control valves facilitate water monitoring and management in pressurized networks. In this study, the application of a mechanical choked orifice plate (MCOP), also called a discharge control valve, is illustrated in pump discharge control. A MCOP includes a float-spring blockage system inserted into an ordinary orifice that maintains a quasiconstant flow by being insensitive to both upstream and downstream pressure fluctuations. The design principle of a MCOP is revisited in this study. A general discharge-differential pressure formula was developed for a cylindrical orifice configuration, based on which an initial design method was proposed to estimate the float shape line for the design discharges of 5 and . Then, MCOP performance was improved by adjusting the spring precompression. Experiments were performed to investigate the hydraulic behavior of a MCOP in a variable speed pumping system. The results indicate that the MCOP can adjust the operating point of the pumping system to keep an almost constant flow rate. Furthermore, the application of MCOP for regulating a single pump with constant rotational speed was studied. It is found that a MCOP is a useful tool to regulate the pump operating point at the highest efficiency even if the total head loss changes in the system.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of Iran National Science Foundation, INSF. The authors appreciate the assistance of Mr. Qolamreza Babaei, the hydraulic lab supervisor, for his efforts to construct the experimental setup.
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 1, 2018
Accepted: Jan 14, 2019
Published online: Apr 29, 2019
Published in print: Jul 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Sep 29, 2019
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