The “Digital Twin Technology” is currently revolutionising the methodology of design engineering activities by enabling to replicate the behaviour of a component, or an entire system operating in the real world, in a virtual environment.
By Radhakrishnan Ranjeevkumar and Nicola Lisignoli, Flowserve
Traditionally, the design, production and operation phases of a product took place independently and not simultaneously. Now, the digital twin through simulation can provide real-time feedback from the virtual world to engineers. This will be able to facilitate predictive analysis, anticipate issues and optimise performances, which will significantly reduce the time spent for physical research and testing.
Flowserve approached this new technology and adopted it in developing one of its products, one of these being the Rising Stem Ball Valve.
The application of this type of valve makes it particularly suitable for this new engineering practice, as it is used widely in the refinery process industries where severe service conditions such as high number of mechanical cycles and high operating temperatures are present.
This virtual prototype analysis approach is able to predict the areas of maximum wear to enhance the product life and to identify stress concentration that could compromise the performances.
Simulating the valve operation using ANSYS software, it was possible to provide detailed contact stress between components and a prediction of the potential areas of damage and failure. The comparative analysis between the results observed after the endurance test carried out on a physical prototype valve and the digital valve demonstrate and confirm the strong correlation between virtual and real and validate the accuracy of the digital twin model.
The impact of the Digital Twin Technology can be summarised in:
- Increased efficiency: the technology enables precise identification of potential design issues early in the design process.
- Lead time reduction: virtual testing allows rapid iterations of design improvements, reducing the time from concept to production.
- Cost savings: by minimising reliance on physical prototypes and reducing the risk of design errors.
Flowserve’s integration of Digital Twin Technology has driven significant advancements in valve design, ensuring reliability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Discover Flowserve’s innovative solutions at www.flowserve.com, where you can keep track of upcoming webinars and white papers for insights into Digital Twin Technology.
About the Authors
Radhakrishnan Ranjeevkumar is an Engineering Specialist at Flowserve’s Valve Division. He has a total of 24 years of professional experience, including 18 years in the valve industry. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Nicola Lisignoli is Engineering Supervisor at Flowserve. He has 10 years of experience in valve design and site operations. He holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Mechanical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano.
About this Technical Story
This Technical Story is an article from our Valve World Magazine, March 2025 issue. To read other featured stories and many more articles, subscribe to our print magazine. Available in both print and digital formats. DIGITAL MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOW FREE.
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