Etude hydroacoustique d'une vanne papillon en régime cavitant

Hydroacoustic study of a butterfly valve in cavitating flow

EDF/DER, Département Machines

Abstract

The CIRCUS code (EDF/DER) allows to determine the pipework network behaviour in case of a flow submitted to hydroacoustic excitations, generally due to some network special devices such as pumps or valves. CIRCUS uses a data base which characterizes each network component through its tranfer matrix and its hydroacoustic source. The butterfly valve in cavitating flow is a really complex component, particularly because waves propagation speed is not constant in the cavitating zone. Numerous tests have been done on the EPOCA loop in Chatou where parameters such as valve opening, flow rate et cavitation rate were examined. Waves propagation speed in the cavitating zone as well as cavitation length were charaterized. Transfer Matrix was determined and the hydroacoustic source was localized downstream of the valve and estimated.