Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic As a Computational Model for the Design and Analysis of Hydraulic Components

Abstract The aim of this work is to study the flow variables of a hydraulic component, a spool valve. Numerical simulations are implemented to analyze the behavior of the component, the method utilized here is called Smooth Particle hydrodynamic (SPH), which uses a Lagrangian approach. The traditional approach for this kind of analysis is CFD, this technique relies on the discretization of the Navier-Stokes equation in an Eulerian form, despite its accuracy it becomes unaffordable in terms of computational power, being the main reason SPH is selected over CFD. The computational model predicts forces and pressure at the same level as its counterpart, CFD. The simulation is conducted in DualSPhysics, open-source software for fluid modeling. Moreover, this study includes implementing the moving spool, which brings other difficulties when using CFD. However, there are other challenges to face during the set-up state of the model while imposing boundary conditions. The inlet/outlet conditions for SPH resort to particles not accounted as part of the computational domain, meaning the simulator stops tracking once the particles reach one of the boundaries. This study explains in detail how to set this condition correctly for inner flow in a control volume. The computational model developed in this study successfully described the physical phenomenon occurring in the spool valve. the typical jet velocity accruing between the shoulder and the closing spool is described by the SPH model. The latter fact is an indicator that this model spots the conversion of momentum and satisfies the continuity equitation.