Research on the steady-state position of the automatic spool of a self-operated flow control valve

The self-operated flow control valve is a critical component designed to maintain stable fluid flow within pipeline systems, capable of automatically adapting to variations in flow rate and pressure. The reliability of its core components significantly influences valve performance. As the primary regulating element, the automatic valve spool was investigated through simulation modeling and experimental validation of a self-operated flow control valve. The study obtained the spool positions under various pressure differentials and opening degrees. The results demonstrate that under high pressure differentials, the valve spool descends as the opening degree decreases, while at constant opening degrees, the spool rises with reducing pressure differentials. Notably, due to valve leakage effects, an inverse relationship was observed under low pressure differentials where the spool elevation increases with decreasing opening degree. These findings provide theoretical guidance for spring design and parameter selection in self-operated flow control valves.