Non-Newtonian Losses Through Diaphragm Valves

The prediction of head losses in a pipe system is very important because head losses affect the performance of fluid machinery such as pumps. In a pipe system, two kinds of losses are observed: major losses and minor losses. In Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow, major losses are those that are due to friction in straight pipes and minor losses are those that are due to pipe fittings. Minor losses must be accurately predicted in a pipe system because they are not negligible and can sometimes outweigh major losses. There is presently little data for the prediction of non-Newtonian head losses in pipe fittings in the literature and little consensus amongst researchers. In the case of diaphragm valves, usually, only one loss coefficient value is given in turbulent flow or in laminar flow with no reference to a specific size of the valve, assuming geometrical similarity that would lead to dynamic similarity. However, no one has done a systematic study of various sizes of diaphragm valves from the same manufacturer to establish if this is true. This could be the main reason for discrepancies found in the literature This work addresses this issue.