Theoretical Analysis and Numerical Simulation of the Wear of the Sealing Substrate of a High-Pressure, High-Frequency Opening and Closing Hydrogen Ball Valve

Abstract

High-pressure valves are an essential infrastructure for hydrogen refueling stations, and the issue of safety and reliability of their operation affects the efficiency of the entire hydrogen delivery system. Hydrogen ball valves are subjected to high-frequency, rapid reciprocating opening and closing for a long time, and the sealing surface between the valve seat and the ball has an uneven wear distribution problem. In this paper, a theoretical derivation of the seat wear volume and wear depth during the hydrogen ball valve adhesive wear process is presented, and a simulation model based on transient dynamics theory is established to carry out a nonlinear finite element analysis of the dynamic contact and frictional wear of the sealing structure during the opening and closing process of the hydrogen ball valve. In order to effectively reduce the wear unevenness of the sealing surface of the ball valve, a new type of valve seat sealing surface with an unequal-width structure is proposed. Comparing the sealing pressure and seat sealing surface wear depth of the ball valve before and after the improvement, the improved ball valve sealing performance is reliable, while the seat sealing surface wear distribution is more uniform.

Evaluation of rapid gas decompression (RGD) resistance of sealing materials for hydrogen-doped pipeline valves

“…The adaptability of sealing materials to pressure fluctuations can be evaluated using RGD test results, except for the problem of uneven wear distribution on the sealing surfaces between the valve seat and the ball valve [18] . The RGD rating of an o-ring is identified by the average damage rating of its four cross-sections.…”