Studying the Hydro-Mechanical Behavior of 1800-2000 Sleeve Valve for Talvar Dam

In this paper, hydrodynamic behavior of 1800-2000 sleeve valve, which is the main control valve of Talvar dam, has been studied using experimental tests and numerical solutions. Firstly, 10:1 and 15:1 models of the valve have been produced to carry out necessary tests. Then, using computer software, hydraulic models of the valve have been developed and their hydrodynamic behavior has been investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD). Then, a numerical model of the valve has been developed based on Finite Element (FE) method and the hydro-mechanic behavior of the valve has been analyzed. Major parameters such as stress distribution in the main components of the valve and their safety factor, distribution of the velocity and pressure for different upstream head and discharge rates together with the valve’s dynamic response have been obtained. Comparing the results of the numerical analysis with the experimental data shows that analytical results have good agreement with experimental data. Results also show that stress level in the hydrostatic solution is lower than the yield limit. Also, the maximum stress level obtained from the dynamic response of the valve is compared with the yield stress of the major parts and a safety factor of 2.5 has been obtained. In addition, the results show that in practice, the nominal discharge of 23.5 m3/s (at water level of 55 meters from the valve axis with 100% opening) and 12.7 m3/s (at water level of 15 meters from the valve axis with 100% opening) can be achieved. In general, a methodology is developed to design the same large size valves which can be implemented in future products.