Numerical and experimental investigation on a new modified valve in a valve tray column

This paper reports experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling studies on the performance of three modified valves operating in a valve tray column. The original and modified valves including vnotched, warped and double-valve are tested experimentally. The experimental rig was a Perspex column having a single valve equipped with a fluctuating plate to measure the quality of gas distribution by using laser sensors. Two-stage nested designs were employed to show the repeatability and consistency of the measurements. In the CFD modeling, the volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to model the gas-liquid two-phase flow inside the column. A good agreement was observed between experimental data and the CFD predictions. The results showed that the double-valve layout provides a better gas distribution, smaller bubbles with greater interface area and lower pressure drop in comparison with the original and the two other modified valves.