Experimental study of check valves performances in fluid transient

Abstract

An experimental set-up was introduced to study the dynamic behaviour of different types of check valves under pressure transient conditions. Three types of transient comparison methods were used, with similar results being obtained from all three methods. The experimental results show that the check valves with low inertia, assisted by springs or small travelling distance/angle, gave better performance under pressure transient conditions as compared to check valves without these features. Although different amounts of air entrainment were found to affect the experimental readings, the general characteristics of each check valve remain the same when compared between valves. This study can be applied to help in the choosing of suitable check valves for a particular pumping system.