Increasing the Service Life of Large-Diameter Shut-Off Valves in the Conditions of Slurry Systems of Metallurgical Enterprises

The method of mathematical simulation was used to study the hydrodynamic flows of an iron-containing slurry mixture in a plug valve DU 200 mm under various modes of its operation depending on the opening angle. At that, the hydrodynamic structure of the iron-containing slurry mixture flows and the velocity of their movement have been determined. In the plug valve, four characteristic zones of moving flows are formed depending on the velocity of their movement: the zones of small, medium, high, and intensive movement velocities, which have different hydrodynamic structures. It has been established that with a change in the opening angle of the plug valve, the hydrodynamic structure of the slurry mixture flow significantly changes. In particular, with a decrease in the opening angle (i.e., when it is closing), the volume of the zone of intensive velocities located at the plug cut increases significantly, which leads to an increase in the rate of abrasive wear of its edges.