Abstract:
Fluid mechanics plays a crucial role in everyday life, enabling the selection of accessories,
materials, and various components essential for a system through which fluid flows.
Pressure drop stands out as one of the most relevant factors in the design of fluid flow
systems. However, analytical and experimental physical methods can increase these
analyses' costs and time. Hence, in this study, statistical tools are employed to carry out
specific experiments supported by numerical fluid simulation, aiming to comprehend the
pressure drop behavior in a fluid as it passes through a globe valve. This valve, in turn,
possesses distinct operating and manufacturing characteristics. The methods employed
encompass a complete factorial system of response surface as support to construct the
experimental design path through computational fluid dynamics. Among the key findings,
it is demonstrated that, for systems with relatively low flow rates, the valve opening
percentage does not exhibit a significant relationship with fluid pressure drop.
Conversely, significant effects are observed for systems with relatively high flow rates
regarding the valve opening percentage and pressure drop. It can be inferred that the
integration of statistical experimental design techniques and computational fluid
dynamics constitutes a valuable resource for studying the pressure drop of a fluid passing
through a system.
