FSI Analysis of a Reciprocating Compressor

An important application of ADINA-FSI (the Fluid-Structure Interaction component of the ADINA System) is the analysis of reciprocating equipment such as compressors. The animation above shows the particle tracing in a simplified compressor model. The compressor is composed of a suction hall, a thin steel valve and a piston that moves inside a cylinder.

The simulation starts with the valve closed and compressed air at 10 atmospheres inside the cylinder. As the piston starts to move, the air within the cylinder expands. The valve opens when the pressure on the two sides of the valve becomes equal. When the valve opens, the air starts to flow inside the cylinder, and it closes when the pressure in the cylinder becomes higher than the pressure in the suction hall. The model is intended to capture the vibration of the steel valve during the closing event. The fluid and solid meshes are shown below.