DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY
How the Digital Twin Technology is going to change the valve design development of new products
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
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 .
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 .
42 Valve World March 2025 www . valve-world . net